The 1969 art film MODEL SHOP was historically important for two reasons--not only was it French director Jacques Demy's English-language follow-up to his immortal UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, but the soundtrack was provided by West Coast rockers Spirit, then at the peak of their powers. The tracks provided by Spirit (who were handpicked by Demy to score the film) didn't see official release until 2005. Most significantly, this largely instrumental album finds the band exploring the jazzy side only hinted at in their proper releases. This is jazz-rock from a time before the concept of "fusion" even existed. Lacking any obvious precedents, Spirit's explorations here are awash with the sense of discovery.John Locke's keyboards are notably given more exposure than usual, due to the nature of the format, taking equal time alongside Randy California's storied guitar work. California spends more time emulating Wes Montgomery than trotting out the Hendrix-schooled psychedelic rock licks that helped make Spirit famous, and his drumming stepfather Ed Cassidy, a former jazzman who'd logged time with Cannonball Adderley, couldn't sound more at home. A couple of tracks here saw the light of day in different versions on other albums, but for the most part this is manna from heaven for Spirit aficionados.
