Weird Religion
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Freedom of religion in America includes the freedom to go to every extreme, and in records many of the most interesting fringes began in late 1960s San Francisco. As the hippie "freaks" of the counter-culture turned to religion, the "Jesus freak" movement began, leading eventually to total cooptation of the newly found "hippie" born-agains by the older flag-waving kind. Many of the scarily right-wing shepherding churches, other weird cults, and popular "televangelist" leaders have origins in late-1960s drug culture, and others have a personal history of "hell raising" (sex, booze, scandal) to live down. But that's all fine, as sin and redemption are the whole point with them. The San Francisco music scene spawned the first, modern "Jesus freaks" as well as the first musical Jesus freaks, particularly Larry Norman, pioneer of Jesus Rock. The perennial question for people who care about Jesus Rock (and now Christian Metal): Is rock music inherently profane? (Is using rock as a soapbox profane?) The question for everyone else: They call this drizzle rock? But Christian rock is just a drop in an ocean of strange religious records. The Word label of Waco, Texas reached out with all sorts of crossover appeals (mod, folk, rock, kids, puppets) as well as the kind of traditional (mainly lily-white) gospel fare that clogs record bins in fervently religious areas. A few of these efforts even tackled soul and funk, but that is not to be confused with black gospel. Collecting records of this type, the bizarre and the inspired, requires some patience and fortitude. Fortunately, most of these records make up in passion and originality what they lack in talent and taste. Whether taken as auxiliaries to "regular" records or as a group, they are at least colorful and outspoken. "Outsider" musicians such as John Rydgren and Marlin Wallace occupy hallowed ground of their own. And some [other] great preachers, such as Bob Harrington, really do have something to say and a great way of saying it. That said, in arts and entertainment, direct messages probably are best left to Western Union. |
Jesus-Freak LPs, Part 1: Puppets/Kiddie
| Rating | |
| Baby Lulu; A-Turney A-TURN-LP-3 (sounds like Marcy but claims to be a medium channeling a baby) | |
| Dan Betzer & Louie Tell the Bible Classics Vol. I; Revivaltime Media Ministries | |
| Dan Betzer & Louie Tell the Bible Classics Vol. II; Revivaltime Media Ministries | |
| 6 | Dan Betzer & Louie Tell the Bible Classics Vol. III; Revivaltime Media Ministries PD-800; 1983 |
| 5 | Erick: Pastor Pickin'; Rainbow R-2313-LPS (live; manipulated by Beverly Massagee, witness to the JFK assassination) |
| 7 | Little Evelyn Sings for the Glory of God; Little Evelyn LE-1 (diminutive osteosclerosis victim) |
| 9 | Gail & Ezra: It's a Happy Day; Word/Paragon PR-33068 (puppet; partly Moog) |
| 8 | Geraldine [Murray] & Ricky; Christ for the World, Inc. 770-1346 (puppet; comedy) |
| 9 | Geraldine & Ricky: Trees Talk Too!; World WLP-1011 (puppet; live comedy) |
| 6 | Dick Hilliard & Beverly Valenti-Hilliard: What Time til Recess?; Apple Corps TAC-182; 1982 (kids) |
| 7 | Captain Hook & Sharkey: Ship Ahoy! with Captain Hook & his Crew; Get Hooked GH-125 (endorsed by Colonel Sanders!) |
| Captain Hook & Sharkey: Anchors Aweigh! with Captain Hook & his Crew; Get Hooked GH-126 | |
| Captain Hook & Sharkey: Shiver My Timbers! with Captain Hook & the Christian Pirates; Get Hooked GH-127 | |
| Captain Hook & Sharkey: Captain Hook Alive in Texas; Get Hooked GH-128 | |
| 6 | Kid's Bible Club; Sword S-1408 (Waco, TX) |
| Kid's Bible Club at Christmastime; Sword S-1409 | |
| 5 | Kid's Bible Club: Songs 'N Stories; Sword S-1410 |
| -» | Little Marcy (puppet; Marcy Tigner) |
| 6 | Jim & Tammy [Bakker] & their Friends: Oops! There Comes a Smile; Singcord ZLP-948; 1975 (puppet) |
| 6 | Jim & Tammy [Bakker] & their Friends: Building on the Rock; Singcord ZLP-963; 1975 (puppet) |
| 3 | Rickie Layne's Velvel: Fairy Tales (for Adults) You Wouldn't Believe!; Venise 7028 (puppet; not religious) |
| 6 | Betsy McCall's Surprise Birthday Party; Canadian American BM-101 (talking doll; not religious) |
| Betsy McCall Goes to Work; Canadian American BM-102 (talking doll; not religious) | |
| Betsy McCall Tells Bedtime Stories; Canadian American BM-103 (talking doll; not religious) | |
| 7 | Jimmie Ruth & "Rusty": Stories & Songs for Children Featuring; Diadem DLP-282 (puppet; religious; Melody Mark 810624) |
| 7 | Nancy Woolnaugh (prod.): The Auca Story; RCA Custom/Diadem DLP-154 (3-LP series on the 1955-62 exploitation of indigenous Ecuadorans by missionaries whose plane crashed) |
| 7 | Various: Souvenir Album/Music & Messages of E.J. Daniels Revival Team; Christ for the World (has a Geraldine & Ricky segment) |
Non-Puppet Unusual Religious LPs
| Rating | |
| 7 | The 4J's Singing for Jesus; RCA Custom PR4M-7630 (4 girls in the "Musical Lindvall Family"; also theremin & Belgian water-glass intrumentals) |
| 4 | The Addicts Sing; Word 3379 |
| 7 | The Armageddon Experience; MM MMS-300 (covers "Oh Happy Day"; somewhat funky) |
| 6 | Revs. Frank Auterson & Jack Bridges: Dancing with the Demons; Artist's 720335 (spoken; Southern Baptists comment on Ethiopian drumming/dancing) |
| 8 | Kali Bahlu Takes the Forest Children on a Journey of Cosmic Remembrance; Liberty/World Pacific WPS-21875 |
| 8 | Ralph Carmichael: The Cross & the Switchblade ST; Lexicon/Light LS-5550-LP (funky/breakbeats) |
| 6 | Ralph Carmichael & the Young People: Young; Lexicon/Light LS-5533-LP |
| 5 | Ralph Carmichael/Clark Gassman: The Electric Symphony; Lexicon/Light LS-5541-LP (Moog) |
| 8 | The Conti Family: Sounds of America CF-3219 |
| 8 | The Conti Family: Sounds of America CF-3220 |
| 5 | Nicky Cruz: Personal Testimony; House of McDuff HMS-302 (spoken; former NYC gangleader preaches w/English-Spanish translator) |
| 7 | Five Man Electrical Band: Goodbyes & Butterflies; Lionel LRS-1100 (Les Emmerson; Xian rock, partly funky rock) |
| 2 | The Gribble Family: I Won't Have to Worry Anymore; Gribble Family GF-127315 (The Shaggs of country gospel) |
| 8 | Norman Habel/Richard Koehneke: For Mature Adults Only..; Fortress Records/MosAnn Enterprises/Bob Mosley BM-768; 1968 (spoken w/music; w/Corky Hale--harp & voice, Joe Newman, Eric Gale, Chuck Rainey, Martin Luther High School Choir..; soul-jazz vocal, funky gospel, harp, kid funk, sex ed, strange religion) |
| 7 | R.G. Hardy Preaches Invasion from Another World; Faith in Action 103 (fire & brimstone on Revelations; great jacket art; Baltimore) |
| 8 | Dr. Stewart Hiltner: How to Make an Evangelistic Call--Training Record for Visitation Evangelism; Tidings (no #) (spoken; instructional; interviews; same-sided) |
| 9 | Will Jima: Revelation 666; Jima AMD-1975; 1975 (spoken w/electronic effects) |
| 5 | Charles "Tremendous" Jones: The New LSD (Leadership-Service-Devotion); Landmark LLp-7014 (spoken, preaching) |
| 5 | [Charles E. Jones] Mr. Tremendous: Mr. Tremendous Speaks Everyone Listens; Hymntone CM-7217 (spoken, preaching) |
| 6 | Gershon Kingsley & Norman Simon w/Theodore Bikel: The Fifth Cup--A Spirit Explosion; 1974 (partly spoken; contemporary Passover Seder) |
| 7 | [Frank Klos, editor] Vietnam: Dilemma for Christians; Impact CSM-640 (spoken w/music; Lutheran Church Press LCA School of Religion Series; excerpts Folkways FE-4352) |
| 5 | The Lively Ones; Word WST-8518-LP; c. 1970 (not the surf group) |
| -» | Fred Lowery -- see whistling |
| 8 | Little Markie with "Little Bits"; Mark Fox Family Ministries LB-01 (Old Time Gospel Hour OTGH-0478; Mark Fox & child) |
| 6 | Gene Martin/Various: The Blood; Miracle Revival Recordings Vol. 2 (167/168) |
| 6 | Forrest McCullough: Flight F-I-N-A-L--A Dramatic Comparison to Death; McCullough 5087; 1965 |
| 7 | Mike Millius: Desperado; MCA/Uni 73072 (funky rock/Christian) |
| 9 | [Miracle Revival Service:] Crying Demons; Miracle Revival Recordings 101 (disc: "Miracle Revival Service, A.A.Allen Revivals M-102"; spoken; "amazing recordings of demons speaking through people who are possessed by them") |
| Larry Norman: Street Level (bootleg) | |
| Larry Norman: Bootleg (bootleg) | |
| 5 | Larry Norman: Upon this Rock; Capitol/Impact HWS-3121; 1970/1969 |
| 6 | Larry Norman: Only Visiting This Planet; Verve V6-5092; 1972 (Trilogy Part 1) |
| Larry Norman: So Long Ago the Garden (Trilogy Part 2) | |
| 4 | Larry Norman: In Another Land (Trilogy Part 3); Solid Rock SRA-2001; 1976 |
| 3 | Larry Norman: Something New Under the Sun; Solid Rock SRA-2007; 1981 |
| People: I Love You; Capitol ST-2924 | |
| People: We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus--and a Lot Less Rock & Roll; Capitol; 1967 (original title--released under another) | |
| 7 | Princess Pale Moon: Pass It On!; PM R-0581; 1981 (extreme badsong, as if Dora Hall met Marcy) |
| 6 | Dr. John W. Rawlings: One Devil & Two Beasts; Landmark LLP-702 (spoken; preaching on Revelations) |
| 7 | Buryl Red & Grace Hawthorne: It's Cool in the Furnace; Word WST-8580; 1972 (part-spoken kids musical w/lyric book; w/Harold Bradley, Charlie McCoy) |
| 7 | Cliff Richard: Two a Penny ST; Light LS-5530 |
| -» | John Rydgren |
| Randy Stonehill: Welcome to Paradise; Solid Rock | |
| 8 | Jay Strack: Teen Cop-Out [Youth in a Moral Revolution]; Jay Strack JS-1002 (spoken; funny!) |
| 7 | Teen Challenge Addicts Choir; Word W-3403 (w/Andrae Crouch |
| 6 | [The New Born Singers from] Teen Challenge Institute: I've Been New-Born; Teen Challenge Institute 28853 |
| 6 | Under New Management; FourMost FM-7221CS |
| -» | Marlin Wallace/The Corillions |
| 8 | Elder Wallace W. Williams: Satan, the Defeated Enemy; 1972; 3-Way Production WW-1001 (spoken; sermon) |
| 6 | Merrill Womach: Happy Again; New Life NL-74-1-10 |
| 6 | Don Wyrtzen: What's it All About Anyhow?; Singspiration/Now Sounds NS-1S; 1970 (w/lyric booklet) |
| 6 | Carlton R. Young's Exodus Singalong; Agape HR-22; 1976 (2-LP; 60 songs, including "I Shot the Sheriff") |
| 5 | The Young & Free: Goin' Somewhere...; Word WST-8503-LP |
Strange-Religion 45s
| Rating | |
| 6 | Five Man Electrical Band: Sings/Absolutely Right; Polydor MVG 504 (Les Emmerson; Xian funky rock; B-side not on the Lionel LP) |
Hyp Records is a 3-part guide:
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