Living Sacrifice

Description

The self-titled debut album by the American folk-rock combo Living Sacrifice (later known as The Living Sacrifice Band) was self-released in 1977. The album was engineered by Bill Latronica. Living Sacrifice features Doug Houser on vocals and flute, Diane Murray on vocals, John Murray on vocals, harmonica, guitar and bass, and Rob Neuschwander on vocals, bass and drums. The album also features John Rosenberry on guitars and Heidi Nelson on piano and vocals.

Picking up where The Last Call Of Shiloh left off, at least three of the members (John and Diane Murray, John Rosenberry) carried on the vision into the lesser known Living Sacrifice. Their self-titled debut is one of the scarcest Jesus rock customs around, reportedly only a 200 or so press. The recording quality is a notch above their earlier incarnation, yet still very much the underground homemade feel, balancing gentle acoustic ballads alongside some fine samplings of the west-coast guitar psych and folkrock style of bands like Wilson McKinley, Azitis, Harvest Flight and of course Last Call Of Shiloh. Male vocals and twin female harmonies take turns in the spotlight. John Murray’s fascination with apocalyptic themes is still very much alive on cuts like the lengthy acoustic «These Are The Times Before The End», wherein various prophecies and their fulfillment are enumerated. «Lord I Don’t Wanna Die» is the standout track here, beginning as a hippie rural folk ditty before cranking up the volume with a long heavy fuzz guitar solo. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Hallelujah”
A2. “Cross And Nails”
A3. “Lord I Don’t Want To Die”
A4. “Born Of A Virgin”
A5. “Come To The Lord”

Side Two
B1. “Jesus Loves His Little Ones”
B2. “It Shall Come To Pass”
B3. “These Are The Times Before The End”
B4. “Jesus”