Sunday, April 28, 2024

Sunday evening gospel: The Conveyors Quartet--Lovest Thou Me... More Than These?) (Crusade LP 228-02)

 


Don't let the cover scare you: This is terrific country-gospel quartet singing, and this quartet has already seen time at this blog, though the earlier link is now kaput, thanks to Workupload.  But here are some group pics from the previous post (alliteration unintended), plus my explanation...



Quoting me: "We can assume we're seeing the four singers plus three musicians. (I've never understood why 'musicians' doesn't include singers. It should.) I don't think we have a family group this time, though (going by another Conveyors LP), it seems the group was headed by a husband and wife team--Ardeth and Kenny Dykhoff. I can't quite pick them out in the above photo, but here they are, from their Just a Little Talk With Jesus LP. Seated is pianist Marilyn Gallaway."

Life would be so much easier if gospel LPs simply listed the singers.  Oh, well.

Anyway, an excellent collection of fine Gaither numbers, with three genuinely old oldies: There's a Great Day Coming (1886), My Saviour's Love (1905), and How Great Thou Art, whose melody consists of a Swedish folk tune.  Hence, year unknown.  However, 1949 is the year that Stuart K. Hine wrote the hymn text, as inspired by Carl Gustav Boberg hymn O Store Gut, whose words became associated with this melody in the late 1800s.  

I think this is the first slow-tempo rendition of My Saviour's Love experienced by my ears, and it's quite effective.  Surprisingly so.  And the balance between ballads and "fast" songs is exactly right.  And the 1942 mega-classic Jesus Is Coming Soon is always wonderful to hear.  It's near-impossible to render badly.

The two chief virtues of this LP (seeing as how the bass and first tenor aren't the most effective soloists) is the superb group blend and the amazing stereo fidelity.  Honestly, this could be a digital effort.  (Apologies to analog-philes.  Of which I'm one, come to think of it!)  Actually, I'm a compromised analog-phile, since I prefer to save analog sources digitally, so that I can apply EQ, filtering, etc.  So, I'm a (let's see) semi-analog-phile.  Yeah, that sounds right.

A saxophone and harmonica make their appearances throughout the LP.  Both provide a nice, novel touch.

Excellent gospel, and I'm using Google Drive for the first time.  I hope it works out--As far as I know, I made the file available to everyone who has the link.  Let me know if there are any issues.


DOWNLOAD: Lovest Thou Me... More Than These?--The Conveyors Quartet (Crusade LP S 228-02)


Lovest Thou Me (Moe Than These)

Daddy Sang Bass

Something Worth Living For

A Beautiful Life

Redeeming Love

Now I Have Everything

Going Home

My Saviour's Love

Joy in the Camp

How Great Thou Art

Jesus Is Coming Soon

There's a Great Day Coming



Lee



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