Saved! Vol. 7 – Soul edition
Some years ago I presented a militantly atheist friend with a collection of gospel songs. I thought I was being mischievous, for my friend regarded people with religion as mentally disturbed and their intellect unworthy of his respect. Blaise Pascal? An idiot! Martin Luther King? A fool!
To my surprise, he loved the gospel music. In fact, he said, he prefers listening to singers deliver their lyrics, even if these are misguided, with the authenticity of their convictions. It adds to the listening experience to hear singers express the words they wholeheartedly believe, he said.
My atheist friend would like this seventh part in the Saved! series “” which by dint of its subject matter seems to be the least popular of my series of mixes “” in which soul singers sing about their faith. As a companion piece to Saved! Volume 2 – The Soul Edition, it is indeed a great listen. Just check out the slow-burning funk of the Bohannon track!
With George Martin”s death this month, the old debate of who the “Fifth Beatle” was resurfaced. There is a really obvious answer: it is Billy Preston, the only non-Beatle ever credited as having played on Beatles records. Preston was a good friend of George Harrison, whose My Sweet Lord he was the first to record. Harrison also produced and played on Preston”s 1969 LP, That’s The Way God Planned It. The title track features here, with Eric Clapton and Harrison doing guitar duties, Ginger Baker on drums, and Keith Richard on bass. Preston obviously does his own organ work. What a supergroup!
Kay Robinson is not famous, though she had a great vocal range and a belting voice. Her 1970 album We Need Time, from where we get This Old World, was produced by James Brown. Also benefitting from a great producer were The Emotions, who Blessed (like many of their sings) was co-written by the late Maurice White, who also features on the opening track by Earth, Wind & Fire.
And if you think all this is getting a bit to pious, look at the title of Marlena Shaw“s track that closes this collection: Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?.
So, for those who believe Happy Easter, and for those who don”t, Happy Feast of the Easter Bunny.
As ever, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes miraculous covers. PW in comments.
1. Earth, Wind & Fire – Open Our Eyes (1974)
2. The Glass House – Heaven Is There To Guide Us (1971)
3. The Rance Allen Group – God Is Where It”s At (1972)
4. Bohannon – Save Their Souls (1973)
5. Billy Preston – That”s The Way God Planned It (1969)
6. Dorothy Morrison – All God”s Children Got Soul (1970)
7. The Chambers Brothers – Travel On My Way (1970)
8. Mitty Collier – I Had A Talk With God Last Night (1972)
9. Al Green – Glory Glory (1977)
10. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Come Ye Disconsolate (1972)
11. The O”Jays – Prayer (1976)
12. The Emotions – Blessed (1977)
13. The New Birth – We Are All God”s Children (1976)
14. Stevie Wonder – Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away (1974)
15. Kay Robinson – This Old World (1970)
16. Leon Ware – The Spirit Never Dies (1972)
17. Al Jarreau – Could You Believe? (1977)
18. Marlena Shaw – The Lord Giveth and The Lord Taketh Away (1974)
Previous SAVED! mixes
Saved! Vol. 1 (Elvis Presley, Carter Family, LaVern Baker, Marvin Gaye and more…)
Saved! Vol. 2: Soul edition (Curtis Mayfield, The Supremes, The Trammps, Jerry Butler and more…)
Saved! Vol. 3 (Prefab Sprout, Wilco, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Lyle Lovett and more…)
Saved! Vol. 4 (Sam Cooke, Dixie Hummingbirds, Dinah Washington, Brother Joe May, Jerry Lee Lewis and more…)
Saved! Vol. 5 (Donny Hathaway, Holmes Brothers, Steve Earle, The Bar-Kays and more…)
Saved! Vol. 6: Angels edition (Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Rilo Kiley, Kris Kristofferson and more…)
PW = amdwhah
Digging the mixes! Thanks!
Any chance to re-up Saved! Vol. 5? Link is dead.
Thanks for all the great mixes. Love this site!!
Vol. 5 is now up again: http://www45.zippyshare.com/v/2CK6azhr/file.html
Many thanks! There are so many soul and funk acts who have recorded gospel or gospel flavoured songs and they are simply known as “soul” or “funk” acts or “disco”!! (??) acts. I likes, for example, the most gospel flavored tracks by The O’Jays as the one you have included on this selection, “A Prayer”,my favorite song of the “Message In The Music” PIR 1976 album from the first time I played it this same year, 1976 when I purchased my vynil copy at 14 years old, here in tarragona, Spain.
As a loyal fan of the Philly Soul and gospel music I recommend to all some very hard to find gospel music as the album on TSOP by Ted Wortham & Co., the album by Louise Williams on Gamble & Huff label North Bay, the singles by Dandridge Choral Ensemble and The Brockington Singers on TSOP and Gamble Records, the two various artists albums “Biennal Gospel Festival” (not sure about the correct title) on TSOP records (including Ted Wortham, Dee Dee Sharp, Dandridge Choral Ensemble,…), the only one album by The City Limits on TSOP (100% pure gospel!) and some stuff by PIR and PIR subsidiary Peace International as the album by Young Delegation (produced by Cecil Womack!) or the album by The Five Blind Boys “I’m a Soldier In The God Army”… and not forget about so many Teddy Pendergrass, Blue Notes, O’Jays gospel flavored songs in practically all their albums.
Sorry, I’m a Phillysound obsessed, :-)
A great salute from tarragona, Spain
Oh, lots of stuff for me to seek out. Thanks.
@halfhearteddude
Thanks!!!!
I have all of your Saved! mixes and have spent many hours on the road listening to them. They are my favorites among all the compilations you do. Thank you very much for all the great music you assemble and your essays. I learn something every time you post.
Thanks for this new Saved mix. I notice that it is missing track 15. Kay Robinson – This Old World (1970). Was wondering if that was just a slip. Thanks anyway for creating these mixes.
Thanks for spotting that. The track is now up, and the mix has been re-upped as well with track 15.