Music Review

The Mercury Years

Reviewed by Scott Schinder | Mar 28, 1997
EW's GRADE
B

Details Genre: Reissues

When Spirit guitarist Randy California disappeared in a swimming accident last January, rock lost a severely underappreciated if wildly inconsistent talent. This scattershot two-CD set — drawn from a half-baked mid-'70s Spirit revival — is a mere footnote to the original band's brilliance. But the bizarro mix of styles on The Mercury Years is a fine representation of California's endearingly flaky eclecticism and of the innocence that lent a sweetness to even his silliest indulgences.

Originally posted Mar 28, 1997 Published in issue #372 Mar 28, 1997 Order article reprints

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