Description
Jesus People Music, Volume 1, sub-titled The End is at Hand, is a multi-artist compilation released on Org Music in November 2020. Compiled by Josh Swartwood, Doug Cooper and Justin Gage with Gage and Andrew Rossiter producing. Remastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering.
A collection of super-obscure, often private press, outsider psychedelic guitar and folk music from the ‘60s and ‘70s, all with the underlying theme of the Jesus People Movement. The album is a co-release with the eclectic online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard, who have been digging up lost treasures from this obscure musical moment for nearly a decade. The audio has been remastered for vinyl at Infrasonic Mastering, and includes extensive liner notes detailing the Jesus People Movement and its music.
Jesus. People. Music. That was the sequence of things. First the faith, experiencing a revival in the Summer of Love. Then, people gathered in song, raising their voices over the rock & roll sounds that came naturally to them. All along the West Coast, then throughout the country, tiny fires of the Holy Spirit began catching among longhaired youths. Their fellow hippies labeled these countercultural Christians “Jesus Freaks,” but before long, Jesus People were self-identifying using the term.
‘The End Is At Hand’ is the first volume in a series of compilations that exemplify the sound of the Jesus People movement of the 1960’s and 70’s in America. From Spokane, Washington to northern New Jersey, devoted musical groups were embracing the psychedelic overtones of the bohemian lifestyle, and intertwining their faith with the spirit of the times. The need to proclaim the End of Days produced some of the most fiery music of the genre – fuzzy hymns backed by cosmic choirs and heavy psych populated with frightening scenes from the Book of Revelation – but the songbook and its lyrical focus was varied, populated with lo-fi loner folk, simmering with yearning hope, and tripped out countrified songs about eternal devotion as well. Available exclusively for RSD Black Friday 2020 on electric blue colored vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies worldwide.
While many young seekers in the 1960s dabbled in Eastern mysticism or the occult, others turned to Christianity for answers, resulting in what became known as the Jesus People movement. Compiled for a recent Record Store Day release, ‘Jesus People Music’ presents a selection of musical highlights from the late ’60s and early ’70s heyday of that movement, all sourced from rare private press releases.
Side 1 is especially strong. It opens with «(Creation) Lord I Saw You Cry» by Azitis, which is also the opening track on their sought-after 1971 album ‘Help’. That album’s decidedly cheesy packaging (the Earth impaled by a giant wooden crucifix) and biblical-themed lyrics disguise what is actually a very fine psychedelic record. In fact this particular number, once it actually gets going, has something of a UK freakbeat vibe, with loose, plaintive harmonies not unlike Tintern Abbey’s «Vacuum Cleaner», and an appealingly low budget, live-in-studio vibe.
By 1970, fifties rockabilly icon Frank Starr (a.k.a. Andy Starr) had evidently been through some changes, but his innate ability to rock was undiminished, as evidenced by «Jesus», a rousing shouter with a tough Bo Diddley-based groove and a raw, chunky guitar sound. His backing band for the session was Wilson McKinley, a talented group with roots in Spokane, Washington garage scene. Assessing their 1971 album ‘Spirit of Elijah’ in the indispensible ‘Acid Archives’ book, Aaron Milenski declared, “This isn’t just the best Christian album I’ve heard. It may possibly be the best album in the laidback westcoast late 1960s-early 70s style that I’ve heard, periode.” On this compilation they’re represented by «Almighty God» from their third album, 1972’s ‘Heaven’s Gonna Be A Blast’, a dreamy melodic number with mellow West Coast harmonies and lovely fluid guitar and bass.
Maranatha’s «Deeper than the Mighty Rolling Sea» also displays a high level of musicianship with Claptonesque lead guitar weaving through soulful gospel vocals, while «Will the Circle Be Unbroken» by US Apple Corps is a tight, funky rock jam with male and female vocals.
The side closes out with «The World Is Crying Out for Love» a mournful, haunting number by Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter Bob Desper, whose story we covered in UT #32. Desper’s 1974 album ‘New Sounds’ is hailed by collectors as a loner masterpiece, but this non-LP single predates it by a couple of years, and has a fuller sound with piano, acoustic guitar, and a nicely understated guitar solo.
While Side 2 has some interesting tracks, it’s a little spottier quality-wise. From Alberta, Canada, PITCH & SPICE (acronyms too cumbersome to spell out here) were a school choir project that toured around that province and cut a couple of albums. «Hallelujah» combines choral singing and light rock backing rather like a high school musical production circa 1970.
«Walk On Water» by the UK group Out of Darkness is a decent enough track in the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream vein, but it feels somewhat out of place here, while the tracks by Earthen Vessel and the Messengers are bland and forgettable.
The mood is lifted by the appearance of Jim Valley – yes, he of Viceroys, Don & the Goodtimes and Paul Revere & the Raiders fame. «All is Well» is a beautifully-produced number from his 1971 album, ‘Family’. The compilation closes out on a high note with the title track to Rebirth’s 1970 album ‘Into the Light’, an easy flowing folk-rock number with male and female vocal harmonies and some tasteful West Coast-flavored guitar work.
Although the album cover sticker promises “extensive liner notes,” the essay on the insert delivers no details at all about the individual tracks (for that you’ll need to consult ‘The Acid Archives’ – or this review), but the record (pressed on blue vinyl) is attractively packaged. More volumes are said to be in the works. [Mike Stax, Ugly Things Magazine, issue 56, Spring 2021]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. Azitis – “Creation, Lord I Saw You Cry” (from the album Help, 1971)
A2. Frank Starr – “Jesus” (from the album You Can’t Disguise Religion, 1972)
A3. Wilson McKinley – “Almighty God” (from the album Heavens Gonna Be a Blast!, 1972)
A4. Maranatha – “Deeper Than the Mighty Rolling Sea” (from the album Soon, 1971)
A5. U.S. Apple Corps – “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” (from the album U.S. Apple Corps, 1970)
A6. Bob Desper – “The World Is Crying For Love” (from the 7-inch single, 1972)
Side Two
B1. Pitch & Spice – “Hallelujah”
B2. Out Of Darkness – “Walk On The Water” (from the album The Celebration Club Session, 1972/1993)
B3. Earthen Vessel – “Life Everlasting” (from the album Everlasting Life/Hard Rock, 1971)
B4. The Messengers – “The Right Way” (from the split-album Born Again, 1971)
B5. Jim Valley – “All Is Well” (from the album Family, 1971)
B6. Rebirth – “Into The Light” (from the album Into the Light, 1970)
Note: Scheduled to be released on November 27, 2020 through Org Music, as part of the Black Friday Record Store Day celebration. Pressed on translucent aquamarine vinyl. Available at Bandcamp: https://orgmusiclabel.bandcamp.com/album/the-end-is-at-hand-jesus-people-music-volume-1
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