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.

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"