JIMMIE SPHEERIS / ISLE OF VIEW

Digitized from the original vinyl, released in 1972 on Columbia Records.
Format: Mp3
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
ALBUM INFO:
Produced By: Paul Leka
Recorded At: Columbia Studios, New York, New York & Columbia Studios, Los Angeles, California
Engineers: Tim Geelan, Stan Tonkel, Phil Cross, Jack Ashkinazy
Cover Art: Monte Luna
TRACK LISTING:
The Nest
For Roach
Monte Luna
Seeds Of Spring
I Am The Mercury
Long Way Down
Let It Flow
Seven Virgins
Come Back
Esmaria
THE PLAYERS:
Jimmie Spheeris - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Geoff Levin - Guitar
David Campbell - Viola, Violin
Lee Calvin Nicoli - Flute, Bass, Guitar, Background Vocals
David Harowitz - Keyboards
Emil Latimer - Conga
Buddy Salzman - Drums
Strings arranged and conducted by: David Campbell
WEBSITE(S):
http://www.jimmiespheeris.com/index.html
http://www.futuresantiques.com/2003/05/jimmy_spheeris.php
http://www.futuresantiques.com/2003/05/jimmy_spheeris_1.php

REVIEW:
By Yours Truly

Another classic album from 1972. This one however has little to nothing to do with Bloodrock's Passage lp, other than the fact their both wonderful pieces of originality from a time that is long gone, along with the optimism that that generation was trying to maintain by '72.

I'm painfully aware the longer that I do this blog and search for info that hearing this music for the first time in today's world is an entirely different experience than hearing it when it was new and fresh and not tainted with the cynisism of the younger generation of today. This album was released before anybody knew what Gay Pride was, or AID's, or cell phones, or personal computers.....it almost doesn't seem possible to me but it is......

I remember a girl friend at the time giving me this album. It certainly set the mood for a nice, quiet romantic evening, but there's more here than candles and incense. Jimmie's lyrics were poetry and the music on this album is rife with beautiful melodies and orchestration.

This record is a one of a kind effort. Jimmie produced 4 albums that I know of and although they were all listenable the first one was never surpassed. Jimmie's life was cut short on July 4th 1984 while riding his bike he was hit and killed by a drunken driver. Some of us get our earthly work done quicker than others I suppose......still, it'd been nice to hear more from him.

==========================

A rare treasure, July 13, 2002
By Andy Agree "jackrabbit79" (Omaha, NE) - (Amazon Customer Review)

I am sad but not surprised to see that on this date there are only seven copies of this CD available on Amazon and that they are selling for $136. Yes, Jimmie's works were finally made available on CD a few years ago, but now due to legal complications they are no longer being issued. I encourage you to check out the "Jimmie Spheeris Online Forum" for lots of information about this artist and funding efforts to get his music newly re-released. If you have $136 to spend, I encourage you to get the CD if you want, but also contribute an equal amount to this fund to help make this special and important music available to everyone at a normal price.
I assume that you are already familiar with this music or you would not be scanning reviews for an obscure 1971 album selling for $136, so there is no need for description. You love it, so do I, but you might be interested in my own personal "Jimmie story", to add the stories listed here. I was first introduced to Jimmie, and this album in particular, in the mid-70s, living in a large "group house" in Palo Alto, CA when I was 21. It was a house favorite and "spun" many times during the year I lived there, but I never heard or even heard of Jimmie again, until this spring. While shopping at the legendary "Plan 9" music store in Richmond, VA, I found an old vinyl copy for $1. It was a "wait a minute, I KNOW this!" moment, and I have been enjoying it ever since. There is some "crackling fire" in the old grooves, but I consider myself extremely lucky to have it in any form. Curious about Jimmie, I discovered the above-referenced website, learned of his commercial "failure" as an artist through the early 80s, his fatal motorcycle accident in 1984, the current legal issues complicating the distribution of his music, and the dedication of his fan base. If he were alive today, it would certainly please him to see what has been written about him here and elsewhere. This is the kind of success every artist should wish for.

CONTACT:
READ THIS for more information on this album.