10 Strange Music Albums By Mainstream Acts
3. The Adventures Of Kaptain Kopter & Commander Cassidy In Potato Land - Spirit
Los Angeles band Spirit are a firm contender for 'most underrated act of the '60s/'70s'. Formed in 1967, and featuring the considerable talents of guitarist Randy California, they produced a string of fine albums showcasing an original rock sound which lay somewhere between blues and psychedelia.
Some will be familiar with the name thanks to a long-running and recently-settled court case, with Spirit claiming that Led Zeppelin lifted a melody from their song, Taurus, as the opening for Stairway To Heaven; a claim which was eventually overturned.
Between '72 and '73, Spirit took a sabbatical, and it was during this time that Randy California, together with Spirit's equally talented drummer, Ed Cassidy, put together Kaptain Kopter, a concept album based in the bizarre setting of Potato Land, a strange world populated by the titular vegetables.
Not everything here fails, but the music is far from that which Spirit fans might expect. Beach Boys-esque numbers nestle against psychedelic disco, piano-pop, spoken-word interludes and dreamy ballads. An interesting, uneven, and highly unexpected set.