The Family That Plays Together

The Family That Plays Together is the second album by the rock band Spirit. The album was released on Ode Records in December 1968. It shows the group expanding on their early psychedelic rock style and moving toward what might be described as an early form of progressive rock. It was voted number 575 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).

The Family That Plays Together
Studio album by
Spirit
ReleasedDecember 1968 (1968-12)
RecordedMarch 11–September 18, 1968
Genre
Length34:44
LabelOde
ProducerLou Adler
Spirit chronology
Spirit
(1968)		 The Family That Plays Together
(1968)		 Clear
(1969)
Singles from The Family That Plays Together
  1. "I Got a Line on You"
    Released: 1968
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone(positive)[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

Tracks such as "It Shall Be" and "Silky Sam" demonstrate the ease with which the ensemble can incorporate jazz into their idiosyncratic form of rock, while "Jewish" and "Aren't You Glad" show the band's competence in exploiting both world music and jam rock. "Poor Richard," "Jewish," and "All the Same" feature double tracked lead guitars played by Randy California.

During this time the band lived together in a house in Topanga, California, near Los Angeles. The album's title was also inspired by the stepson-stepfather relationship between the lead guitarist Randy California and percussionist Ed Cassidy. It alludes to the slogan "The family that prays together stays together", created by ad-writer Al Scalpone for the Family Rosary Crusade and popular in American and British rhetoric beginning in the 1940s.

The album's arrangements were created by Marty Paich, who also arranged and conducted Spirit's eponymous debut album and their third album, Clear, as well as Model Shop (the soundtrack to a film of the same name, which was recorded after "Family" but not released until 2004).

The album cover was shot at the Sunset Highland Motel, located at 6830 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, just across from Hollywood High School.

"Jewish" is performed with Hebrew lyrics that are taken from the traditional song "Hine Ma Tov", based on King David's Psalm 133.[4]

Release history

After the first issue, the stereo master tapes for this album were locked away in storage and made unavailable. Because of this, subsequent CD releases by Sony, as well as the recent vinyl reissue by Sundazed Records, are taken from new stereo mixes made from the original multi-track tapes by Bob Irwin, Randy California and Ed Cassidy in 1996. Liner notes on the 1996 CD reissue state that it was "mixed and mastered by Vic Anesini, Sony Music Studios, New York". (The tracks that appeared on the Time Circle, 1968–1972 compilation were remixed as well, though those mixes are different.)

The 1996 CD reissue also contains five bonus tracks. Two of these appeared on the Time Circle, 1968–1972 compilation, while the other three are previously unissued.

In 2017, Audio Fidelity reissued the album as a numbered limited edition hybrid SACD. This was the first release to use the original stereo mixes since the 1970s. This edition also includes bonus tracks in the same mixes as on the 1996 reissue.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Got a Line on You"Randy California2:39
2."It Shall Be"
3:24
3."Poor Richard"Jay Ferguson2:31
4."Silky Sam"Ferguson4:57
5."Drunkard"Ferguson2:27
6."Darlin' If"California3:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."It's All The Same"
4:41
8."Jewish"California3:23
9."Dream Within A Dream"Ferguson3:13
10."She Smiles"Ferguson2:30
11."Aren't You Glad"Ferguson5:25
1996 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Fog (instrumental)"
  • Locke
  • Cassidy
2:23
13."So Little To Say"Ferguson2:58
14."Mellow Fellow (instrumental)"Locke3:46
15."Now Or Anywhere"Ferguson4:20
16."Space Chile (instrumental)"Locke6:25

Personnel

Spirit

Production
  • Lou Adler - producer
  • Bob Irwin - producer
  • Marty Paich - horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Vic Anesini - mastering, mixing (reissue)
  • Armin Stiener - engineer
  • Adam Block - project director
  • Tom Wilkes - art direction
  • Guy Webster - photography

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1969 Billboard 200 22
1969 RPM Magazine Top 50 46
1972 Billboard 200 189

Singles

Song Chart Position
"I Got A Line On You" RPM Magazine 28

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Hansen, Barret (March 15, 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  4. Bernarde, Scott (2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories. UPNE. pp. 164–169. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
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