They say
the Devil has all the best tunes, but it doesn't always
have to be so. God held his own for a while, with some help from Händel, Bach, and their like. Until
rock'n'roll came along, and God was left to eat Devil's dust in
that particular race. Look at Elvis, luring the kids in with "Tutti Frutti" and "Hound Dog". Sure he also recorded albums with hymns and spirituals, but did the kids take the bait?
Hell no! Now if one could combine The Devil's Music with The Lord's Prayer... wouldn't
that be something? Well,
here are the first bands who tried it. The fact that their names don't ring any bells -not to mention that the most famous Christian Rock band ever is
Stryper, for Chrissake- means that the idea
really is as stupid as it sounds. To be fair, despite the lyrics' unwitting hilarity,
there is some musical value to the songs here - especially if you're partial to the sound of fuzz guitars. There's that genuine enthusiasm that I love about garage bands, and some of the musicians
do justify this compilation's title, sounding suspiciously like someone had spiked their holy water with LSD. The singers, on the other hand, sometimes disappointed me seeing as they sound like they've watched
Jesus Christ Superstar once too often. The contrast is most evident on The New Folk's "
Love Comes Down" which combines Hendrix-like guitars with an annoyingly upbeat vocal duo that sing like they're selling toothpaste or laundry detergent. Opener "
Praise" is the kind of crunchy hard rock typical of the era's biker movies - until you realize it's about the joy of being a born again Christian. Unconventional as it is, though, it can't compare to New Dawn's garage punk "Dark Thoughts" featuring a monster riff and a singer sounding like a meaner Sky Saxon. Search Party's "The News Is You" is even more out-there, featuring some discordant noise and a weirdly high-pitched female vocalist - their other tune "
You And I" is closer to Jefferson Airplane but still wacky at times. The Accompany offer a trippy psychedelic ballad, while Azitis play a more conventional folk rock, and Mind Garage are heavier, reminiscent of Vanilla Fudge (on "There Was A Time") and The Free (on "
Communion/Water").
Concrete Rubber Band and Koinonia mix fuzz guitars with Doors-y keyboards (lots of those in this comp, I guess these kids had a lot of practice time on the local church organ). Out Of Darkness, the only UK band here, offers more psychedelic hard rock, and the compilation closes with the slow, trippy, and outrageous "Rejoice" by Agape. To summarize, as late-60's/early 70's garage-psych compilations go, this is above average and likely to appeal to fans of the era. As a curio, on the other hand, it's positively priceless. My CD contains an informative booklet and nice remastered sound. The LP trumps it though, as it's pressed on beautiful multicolored vinyl, and contains the CD as a bonus. So, if possible, go for that one. Amen, and blessings to you all!
***** for Dark Thoughts [New Dawn]
**** for The News Is You [Search Party], What Shall We Do? [Concrete Rubber Band], I See A Day [New Dawn], Reality [Whispers Of Truth], Communion (Water) [Mind Garage], On Solid Rock [Out Of Darkness], You And I [Search Party]
*** for Praise [Our Generation], Love Comes Down [The New Folk], Beside The Still Waters [The Accompany], Creation Lord I See You Cry [Azitis], There Was A Time [Mind Garage], Won't You Join Me [Koinonia], You Can [Earthen Vessel], It'S Been Sent Down [Exkursions], Rejoice [Agape]
** for Shady Day [Eden], Where Do We Go From Here [The Sheep]
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