# Veteran Singer-Songwriter and Musician Al Staehely Releasing ‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’ On October 7th

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/veteran-singer-songwriter-and-musician-al-staehely-releasing-post-spirit-1974-1978-vol-1-on-october-7th/
- Published: 2021-09-24T11:00:00-05:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

**Veteran Singer-Songwriter and Musician Al Staehely (Spirit, Staehely Brothers)
Releasing ‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’ On October 7th**

**14 Track Album of Rare Solo Recordings From His Days in Los Angeles **

**Recently Unearthed Single “Wide Eyed and Innocent” Now Streaming**

[**Pre-Save Here**](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.831.1.10370313a00371ca0542c4a55895538d)

[**Watch A Video For The Single “Wide Eyed and Innocent” Here**](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.832.1.7c9def6f8e13b4d38ebe416fe84049be)

_“The ’70s L.A. music scene was a special time. Today, in 2021, many try to recreate
the ’70s analog experience in their songwriting and recordings. I was lucky to have
been writing and making music during that time. These never before released recordings
from my “Vault” are the real thing- written and recorded in L.A. during that era
in some of the best studios, with some of the best musicians working at that time.
Enjoy!”- _**_Al Staehely_**

_‘Wide Eyed And Innocent’ is a dreamy charming groove that is appropriately reminiscent
of the subject of reminiscing. The song is also the perfect dose of nostalgia for
returning us to the days of 70s Southern California rock.”- _**_FolknRock_**

![Screen Shot 2021-09-23 at 8.42.39 AM](https://i0.wp.com/cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/
2737/4896/original/Screen_Shot_2021-09-23_at_8.42.39_AM.png?resize=254%2C255&ssl
=1)

Acclaimed Texas-based singer-songwriter and musician **Al Staehely** (**Spirit, 
the Staehely Brothers**) is releasing **‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’** – a fourteen-
track album of rare solo recordings from Staehely’s days in Los Angeles. The album
follows on the heels of the “Wide Eyed and Innocent” single, which debuted in late
August.

While known to many as the lead vocalist, bass player, and principal songwriter 
on **Spirit’s** fifth album, 1972’s ‘Feedback’, Staehely went on to enjoy a lengthy
career in bands like the **Staehely Brothers**, and **The Nick Gravenites / John
Cipollina Band**, while also writing songs for the likes of **Keith Moon, Bobbie
Gentry, Patti Dahlstrom, Nick Gravenites, John Cipollina, Marty Balin, Peter Cox
and Hodges, James & Smith** and more. A segue into a successful career as a Houston,
TX entertainment attorney hasn’t deterred Staehely from continuing to write and 
perform music regularly, which he does to this day.

**‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’** is an audio time capsule that captures the essence
of 70’s Southern California rock.

_“The ’70s L.A. music scene was a special time. Today, in 2021, many try to recreate
the ’70s analog experience in their songwriting and recordings. I was lucky to have
been writing and making music during that time,”_ says Staehely. _“These never before
released Post Spirit 1974-1978 recordings from my “Vault” are the real thing- written
and recorded in L.A. during that era in some of the best studios, with some of the
best musicians working at that time. Enjoy!”_

The single “Wide Eyed and Innocent,” was recorded in 1978, while the recently released
re-recorded version of the song was done during sessions in Marfa, TX in 2020, offering
a unique contrast between Staehely’s storied history and his exciting future.

Looking back at his early days in Malibu and Laurel Canyon, Staehely laughs, “We
were wide eyed- but not that innocent!”

**Pre-save ‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’ here:** [https://ffm.to/postspiritvol1](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.833.1.d6798ba5cdb19b63d2fbfa888f80727b)

**Stream “Wide Eyed and Innocent” HERE: [https://ffm.to/wideeyedandinnocent](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.834.1.590654581aa288c170015e81d3de7b28).**

Al Staehely - Wide Eyed & Innocent (Official Video)

[⌊Al Staehely - Wide Eyed &amp; Innocent (Official Video)⌉⌊Al Staehely - Wide Eyed&
amp; Innocent (Official Video)⌉
Watch this video on YouTube

Video directed by Taylor White

**‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1’ Track Listing:** 
1. Wide Eyed And Innocent 2. 
Feel The Heat 3. Chipping Away 4. Like A River 5. Stand In Love 6. Safecracker 7.
Too Long Alone 8. Without Love 9. Coasting 10. Put Your Life In My Hands 11. Tenderhooks
12. Wish I’d Said 13. Lady Was A Racehorse 14. All Is Forgiven

**About Al Staehely:** 
**Al Staehely** is the only person on the planet who has
both played **Carnegie Hall** and provided legal services for **Stevie Ray Vaughan**.

“I was in a band at the University of Texas with two law students who were older
than I,” says Staehely. “We played good-paying gigs every weekend, and when it was
time for me to graduate and go to med school at a college in another city, the two
law students in the band said, ‘You can’t do that! You’re our lead singer and bass
player. So, I started law school to keep a rock band together. I had no intention
of becoming a lawyer, so when I graduated, I put the law degree in a drawer and 
headed to California to pursue my musical dreams.”

![Screen Shot 2021-09-22 at 3.30.37 PM](https://i0.wp.com/cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/
2736/1722/original/Screen_Shot_2021-09-22_at_3.30.37_PM.png?w=1290&ssl=1)

_Photo: Hill Taylor White_

It didn’t take long for Staehely to begin making those dreams a reality. He arrived
in Los Angeles in 1971, and a few months later he and his brother John were asked
to join the critically-acclaimed band, **Spirit**. With Al as the band’s new lead
vocalist, bass player, and chief songwriter – and with brother John taking over 
lead guitar duties from **Randy California** – Spirit recorded their fifth album,‘
Feedback,’ in November of 1971.

“John and I brought a little Texas flavor to the band that didn’t exist before,”
Al told the _[**Houston Chronicle’s**](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.838.1.d88712b0ac825ed02c6843780424f558)_
Andrew Dansby. “It wasn’t anything we tried to do. It’s just the way we were. The
way we were writing, the way he played, and the way I sang.” Critic Joe Viglione
defined the band’s new sound as “a fusion of pop/jazz/rock with a dab of country.”
He also called ‘Feedback’ “a phenomenal reinvention of Spirit.”

When Spirit splintered (but not before a successful tour that included the aforementioned
performance at Carnegie Hall), Al and John formed a group appropriately named the**
Staehely Brothers**, releasing the album ‘Sta-Hay-Lee’ on Epic Records in 1973.

It was another album that received good reviews, but the act was short-lived. When
his brother John got an offer to join Elektra Records act **Jo Jo Gunne** – a band
whose albums had consistently hit the charts – Al decided it was time to go it alone.

Having written the majority of the songs on both ‘Feedback’ and ‘Sta-Hay-Lee,’ Al
began focusing on his writing talents, getting cuts by **Bobbie Gentry, Marty Balin**
and **Keith Moon**, among others.

Not giving up on his dreams of releasing an album under his own name, Staehely recorded
many tracks in LA between 1974 and 1978, working with a collection of first-rate
musicians that included **Steve Cropper, Jim Horn, Snuffy Walden**, and **Pete Sears**.

Between sessions, Staehely headlined clubs in L.A. and NYC, opened concerts for 
The Moody Blues and Hot Tuna, did sessions for **Keith Moon’s** solo LP, and toured
with Chris Hillman.

In 1980, Staehely returned to Texas and pulled his law degree out of the drawer 
Lawyer by day- musician by night, Al did shows with **Roy Orbison, Jefferson Starship,
Emmy Lou Harris** –two European tours with **John Cipollina** and **Nick Gravenitis**(
of **Quicksilver Messenger Service** and **Electric Flag**, respectively) documented
by the LP, ‘Monkey Medicine,’ recorded in Hamburg which featured three of Al’s songs.
Back in Texas, he even played a show with **Rodney Dangerfield!** Just as he was
beginning to build his practice, Polydor Records came calling, and in 1982 ‘Stahaley’s
Comet,’ Al’s long-awaited solo record, was released – but only in Europe.

His impressive array of music industry clients and fatherhood kept him busy for 
a couple of decades, but the urge to make music has never left.

In 2011, SteadyBoy Records oversaw the first US release of the Polydor LP, with 
the new title, ‘Al Staehely and 10k Hours.’ In 2013, ‘Cadillac Cowboys,’ an EP by**
Al Staehely and the Explosives**, was also released on SteadyBoy. In more recent
years, he has returned to the studio, as well as playing live – frequently with 
his brother John, **Freddie Steady Krc**, keyboardist **Mike Rosenbaum.** and sax
player **Evelyn Rubio**. At long last, Al Staehely the lawyer is once again Al Staehely
the singer/songwriter/bass player – back to give the world his music from the past,
as well as the music he continues to make today, including a new album recorded 
in Marfa with **Fran Christina (drums), Scrappy Jud Newcomb** (guitar), and **Chris
Maresh (bass)**.

This fall, Al will release solo recordings from his days in Los Angeles descriptively
titled ‘Post Spirit 1974-1978 Vol. 1.’ The initial focus track is the recently unearthed
gem “Wide Eyed and Innocent”, along with a new version of the song- a sneak preview
from the Marfa sessions.

**[www.alstaehely.com](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.839.1.eea2ccaab825d3598c864a8ea21f3ff1)
[www.facebook.com/al.staehely](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.840.1.f4767c19244159d1411b7ef7cbdc98a6)
[Spotify](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.841.1.3d06636c875bcbc9f4d490e3f5390a08)
[Apple Music](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.842.1.bca573bee4882c8b9ca79db2b6b3d547)
[Youtube](https://email.cloud.secureclick.net/c/6813?id=302892.843.1.4863fcb20cd98a3c7573f57387295c2f)**

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