Last week, I featured six of the twelve tracks from this LP, and I received a request to post the entire album, which I should have done in the first place, because it's so outstanding. So, today, in a new and improved rip, here is the entire What Will Your Answer Be by West Virginia's Valley Voices. Let me note that there's a big and deep crosscut on Side Two (spanning two bands) that I managed to mask over when I did this rip. So, when you hear what sound like brief tape drop-outs, you're actually hearing splice points that I connected with rapid fade-ins and fade-outs. A lot of work, but the affected tracks (first four on Side Two) are now without loud clicks, pops, and swishes. Whoever previously owned this LP had a heavy home stereo tonearm and accidentally (I'm assuming) knocked it across the disc when setting down the needle. Or his or her changer was acting up. We'll never know.
We're only talking a few very brief drop-outs, so I'm making more of them than I should, but that's just me. Lovely a cappella singing in pure from-the-hills fashion, and be prepared for a sameness of sound from track to track--it's a stylistic thing and not at all a flaw in the performances. I'm just noting this for anyone not used to the "mountain" gospel sound. Don't let the seeming monotony put you off--there's actually a good deal of variety in the material and vocal arrangements, and be assured that this kind of smooth and professional musicianship is anything but off the cuff or casual--these folks are superbly together in their performances, and the listener knows, from the first measure, that the Valley Voices believe every word they're singing. Cyber-wise, this is a very obscure LP, its only on line mention being my own post of last week, plus a library listing at the Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. My blog is earning its title today.
Enjoy!
CLICK HERE TO HEAR: The Valley Voices--What Will Your Answer Be
What Will Your Answer Be
I Am on the Road
Hard Working Pilgrim
I Know I'll Feel at Home
Lord I Want to Go Home
You Can Take My Place
When I Get Home
When We Gather by the River
Sinner You'll Miss Heaven
Who
I want to Hear Little David Play
Let Me Go Down to the River
The Valley Voices--What Will Your Answer Be (Riverside Records 102; recorded in Crum WV)
Lee
12 comments:
Thank you kindly! From the early 1970s, I would guess.
I see so many of these local gospel records. The only time I pay much attention is when I can find a Christmas song. Probably a mistake, but there are just so many...
You have to go through a lot of them to find the gems. The local groups vary from not so good to outstanding, and there's never any way to tell. Group photos, selections--you can never tell. Sometimes, it's even hard to distinguish between Southern gospel and the more mountain type. And there are mundane LPs by good groups like the Blue Ridge Q. and the Sego Bros. and Naomi on which the performances are terrific but the material pretty blah. It's a total gamble. I used to buy piles of these when I was making car cassettes for my foster parents. At thrift prices, the occasional great LP was well worth the $$ gamble. Labels are no indication, either. Great stuff can show up on labels you never heard of (and never will again), and duds can show up on RCA and Columbia. You never know. I got a wonderful comment years ago when someone told me that, based on the goofy jacket photo, he almost passed on the download. But he downloaded anyway, and he loved it! I told him to never, ever pass these things up on a jacket basis alone. Some of the worst group photos can hide an LP of gems.
Buster,
Could be. I'm bad at guessing these things. I'm usually five years ahead or behind in my guesstimate!
Lee,
Thanks for posting the entire album, great stuff, right down my alley! I see some familiar standards and yet, some songs I've never heard before. I'd call this particular group's style, polished mountain. I have an album from a stylistically-similar group from the VA mountains and I love it as well, but you can tell this group took more time in harmony and arrangement. As I probably said last week, I'd say early '70s. You said this was recorded in Crum, WV, but do you know where this group was actually from? If your pictures give said info, I'm totally blind and can't see them, sorry. Keep more like this coming!
Romans 11:33-36 KJB
Josh
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Josh,
Glad you enjoyed! This is a terrific LP. No info on where they're from that I can see--just the addresses listed for the members on the back, which of course merely tells us where they were living when this was made.
Oak Ridge Boys coming next Sunday!
Lee,
Pardon my intrusion again, but what city(s) are the addresses? I've got an older preacher acquaintance, who is probably from that area and preaches every week in said neck of the woods and I'm planning on asking him if he knew/knows them. Maybe I should just get Jess to look at the pictures for me LOL! The aforementioned album from the VA mountains, has (I believe) the city where the group was from, the phone number with no area code and scripture, the latter you don't see that often BTW!
Romans 11:33-36 KJB
Josh
Podcast: http://www.jeremiah616.sermon.net
Callcast: (563) 999-3967
Blog: http://www.brojoshowens.wordpress.com
Google Group: http://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/preacher-friends
They're on the back cover scan--it's in the post, and in the zipfile (marked "Valley Voices 2"). Kenova WV and Huntington. The addresses and phone numbers are listed at the bottom of the back cover.
Thanks so much! I clicked on the cover pics in the file last night, but Jess couldn't read the smaller print from where she was sitting across the room LOL! She lived in Huntington for a time, when she was a kid BTW! I'll call the aforementioned preacher acquaintance first chance I get and see if he has any info on them.
Romans 11:33-36 KJB
Josh
Podcast: http://www.jeremiah616.sermon.net
Callcast: (563) 999-3967
Blog: http://www.brojoshowens.wordpress.com
Google Group: http://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/preacher-friends
Tim Maynard, lead singer, was my grandfather. Valley Voices performed throughout 1960s into the 1970s. They made a few albums. Yours is one of the first Internet references of the group. I love their music for obvious reasons and am glad others appreciate their sound.
Shannon,
Thanks for dropping by, and thanks for the information! I love this LP, and it's great to hear from a relative of one of its members. I'm always hoping to find more by this group. Have a great holiday, and thanks again for posting.
Timothy Maynard is my great grandfather. I have all of their LPs. I am very surprised to have run into anyone else that have heard of the Valley Voices of West Virginia.
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