SPIRIT - It Shall Be : The Ode & Epic Recordings 1968-1972

Is the "Ice" distortion only an issue on the CDs? I can't say I remember any distortion on the original vinyl. I'll have to pull it out again.

 

I bought the Spirit S/T, The Family That Plays Together SACDs. I was thinking there was 3 but I was mistaken. "Clear" never made it.

 

I think I remember a bit of distortion in that one spot on my original yellow Ode vinyl but I haven't heard that one in years. I first noticed again on the Repertoire digipak. It is the loudest CD version and of course, the solo is loud. I've just tried to find a release where that spot has it at a minimum. The box is great but the Edsel fits the bill.

 

I'll listen to the vinyl today...original ODE. And see if I hear it.

 

First I've heard of this set. Just ordered!

 

Can someone please confirm that these are indeed the original mixes for these albums?

 

Been reading through the comments in this thread, and I agree, the sound quality of this set is superb.

 

According to Cherry red Records yes, "The Family That Plays Together", is the original mix. This from Cherry Red, below. All albums & sundry are wonderfully remastered. A must have!

Spirit: It Shall Be, The Ode & Epic Recordings 1968 - 1972. 5CD Remastered Clamshell Boxset - Cherry Red Records

"Newly re-mastered, this anthology features all of Spirit’s recordings for the Ode and Epic labels between 1968 and 1972 and notably includes the entire mono mix of the band’s self-titled debut album (appearing on CD for the first time), the complete soundtrack to the film "The Model Shop", along with original 1968 stereo mix of "The Family That Plays Together", associated out-takes, singles and alternate mixes undertaken in 1991 for the "Time Circle" compilation. "It Shall Be" also includes an illustrated booklet with essay by Malcolm Dome featuring archive interviews with Randy California and Ed Cassidy."

 

Who remastered these CD sets?

 

Spirit's s/t debut was a remix in the version released on CD by Sony in 1996, although 9 out of its 11 tracks were on Time Circle in the original stereo mix. As I don't have It Shall Be yet, I don't know if they used the original stereo mix.

 

I have it (two first pressing LPs in fact, one I wore out that I bought in 1968) and yes! the original mix is definitely used for "The Family That Plays Together" in this box set.

 

Yea, I already have Steve's Audio Fidelity's Spirit - S/T, and The Family That Plays Together. I'm sure Steve used the original tape mixes on these. Wonder if they will be selling these standalone cds?

 

I was going to say exactly this. Wonder if it'll ever happen?

 

Can anyone confirm this set contains the original LP mixes for Clear, The Model Shop Soundtrack, 12 Dreams, and Feedback? I'm not really concerned about the first two albums since we already have the Audio Fidelity discs.

 

Didn't mean to misinform..."The Family that plays together is from the original mi x. All are beautifully and respectfully remastered in the Steve Hoffman tradition(not Steve though, it may say it somewhere in this thread who was).

 

The box set lists Eric (Eirik The Norwegian--given the nickname by Paul McCartney) Wangberg & Armin Steiner as the engineers. I believe they are the original engineers, so I can only assume that means the original mixes are used for the remastering. David Brown for "Feedback" and bonus tracks for that era.

Armin Steiner is well known for his beautiful analog engineering for the likes of Bread, McCartney's Ram, and a ton more. And more recently for the soundtracks for The Matrix, Legend Of Ron Burgundy, Finding Nemo...and Spirit's early LPs. Eirik was engineer on no less than 50 #1 hits, and over 150 singles and LPs including recordongs for Joh Mayall, Diana Ross, The Beach Boys...

Anyway now we know why Spirit's LPs sounded and sound so damn great as we go through their wonderful analog LPs and bonus tracks, that have been remastered for this wonderful box set from Cherry Red Records, UK.

Hope this Helps...though I have yet to find who was the engineer on the remastered box set:

Overview from Barnes & Nobel:

Overview​

In 2010, Sony presented Spirit's first five albums in a budget-priced box set. There wasn't anything extra, just five albums in a generic-looking slipcase. Great Britain's Esoteric Recordings (© Cherry Red Records, LTD.) felt the band deserved better. Spirit's first five albums are also included here with newly remastered sound -- alongside a slew of associated outtakes, singles, and alternate mixes offered in 1991 for Time Circle compilation. They also added the original mono mix of the band's self-titled 1968 debut album, and the group's soundtrack for French writer-director Jacques Demy's 1969 film Model Shop.

As most fans know, Spirit's meld of jazz, blues, psychedelia, and pop proved highly influential, but was never quite sustainable commercially. Despite smoking and commercially viable singles such as "Fresh Garbage," "I Got a Line on You," "Uncle Jack," and "Nature's Way," the band's wildly eclectic sound never really connected with the masses. Listening to the band's Ode debut is a case in point.

The strange mix of genres, while seamless, was unsettling and more often than not, regarded as dark, mysterious, and brooding -- check "Mechanical World," "Fresh Garbage," and "Taurus." This was enhanced by their appearance in the fragmented cover photo with 17-year-old guitarist Randy California (who'd played with Jimi Hendrix at 16 [remarkably, 15 years old actually]), his stepfather, jazz drummer Ed Cassidy (Roland Kirk, Art Pepper, New Jazz Trio) -- whose waxy-looking bald pate looked downright strange, even in 1967 -- keyboardist Cass's old friend John Locke (New Jazz Trio), vocalist Jay Ferguson, and bassist Mark Andes.

The released stereo version of the debut album with 1968's The Family That Plays Together -from the original mix here also- that netted the hit "I Got a Line on You" -- reveals a tale of two bands: The former seeking to express all the core elements in their sound, and the latter from an outfit that has found a way to make them gel. Disc two opens with the Model Shop soundtrack cut in 1968, followed by the slightly schizophrenic but nonetheless rewarding Clear, which was, in retrospect, deeply influenced by the experience of the film score yet contains some of the band's finest accessible tracks in "Dark-Eyed Woman" "Give a Life, Take a Life, and "New Dope in Town." Disc three contains not only their most commercially successful album in The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, but all of its attendant sessions. Disc four offers the mono mixes of Spirit as well as four bonus cuts from those sessions and Time Circle mixes.

The final platter contains eight more Time Circle mixes, assorted outtakes from The Family That Plays Togetherand Clear, both sides of the "1984" and "Animal Zoo" singles, and other assorted mixes. It's all held together in a handsome clamshell package with a booklet chock-full of photos, liner notes by Malcolm Dome, and archival interviews with California and Cassidy. Though Spirit continued recording and touring in one way or another until California's death in 1997, It Shall Be: The Ode & Epic Recordings is a definitive aural portrait from a band whose influence continues unabated into the 21st century. _Barnes & Nobel.com

​

 

The Esoteric box as vinyl--doubt it?

Or Steve's? Of course that isn't possible on Steve's end, sadly, as Audio Fidelity has gone under, darn...so we won't get the last two he was slated to remaster.

 

In the Esoteric/Cherry Red box liner notes the engineers are listed (on st/t, Family, Clear & Sardonicus) as Weinbang,/Steiner & sometimes Stachowalk, Feedback engineer is David Brown (producer on a ton of classic albums including many by Santana)...so yes those are the original engineers and this therefore would be from the original mixes.

 

OK...so after some research, finally.

The Ode/Epic box by Cherry Red Records/Esoteric Recordings imprint clamshell box was remastered
by veteran engineer Ben Wiseman:

Compiled for Cherry Red Records’ Esoteric Recordings imprint, by Mark and Vicky Powell, “It Shall Be” comes in a clamshell box, with a 20-page full color booklet with complete track listings, an essay by Malcolm Dome, some choice photos and incredible sound thanks to the 24-bit remastering job by Ben Wiseman. Aside from perhaps a bit larger booklet, I can’t think of a single thing I would change regarding “It Shall Be.” This is, for this reviewer, the best reissue of 2018 up to its date of reissue, and is an absolute must for fans of 1960s and 1970s rock, jazz rock, psychedelic rock, Randy California or Spirit’s music in general. I can’t think of superlatives strong enough to stress the quality of this release or suggest it strongly enough. My advice? Get your copy now or forever live with regret!
Spirit - “It Shall Be: The Ode & Epic Recordings 1968-1972” (2018) review - It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine
– Kevin Rathert
© Copyright 2018 - It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine


If this is the Ben Wiseman, he has been involved in a ton of great music productions since the 1960's. Presently: Director of Broadlake Studios, Ltd., London / Freelance Mastering Engineer at The Audio Archiving Co, Ltd., London, for Esoteric Arts, Cherry Red, Universal, EMI.

 

Anyone have this...

White vinyl, numbered. Release date 15 Feb 2019
The Sound of Vinyl

 

Aside from all the great recordings from this amazing box, let's also explore Randy & Cass' music as Spirit , Son Of Spirit etc.

Holy Man

 

And this is KILLER!

Spirt of '76
America The Beautiful/The Times They Are a'Changin'

 

And this...Like A Rolling Stone