ég er john seven

More to the point: “A Youth Musical by David T. Clydesdale” that is “Presented by Life Unlimited II” and “Featuring Patti Loewens.” All songs were co-written with something called “Singspiration,” which sounds painful. Get ready to the whitest gospel disco of 1978.

That’s right, there’s more to life than enjoying it. For instance, there’s working hard to “firm up weak diaphrams,” as it says on the back cover. I think they mean “diaphragm,” but who needs proper spelling when you have a global mission from God? This album is from 1967, but these clean-living world travelers spreading the word of God are still around, apparently, having moved 65,000 groovy Christian young people through their ranks.

On the back cover: “The Cameron Brothers have a flourishing church of their own in Peterhead, Scotland, and have two great International Holy Spirit Conventions in September and at the New Year. Why not join them and see how God is moving world-wide, bringing a wonderful love among God’s people - of every denomination!! (Special plane rates for attendance to conventions. Send for particulars.)”

If you look on the record label, you see the year 1967, but I’m unclear whether the Holy Spirit Convention is for September of that year, or of 1968. Also, plane rates - I assume this means airlines tickets? Man, religion is so complicated.

Back in the day - 1967, by this record’s date - Reverend Ian Mitchell was probably one of those “cool” ministers that the young people could “relate to” while they “rapped” about God and stuff. I don’t know if that kind of minister still exists because I’m unsure that they are necessary - it seems that the Reverend Mitchells of the world pretty much won. It’s not hard to get young people all Christianed up anymore. Back in 1967, it apparently took folk music singalongs to keep them interested. That’s the Reverend Mrs. singing along - if you scour the liner notes enough, you will eventually discern her name is Caroline. Don’t want to overshadow her husband’s gigantic mission and ego by, you know, offering her first name up front anywhere. This is apparently the “Roman Catholic Version.” I have no idea what differentiates it from Reverend Mitchell’s other songs. Mitchell, by the way, is an Anglican priest, for those keeping score, and YES, he did appear in nightclubs.

This lovely track is off the original cast recording to the 1981 production of this religious stage musical performed at the Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY. It is written by the pastor there, with songs by a professor from the Eastman School of Music, and it is an updated version of the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible. In this version, he works for the IRS, but still has a run-in with Jesus that makes him all holy. It was performed by “the young people” of the church, and includes an original program inside and plenty of performance photos on the back cover. Certainly, this one deserves more attention from my turntable efforts, and further tracks might appear …

I’ve own this sealed record for 20 years and just now decided to unwrap it and see what it had to offer. The answer is a pretty good rambling, guitar-driven gospel number. You can check out Smitty’s Facebook page - he was apparently in the Oak Ridge Boys in the 1960s, back when they were an actual gospel band and not a curiosity. This record is 1977, but I don’t know if that’s when the recordings were made.

This song from 1971 is so groovy, it almost converted me to Christianity. Almost. 

This is the purest example of the meaning of the phrase “tour de force.” From his Jim Nabors-style singing performance, Mr. Lecates moves into a sermon where he sounds almost like a very insistent David Lynch. Pure genius.

Direct from 1977, these are the sorts of people who directly lead me to atheism.