Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

Infobox Album |
Name = Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Type = studio
Artist = Spirit


Border = yes
Released = November 1970
Recorded = April–October 1970
Genre = Rock
Length = 38:58
Label = Epic
Producer = David Briggs
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:u9sxlfae5cqy link]
Last album = "Clear"
(1969)
This album = "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus"
(1970)
Next album = "Feedback"
(1972)

"Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" was a largely successful, and decently grossing, album released by the psychedelic rock ensemble Spirit. Produced by David Briggs, who is best known for his work with Neil Young, and whom they chose on Young's recommendation. The original LP was released in 1970 by Epic shortly before the original group disbanded.

This loosely-based, sci-fi concept album is a diverse yet cohesive effort, and is widely considered to be one of the best rock albums of the period. The album's second song is the keynote track "Nature's Way", the most notable hit (along with "I've Got a Line on You") the band would ever produce. "Mr. Skin" also became a hit single in the U.S., three years after the album's release. The album also includes several other lesser-known tunes which are considered to have had an impact on the genre of experimental rock in the United States.

The album influenced many other groups -- the track "Morning Will Come" presaged the emerging glam rock trend and sounds strikingly similar to the music of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, and the piano figure that opens the instrumental track "Space Child" closely resembles the piano intro of the 1978 Steely Dan hit "FM". A modern nod to Spirit was given by Sam Beam of lo-fi indie band Iron and Wine. The breakdown in "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" matches that in "Prelude-Nothing to Hide".

Just as in previous attempts, Spirit fused aspects of jazz and folk together with their traditional rock stylings, but also introduced added elements of space rock, or popular music's science-fiction subset. This innovative LP is also notable as one of the first rock albums to use the newly-developed Moog synthesizer.

The album was re-issued on CD in 1996 by Sony in remastered form, with bonus tracks.

Track listing

# "Prelude – Nothin' to Hide"
# "Nature's Way"
# "Animal Zoo"
# "Love Has Found a Way"
# "Why Can't I Be Free?"
# "Mr. Skin"
# "Space Child"
# "When I Touch You"
# "Street Worm"
# "Life Has Just Begun"
# "Morning Will Come"
# "Soldier"
# "Rougher Road" *1
# "Animal Zoo (Mono Single Version)" *
# "Morning Will Come (Alternate Mono Mix)" *1
# "Red Light Roll On (Additional Single)" *

*-tracks specific to the 1996 reissue

1-previously unreleased material