Spirit's fourth LP, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, reached the charts but took an inordinate amount of time to receive attention (the album would eventually be certified gold by the RIAA in 1976).

[2] The resulting album featured numerous covers of the works of contemporary acts such as the Beatles and James Brown, with less emphasis upon original material by Randy.

The group, which featured Ed Cassidy on drums and Larry "Fuzzy" Knight on bass, supported the album by playing shows around the Los Angeles area, including a few performances for the radio station KPFK.

"[3] However, Robert Christgau stated that, while he did not have a passion for "sheer dense weirdness", the album's "tunefully distorted guitar (and vocal) showcase will grow on you if you give it half a chance".

[4] Gavin Martin of Classic Rock in his positive review remarks how the album reflects the strong spiritual and musical connection with Jimi Hendrix, although California shows here an "individual, densely layered" sensibility which puts him "several light years ahead of the pack.