Pastor John Rydgren
“Silhouette Segments”
1968, The American Lutheran Church #8531
So it’s not a Christian musical, but it is possibly the greatest psychedelic beat-hippy jesus-freak records ever recorded. The tracks are bits taken from the radio show of pastor John Rydgren, whose narrates and acts out strange skits in a Joe Frank meets Ken Nordine voice, often over a mashup of popular song clips and found sounds. Amazing stuff.
“This Silhouette montage of music, voice, and sounds was actually inspired by the thousands of teens who have talked to John or written to him expressing their search for a personal, everyday “experiencing” of Christ. The production dramatizes where they are, where they search… cars, a Monkee concert, the surf, problems… represented by the train, elephants (ala Bill Cosby’s “Little Old Man”) a trip, and in the middle of all this… the answers they have found.”
“A natural phenomenon… watching girls. A special attention… girls… designed for man by God. The beautiful girls today, the colorful music provided by the Bob Crewe Generation, along with the fact that God did design a most special creature to keep man company… provided the inspiration for the Silhouette production, “Music to Watch Girls By”
“A Creation by John dramatizing with humor the near tragedy, or at least unfortunate, condition of shallow opinions. The Silhouette production portrays the almost mechanical responses given by many people regarding what they believe about God, social concerns, or what they expect from life.”
“At John’s request, kind of a hippie D.J. wrote his version of the 23rd psalm. The purpose of the Silhouette production was to help prove that something as ancient as a psalm from the Old Testament could fit right in the middle of today.”
Ralph Carmichael & Kurt Kaiser
“Tell It Like It Is: A Folk Musical About God”
1970, Light (Word) # LS-5512-LP
From the liner notes:
” I don’t pretend to know where it’s all going or where it will end. I don’t have to know. It’s not my responsibility to second guess trends, much less create them and propagate them. But I do have a feeling that we have to stay relevant. We’ve been told straight out to do that and Christ Himself set the example. In TELL IT, we have assembled a conglomerate of sounds (rhythmic, chordal, melodic) that kids are accepting at the moment. Who cares about “pure folk forms”? If this album is pointed to in years to come as a pure form of anything we will have goofed pretty badly.” — Ralph Carmichael
Ralph Carmichael is one of the best known composers of contemporary Christian music, as well as an arranger and writer for everyone from Nat King Cole to Elvis. He now has a “big band gospel” group.
Ah, the Christian musical… a reaction to the “new thinking” of the 1960′s and revisionist hippie musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar. This one has some pretty great narration along with the tunes. I think I’m going to raid the “Christan hippies” section of my record library to find a few more of these!
Ozz – Potential rock and roll superstars doomed by the album cover design department. No self-respecting 80′s rocker would be caught dead buying an album with this cover photo. It looks like the dude snuck up on stage during an Earth, Wind, & Fire Show in a circus tent.
The music is actually not bad. A bit dated, but certainly not what you’d expect from the cover. Apparently, modern metalheads have come to consider this album a bit of a “lost gem”. Check it out:
Personal Effects
“Bring Out the Jazz”
1985, Earring Records
When I found this I honestly thought it was going to be a recording of a high school jazz band. I have to admit being a bit disappointed to find out Personal Effects is actually a nerdy synth-pop group from Rochester, NY. Not sure what look they were going for on this cover. The mid-80′s were a weird, confused time…
All Sports Band
s/t
Radio Records / Atlantic #RR19321
1981
Finally, here’s a record that reminds me of why I got into collecting bizarre records to begin with! A completely fabricated, major-label group specifically designed to cash in on the 80′s teen fad of… sports.
All Sports Band
All the top American sports of the day are represented. Car racing, from before car racers were rednecks. Baseball, from the days when baseball players were skinny and doing coke instead of steroids. Football, because he’s the black guy. Boxing, because he’s not wearing a shirt. And of course, karate, the king of all 1980′s sports.
Here’s a vid of Dick Clark talking with the band on American Bandstand. Apparently the actual musical performance was just too valuable to post on Youtube.
Jack Benny and Friends
“Music to Write Apps By”
1960, State Farm Insurance Records #L8OP0956
Yes, people were using “apps” as an abbreviation for “applications” at least 50 years ago… as they were being driven around town in model-T’s by their negro chauffeurs.
