Favorite Gospel Tracks, Part 11--The Burden Lifters, The Gospel Bells Quartet, Gipsy Smith

At the moment (Saturday evening), I'm re-ripping a few 78s, as I discovered to my amazement that I had connected the lead wires incorrectly on my Stanton 500.V3!  I was going to experiment with getting lateral-only response (which, it turns out, takes more than just switching the pins), and I realized the cartridge was wired wrong!  When I originally hooked it up, I had followed the same pattern I've always followed, but the pins on this cart are not in the usual order.  Oops.  Oddly enough, the pins are in the conventional order on my "HiFi" Stanton cart.  Oh, well....  Now I'm going to wonder how many sides I've ripped up till now with the wrong wiring.

The 78s I'm redoing include a 1910 78 rpm appearance of British evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, who had a pleasant, strong voice--one which registered superbly on/with the acoustical process (standing in front of a big horn).  He sings Jesus Is My Life and Song, which is new to me, even if this disc is 109 years old.  The flip is a fabulous Ira Sankey hymn, When the Mists Have Rolled Away, beautifully sung by Harry Anthony and James Harrison.  We don't post junk here.  (Well, unless you don't like gospel!)

Also re-ripping a cool but slightly wonky version of Herbert Buffum's The Old-Fashioned Meeting, sung by C.G. Emanuel ("The Singing Evangelist"), whose weird sense of counting is not something accompanists like to deal with.  And the guy on the piano is none other than Robert Harkness, the famous Australian gospel composer and pianist.  I'm guessing the year at about 1922--can't find a thing on the label, Hollywood. Other Hollywood labels show up, but not this one. I wonder if the other releases on this label sounded as lousy.  I did what I could.  But there's no way I'm not going to post a vintage version of Old-Fashioned Meeting.  Flip is nothing special, but it's okay, though the piano/vocal conflict is even more pronounced.

No year, either, for the Charles E. Fuller/Old Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet version of Meet Me There.  At this point in his life, Charles' singing voice was shot, but he can't be faulted for a lack of enthusiasm, and he's even willing to make fun of himself.  I like him.  I'll have to scan the picture label--it's awesome.  The quartet is superb, as always.

And I have to hurry up and get this written.  The Banner of the Cross sounds like a modern number in this version by the Bob Jones University Male Quartet, but the music is actually from 1885.  I'm not crazy about this rendition, but the song doesn't show up that often.  Extremely hill-style singing by on the 1927 I Know My Name Is There and Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and the sound is less than pristine (beat-to-death 78s never sound pristine), but I got good files out of it.  I better have--took me a good while.  And... a group called the Burden Lifters just has to be good, and by golly, it is.  A thrift gift from Indiana from Diane, and I thank her.  A group like the Gospel Mariners was one of the last things I expected from the ultra-cheap Hollywood label (no relation to the 78 rpm Hollywood, far as I know), and they're really good.  Had to dress up the sound, because the pressing is junky and someone played it a lot.  Which was their right.  Why buy a record if you're not going to play it?  Just wish they'd used either a lighter tonearm or a less worn needle.  And Burl Ives shows up with a classic gospel number from 1885 (that year again), Bring Them In.  Burl's a bit out of place in this lineup, but I like variety.  For some reason, on the file I gave Philip Bliss the credit, but it's actually by Alexcenah Thomas (words) and William A. Ogden (music), says The Cyber Hymnal, which I trust.  Best site on the internet.

And we get yet another City of Gold.  This one has nothing to do with Fanny Crosby's hymn.  To the gospel....





DOWNLOAD: Favorite gospel tracks, part 11





Meet Me There (Wm. Kirkpatrick)--Charles E. Fuller w. the Old Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet (78 rpm, no label name or number!)
Jesus Is My Light and Song (Kirkpatrick)--Gipsy Smith (Columbia A5158; 1910)
When the Mists Have Rolled Away (Sankey)--Harry Anthony and James Harrison (Same 78)
When I Move--Gospel Mariners Quartet (Hollywood LPH-17; 1956)
On the Jericho Road (Donald S. McCrossan)--Same
When I Wake Up to Sleep No More (Marion Easterling)--The Gospel Bells Quartet
I'm Going Up (Jack W. Campbell)--The Master's Men (Mus-I-Col; Columbus OH)
I'll Soon Be Gone (Joel Hemphill)--The Burden Lifters (Mission Records MR-TBL-641)
City of Gold (Shirley Cohron)--The Burden Lifters (Same)
Bring Them In (Thomas-Ogden)--Burl Ives w. Owen Bradley Choir and Orch., 1962
Sweeter as the Days Go By (Geneser Smith)--The LeFevres, 1963?
Lead Me to That Rock--Gospel Mariners Quartet (As above)
Brethren, We Have Met to Worship--Myrtle Baptist Church Choir (Myrtle, MS)
The Old Country Church (J.D. Sumner)--The Taylor Mountain Boys, 1968
Banner of the Cross (Whittle-McGranahan)--The Bob Jones University Male Quartet, 1977
Feed My Sheep--The Travler's (sic) Quartet, 1968
Old Fashioned Meeting (Buffum)--C.G. Emanuel ("The Singing Evangelist"), p: Robert Harkness
No Disappointment in Heaven (Lehman)--Same
Jerusalem the Golden (Ewing)--Hamilton Quartet, 1950
I Know My Name Is There (D.S. and B.E. Warner)--Jackson Young (Challenge 340; 1927)
Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb (Hoffman)--Same




Lee