Opening with an enthusiastic Yeah!, we are at a backyard party, everything loose and convivial. The music leaps into an interesting salsa rhythm of percussion and electric piano. At 0:09, a distorted guitar jams into the melody, followed a few seconds later by a somewhat jarring cascade of double time rhythms that lead into the vocals:
Fresssshhhhh Garararbage....like a street cleaner making his rounds, bring out yer freshhh garbage!
During the verse, guitar and keyboard harmonize with the vocals on lid some morning, didn't quite consume, and your fresh garbage, before gently collapsing in a heap due to the stench. Well, at least it's fresh garbage, not stale old garbage (would that make a difference?) The song loops around through the same verse, then at 1:14 we are swept into a jazzy 3/4 time keyboard solo that lulls us into dreams of flowers and clean air, away from the scourge of garbage...... until suddenly at 2:20 someone shakes us out of the dream and back to reality for the rest of the song. fresshhhh, shhsh, shhsh, shhsh.
Fresh Garbage is my favorite song by Spirit, followed closely by I Got A Line On You. It is the opening track from their self-titled debut album. The album was released on January 22, 1968. Guitarist Randy California would turn 17 in February, and drummer Ed Cassidy, Randy's stepfather, would turn 45 in May. Vocalist Jay Ferguson would go on to have a hit in the late 70s with Thunder Island, a smooth garbage-free yacht rock kinda thing.
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