The Original Potatoland

(The full title is sometimes rendered as The Adventures of Kaptain Kopter & Commander Cassidy in Potato Land, and a revised, still unissued version was called Randy California and Ed Cassidy -- Back Together Again.) The concept, as delineated in spoken word interludes between the songs, had the two veering off the highway to a mysterious place called Potato Land, where they encounter, among other things, a giant chocolate eclair. These bits of dialogue, reminiscent of the stoned interplay of Cheech & Chong, served as introductions to the songs, a typical collection of catchy, guitar-driven pop/rock, including, in this version, reprises of such old Spirit songs as "1984" and "Nature's Way." Skidmore has refurbished the sound, at least to the extent of removing pops and clicks, but much of the disc still sounds like a demo. Still, that helps it retain its period charm. It is hardly a masterpiece, but it certainly is entertaining and lighthearted. Whether it would have been "a huge hit" and reshaped Spirit's career if it had been released in 1973, as Skidmore asserts, is impossible to say, though the band clearly was poised for a commercial breakthrough that never happened. Recognizing that this release will appeal mainly to "die-hard Spirit fans," Skidmore has stretched the disc out to nearly 80 minutes by including alternate takes, live material recorded at the time, and even a bit of the conversation from that radio show he heard in 1973. Some of the live tracks, notably the covers of Junior Walker's "Shotgun," Allen Toussaint's "Get Out My Life Woman," and Mance Lipscomb's "Miss This Train," all from September 1972 Kapt. Kopter shows, provide proof of Skidmore's statement that "Randy was THE natural successor to Hendrix"; on these occasions, he definitely played a lot like his old boss.