Into Resurrection Land

Into Resurrection Land (The Divine Healing Mission. UK. 1970's)

Listen to: "Dawn"

A very obscure xian private pressing that is slowly gaining a reputation. I certainly can't take credit for discovering this album, the first time i became aware of it was through Jason Mills at Folkadelic. Due to being pretty much ungoogleable, apart from the couple that have sold on eBay in the past, i have very little information to share. The album was released by The Divine Healing Mission and contains the words and music of the Crowhurst Theatre of the Spirit. It is based around Transcendental meditation and contains many spoken word passages as well as mucic. The whole album kicks off with the track "Dawn" that is an inventive piece of music that sets the scene well.

Listen to: "He is here"

"He is here" is the standout track for me, certainly more prog rock than psych with an obvious Pink Floyd influence. The quality of arrangemnets, writing, musicianship and production are very high, which leads me to wonder what else the group were involved with. Unfortunately the album sleeve and label do not list the musicians. From the sound of this track alone i would have thought the album was recorded and released in the 1970's. If anyone involved comes across this post i'd love to hear from them, all my investigations have been unsuccesful.

Joshua - Joshua

JOSHUA - Joshua (Key Records KL 014. UK. 1973)

Listen to: "The Word"

I really do wish i could tell you more about this album, but even the record label state on the liner notes they know nothing of this band! The band were a three piece from Texas, who entered Athena Studios in Texas, laid down this monstrous Acid/Fuzz album & then promptly dissapeared into the desert to pray and were never heard from again. The drums were added later in one long session. By the time Key Records in the UK released the album the band were no more.

Listen to: "New Life"

A solid album that is right up there in the Acid & Fuzz guitar stakes. The guitar work is incredible, it just screams in from nowhere & just lifts the whole album. Most tracks are uptempo & the guitarist takes every opportunity possible to crank up the Acid & Fuzz licks.
If there was to be any criticism of the album, the songs do veer towards Country Psych, sometimes sounding a little like a harder edged, three piece Eagles. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not always to my taste.

Sharon People - Inside Looking Out LP

SHARON PEOPLE - Inside looking out LP (Indigo Sound Studios IRS 5510)

Listen to: "I'm in love"

Here's the first Xian Psych/Folk album i bought. Got a call about it last year from a fellow digger. I'd never heard of it, but he assured me that i'd like it & if not that i'd easily move it on.

Well, the first few needle drops were anything but positive, but once again, it's the arrangements that set this apart from other LP's. Once i'd sat down to listen in it's entirity it made complete sense to me. Maybe that's the thing with private pressings, once you "get it"; the strange arrangements, the throwing out of the rule book; then you're hooked.

I could never hope to explain the music here. The only thing that came to mind was a Cabaret band playing songs written by Ennio Morricone, arranged by Bryan MacLeane, with Sterling Morrisson guesting on guitar. OK, so that's a bit strong, but how do you compare this to anything else you've ever heard?

Listen to: "Wilderness"

Side one is much stronger than side two here, there's a passion throughout side one that seems to be lacking on the other side.

I've come up gainst a complete brick wall on researching this album. It's on the Indigo Sound Studios label out of the Republic of Ireland with a very home made looking sleeve. I originally thought this was a subsiduary of EMI, but i now think it was probably recorded in the EMI studio in the Republic of Ireland that happened to be called Indigo Sound Studios.

I've tried researching the members' names as well, but once again drew a complete blank. Two other diggers i've spoken too said they owned or had seen the Sharon People album, but it seems they are talking about a second album i've seen listed on a Japanese website which appears to be some kind of a stage play using some of the songs & music from this album.

If anyone can throw some light on this album please get in touch, as i am particulary obsessed by it. Who wouldn't be, you just need to hear the passion in the vocals of I'm in Love......if that's what being in love with Jesus Christ is all about, well......

Sounds of Salvation - An exploration in worship

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

Listen to: "Love III"

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.

Listen to: "What is it like Lord?"

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.

Listen to: "Overseers"