|
RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
COLUMBIA |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
CK31713 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
1 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
UNKNOWN |
| DATE RECORDED: |
1972 |
| RELEASE DATE: |
1972 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ANDY BELLING |
| ORCHESTRA: |
REVELATION
PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
ONE EXPERIENCE CHOIR |
| SOLOISTS: |
JESSICA SMITH
JIMMY WALKER
CLYDIE KING
ALEXANDER ST. CHARLES
GERRALD GARRETT |
|
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE
|
NONE
|
|
DISC ONE
SIDE ONE
1. Overture 1:38
2. Unto Us A Child Is Born 3:34
3. Glory To God 2:22
4. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth 2:29
5. And The Glory Of The Lord 2:12
6. Hallelujah 3:18
SIDE TWO
1. All We, Like Sheep 3:37
2. Surely He Hath Borne 2:49
3. He Trusted In Him 3:53
4. The Trumpet Shall Sound 3:21
5. Since By Man Came Death 2:02
6. Hallelujah (reprise) 2:59
|
|
SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE REVIEW:
The 1970s must have been a truly groovy time to
be an religious neoclassicist - it gave us Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar,
David Axelrod's rock Messiah,
and here, a similar experiment in pop reconstructionism, The New Messiah.
Released on Columbia Records in 1972, arranger and conductor
Andy Belling adds some gospel choir sensibilities to Handel's venerable
oratorio, as well as a hefty dollop of hippie peace-love-understanding
vibes that places it firmly in the era. So, in place of any
crusty London Symphonic Orchestra we have instead the "Revelation
Philharmonic Orchestra" and you won't find the starched shirts of the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir here, - no, here we have "The One
Experience Choir". As well as a prominent drum set, a Stax
soul brass section, and electric guitar. Belling, whose
professional credits range from session work with Linda Ronstadt and
Rick Nelson, as well as composer credits for TV series such as Grizzly Adams and Happy Days, doesn't
radically reshape Handel - he's content to simply juice everything up,
adding thundering drums and swirling flutes to the "Hallelujah", and
allowing the full orchestra and choir (nicely credited by name on the
back cover) to play and sing their hearts out. The best
numbers are the most radical - "He Trusted In Him" is re-imagined as a
twelve-bar-blues number, with walking bass line, New Orleans-style
brass flourishes, and hissing snare. Similarly, "The Trumpet
Shall Sound" is recast as an amazingly adept soul/blues number.
The soloists all seem to hail from the Bronx, singing in
natural, unschooled voices, and my only real question about the
soloists is whether the "Jimmy Walker" listed here is Jimmy
"Dy-no-mite!" Walker from the TV series Good Times.
If you have a fondness for any of the eccentricities of the
era, (and especially if you are a fan of Godspell or David Axelrod's Messiah)
you will find much to enjoy here. I must confess that I found
this interpretation involving, amusing, and very, very interesting - a
true "guilty pleasure." I would love to see this LP remastered and
released on CD.
|
|
