Description
Kingsway’s Thankyou Music: Best of 25 Years, Volume 1 is a multi-artist compilation featuring 25 songs by various British artists, released on Kingsway Music in 1995. Includes tracks originally released in the UK on Kingsway Music, or connected labels, between 1970 and 1995 (all songs owned by the publishing company Thankyou Music).
Kingsway’s Thankyou Music has published thousands of songs that span two christian music revolutions. Born amidst the christian youth explosion of the late 60’s, it represented the early pioneers of contemporary christian music. In the mid-seventies, it was Thankyou Music that drew alongside the early house church, turning it’s songs from praise and worship into tangible resources through recordings and songbooks. This album is a representation of the changing face of christian music over the last 25 years. [Note printed on the CD inlay]
Someone at Kingsway has been scouring through the vaults. Their publishing company, Thankyou Music, is celebrating 25 years of publishing songs by some of the best Christian writers. The cover tells me that Thankyou Music have published music from two Christian music revolutions, the 60s Jesus Movement and the 70s house church movement. The CDs unfold beginning with the newest songs first but I found familiarity breeding contempt and flicked past the familiar dollops of Kendrick and Richards etc to get to more interesting stuff. Needless to say all you need to know is that you get «Servant King», «All Heaven Declares», «There Is Power», «I Am A New Creation» etc etc. Dig deeper and there are some real gems here! Parchment’s 1972 hit single «Light Up The Fire» rubs shoulders with Kevin Gould’s hyped attempt at a hit «Let’s Join Together» (Buzz magazine exhorted us to buy it!). Ok, so it’s all a bit cringy now but great fun. For those of you who weren’t around in the 70s, these CDs are fun because you can discover what Kendrick did before he became Mr praise’n’worship. (In 1971 he was Cat Stevens and in 1981 he was Dire Straits – I’m not joking, you HAVE to hear «This Is The Fall»!) Other notable inclusions are some early Adrian Snell, John Pantry’s «Empty Handed» and a great period piece by Gus Eyre from 1973, «Rock’n’roll Gypsy». For those of us long enough in the tooth, we can remember attempting terrible pseudo Jewish dances to Fred Dunn’s «Jubilate» (aaaaargh! The embarrassment!!). With the albums covering 25 years, I’d say there’s bound to be something here that you’re passionate about. Finally, a message to Kingsway. On these two CDs nearly half the songs are by Graham Kendrick, Noel Richards, Dave Bilbrough or Dave Fellingham. That isn’t very adventurous and a wider sample of writers would have been nice! The CD cover bears the legend “Full lyrics included”, but they weren’t. And worst of all, the sleeves don’t even list the performers of the tracks. Now I know the emphasis is on the tunes, but to not even list who is performing them is woefully short sighted. Another example of Kingsway’s poor packaging record when it comes to compilations. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, February 1995]
CD tracklist:
01. Dave Bilbrough – How Wonderful (from Lift Him High, 1994)
02. Ian White – Crucible For Silver (from Holy Ground, 1993)
03. Bryn Haworth – The Lord Is Good (from More Than a Singer, 1992)
04. Noel Richards – My Lips Shall Praise You (from Thunder in the Skies, 1993)
05. Stuart Townend – Lord, How Majestic You Are [1990]
06. Dave Bilbrough – Forever More [1989]
07. David Fellingham – Shout For Joy [1988]
08. Noel Richards – All Heaven Declares (from Lionheart, 1989)
09. Graham Kendrick – Meekness And Majesty (from Make Way! A Carnival of Praise, 1986)
10. Graham Kendrick – We Are Here To Praise You (from Magnificent Warrior, 1985)
11. Patricia Morgan & Dave Bankhead – Come On And Celebrate [1984]
12. Graham Kendrick – Servant King (from Let God Arise!, 1984)
13. David Fellingham – God Of Glory [1982]
14. Graham Kendrick – This Is The Fall (from Cresta Run, 1981)
15. Adrian Snell – Now You See Me (from Cut, 1981)
16. Fred Dunn – Jubilate [1979]
17. John Pantry – Empty Handed (from Empty Handed, 1978)
18. Dave Bilbrough – Abba Father (from Dave Bilbrough & Friends, 1978)
19. Ishmael – Charge Of The Light Brigade (from The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1975)
20. Adrian Snell – Peace Be With You (from Listen to the Peace, 1978)
21. Leonard E Smith, Jnr – How Lovely On The Mountains [1974]
22. Kevin Gould – Let’s Join Together (from Let’s Join Together, 1974)
23. Parchment – Light Up The Fire (from Light Up the Fire, 1972)
24. Graham Kendrick – Road To Jerusalem (from Footsteps on the Sea, 1972)
25. Judy MacKenzie – The Song Of Love (from the multi-artist live album Sound Vision in Concert, 1970)
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.