Description
The self-titled, sole album by the American rock band Hope was released on A&M Records in 1972. The album was recorded July-August 1970 by David Greene (recording engineer) and Rick Capreol (recording technician) at Manta Sound Company in Toronto, Canada; and at A&R Recording in New York, USA; with Jack Richardson producing for Nimbus IX Production. (Richardson had just finished producing the Guess Who to a Platinum Album.) String and horn arrangements by the conductor, David McHugh.
Hope features Wayne McKibbin on guitar and vocals, James C. Croegaert on piano and vocals, Boyd R. Sibley on organ and vocals, David A. Klug on bass and vocals, and Jeff Cozy on drums and vocals.
Trivia: The band signed with the William Morris Agency out of Chicago having their first concert at the Madison Coliseum opening for Three Dog Night. Hope continued to open for classic rock bands such as The James Gang, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chase, The Flock and even Alice Cooper. At Iola, Wisconsin’s Rock Fest of 1971, Hope played the stage with The Grateful Dead, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ted Nugent, Ravi Shankar and many others during a three day rock fest. Hope’s last concert was held in July of 1972.
HOPE – A&M SP 4329
If every example of Jesus rock were as well conceived and nicely executed as the debut album of this five man group, then that type of music would stand a chance of succeeding in a big way. Hope’s beliefs never get in the way of the music, which is uncompromising rock and roll, with an occasional dash of country. «One Of These», «Where Do You Want To Go» and «Walkin’ Over Hills And Valleys» are three cuts with extra appeal. [Cash Box Album Reviews/Pop Best Bets, CashBox Magazine, XXXIII, No. 42 / April 8, 1972]
Long-haired five-man group that was apparently considered hip enough to score a major label deal. If this had been a private pressing a lot of collectors would be frothing at the mouth to get a copy, as it’s decent west-coast rural rock. Much of the LP is in the mid-rocking range, not particularly heavy but far from fluff. Some good electric guitar action in spots, especially the fuzz guitar building up «One Man». Piano rollin’ along all over the place, plus there’s a strong organ presence throughout. Crosses into pure country rock realms for «Walkin’ Over Hills And Valleys», «Little Things» and «Cold Morning». A few instances of string orchestration, over-softening one of the ballads, but used quite effectively on «From Thy Father’s Hand». Even touched a couple times with mild Love ‘Forever Changes’ sentiments. Every copy I’ve ever seen is a cut-out, so I guess the guys didn’t rake in the dinero. Was carrying a fairly hefty price tag for a while, something about being one of the rarest A&M titles. Cool psychy rainbow Unipak gate-fold cover. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Where Do You Want To Go” – 3:41
A2. “One Man” – 4:44
A3. “Find Him” – 4:10
A4. “Deliverance” – 4:22
A5. “From Thy Father’s Hand” – 5:05
Side Two
B1. “Walkin’ Over Hills And Valleys” – 4:00
B2. “One Of These” – 3:32
B3. “Little Things” – 3:05
B4. “Valley Of Hope” – 2:50
B5. “Cold Morning” – 4:01
B6. “Everyone Needs” – 4:04
Note: The LP was housed in a Unipack Foldout Cover. Re-issued on CD in Spain in 2008. (Also remastered by band members Boyd Sibley and made available as a download.)
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