The Family That Plays Together, the second of four albums released by the original Spirit lineup, was marketed by Ode Records in February 1969. More than its predecessor, Spirit, their self-titled and surreal debut, The Family That Plays Together displays the band's ability to play beyond the genre of psychedelic rock. Tracks such as "It Shall Be" and "Silky Sam" demonstrate the ease with which the ensemble can incorporate jazz into their idiosyncratic form of rock, while "Jewish" and "Aren't You Glad" show the band's competence in exploiting both world music and jam rock. "Poor Richard," "Jewish," and "All the Same" feature double track lead breaks by guitarist Randy California. The album's title was inspired by the stepson-stepfather relationship between guitarist Randy California and pe