Digging up more nuggets
A couple of entries ago, I said that I'd talk about some other people, and I plan on saluting some very special people to me here real soon!
But first, another tale of my continuing gospel music journey.
Regular readers to this corner of the web will know that I spend a lot of time listening to older gospel recordings. That is not merely because I prefer the older music(which I do)...but also because the songs I heard on those recordings have helped shape my life and faith...and do to this day!
And every once in a while, I rediscover old records that bless me anew when I hear them.
Recently I posted on rediscovering the Couriers' classic "Joy, Joy"...a song I had been familiar with for decades, but until I started playing it again often lately, never fully appreciated the musical masterwork that it was...and still is! I now appreciate its' special place in the overall history of gospel music more than ever...not to mention that I get more out of the great message it has for its' audience than I did before as well!
Evidently I'm not the only one uncovering hidden "nuggets" from old Couriers recordings...one of the better songs on the new Collingsworth Family album is their remake of Neil Enloe's classic "He's More Than Just A Swear Word".
That great aong originally appeared on the Couriers' 1972 album "Town And Country"...but its' timeless message is as relevant in 2007 as it was 35 years ago.
And the Collingsworth Family joins other elite gospel groups such as the Downings and the Blackwood Brothers in recording it...I haven't heard their version yet, but knowing how good they are, I can only imagine that they do a bang-up job on it...I'm sure that Neil would be proud if he heard it.
Anyway, I was in a mood to hear some quiet, well-crafted songs of praise and worship to God...so I combed through my stack of old Courier LPs.
One I kept bypassing in such searches was "The Couriers Sing Folk"(Tempo 7519)...I just never thought I'd care to hear it for that purpose...though I remember it as being a very good, accomplished, "quiet" album.
But this night was different...knowing that it began with two classic Enloe songs("Potter, Vessel, Oil[one of my favorites by Neil], and "Look Up"[originally done in 1966 by the Couriers Quartet]), I figured it would be a good start to get me in a worshipful mood.
Boy, did it! After those two songs, the rest of the album grabbed my spirit...and embraced my soul!
The musical fest began with Wayne Walters' "Twelve Men", a story song about the lives of the twelve disciples, and segued into a folk version of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed Be Thy Name", featuring a Dave Kyllonen lead vocal.
Then came a song I had heard incessantly at church youth meetings ever since my earliest Christian days, which never moved me much in those days. But when I heard the Couriers do "Alleluia", their arrangement of it was so moving, I finally got into the spirit of the song.
"Alleluia" was never really intended to be done by professional singers, but the Couriers' version showed what good professional singers could do with that type of song. It also reminded me anew why many in the 1970s considered the Couriers a favorite of Christian youth, although in the ensuing years, I had forgotten why that was so. Now I knew again why they had such wide demographic appeal in the 1970s.
The next song blew me away. I always like songs adapted directly from the Bible, and the "Love Theme"(written by Paul Johnson, ex-husband of Kathie Lee Gifford)was exquisite in its' beauty(taken as it is from 1 Corinithians 13), and the Couriers(featuting tenor Duane Nicholson)interpreted the eloquently written lyrics with dignity and sensitivity. It's one of those songs that reduces me to tears each time I hear it.
That was followed by another Wayne Walters(the subject of a fine article on the SGN main page written by his daughter Becky)classic, "John The Baptist"(which Dave, Duane, and Neil still feature in their appearances today-in fact, you can watch them do it on a YouTube video)...this charming song was a good change of pace in the album.
Next was a mellow ballad, "He Turned The Water Into Wine", featuring Enloe(a master interpreter of lyrics). It calmly led into "Somebody Died For You", another strong folk-type ballad.
The album(and my wonderful experience)concluded with "Jesus Is Saying", a song featuring a recitation by Kyllonen on the importance of prayer(followed in the song by a prayer from the Rev. K himself). That was an appropriate closing prayer to a night of glorious worship in song, thanks to the Couriers of 1973.
Yes, it pays to dig through those nuggets sometimes...you never know what Jesus might want to say to you.
Posted on Sep 25, 2007 - 10:09 PM | [1]
Comments |
Southern Gospel Music
|
Permalink
Page 1 of 1 pages
Comments
Page 1 of 1 Comment Pages
Page 1 of 1 Comment Pages
