Tent of Miracles
is one of the best
Spirit
albums by the trio version of the act, the
Randy California
/
Ed Cassidy
ensemble which carried on with the name. This time the third member is bassist
Mike Nile
, and the album works because
Nile
gets to be more than a sideman, he actually contributes as the original group did, with results that are most satisfying.
is a wonderful album title, and the disc opens with
's jungle drumbeat instrumental
"Borderline,"
typical of the band's bold 1990s sound. More serious and refined than the
Mercury
records releases in the mid-'70s, decades on the road touring, along with having those highly experimental albums behind them, make this a very musical and mature chapter.
"Zandu"
is your
"Kahauna Dream"
-style exotic guitar with its mechanical metallic stomp, a song similar to but lighter than
Roxy Music
's
"Manifesto."
California
's co-write with stepdad
,
"Stuttgart Says Good-bye,"
is
"Eight Miles High"
gone tribal and expands the theme. This 1990 album has an inadvertent concept which is a delight to the legion of
fans who cared enough to seek it out. The title track is an eerie
"I Want Candy"
redux with the real stunner being that it is a
original, a major contribution from a
member not originally part of the group. The almost six minutes mesmerize and are everything
was ever about. It follows in the dreamy quagmire that is
"Stuttgart Says Good-Bye"
and the earlier
"Love From Here"
style.
has elements of the later 1994 track
"One By One,"
a
original which outdoes the excellent
"Love From Here,"
providing insight that the late singer/songwriter was in a groove and in a good creative state, despite lack of major label support for his latter-day efforts. The band actually becoming a full unit with serious contributions from the bass player adds a cohesion missing from some of the '70s work.
's originals not only keep pace with
, they seem to give Randy and this version of the band focus. The final of the dozen songs,
"Deep in This Land"
holds to the theme and sound of the title track, as well as
's other originals,
"Old Black Magic,"
"Ship of Fools,"
and the tune all three bandmembers composed,
"Imaginary Mask."
"Tent of Miracles"
holds many secrets and is that extension of
The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
that
was seeking for so many years. ~ Joe Viglione