Description
Telling Youth…The Truth is a CD compilation by the British garage rock band The Pilgrims, independently released on LRL in 2004. All songs included on the CD were recorded between 1962 and 1967. The Pilgrims features Don Sanders, Tony Goodman, John Hubbard, Derrick Phillips, and Ian Wilkie. Tony Goodman would later become the lead singer of Out Of Darkness (with Ian Wilkie as manager).
For fans of the UK Christian ‘60s garage/beat/rock phenomenon, this CD is a dream come true. The Pilgrims were one of many Christian rock bands that were doing the beat thing in England in the mid-sixties. And they just might happen to be the best, even though scarcely anything they recorded made it onto vinyl back then. This compilation consists of previously unheard tracks recorded from 1962 to 1967. Given the spotty nature of most Christian beat albums, it’s amazing that the quality level is maintained solidly here over the course of twenty-one tracks (a couple of the songs have two versions). Definitely a high point for the entire genre, highlights being the Standells-like «Hey You!» and an intense pre-Out Of Darkness version of «Thank You Lord» with incredibly raucous fuzz guitar. Good garage-band electric guitar throughout, sometimes Shadows-like on the earlier songs, sometimes upbeat and jangly, sometimes with a slow bluesy vibe. Solid bass and drum backing as well, plus harmonica on a few songs. Sound quality is great – even the very few tracks with minor tape damage are more than listenable. Member Tony Goodman (who’s heard on some of the later numbers here) would carry on into the band Out Of Darkness. A strong contender for “first Christian rock band”. Good packaging that includes band history and pics. Nicely done all around. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
Perceived wisdom has it that Larry Norman invented Christian rock music with his 1969 album ‘Upon This Rock‘ but the problem with a Nashvillecentric view of the universe is that they forget there is a world outside of America. In 1962 when a 15 year old Norman was playing guitar in his room, The Pilgrims were playing their British beat music following in the footsteps of the emerging Mersey sound pioneered by The Beatles. Alongside bands like The Crossbeats and The Glorylanders, they were ‘Telling Youth The Truth’ even though many church ministers were convinced that their rock’n’roll was sinful. This is a fascinating collection where recording quality varies from track to track but you can trace the move from early ’60s beat music to late ’60s R&B. The strong influences of The Beatles and Shadows can be heard in their early stuff. Lyrically it might seem a little simplistic in the 21st century and yet in their day, the work of The Pilgrims to preach the Gospel using rock music was a revolutionary act. This is amazing stuff and if you’re a fan of ’60s music, definitely worth checking out. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, March 2005]
CD tracklist:
01. Hey You! – 2:54
02. Thank You Lord – 3:24
03. Heaven’s The Place For Me (Version 2) – 3:19
04. There’s Someone In Your Life – 3:07
05. I Didn’t Care – 2:34
06. Think It Over (Version 2) – 2:16
07. Wait And See – 2:35
08. Do You Believe In God? – 2:24
09. Heard It All Before – 4:41
10. Any Time Of The Day – 2:09
11. Who’s Your Lord? – 1:56
12. I Know I’m Going To Heaven – 2:36
13. He Wants You – 2:31
14. I Don’t Need You – 2:03
15. What Are You Doing With Your Life? – 2:34
16. Think Of God’s Love – 2:30
17. I Praise The Lord – 2:59
18. Don’t You Think It’s Time – 3:42
19. Heaven’s The Place For Me (Version 1) – 2:39
20. I Found A Special Friend – 2:40
21. Think It Over (Version 1) – 2:24
[youtube_sc url=”JS6040ldyn8″ title=”The Pilgrims – Hey You!” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
The British gospelbeat group The Pilgrims was featured on the front cover of the very first issue of Classic Christian Rock Magazine, issued September 2018.
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