Wednesday 17 March 2010

Sounds of Salvation - An exploration in worship


SOUNDS OF SALVATION - An exploration in worship LP (Reflection RL 310)


This is the album that has inspired this blog (obvious from the title really!). What they call a blind punt, quite literally picked up off the floor of a local flea market where someone had unceremoniously dropped it.
This is one difficult album to explain.

Released in 1974 by a Christian group from Cambridge University, it ranges from a long introduction of sound collages depicting everyday life (strangely akin to the KLF's Chill out album), through a very dark Psychedelic track "Overseers", then through prayers, acid folk & twisted rock.

It really does need to be listened to in it's entirity as it does flow despite the strange marrying of styles.



The female voices are particulary strong, along with some superb guitar work, especially in the more acid moments. What manages to really make this work for me are the arrangements, they are very different from traditional arrangements, and that makes for a refreshing listen.

I don't feel that the soundfiles i've uploaded are representative of the album as a whole, but they are an introduction to a strange world; a world where people ask the Lord what it is like to burn & where peoples eyes are scratched out so we can see through them.

As a foot note, the stamps on my copy show that it once belonged to a hospital radio station. Now there's a thought!

Although inactive for many years the group behind Refection records have now come back together & are releasing the albums on CD.
I hope i have inspired at least one or two of you to buy the CD.

If anyone connected with this album is reading, we would love to hear your recollections.



5 comments:

Matthew Cheeseman said...

Overseers is incredible! And thanks for the heads up on the other artists - Sharon People is a nice line in jaunty doom.

Chester at Sitting Target said...

Sounds Of Salvation featured a teenaged brother-and-sisters-band called Maya, whose singer and guitarist John Aldington has just released a gorgeous album called Songs From The Garden on our label, Sitting Target Music.
His voice and guitar playing are just as breathtaking, 36 years on!

Send us your address Mr Winter Man, and we'll send you one.
If your readers order the album from us directly and mention your blog in the order we'll throw in the excellent Sitting Target artists compilation album The Germinal Disc for free!
The album's also available on iTunes, Amazon, etc.

John's also gigging regularly.
His next few shows are:

Mon Apr 26 10 08:00 PM
Half Moon, Putney, London, UK

Thu May 06 10 08:00 PM
The Icarus Club, London, UK

Tue May 11 10 08:00 PM 
Dartford Folk Club
www.dartfordfolk.org.uk, Dartford, UK

Come along and say hi...

All the best,

Chester at Sitting Target Music
www.sittingtarget.net

Rob Cox said...

Thank you for the comments on 'Sounds of Salvation'. I co-produced the album along with Martin Colley and can, subject to memory, answer any specific questions you have about it.

Most of the album was recorded in Martin's small flat onto his 4-track Ampex recorder with much track-bouncing! There was some recording at Radio Luxembourg Studios just off Park Lane, London. For 'Salvation Song' we wanted a genuine church ambience so dismantled Martin's Ampex and transported it to be rebuilt in a church in central London.

The album does come up for sale on eBay from time to time but, if you're tempted, make sure it includes the 32 page A4 booklet that should accompany the record.

The 'quirkiness' of the album is probably the result of the conflict between what the traditional Methodist Missionary Society (who commissioned and paid for the work) and the experimental tendencies of Martin and myself.

Gregoree said...

How do I contact them in order to get a cd? I tried googling them and came up with nothing

Mr Evergreen Winter Man said...

Hi Gregoree

There is a website and the label were producing CD's.
However Michael sadly passed away a few years ago so i'm not sure if anyone is still running the CD operation:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/mlehr/reflec/refrecords.htm
There's an email & postal address on the website.