Jesus came and touched me down inside!
September 12, 2008 9:11 AM Subscribe
(I can't believe I even made it that far...)
posted by sunshinesky at 9:19 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by sunshinesky at 9:19 AM on September 12, 2008
The sound is too good (and too poorly synced) to be from a VHS tape this apparently bad.
posted by DU at 9:24 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by DU at 9:24 AM on September 12, 2008
Mrs. retronic and I were just this morning hoping that this was the real deal, and not some cooked-up viral...pwned again, I guess :(
posted by retronic at 9:26 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by retronic at 9:26 AM on September 12, 2008
Plainly not as advertised. The only question is: is it a pastiche meant to pander to snarky aughties sensibilities, or is it meant to smuggle evangelizing in under the radar of aughties sensibilities?
I am so confused.
posted by everichon at 9:29 AM on September 12, 2008
I am so confused.
posted by everichon at 9:29 AM on September 12, 2008
Also: How many Ska musicians does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two: one to drop it, then one to pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.
posted by everichon at 9:31 AM on September 12, 2008 [22 favorites]
A: Two: one to drop it, then one to pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.
posted by everichon at 9:31 AM on September 12, 2008 [22 favorites]
According to this Worldcat entry, there is indeed a band called Sonseed, which recorded a private press album called First Fruit in 1981 with the song "Jesus Is A Friend of Mine." I've collected some very unusual religious records. Sonseed doesn't even come in the top 10 of religious weirdness on vinyl.
posted by jonp72 at 9:36 AM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by jonp72 at 9:36 AM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
oh oh oh yes, i was so hoping to hear this again... it's awesome in so many ways.
posted by Meagan at 9:41 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by Meagan at 9:41 AM on September 12, 2008
I don't want to live in a world where the "Punch and Judaism" puppet show isn't real.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:42 AM on September 12, 2008 [6 favorites]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:42 AM on September 12, 2008 [6 favorites]
Oh, crap. I accidentally left this playing while texting back and forth with a friend. Now, there's no chance that this song will unwedge itself from my brain for at least an hour.
Son of a....
posted by nosila at 9:44 AM on September 12, 2008
Son of a....
posted by nosila at 9:44 AM on September 12, 2008
The guy who says it's fake has definitely spent a lot of time with this, but I'm confused about one thing. How does he explain the host shaking the band members' hands at the end?
posted by roll truck roll at 9:45 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 9:45 AM on September 12, 2008
I should probably have put Nick Cave's "Curse of the Millhaven" on pause before I watched that.
posted by katillathehun at 9:48 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by katillathehun at 9:48 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
Truss me, Sonseed 'tis the irie. Naa worry bout it...
- album copyright entry: "First Fruit," Sonseed, Inc., 1981
- Interview with Sonseed lead singer, Sal Polichetti
posted by prinado at 9:56 AM on September 12, 2008
- album copyright entry: "First Fruit," Sonseed, Inc., 1981
- Interview with Sonseed lead singer, Sal Polichetti
posted by prinado at 9:56 AM on September 12, 2008
Savior in the bathroom
Please don't freak
The door is locked, just you and me
Can I take you to a cathedral that's got stained windows
You can watch yourself while you are teaching
posted by everichon at 9:57 AM on September 12, 2008 [6 favorites]
Please don't freak
The door is locked, just you and me
Can I take you to a cathedral that's got stained windows
You can watch yourself while you are teaching
posted by everichon at 9:57 AM on September 12, 2008 [6 favorites]
When will the biased MSM tell us the TRUTH about Sonseedgate?
posted by neroli at 9:58 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by neroli at 9:58 AM on September 12, 2008
So this is what Sufjan was doing in the 80s.
posted by obvious at 10:02 AM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by obvious at 10:02 AM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
jonp is right. I have a great christian record with a chorus of children singing:
"I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba
I just wanna be a sheep! ba, ba ba, ba.
I pray the lord my soul to keep,
I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba.
I don't wanna be a hypocrite,
I don't wanna be a hypocrite!
Cuz there not HIP with it!
I don't wanna be a hypocrite."
posted by sunshinesky at 10:07 AM on September 12, 2008
"I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba
I just wanna be a sheep! ba, ba ba, ba.
I pray the lord my soul to keep,
I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba.
I don't wanna be a hypocrite,
I don't wanna be a hypocrite!
Cuz there not HIP with it!
I don't wanna be a hypocrite."
posted by sunshinesky at 10:07 AM on September 12, 2008
I also lost it at "a puppet-show called 'Punch and Judaism'".
I can't speak to the musical points, but I do agree with the problems the guy has with the poster and band logo. As for the video, if that's a fake, it's a very good one and I am impressed as hell.
posted by rokusan at 10:09 AM on September 12, 2008
I can't speak to the musical points, but I do agree with the problems the guy has with the poster and band logo. As for the video, if that's a fake, it's a very good one and I am impressed as hell.
posted by rokusan at 10:09 AM on September 12, 2008
sunshinesky, can you please, please do us a favor and get that uploaded? Please?
posted by piedmont at 10:20 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by piedmont at 10:20 AM on September 12, 2008
Real Christian video weirdness: The Vinyard Kids Church Presents... A Sheep's Eye View.
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:30 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
roll truck roll wrote "The guy who says it's fake has definitely spent a lot of time with this"
He sure did. But I am not certain how willing I am to believe a call of "FAKE" based on tech analysis from a guy that can't properly serve a jpeg from his website. I shouldn't have to download the damn thing just to see it.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:36 AM on September 12, 2008
He sure did. But I am not certain how willing I am to believe a call of "FAKE" based on tech analysis from a guy that can't properly serve a jpeg from his website. I shouldn't have to download the damn thing just to see it.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:36 AM on September 12, 2008
This is the kind of conspiracy theory I enjoy.
Having said that, the WorldCat cite is pretty damn convincing - off to the LoC!
posted by Paid In Full at 10:49 AM on September 12, 2008
Having said that, the WorldCat cite is pretty damn convincing - off to the LoC!
posted by Paid In Full at 10:49 AM on September 12, 2008
This is the kind of conspiracy theory I enjoy.
I didn't call it a conspiracy, you did you fucking troll....
Oh wait, wrong thread sorry. As you were.
posted by rokusan at 10:59 AM on September 12, 2008
I didn't call it a conspiracy, you did you fucking troll....
Oh wait, wrong thread sorry. As you were.
posted by rokusan at 10:59 AM on September 12, 2008
piedmont, I'll work on it, just need to get my hardware set up. There are some other gems on the same album, but that one sticks out in my mind as one of the creepier ones, for all that I understand the jesus=shepard thing.
posted by sunshinesky at 11:01 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by sunshinesky at 11:01 AM on September 12, 2008
here are the rest of the lyrics: http://www.higherpraise.com/Lyrics4/IJustWannaBeASheepBaa.htm
posted by sunshinesky at 11:05 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by sunshinesky at 11:05 AM on September 12, 2008
The interview says that they were somehow both Catholic and born again, which should raise a flag - those two things almost never go together.
posted by with hidden noise at 11:20 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by with hidden noise at 11:20 AM on September 12, 2008
Kinda like jews for jesus?
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:25 AM on September 12, 2008
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:25 AM on September 12, 2008
Oh wow. This will out me as the biggest nerd ever, but when I was in highschool, I went to charismatic Catholic youth group camps and meetings full of this exact kind of wide-eyed, non-ironic, up-with-Jesus weirdness. Up close, it's so heartfelt and earnest that you almost feel bad giggling at it.
Almost.
And is it bad that that this was my first thought?
posted by grippycat at 11:46 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Almost.
And is it bad that that this was my first thought?
posted by grippycat at 11:46 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Real Christian video weirdness: The Vinyard Kids Church Presents... A Sheep's Eye View .
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:05 PM on September 12, 2008
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:05 PM on September 12, 2008
The Vinyard Kids Church Presents... A Sheep's Eye View .
Well, that thoroughly fucked me up.
posted by Skot at 12:13 PM on September 12, 2008
Well, that thoroughly fucked me up.
posted by Skot at 12:13 PM on September 12, 2008
It's like Children of the Corn!
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:21 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:21 PM on September 12, 2008
Oh, grippycat, you poor dear. I've long felt that the only thing more embarrassing to Christianity than the lame, Protestant zeal for the tacky "praise and worship" you've described is when it's imitated by misguided Catholics. It usually comes off about as well as the federal administration of social welfare by Republicans.
posted by resurrexit at 12:32 PM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by resurrexit at 12:32 PM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
The interview says that they were somehow both Catholic and born again, which should raise a flag - those two things almost never go together.
Lots of people are born/raised into laissez-faire Catholicism, through the dominant influence of family or country or school. Try being born anything else in Latin America, for example. But when they grow up, many make their own choices to break with or re-dedicate to the Church.
Some become agnostic or athiest. Many change to some form of Protestantism, often of the evangelical born-again flavor. I know one raised-Catholic who changed to Islam and two others who are now Buddhist. In some societies, Catholic is just a default upbringing.
Also, remember that all Evangelicals are by definition Protestant, which means they or their churches moved from the Catholic at one point... even if only historically. So all Evangelicals do "come from" Catholicism... making it not such an odd move for any person to follow.
posted by rokusan at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2008
Lots of people are born/raised into laissez-faire Catholicism, through the dominant influence of family or country or school. Try being born anything else in Latin America, for example. But when they grow up, many make their own choices to break with or re-dedicate to the Church.
Some become agnostic or athiest. Many change to some form of Protestantism, often of the evangelical born-again flavor. I know one raised-Catholic who changed to Islam and two others who are now Buddhist. In some societies, Catholic is just a default upbringing.
Also, remember that all Evangelicals are by definition Protestant, which means they or their churches moved from the Catholic at one point... even if only historically. So all Evangelicals do "come from" Catholicism... making it not such an odd move for any person to follow.
posted by rokusan at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2008
(Sorry I think I slipped and fell into the Palin Thread again. That thing's a vortex.)
posted by rokusan at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by rokusan at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2008
Ok, I thought that was a fun piece of music and was sure it was authentic. Curiosity got the better of me, looked up the lead singer on WhitePages and gave him a call. Sal Polichetti, a lovely guy. Told him there was a controversy about whether Sonseed existed or not, about this post. He was totally friendly and likable. Turns out he works in NYC, a couple of blocks from where I live.
I asked him if I could take notes as we spoke and said ok. This is what he said:
When the song came out on YouTube and he got all these random emails and calls, the first thing he looked for his copyright and he has it, registered it in 1981.
The band got together around 1979/1980, kind of an accident through a friend, Joseph, connected with Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, they all met, played for Pentecost Sunday. They kept in touch, met, prayed for an hour, all Catholic. It was quite innovative at that time, no Catholic rock music then. How he wrote the songs, the band members took hymnals, added guitar solos and drum solos, ended up doing local concerts at churches and schools, never took a dime. 18 to 20 rotating performers at one time.
Recording studio in Brooklyn, 9 original songs. Sold record at cost, gave records away. Somebody sent the record to NBC and it was played on a show, The First Estate, Channel 4. They lipsynched. The people who ran that show thought Jesus Is a Friend was “catchy and snappy”.
The band, Sonseed, sold 1100 tickets at a concert and gave the money away to charities, like to soup kitchens.
The band lasted to “late ‘83”. The keyboard player was his first wife.
He got an email from a blogger in California who had showed the videotape to friends over the years and Doug heard about it.
Sal has a video of their last concert, their drummer passed away 15 years ago.
Father Joseph Ciccone, a band member, (now a priest) then worked for an advertising agency, he designed the logo and the album cover.
And that's it. He was a total gentleman. And real.
posted by nickyskye at 12:42 PM on September 12, 2008 [113 favorites]
I asked him if I could take notes as we spoke and said ok. This is what he said:
When the song came out on YouTube and he got all these random emails and calls, the first thing he looked for his copyright and he has it, registered it in 1981.
The band got together around 1979/1980, kind of an accident through a friend, Joseph, connected with Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, they all met, played for Pentecost Sunday. They kept in touch, met, prayed for an hour, all Catholic. It was quite innovative at that time, no Catholic rock music then. How he wrote the songs, the band members took hymnals, added guitar solos and drum solos, ended up doing local concerts at churches and schools, never took a dime. 18 to 20 rotating performers at one time.
Recording studio in Brooklyn, 9 original songs. Sold record at cost, gave records away. Somebody sent the record to NBC and it was played on a show, The First Estate, Channel 4. They lipsynched. The people who ran that show thought Jesus Is a Friend was “catchy and snappy”.
The band, Sonseed, sold 1100 tickets at a concert and gave the money away to charities, like to soup kitchens.
The band lasted to “late ‘83”. The keyboard player was his first wife.
He got an email from a blogger in California who had showed the videotape to friends over the years and Doug heard about it.
Sal has a video of their last concert, their drummer passed away 15 years ago.
Father Joseph Ciccone, a band member, (now a priest) then worked for an advertising agency, he designed the logo and the album cover.
And that's it. He was a total gentleman. And real.
posted by nickyskye at 12:42 PM on September 12, 2008 [113 favorites]
Nickyskye, thank you for that followup! This entire post has oddly made my day :)
posted by grippycat at 12:48 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by grippycat at 12:48 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Just in case anyone not familiar with MetaFilter is reading this thread: I don't think Nicky has the ability to lie.
posted by roll truck roll at 1:02 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by roll truck roll at 1:02 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
That was excellent, Nickyskye. Kudos. I love original research.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:24 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:24 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Nice, Miss Skye. The only thing I'd believe more than your work here is one of those creepy first-person articles about it in the Guardian.
posted by resurrexit at 1:31 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by resurrexit at 1:31 PM on September 12, 2008
aww dear roll truck roll :) Such a nice and rather extravagant thing of you to say. I'm a run of the mill human being and sadly have the ability to lie, like anybody else, although I really do try my very best not to. Both speaking the truth and being an honest person mean a lot to me. What I said about speaking with Sal, and what he said to me, are definitely true.
The "research" which took all of two minutes, was a phone call, no big deal.
posted by nickyskye at 1:31 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
The "research" which took all of two minutes, was a phone call, no big deal.
posted by nickyskye at 1:31 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
The "research" which took all of two minutes, was a phone call, no big deal.
It took less time than all of the reseach that the debunker did, and yet yielded more. I'm all for working smart, rather than hard.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:38 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
It took less time than all of the reseach that the debunker did, and yet yielded more. I'm all for working smart, rather than hard.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:38 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
OK, I believe that it's real, but... how does it sound so much like British ska? Established lore states that ska was barely known at all in the US before Bucket moved to NYC and started Moon Records/The Toasters in 1983. This came out in 1981, right? So basically, how could they simultaneously be that hip and that dorky?
posted by DecemberBoy at 1:50 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by DecemberBoy at 1:50 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: how could they simultaneously be that hip and that dorky?
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:53 PM on September 12, 2008 [20 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:53 PM on September 12, 2008 [20 favorites]
Father Joseph Ciccone, a band member, (now a priest) then worked for an advertising agency, he designed the logo and the album cover.
I must wonder whether she may be related...
posted by Skeptic at 2:24 PM on September 12, 2008
I must wonder whether she may be related...
posted by Skeptic at 2:24 PM on September 12, 2008
The interview says that they were somehow both Catholic and born again, which should raise a flag - those two things almost never go together.
Never heard of the Charismatics and the Neocathecumenals? As resurrexit points out, they can be rather...special.
posted by Skeptic at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2008
Never heard of the Charismatics and the Neocathecumenals? As resurrexit points out, they can be rather...special.
posted by Skeptic at 2:32 PM on September 12, 2008
Hip and dorky is definitely one of my favorite combos. Been around a long time.
DecemberBoy, maybe the band didn't base their music on a ska beat? There was a huge variety of sounds in 1979/80/81.
posted by nickyskye at 2:45 PM on September 12, 2008
DecemberBoy, maybe the band didn't base their music on a ska beat? There was a huge variety of sounds in 1979/80/81.
posted by nickyskye at 2:45 PM on September 12, 2008
Sonseed doesn't even come in the top 10 of religious weirdness on vinyl.
I believe you, but what I really want are citations and links. I'm that crass.
posted by IndigoJones at 2:57 PM on September 12, 2008
I believe you, but what I really want are citations and links. I'm that crass.
posted by IndigoJones at 2:57 PM on September 12, 2008
DecemberBoy, maybe the band didn't base their music on a ska beat?
It's possible, but that would mean they basically came up with British second-wave ska independently without ever hearing it. It would mean their original style sounds almost exactly like an established genre of music that was popular at the time (although almost entirely unknown in the US). The song sounds like it could be a Madness b-side if you discount the el-dorko vocal style, everything's there: the staccato keyboard and guitar parts, the drum beat, the bassline, everything. It would validate the million monkeys with typewriters writing Shakespeare theory.
I guess the most likely explanation is that someone in this collection of dorky religious kids was musically hip enough that they were importing records from the UK and knew about pop music trends there, but it just seems really incongruous and weird.
posted by DecemberBoy at 3:20 PM on September 12, 2008
It's possible, but that would mean they basically came up with British second-wave ska independently without ever hearing it. It would mean their original style sounds almost exactly like an established genre of music that was popular at the time (although almost entirely unknown in the US). The song sounds like it could be a Madness b-side if you discount the el-dorko vocal style, everything's there: the staccato keyboard and guitar parts, the drum beat, the bassline, everything. It would validate the million monkeys with typewriters writing Shakespeare theory.
I guess the most likely explanation is that someone in this collection of dorky religious kids was musically hip enough that they were importing records from the UK and knew about pop music trends there, but it just seems really incongruous and weird.
posted by DecemberBoy at 3:20 PM on September 12, 2008
I guess the most likely explanation is that someone in this collection of dorky religious kids was musically hip enough that they were importing records from the UK and knew about pop music trends there
Seeing as they lived in New York, it's less unlikely than you think. I lived in rural nowheresville, Massachusetts, and I bought the Specials' first record as an import in 1980 (in Worcester!) after hearing "A Message to You Rudy" on the radio out of Boston.
"Established lore" is so often not that accurate. Back in the vinyl days, kids on the East Coast of the US bought a lot of UK imports.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:37 PM on September 12, 2008
Seeing as they lived in New York, it's less unlikely than you think. I lived in rural nowheresville, Massachusetts, and I bought the Specials' first record as an import in 1980 (in Worcester!) after hearing "A Message to You Rudy" on the radio out of Boston.
"Established lore" is so often not that accurate. Back in the vinyl days, kids on the East Coast of the US bought a lot of UK imports.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:37 PM on September 12, 2008
And, look! The Specials had a US tour in 1981! (I had misremembered it as late 1980.) The Ritz was a big venue, too.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:40 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:40 PM on September 12, 2008
el-dorko
ouch, lol. Just you wait a few decades.
posted by nickyskye at 3:43 PM on September 12, 2008
ouch, lol. Just you wait a few decades.
posted by nickyskye at 3:43 PM on September 12, 2008
"I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba
I just wanna be a sheep! ba, ba ba, ba.
I pray the lord my soul to keep,
I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba.
Hey, I remember singing that song in Sunday School as a little kid. There were little hand motions that went along with it and everything.
posted by EarBucket at 4:14 PM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
I just wanna be a sheep! ba, ba ba, ba.
I pray the lord my soul to keep,
I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba.
Hey, I remember singing that song in Sunday School as a little kid. There were little hand motions that went along with it and everything.
posted by EarBucket at 4:14 PM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
Ska? Ska? When I heard this, I thought "polka, baby." Anyone care to challenge that?
posted by Faze at 6:10 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by Faze at 6:10 PM on September 12, 2008
Sonseed doesn't even come in the top 10 of religious weirdness on vinyl.
I believe you, but what I really want are citations and links. I'm that crass.
This is an arbitrary list from my memory banks, but here goes nothin'...
1. The New Creation, Troubled (YouTube clip) [Anglophile Canadian mom starts Christian rock group with son & next-door neighbor. They end up sounding like a Shaggs/Velvet Underground fusion by accident. So rare that only 3 or so copies of the original LP are known to exist, but you can get the CD from the first link.]
2. The Christian Astronauts, Beyond the Blue [The most bizarro of Christian ventriloquist records, including Jerry (the space dummy) and Loosenut (the 7-foot robot). The "mouth rocket" sound effects have to be heard to be believed. I own a really scratched up copy.]
3. John Rydgren, Silhouette Segments [Lutheran pastor with classic 60s-era radio voice drops some seriously groovy knowledge to the accompaniment of trippy flower-power hits]
4. Li'l Markie, Volume 1 [Remember that creepy little kid voice that Howie Mandel used to do? Now imagine what that voice would sound like coming out of the body of that creepy pastor at Vacation Bible School who wanted scare the 9-year-olds shitless with an anti-abortion sermon.]
5. John Ylvisaker, Cool Livin' [Ultra-square Lutheran liturgist gets hip to the sixties scene with backing music that sounds like it could have been used to score one of the discotheque scenes in the first Austin Powers movie]
6. Blind Teeth Victory Band, Kill A Baby Save A Dog, [Christian alternative band is so unsubtle, in-your-face, and graphic with their anti-abortion songs that it's practically "punk as fuck." Very, very warped. Not shiny, happy Christians at all.]
7. Nun-Plus, Ljubimo/"Let Us Love", [Forget Sister Act! This is top of the "nun rock" genre. It's what Sister Bertrille would have sounded like if she had decided to stop flying and get her fellow brides of Christ to form a folk-rock group.]
8. The Click Kids, Jesus Is A Soul Man, [Jangly adolescent rock group with cracking voices and classic LP cover of their "Jesus Is A Soul Man" tour van.]
9. The Jesus Generation, A Thief in the Night [awesome psychedelically colored cover by a Jesus rock band doing really creative reworkings of then-contemporary hits, including covers of the Beatles "Yesterday" and "Help"]
10. Baby Lu-Lu, self-titled [one Christian's obsession with "childlike innocence" turns into bizarro infantilism; don't bother trying to find a copy, evidently the real "Baby Lu-Lu" has not been so thrilled about being re-discovered by the David Letterman Show and smug hipster ironists]
I have them all on vinyl, except for #1, #4, and #10. I have #1 on CD. And this doesn't even come close to the tip of the iceberg. There are even whole subgenres of Christian ventriloquist records, Catholic polka mass records, strange spoken-word sermon records etc. etc.
posted by jonp72 at 6:18 PM on September 12, 2008 [41 favorites]
I believe you, but what I really want are citations and links. I'm that crass.
This is an arbitrary list from my memory banks, but here goes nothin'...
1. The New Creation, Troubled (YouTube clip) [Anglophile Canadian mom starts Christian rock group with son & next-door neighbor. They end up sounding like a Shaggs/Velvet Underground fusion by accident. So rare that only 3 or so copies of the original LP are known to exist, but you can get the CD from the first link.]
2. The Christian Astronauts, Beyond the Blue [The most bizarro of Christian ventriloquist records, including Jerry (the space dummy) and Loosenut (the 7-foot robot). The "mouth rocket" sound effects have to be heard to be believed. I own a really scratched up copy.]
3. John Rydgren, Silhouette Segments [Lutheran pastor with classic 60s-era radio voice drops some seriously groovy knowledge to the accompaniment of trippy flower-power hits]
4. Li'l Markie, Volume 1 [Remember that creepy little kid voice that Howie Mandel used to do? Now imagine what that voice would sound like coming out of the body of that creepy pastor at Vacation Bible School who wanted scare the 9-year-olds shitless with an anti-abortion sermon.]
5. John Ylvisaker, Cool Livin' [Ultra-square Lutheran liturgist gets hip to the sixties scene with backing music that sounds like it could have been used to score one of the discotheque scenes in the first Austin Powers movie]
6. Blind Teeth Victory Band, Kill A Baby Save A Dog, [Christian alternative band is so unsubtle, in-your-face, and graphic with their anti-abortion songs that it's practically "punk as fuck." Very, very warped. Not shiny, happy Christians at all.]
7. Nun-Plus, Ljubimo/"Let Us Love", [Forget Sister Act! This is top of the "nun rock" genre. It's what Sister Bertrille would have sounded like if she had decided to stop flying and get her fellow brides of Christ to form a folk-rock group.]
8. The Click Kids, Jesus Is A Soul Man, [Jangly adolescent rock group with cracking voices and classic LP cover of their "Jesus Is A Soul Man" tour van.]
9. The Jesus Generation, A Thief in the Night [awesome psychedelically colored cover by a Jesus rock band doing really creative reworkings of then-contemporary hits, including covers of the Beatles "Yesterday" and "Help"]
10. Baby Lu-Lu, self-titled [one Christian's obsession with "childlike innocence" turns into bizarro infantilism; don't bother trying to find a copy, evidently the real "Baby Lu-Lu" has not been so thrilled about being re-discovered by the David Letterman Show and smug hipster ironists]
I have them all on vinyl, except for #1, #4, and #10. I have #1 on CD. And this doesn't even come close to the tip of the iceberg. There are even whole subgenres of Christian ventriloquist records, Catholic polka mass records, strange spoken-word sermon records etc. etc.
posted by jonp72 at 6:18 PM on September 12, 2008 [41 favorites]
OK, I believe that it's real, but... how does it sound so much like British ska? Established lore states that ska was barely known at all in the US before Bucket moved to NYC and started Moon Records/The Toasters in 1983. This came out in 1981, right? So basically, how could they simultaneously be that hip and that dorky?
2-tone British ska started in the '70s, and so did Madness. But ska originated in the early '60s and was very popular at the time. I think it's entirely possible that Christian-oriented musicians would have broad enough horizons to know about music like this, that comes around and then gets revived. Plenty of evangelists are missionaries and travel a lot. The musical evangelical Christians I know aren't necessarily ignorant, either, just not interested in style for the sake of stroking the ego. Some of them have extensive musical knowledge, far more than I, and I consider myself a lifelong student of music.
In any event, if it's a hoax, it's a very elaborate one with multiple people involved, including some here, probably requiring a lot of planning to pull off. Maybe you could do as nicky and give the lead singer a call. Apparently he's pretty easy to find, and I'm sure you'd get an answer pretty quickly.
posted by krinklyfig at 6:24 PM on September 12, 2008
2-tone British ska started in the '70s, and so did Madness. But ska originated in the early '60s and was very popular at the time. I think it's entirely possible that Christian-oriented musicians would have broad enough horizons to know about music like this, that comes around and then gets revived. Plenty of evangelists are missionaries and travel a lot. The musical evangelical Christians I know aren't necessarily ignorant, either, just not interested in style for the sake of stroking the ego. Some of them have extensive musical knowledge, far more than I, and I consider myself a lifelong student of music.
In any event, if it's a hoax, it's a very elaborate one with multiple people involved, including some here, probably requiring a lot of planning to pull off. Maybe you could do as nicky and give the lead singer a call. Apparently he's pretty easy to find, and I'm sure you'd get an answer pretty quickly.
posted by krinklyfig at 6:24 PM on September 12, 2008
Ska? Ska? When I heard this, I thought "polka, baby." Anyone care to challenge that?
I got nothing against a polka, and I do mean that, but this is pretty much straight up 2-tone ska without the horn section. Admittedly, without horns it sounds a bit anti-climactic when it gets to the chorus, although perhaps it's so as not to "angry up the blood."
posted by krinklyfig at 6:28 PM on September 12, 2008
I got nothing against a polka, and I do mean that, but this is pretty much straight up 2-tone ska without the horn section. Admittedly, without horns it sounds a bit anti-climactic when it gets to the chorus, although perhaps it's so as not to "angry up the blood."
posted by krinklyfig at 6:28 PM on September 12, 2008
Wow.Nicely done jonp72. Nicely done. How did you get into this? I'm totally impressed. That Baby Lu-Lu one is really bizarre. Guess she called her husband "Daddy". Amazing the unexpected expertise of certain MeFites.
EarBucket, remember singing that song
Video: I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba, with the hand gestures.
Faze, rock n' roll polka. Turbo polka.
posted by nickyskye at 6:52 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
EarBucket, remember singing that song
Video: I just wanna be a sheep, ba, ba ba, ba, with the hand gestures.
Faze, rock n' roll polka. Turbo polka.
posted by nickyskye at 6:52 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Sonseed video's down, meh.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:41 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:41 PM on September 12, 2008
Spoke too soon...it's fine now & awesome!
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:44 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:44 PM on September 12, 2008
who is this doug and who are those others?
some blogger making something up and having a laugh? is that the story?
'cause that would be so very new.
(nice video though.)
posted by krautland at 8:12 PM on September 12, 2008
some blogger making something up and having a laugh? is that the story?
'cause that would be so very new.
(nice video though.)
posted by krautland at 8:12 PM on September 12, 2008
Silouhette Segments is awesome. I use bits from it in mix CDs all the time. You can download it here.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:13 PM on September 12, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 8:13 PM on September 12, 2008
The youtubey awesomeness of this thread has warped my fragile little mind. I am currently seriously considering being a sheep.
posted by Sparx at 2:00 AM on September 13, 2008
posted by Sparx at 2:00 AM on September 13, 2008
omg. want to cover that so hard. need horns..
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:17 AM on September 13, 2008
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:17 AM on September 13, 2008
Established lore states that ska was barely known at all in the US before Bucket moved to NYC and started Moon Records/The Toasters in 1983.
Established lore is wrong. We were listening to the Specials, Madness, et al. in northern Colorado by '80/'81. Those bands were frequently shown on MTV when it started broadcasting '81, and had been seen on pre-MTV video shows like Night Flight and Video Concert Hall for a couple of years before that.
posted by scody at 12:55 PM on September 13, 2008
Established lore is wrong. We were listening to the Specials, Madness, et al. in northern Colorado by '80/'81. Those bands were frequently shown on MTV when it started broadcasting '81, and had been seen on pre-MTV video shows like Night Flight and Video Concert Hall for a couple of years before that.
posted by scody at 12:55 PM on September 13, 2008
I think part of the "OMG Fake" reaction comes from people who've never known hipster Christians.
posted by Kattullus at 1:58 PM on September 13, 2008 [6 favorites]
posted by Kattullus at 1:58 PM on September 13, 2008 [6 favorites]
I think part of the "OMG Fake" reaction comes from people who've never known hipster Christians.
Christians who are hard core about proselytizing for their faith can be quite astute about bending popular culture to their own purposes. I have a whole bunch of Jesus Freak rock in my collection that has blasting fuzztone guitars just like you might find on any of the secular acid rock LPs of the era. The Christian ska of Sonseed comes from the same cultural place as the "more fuzztone for Jesus" rockers of the late 60s and early 70s, which can be found on the compilation Holy Fuzz.
posted by jonp72 at 2:34 PM on September 13, 2008
Christians who are hard core about proselytizing for their faith can be quite astute about bending popular culture to their own purposes. I have a whole bunch of Jesus Freak rock in my collection that has blasting fuzztone guitars just like you might find on any of the secular acid rock LPs of the era. The Christian ska of Sonseed comes from the same cultural place as the "more fuzztone for Jesus" rockers of the late 60s and early 70s, which can be found on the compilation Holy Fuzz.
posted by jonp72 at 2:34 PM on September 13, 2008
Christianity once inspired some of the world's greatest art.
Ska? Ska? When I heard this, I thought "polka, baby." Anyone care to challenge that?
It reminds me of Disco Polo.
posted by pracowity at 2:34 PM on September 13, 2008
Ska? Ska? When I heard this, I thought "polka, baby." Anyone care to challenge that?
It reminds me of Disco Polo.
posted by pracowity at 2:34 PM on September 13, 2008
jonp72: Christians who are hard core about proselytizing for their faith can be quite astute about bending popular culture to their own purposes.
I have friends who are very devout Christians, some even in seminary, who are hipsters, beglassed in bulky frames, multitattooed and fans of bands like Lightning Bolt. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with proselytizing, it's just that they're hipsters and they're devout Christians.
posted by Kattullus at 2:39 PM on September 13, 2008 [4 favorites]
I have friends who are very devout Christians, some even in seminary, who are hipsters, beglassed in bulky frames, multitattooed and fans of bands like Lightning Bolt. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with proselytizing, it's just that they're hipsters and they're devout Christians.
posted by Kattullus at 2:39 PM on September 13, 2008 [4 favorites]
The ska thing didn't surprise me at all. This may be unfair, but one Christian musician that my family and church have connected with is an OK guy and songwriter but for me primarily unlistenable because so many of his tunes are warmed-over something, such as early Springsteen. And last year I was at the county fair, which had two types of music -- country acts in the grandstand, and hip-hop on the Midway -- until I found somet guys playing this sweet indie-rock love song. Except the more I listened, the more I realized it was a love song to Jesus. (At the end of their set they did a Relient K cover.)
Regarding the hipster Christian angle, I don't think it's useful to be constrained by Republican Culture War divisions. There are plenty of liberal Christians who like Christian music, too. (Just not me.)
posted by dhartung at 3:17 PM on September 13, 2008
Regarding the hipster Christian angle, I don't think it's useful to be constrained by Republican Culture War divisions. There are plenty of liberal Christians who like Christian music, too. (Just not me.)
posted by dhartung at 3:17 PM on September 13, 2008
I have friends who are very devout Christians, some even in seminary, who are hipsters.
Father Noel Furlong?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:19 PM on September 13, 2008 [1 favorite]
Father Noel Furlong?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:19 PM on September 13, 2008 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Christian Rockers have as much of an ear to the ground about emerging pop music as any other variety of rocker, DecemberBoy. In the mid-nineties, for instance, when Reel Big Fish and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones hit it big for their fifteen minutes and it looked like a new wave of ska was coming through at last, the Christian music scene already had tons of established bands doing the same style, and oftentimes doing it much better, than their secular brethren. Look up the Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, and Ghoti Hook for a taste (although a lot of Ghoti-hoot devolves into simple pop-punk.)
At least at that time, and I'm guessing it's pretty similar now, the Christian Music Biz was small, tight-knit, and well funded, with bands bringing in other bands they liked to labels at an alarming pace, and each new group and sound being able to fill a niche. While I'm not religious anymore, I still have some nostalgia for the days when there was a music scene that wasn't about just finding groups who will appeal to the broadest number of people, but also about finding the group who will appeal to that one last misfit.
Also: nicky, why you gotta keep showing us up with how much you rock all the time, huh?
posted by Navelgazer at 4:31 PM on September 13, 2008 [2 favorites]
At least at that time, and I'm guessing it's pretty similar now, the Christian Music Biz was small, tight-knit, and well funded, with bands bringing in other bands they liked to labels at an alarming pace, and each new group and sound being able to fill a niche. While I'm not religious anymore, I still have some nostalgia for the days when there was a music scene that wasn't about just finding groups who will appeal to the broadest number of people, but also about finding the group who will appeal to that one last misfit.
Also: nicky, why you gotta keep showing us up with how much you rock all the time, huh?
posted by Navelgazer at 4:31 PM on September 13, 2008 [2 favorites]
What is Rhett Miller doing in that sheep ba ba ba video?
posted by Mid at 7:57 PM on September 13, 2008
posted by Mid at 7:57 PM on September 13, 2008
I used to play guitar for quite a well-established, well-known Christian artist in the mid-late 80s. I shalln't say whom, but some of the things I've seen... Well, like everything - piety is a circle, and if you go round too far, you can end up in the hypocritical backwaters of post-religious rock-superstardom. Born-again groupies are fun to party with!
posted by benzo8 at 4:52 AM on September 16, 2008
posted by benzo8 at 4:52 AM on September 16, 2008
benzo8,
that is incredibly unfair. what band? WHAT BAND?!
posted by glenwood at 8:51 PM on September 18, 2008
that is incredibly unfair. what band? WHAT BAND?!
posted by glenwood at 8:51 PM on September 18, 2008
Baby Lulu will feature prominently in my nightmares. ALL OF THEM
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:37 AM on October 6, 2008
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:37 AM on October 6, 2008
Look up the Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, and Ghoti Hook for a taste (although a lot of Ghoti-hoot devolves into simple pop-punk.)
Five Iron Frenzy was bigger than the bosstones among all my ska friends during that period.
posted by Pants! at 7:56 AM on October 6, 2008
Five Iron Frenzy was bigger than the bosstones among all my ska friends during that period.
posted by Pants! at 7:56 AM on October 6, 2008
« Older "Ban, ban, Ca-Carol Ann?" | whale anti-collision Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by sunshinesky at 9:18 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]