The most important features of linear soil-foundation-structure interaction are reviewed, using stochastic modeling and considering kinematic interaction, inertial interaction, and structural distortion as three separate stages of the dynamic response to the free-field motion. The way in which each of the three dynamic stages modifies the spectral density of the motion is studied, with the emphasis being on interpretation of these results, rather than on the development of new analysis techniques. Structural distortion and inertial interaction analysis are shown to be precisely modeled as linear filtering operations. Kinematic interaction, though, is more complicated, even though it has a filter-like effect on the frequency content of the motion.