Description
The self-titled debut album by the American folk-rock band Love Song was independently released on Good News Records around April 1972, manufactured and distributed by the mainstream company United Artists Records. The album – one of the most iconic in the history of contemporary Christian music – was recorded at the famous Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles; on the same equipment (and with Stan Ross, the same engineer) that had recorded so many popular hits over the years by the Beach Boys, Phil Spector’s groups, etc. Mixed by Eirik Wangberg at Sound Labs in Hollywood. Cover design by Kernie Erickson.
Upon the album’s release, renowned music critic Howard Lucraft wrote “These are original religious songs in contemporary folk vein. Keyboard man Chuck Girard was involved in the writing of all but two melodies (some with a modal approach) are highly appealing – especially the title tune. The four instrumentalists comprising Love Song (electronic keyboards, two guitars and bass) all sing. Vocal blend in harmony and diction are tops. There’s some articulate guitar. It’s creative today music with a message and tasteful musicianship that must be rated five stars.” – Variety, Wed. April 26, 1972 Record Roundup by Howard Lucraft. [Composer and arranger Lucraft was the music editor for Daily Variety.]
Love Song actually had been approached by legendary producer Bill Halverson, who had produced and engineered numerous albums for numerous top artists of the day. Freddie Piro, the owner of the band’s record label Good News, set up a meeting with Halverson, and the boys sang a few songs for him. Halverson was impressed, actually comparing the boys’ vocal sound to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, for whom he had just produced an album. Also interested in the band were Ahmet Ertugen, founder of Atlantic Records, and Clive Davis, president of Columbia Records. These were two of the most important record executives of the day. The members of Love Song decided against using Halverson. The persuasion of the band at the time was that as new believers, they did not want their spiritual perspective blurred by being overly influenced by others. They wanted and perhaps even needed to find their own way in producing this first offering to God.
During the summer of 1971, before the recording of the debut album, guitarist Fred Field and drummer John Mehler had left Love Song and moved to Northern California where they formed a group called Noah. (Mehler later rejoined the band in time to play on Love Song’s sophomore studio album Final Touch as well as the live album Feel the Love). Guitarist Bob Wall replaced Fred Field, but since Love Song was now without a drummer, they first tried to record the album in a kind of “un-plugged” style, sans drummer. It soon became obvious that this was not going to work, and a young session drummer, John Raines, was hired to play on the project. As well, the band had decided beforehand to do no “sweetening” (strings, horns, etc.) and to have no fade-outs on the album. The idea was to keep the music as close to the live performance as possible.
The album was engineered by Stan Ross, co-owner of the legendary Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, California; where many radio hits had been recorded over the years, such Phil Spector classics as the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” (as well as Love Song member Chuck Girard’s secular radio hits with the group The Castells, “Sacred” and “So This Is Love”). Brian Wilson also cut many Beach Boys songs at Gold Star, including the classic “Good Vibrations”. Historically, the Love Song album was the last album ever to be recorded on the original tube console.
The album was first mixed by Ross, but the group was unhappy with the result. Another engineer, Erik Wangberg (“Eirik the Norwegian”) – who had worked with artists like Beach Boys, The Mamas and Papas, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, and Diana Ross – was hired to mix it again, this time at another legendary studio, Sound Labs, also in Hollywood. The group was finally happy with the result, and the album was released in the spring of 1972. The album cover artwork was created by Kernie Erickson, who also did the design for the earliest Maranatha! Music albums as well as the iconic album covers of Sweet Comfort Band.
Back in the day the emerging Jesus Music artists were not widely distributed. Many of the early artists custom albums were distributed by the Sonrise Mercantile Company and available by mail order only. The big exception was Love Song’s label Good News Records, distributed by the secular company United Artists Records. Thus Love Song’s debut album was featured in major national record departments in chain stores like Sears and E.J. Korvettes.
When released in 1972, Love Song sold about 30,000 copies under the distribution system of United Artists, but these numbers fell short of expectations. One problem was that United Artists did not know how to service the small Bible book store orders which were the backbone of gospel music sales. A Christian secretary at United Artists took to collecting the unfilled orders, and gave them to Mike McIntosh, a Calvary Chapel pastor who had set up an ad-hoc distribution hub in his garage. McIntosh serviced the orders that United Artists could not. Shortly after, Freddie Piro made a new distribution deal with Myrrh Records, a division of Word Records in Waco, Texas, and the album sold 70,000 more units in a few short months. Over the life of the album, it sold over 300,000 units, unheard of numbers for a contemporary Christian album of that time. Love Song’s debut albm was as well voted “Album Of The Year” in the trade publication “Bible Bookstore Journal” and it wasn’t even on the ballot. After the listed choices on the ballot, there was a box for “other”, and the Love Song album won by voters using that category.
The self-titled debut album by Love Song is a milestone recording. In the late ’60s, a bunch of hippie musicians became Christians in the middle of the Jesus Freak revolution on the West Coast. They carried on making music but this time it reflected their new found faith. In 1972 they recorded this debut album and at the time, there wasn’t anything on the market that sounded as contemporary as this and Love Song became Christian music pioneers. The four piece band featured Chuck Girard on keyboards, Tom Coomes and Bob Wall on guitar and Jay Truax on bass. It’s fair to say that Girard gets the lion’s share of the songwriting here and although all the group sing, his voice stands out. Standout songs include the opening «A Love Song» which sets the scene both lyrically and vocally. «Little Country Church» is another classic which observes the changes happening in the church community with the invasion of the newly converted long hairs! It could almost have been written about Calvary Chapel which came into existence at that time. «Front Seat, Back Seat» is a bit of country whilst «Let Us Be One» has a superb acoustic groove. While this isn’t the best CCM album ever, it would definitely be in the top 20 and it’s an absolute classic if only because it had such a wide influence. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, January 2007]
Landmark Jesus music foursome of Chuck Girard, Tom Coomes, Jay Truax, and Bob Wall whose debut soft-rock offering is a cherished classic of the Jesus generation. Released on one of the premier then burgeoning Christian labels, this album deserves all the praise it gets. Or should I say the God who inspired it, for it captures the worshipfulness, excitement, and simplicity of the artists’ new-found faith in a beautiful way. And the decent production doesn’t hurt either. Love Song perfected the recipe for melodic pop ballads (or “power” ballads like «Freedom») with side orders of folk-rock and country tossed in. «Two Hands», «Little Country Church», «Front Seat Back Seat» – what new creature from the early days hasn’t heard of these tunes? Christian music has since forged on into other areas, from the artistic to the evangelistic to the nauseating. But considering the era in which this album was created, it’s doubtful that expressions like that of Love Song will ever be duplicated. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]
At long last we have an album of the Love Song. For two or three years this group has been one of the most creative and talented bands around. Unfortunately for most of us, they have restricted their concert performances almost exclusively to southern California. But the wait is over: their first album is out and, if it gets any kind of promotional help at all, it should be big. Pardon my enthusiasm, but from beginning to end, Love Song is one of the finest things I have ever heard.
The four man group is led by keyboard man Chuck Girard who does most of the lead vocals and composed most of the album. The singing by Girard, guitarists Tom Coomes and Bob Wall, and bass player Jay Truax reminds me a lot of CSN&Y. But, with the help of drummer John Raines, Love Song is really in a category by itself. On several of the songs there is a strong country flavor but the album shows a good deal of versatility on the part of the group, moving from the very mellow «A Love Song» and «And the Wind Was Low» to the somewhat harder «Changes» and my own favorite, «Freedom». The secret to the power and beauty of Love Song is best seen in the lyrics to «A Brand New Song»:
Sing unto the heavens with a brand new song
The one that we’ve been hearing’s been a hit too long
The lyrics sound confused as if they don’t belong
So sing unto the Lord and sing with feeling
And sing a song of love
And sing a song of gladness
Much too long our music
Has been filled with sadness….As I write this review the harbors have been mined and the bombs are being dropped in a vicious and merciless display of man’s inhumanity to man; and around me the windows are being smashed and people and places being trashed in a no less vicious display of inhumanity. What an incredible contrast to all this is given by the Love Song:
Lord, don’t let strive against my brother
I’m so tired of it, don’t want to do it no more
Lord, don’t let us fight against each other
Let us be one in you.
Lord, give us love for one another
In what we say, yes, and what we do
Lord, teach us to build up one another
Let us be one in you.Since you may have difficulty finding this album you may want to send directly to Good News Records, 8319 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91605 or to Maranatha, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Love Song is tentatively scheduled to give concerts in Berkeley and the Bay Area the weekend of July 22 and 23. So keep your eyes on Right On next month for final information. [David Gill, Right On / From The Catacombs Of Berkeley, June 1972]
[Right On! was published as a counterpoint to the Berkley Barb. This is cited as the first of the “Jesus papers”, covering aspects of the 1960s and 1970s Jesus movement, followed closely by Agape (Seattle, WA). First issue published July 1969, and final issue June 1976. Then renamed to Radix; first issue July/August 1976]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-song/1676018816)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “A Love Song” – 1:46
A2. “Changes” – 1:47
A3. “Two Hands” – 3:37
A4. “Little Country Church” – 2:39
A5. “Freedom” – 3:47
A6. “Welcome Back” – 4:38
Side Two
B1. “Front Seat, Back Seat” – 3:00
B2. “Let Us Be One” – 3:13
B3. “And The Wind Was Low” – 3:25
B4. “A Brand New Song” – 2:33
B5. “Feel The Love” – 5:08
B6. “A Love Song (Reprise)” – 0:47
Note: Simultaneously released on 8-track tape, cassette, and 12-inch vinyl LP. (The very first few albums that went out did not have the attributions on the sheet music and had to be corrected.) Later re-issued on CD.
Love Song (50th Anniversary Re-mixes)
Love Song – 50th Anniversary Edition, tracklist:
01. A Love Song (Billy Smiley Mix).
02. Changes (Steve Dady Mix)
03. Two Hands (Billy Smiley Mix)
04. Little Country Church (Jonathan Crone Mix)
05. Freedom (Paul Salveson Mix)
06. Welcome Back (Bill Schnee Mix)
07. Front Seat Back Seat (Mark Needham Mix)
08. Let Us Be One (Paul Salveson Mix)
09. And the Wind Was Low (Billy Whittington Mix)
10. A Brand New Song (Joel and Malcolm Wild Mix)
11. Feel the Love (Paul Salveson Mix)
12. A Love Song (Reprise)
The first video shows Fred Field, one of the founding members of Love Song, playing with his new band Noah in Amsterdam, 1974, with Love Song’s “Front Seat, Back Seat” on the set list. The latter video shows Fred Field Band featuring Tommy Coomes (of Love Song) and Erick Nelson, Live in Hannover, Germany, 1976.
Demo version of song “Changes”. Written by Denny Correll and Chuck Girard, recorded at Village Recorders circa 1968
TrueTunes, August 19, 2025. Memento Mori: Remembering Chuck Girard (with Alex MacDougall, Bruce Brown, and Terry S. Taylor)
Freaking Out on Jesus featured in the June 24, 1971 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Love Song were one of the first Christian rock bands, founded in 1970 by Chuck Girard, Tommy Coomes, Jay Truax and Fred Field. Additionally the earliest members included David Ingram on keyboards, Ernie Earnshaw on drums and Jack Schaeffer on bass. It was Schaeffer who came up with the group’s name. Field was replaced by Bob Wall (August 12, 1948 – December 23, 2015), who played guitar on both studio albums by Love Song, as well as their live album. Drummer John Mehler, who had joined the fledgling group in its infancy and then left together with Field, rejoined in time to play on Final Touch and the live album Feel the Love. (Just prior to Love Song, Mehler actually had put together a three-piece “power trio” with Chuck Fraher and Jay Truax called Spirit of Creation. This trio opened rock shows for some of the biggest groups of the day, like Three Dog Night, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Spirit, and The Grateful Dead.) Another latter-day member was guitar player Phil Keaggy, who joined to replace departing Wall. (When Bob Wall left the band, Love Song started looking for another guitar player. Jay Truax read a magazine article about Phil Keaggy, who apparently stated that Love Song was one of his favorite bands. They got in contact, and eventually Keaggy came out and joined the group for a time.) When Love Song finally broke up, some of the guys formed Wing and a Prayer.
Love Song were a part of the Jesus Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, coming out of Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel. They played locally and toured for months, eventually recording a debut album which was released in 1972 that captured the pure melody of their music and the strong harmonies of the group. They were uncompromising in the message and the self-titled album became a classic amongst the Jesus Freak generation which was emerging into popular culture from the West Coast.
The band toured constantly and often performed at Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park, a theme park located in California. A concert scheduled for a two-thousand-seat arena at Kontt’s drew an unanticipated twenty thousand guests, the largest single audience in the venue’s fifty-three-year history. A year later, the band was slotted to play five shows a night there at at two-day Love Song Festival.
The band was once approached by the legendary producer Bill Halverson, who had produced/engineered numerous albums for the different iterations of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Eric Clapton and the Beach Boys, among others. The group decided against using him, as it was not apparent that he was a follower of the Christian faith.
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