Description
Everlasting Life/Hard Rock is the sole album by the American rock band Earthen Vessel, independently released on NRS Records (Nashville Recording Services) in 1971. The album was recorded during a half day’s time in the fall of 1971 at Monument Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee; and was produced by “Colonel” Dave Mathis (Mathes) with Leon Morton. Consisting of original material arranged by the band, as well as a cover of US Apple Corps’ “Get High On Jesus”.
Behold Earthen Vessel: a pulverizing hard rock behemoth utterly aflame with gargantuan fuzz, distortion, wah-wah, feedback, you name it. This is about as heavy as they come. Screaming bluesy guitar jams, throbbing bass, pummeling drums, crashing cymbals, surging organ, wailing harmonica, lengthy songs. Check out «I’ve Been Walking With My Lord» where electric guitar and fuzz bass trade off licks for nine solid minutes! The whole album is intense with reckless late-’60s garage band jamming from start to finish, tracks like «Life Everlasting», «You Can», «Let Jesus Bring You Back» and «Coming Home» all building to blistering peaks of searing fuzz guitar. Closes with a cover of the classic US Apple Corps hippie-finds-God anthem «Get High On Jesus». Alternates male and female lead vocals, the latter belting out the simple I-found-Jesus lyrics with the passion of a Grace Slick. An extremely scarce private press released on a Nashville custom label, though the band itself was out of Lansing, Michigan. A 45 single with a pic sleeve also exists featuring two cuts from the album. Well worth prying over every flea market in the country until you find a copy, as originals can easily command four-digit figures. For the more budget minded, a quality re-issue was made available on both CD and vinyl in 1999. The latter includes an insert with a short history of the band from one of the members. telling how their music was “very offensive” in the eyes of many church leaders and how they were once harmed on a tour for being too loud. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
The Earthen Vessel was formed in 1970 in Lansing, Michigan by Leon Morton a tenor with a local Gospel Quartet. Originally known as The Rare Ones, the band soon changed names to The Earthen Vessel after a biblical reference. The band combined Christian philosophy with psychedelic rock music to forge a new genre in American music. In the early 70’s Christian music was brought into the forefront because of the popularity of such rock musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, The Survival Of Saint Joan and Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and young musicians discovered that they could still play rock and be true to their Christian ideals. The Earthen Vessel was one such band that broke the traditional mold of what religious music should sound like. The band became popular in the Midwest and toured a number of University campuses, high schools and anti-drug rallies through out early 1971 . In the fall of 1971 the band recorded an album of original material in Nashville’s Monument Studios that was released on the small NRS Records label. The music on the album consisted of six hard rock psychedelic songs that praised the Lord in the lyrics while rocked out in the music. While the music had a clear message of love peace and God’s word, it was not accepted by many church leaders because of the hard rock sound of the songs and the band subsequently broke up a short time later. This Gear Fab release has been remastered from original tapes and the booklet contains a detailed history of the band and its members. [Keith Pettipas, AMG]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Life Everlasting” – 6:10
A2. “You Can” – 4:41
A3. “Let Jesus Bring You Back” – 3:58
Side Two
B1. “I’ve Been Walkin'” – 8:49
B2. “Coming Home” – 2:58
B3. “Get High” – 3:26
Note: A two-sided vinyl single featuring “Life Everlasting” – 6:00 (b/w “You Can” – 4:37, both were album tracks) was released on in 1971. Later re-issued on both 12-inch vinyl and CD. The Gear Fab 1999 re-issue has been remastered from original tapes and the booklet contains a detailed history of the band and its members.
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CREDITS. Arranged by the band and recorded in the fall of 1971 at Nashville’s Monument Studios.
Musicians: Sharon Keel (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion), Ken Fitch (Keyboards, Lead Vocals), Dave Caudill (Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Blues Harp, Vocals), John Sprunger (Bass, Trumpet, Vocals), Ed Johnson (Drums).
David Caudill: When I returned to MSU in the fall of 1970, I played some solo gigs at Church youth group events, and one of them was at a Nazarene church. After that performance, the church’s youth/music director, Leon Morton, told me he was forming a Christian rock group, and he had everything except a lead guitarist. I was game, and I met and played with John Sprunger on bass, Ken Fitch on keyboard, Eddie on drums, and Sharon Keel as the lead vocalist…it worked well, and we called ourselves the rare Ones until all of us in the band said that the name was corny…I don’t know who thought of Earthen Vessel, but that was obviously a biblical reference to humanity capable of holding God inside. We had our own coffee shop in a basement, the Catacombs, and we played there almost nightly until we went on the road.
What happened next after you released an LP?
Ed Englerth: The record did not sell as well as the band had hoped. The grueling wear of the road and the album’s failure, as well as the various college and career plans, coaxed the band members into disbanding by the summer of 1972. Earthen Vessel was reformed by Leon Morton. Ed Englerth – bass and vocals, Dan Vigus – drums and vibes, Greg Miller – guitar, Bob Sperlazzo-guitar and lead vocal. I (Ed) played in both the original Earthen Vessel (after John Sprunger left) traveling with that version of the band to several gigs. After the second group was together, they stayed together for about one year doing gigs around the Midwest and disbanded as the money evaporated and members of the band followed other interests.
David Caudill: We just kept touring, and the pinnacle was the 8-day tour of Sweden…the first night in the park in Stockholm we were so loud that the police shut us down…we finished the tour doing unplugged folk versions of our songs! Not long after that, I wanted to go back to school, and I thought (really!) that Christian rock would soon fade away–the long hair and loud amps and jumping around on stage was to me a fad…So I was really wrong, and I realize that every time I listen to contemporary Christian rock…
Ed Englerth: I’ve tried to stay in touch with the people in Vessel, but other than Greg Miller who is still in this part of the universe, it hasn’t been until the Internet and Facebook etc.. that I’ve been able to get a hold of them. I worked in another early ‘Jesus Music’ band called Aslan, which was based out of Spring Arbor, MI. Also while in Spring Arbor I worked with a jazz fusion band called ‘East Wind Exit’ (aka ‘Projective Razz’) which started as an independent study at the college and then stayed together for awhile, after class ended.
Ed Englerth: I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to work with many fine artists and would like to thank them for letting me be a small part of their life. Ray White (Frank Zappa), Kenny Meeks (Sixpence None The Richer), Joe English (Paul McCartney & Wings), Robin Robbins (Bob Seger), John Lawry (Petra), Jan Krist, Ben Brown, Jim Cole, Aracely, Jim Earp, Scott Roley, Dave Perkins, Donny Hartman (The Frost), Xalt, Armada, Aslan, Harvey Jet (Black Oak Arkansas), and of course Earthen Vessel.Lilly here: I traveled with the band as a solo before EV went out and knocked everybodies socks off. Actually, a lot of the photos you have are mine.
The big concert with half Christian half secular was a benefit supposedly fro Biafra. Leon didn’t let me play because crazies were throwing beer bottles.
I wasn’t at the album recording, but I do remember Sharon had laryngitis and by the end of the recording had sipped so much of LEon’s concoction of honey and whiskey . . . well, like I said I didn’t see it personally. 🙂
The Sweden tour was a turning point. I ended up going off with Duane Pedersen’s group, who was the speaker, and after that moved to CA.
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