You Gave to Me / Polynesian Praise Song [7-inch single]

Description

“You Gave To Me” – b/w “Polynesian Praise Song (I Love You)” – is a two-sided 7-inch vinyl single by the American gospel group Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, released in the UK on DJM Records in January 1977, distributed under license from Word Records (catalogue number DJS 10736). Both tracks were taken from their full-length album This is Another Day, released on Light Records in 1976, recorded by Billy Taylor and Tom Trefethen at Mama Jo’s Recording Studio in North Hollywood, California; with Andraé Crouch and Bill Maxwell producing. Mixed by Tom Trefethen, Bill Maxwell, and Andraé Crouch at Mama Jo’s. Both tracks written by Andraé Crouch.

Los Angeles born Andraé Crouch took to group singing as a member of the COGICS, a team that included Billy Preston, Edna Wright and Gloria Jones. Forming the Disciples in 1965, he founded the career that led to his pacting with the Light label – a subsidiary of Word Records – in 1969 and culminating in the success that resulted in a nomination for the Image Awards, three Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award, together with Billboard Magazine’s award for No. 1 soul gospel artist of the year.

«You Gave To Me», with its storming sax solo by Mike Brecker, is issued to coincide with Andraé Crouch’s Tour of Great Britain and is the group’s first ever single release in this country – as a result of DJM’s licensing agreement with Word (U.K.) Ltd. – it is taken from the album ‘This Is Another Day’ (DJF 20496) due for release on January 28. [Note printed on the single sleeve of the promo edition]

When in 1976 mainstream label DJM (the company owned by the Beatles publisher Dick James) released this single they were hoping for a crossover hit. After all, they reasoned, these two songs had all the sound and arrangements you’d hear on quality US soul music. But these tracks from the gospel giant’s ‘This Is The Day’ album didn’t catch the ears of BBC deejays and DJM’s hopes were not helped by them messing up the picture sleeve inferring that the reverse of the «You Gave To Me» ‘A’ side was the title track from the album rather than «Polynesian Praise Song (I Love You)» the actual ‘B’ side. Still… a collector’s item of real musical quality which sounded good in 1976 and still sounds good today in 2024. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, October 2024]

7-inch Vinyl Single tracklist:

Side A. “You Gave To Me”
Side B. “Polynesian Praise Song (I Love You)”

An advertisement for the Andrae Crouch & the Disciples single You Gave To Me was featured in the January 8, 1977 issue of Britain’s Music Week Magazine.