Genre: psych
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Songs for Liturgical Worship
Company: Paulist
Catalog: P-04425
Year: 1968
Country/State: New York
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: includes the rare lyric insert
Available: SOLD
GEMM catalog number: SOLD
Price: SOLD
Dennis Blair, Larry Johnson, Bob Kearney and Mark Puleo met while attending New York's Regis Jesuit High School. Apparently bored out of their collective minds, they started writing and playing their own music at daily Catholic masses. Somehow convincing Jesuit Anthony Myers and school administrators to support their rock star visions, they ended up with a recording contract with the Catholic Paulist Press (which was better known for publishing religious tracts than selling rock albums).
One of the things that's always interested me regarding this LP are the divergent descriptions. Some of the reviews we've seen label it as throwaway pop, while others describe it as a lost psych classic. Well, I'll try to set you straight by telling you it's neither.
Produced by Richard Alderson, 1968's "Songs for Liturgical Worship" was recorded at New York's Impact Studios. Musically the album featured twelve original numbers, though roughly half of the tracks were apparently written by non-band member fellow class members - Edward Donion, John Goeke, Steve Mader, Joseph Piecora and Joseph Sclafani. As you'd expect given the circumstances it was recorded under, lyrically and thematically all twelve songs reflected a deeply religious orientation. Though some listeners might be bothered by the set's overt religious orientation, to my ears one of the biggest surprises stemmed from how progressive selections such as 'Day After Day' and 'Pray' came off as. Sure, there's lots of God references, but for the most part the sentiments were subtle, rather than in-your-face obnoxious. Musically the collection was also surprisingly impressive. Given all four members were still in their teens, they played with considerable confidence - the addition of "guest percussionist" Norman Grossman certainly helped. Elsewhere, exemplified by tracks such as 'Hand On Your Shoulder', 'Step Into the Wind' and 'That Day', the band's affection for Byrds-styled folk rock was quite apparent. Among my favorites, the rocking 'The Magic Ice Cube', 'There's a Voice Inside' and 'Pray' which sported a nice social commentary lyric and psych-ish feel to it. Sure the results weren't perfect (witness the out of tune vocals on 'The Resurrection'), but the set's sense of innocence and raw sound were quite quite appealing.
"Songs for Liturgical Worship" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) The Resurrection (Joseph Sclafani) -
2.) Day After Day (Steve Mader)
3.) Psalm 22 (Joseph Sclafani) -
4.) Step Into the Wind (Dennis Blair) -
5.) Pray (John Goeke) -
6.) That Day (Edward Donion) -
(side 2)
1.) The Magic Ice Cube (Joseph Piecora) -
2.) Hand On Your Shoulder (Robert Campbell) -
3.) There's a Voice Inside (Mark Puleo) -
4.) Who (Joseph Sclafani) -
5.) Hymn To a Sad Lady (Joseph Piecora) -
6.) He's a Christian (Mark Puleo) -
