Sunday morning gospel: Lockport Quintet--At the Crossing

More Looper Trio next week--meanwhile, here's the terrific Lockport Quintet of the Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker, Ohio. This LP looks to be from the 1960s--as in, early '60s--but I have no way to be sure. The label is Grace Note, and the catalog no. is LPM-75. Meanwhile, on the "dead wax" of both sides can be read "R-635," among other items. The album was produced by RaeBet's Productions of Kalamazoo, Michigan, an outfit mentioned twice at That's All Rite Mama (an excellent blog devoted to Rite Records of Cincinnati OH). Meanwhile, two Grace Note gospel LPs show up at eBay, one marked down from $299 (!!!) to the sale price of $90 (!), with three days left to take advantage of same. Dang. If only vinyl were 1/10 as valuable in real life as it is on some eBay ads.

So, armed with this data, you must... Oh, wait--I haven't described the music yet.

Okay, a cappella close harmony throughout, and a great line-up of songs, including Charles H. Gabriel's There Is Glory in My Soul and John W. Peterson's Heaven Came Down. Your Sunday needs this music. So does mine. So does every music lover's. One of the best sacred LPs in my collection, I believe.

Click here to hear: Lockport Quintet--At the Crossing.zip


TRACKLIST

CAMPING IN CANAAN'S LAND (Bartlett)
HEAVEN CAME DOWN (Peterson)
ROCK OF AGES
THERE IS GLORY IN MY SOUL (Gabriel)
MORE ABOUT JESUS
FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS
BLESSED BE THE NAME
FROM NOW ON
I WANT TO BE READY TO MEET HIM
NO ONE CARED SO MUCH
AT THE CROSSING
GOD'S CHOIR IN THE SKY (Overholt)

At the Crossing--Lockport Quintet (Grace Note LPM-75; produced by RaeBet's Productions, Kalamazoo MI).


Lee

Your blogger, as Peter

"Sorry I'm late, but someone robbed me to pay Paul, and I had to stick around for the police report." (Drums: Cha-dunk; crash!) "But, seriously...."

Vacation Bible School, 2011. And I stuck to the lines I'd rehearsed.

I had a more serious expression, too.

Lee

More Burt Can't Hurt, Part 2

Some fabulous Burt Bacharach-Hal David tracks today--as well as Tower of Strength, a Burt B.-Bob Hilliard effort. My favorite? Either Mantovani's version of I'm a Better Man (1969), which is beautifully--no, perfectly--arranged, or the Pius XI High School chorus' Magic Moments rendition. The latter cut suffers from needle damage, but I managed to eliminate much of the loud-passage distortion, as well as the periodic bursts of scratch. Don't tell anyone, but I literally substituted brief moments from one portion of the track for others--luckily the arrangement was consistent enough to allow this, and it stays in the same key. Thus, you are spared some less-than-magic audio moments.

Saving this was a must, anyway--not only is this a gem, it's got "only copy that will ever show up" written all over it. I hate it when people write on records.

Both The Story of My Life and Magic Moments were huge, songwriter-establishing hits for Burt and Hal, but cheap label sound-alike versions of the two are rare as, well, rare Bacharach. Nearly nonexistent. But does this keep me from looking? Yes. I mean, no, of course not.

Meanwhile, was Hal in a hurry when he wrote, "Forever yours I will always remain?" Great song, but that line is a tad redundant.

Click here to hear: More Burt Can't Hurt, Pt. 2

TRACK LIST

I'M A BETTER MAN--Mantovani, 1969.
TOWER OF STRENGTH--No artist credited, Gilmar D-G-259 (7" LP).
MAGIC MOMENTS--Pius XI High School.
THE STORY OF MY LIFE--Jim Richards, Waldorf LP.
ARE YOU THERE (WITH ANOTHER GIRL)--Terry Baxter O., Columbia Musical Treasury.
A SALUTE TO BACHARACH--The Kids from Wisconsin.
WISHIN' AND HOPIN'--No artist credited; Song Hits SH-30 (45 rpm EP).
LIBERTY VALANCE--No artist credited, Top Tunes 2-33 (7" LP).
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW--Hugo Winterhalter O., 1969.
FOREVER YOURS I REMAIN--Bobby Vinton (Arr: Burt B.), Epic, 1964.


Lee

Did "What the World Needs Now" show up in any gospel songbooks?

In fact, yes:

(Songbook copyright--1973)

Lee