| 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
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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.
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