Smile for the Sun

Description

Smile for the Sun is an album by the Dutch pop-rock band Oasis, released on Dove in 1977. Featuring covers of “Happy Road” by Barry McGuire, “(Lovely Jesus) Here I Am” by Phil Keaggy (recorded by Honeytree on her classic album Evergreen), as well as “Teach Me To Love” and “In Your Way” by Graham Kendrick.

Oasis was the touring group for Youth for Christ. As a result of that, their line-up was subject to frequent change. Among others, Sheila Walsh performed with Oasis for a season, and is featured prominently on Promised Land released on Dove in 1978.

Soft folk-rock sounds from 5-guy 2-girl Holland outfit, pretty lovely on the whole, especially when done in a hands-off mildly-progressive acoustic style. Most of Smile For The Sun follows this trend, sounding particularly cutting-edge on «I Heard The Voice Of Jesus» where harmonies, guitar, piano, dulcimer and recorder magically intertwine. Some charming acoustic ballads, including «Who Is This Man?» and «He Is The One». Title track has a fuzzy electric guitar lead, making it one of the more rock-edged selections. Banjo and harmonica add folksy touches to a couple tracks. Other songs include Barry McGuire’s «Happy Road» and Honeytree/Keaggy’s «Lovely Jesus», plus Dutch versions of Graham Kendrick’s «In Your Way» and Dan Burgess’ «Thank You Lord». [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Teach Me To Love”
A2. “Who Is This Man?”
A3. “He Is The One”
A4. “Quand J’ai Vu Tes Mains”
A5. “Em Teu Tempo”
A6. “Happy Road”

Side Two
B1. “Smile For The Sun”
B2. “(Lovely Jesus) Here I Am”
B3. “Gott Ist Tatsächlich Da!”
B4. “I Heard The Voice Of Jesus”
B5. “Dank U Heer”