Rock & Religion (Shows No. 49 & 50)

Rock & Religion (RR 49 & RR 50)

Rock & Religion was a radio show produced in Sacramento, California. It ran from 1977 to 1981 with about 184 programs. The show focused on rock and pop music from a Christian perspective. Apparently, these programs were put on LPs as promotional copies according to that valuable internet resource, Wikipedia. My copy of Rock & Religion has programs 49 and 50.

Program No. 49 is about punk rock. It is hosted by Mary Neely, and Steve Scott, a musician and poet, is the program's guest who offers an explanation why punk rock is aggressive, violent and shocking. The program features snippets from The Sex Pistols, Ian Dury, The Damned and even The Rolling Stones. It's a fun program to listen to and is of interest to anyone interested in punk rock. The program actually offers some good sociological insight into punk rock, but probably nothing new for those already knowledgeable of punk. This show originally aired on November 19, 1978.

Program No. 50 is about how love songs have evolved from being romantic and thoughtful in the 1940s to being overtly sexual and selfish in the 1970s to say the least ("people indeed become reduced to love machines"). Song snippets from Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones (again), Rod Stewart, KC and the Sunshine Band and others are featured. The first 15 minutes is fun to listen to. The rest of the program ... not so fun. Three songs are played in their entirety that are still romantic, thoughtful and definitely sappy in the decadent 1970s and there is an interview with one of those artists. This show originally aired on November 26, 1978.

By the way, programs 49 & 50 are awaiting to be filled on that Wikipedia article.

Tracklisting:  (link will be back soon)

Show No. 49

1. Punk Rock {29:45}

Show No. 50

1. Love Songs {29:00}

Ronnie Willhoite - The Doorkeepers

Ronnie Willhoite - The Doorkeepers

Ronnie Willhoite, a director of an organization called Search for Truth Publications, presents a training record for church ushers. It includes tips on how to be efficient in organizing seating of church goers, keeping people from being unruly during church services, how to be hospitable towards church visitors, what proper manners to use at church, how to get newcomers to keep coming to church, etc. It is quite evident that ushers (doorkeepers), play an important role in the church and ushers are needed to keep the evil forces of Satan from disrupting church services such as having unruly drunks hanging around the church as well as making sure church services are organized.
 


FOR BEST RESULTS
Each usher or prospective usher should listen to this recording once each day for six consecutive days to achieve the maximum benefits. It is a proven fact that spaced repetition greatly increases the power of retention.

Tracklisting:  (link will be back soon)

Side 1

1. Eliminate the Negatives {2:18}

2. Impressed? ... or Distressed {3:58}

3. Don't Agonize-Organize! {2:25}

4. Delegating the Work {3:23}

5. Don't Forget the four S's {3:08}

6. Make Your Church Crackle and Glow {7:41}

Side 2

1. Your Manners are Showing {2:28}

2. A Church is Known by the Ushers It Keeps {6:27}

3. May I Show You to a Seat? {6:36}

4. Tips to Keep Them Coming {3:12}

5. Expect the Unexpected {2:51}

6. Traffic Guards {1:31}

7. Special Occasions {2:16}

Erotica, The Rhythms of Love

Erotica, The Rhythms of Love

Celebrate Valentine's Day, Basement style with this "experimental high fidelity recording featuring the sounds and rhythms of erotic love."

This is supposed to be a recording of the deed or a simulated version of it which is what I think it is. There's creaking bedsprings, moans and someone playing the bongos. I guess the bongos are supposed to help provide the rhythms of love. It sounds more silly than sexy. There certainly was a market for this sort of thing back in the day since the Fax Records label put out other releases dealing with the um, rhythms of love. The US Postal Service once found this particular LP obscene. I wonder how many copies of this record were sold and who bought those copies. It's another fascinating find on vinyl.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Erotica, The Rhythms of Love side 1 {14:20}

Side 2

1. Erotica, The Rhythms of Love side 2 {13:37}

Tony Dolan - Cry, The Beloved Country

Tony Dolan - Cry, The Beloved Country

Entities such as the media and institutions of education here in the United States are entrenched by liberal or left-wing ideology. That's what some reputable and knowledgeable people say, so since they have values and are always correct on political issues and current events, the first sentence must be true. However, what has not been mentioned is that there is another area dominated by liberals. This is where perhaps those liberals have greater influence over the hearts and minds of people. That is folk music.



Folk music came to prominence in the early 1960s especially protest songs about rights of people everywhere, injustice and war. There were many folk singers on the same ideological wavelength. However, during the sixties, there were a few folk singers such as Janet Greene and Tony Dolan, the subject of this post, who offered a right-wing or "fair-and-balanced" perspective. Tony Dolan was a sophmore at Yale University when he made the record, Cry, The Beloved Country. The record contains "ten timely and provocative songs" along with liner notes by conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr. It is quite evident that Tony has different concerns than the vast majority of folk singers. Tony sings about the evils of communism, liberating Cuba from that commie Fidel Castro along with the conservatives' favorite institution to blame for the bad things taking place in America, the New York Times which still happens to be the most prominent newspaper in the liberal media (so they say).

I am not an expert in folk music and I have listened to a very little amount of folk music in my life so my assessment may be off the mark. It seems to me that Tony Dolan is just trying to be a right-wing version of Woody Guthrie or Joan Baez in terms of lyrical and performance style. Not surprisingly, Tony Dolan remains unknown. I do not know what Tony is up to these days (most likely still helping to advance the conservative cause I suspect), but his stance is very much alive in mainstream American life.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Abolish, Abolish! {2:42}

2. Father Against Son {3:41}

3. Join the S.D.S. {2:14}

4. Cuba Will Be Free {1:55}

5. Cry, The Beloved Country {3:36}

Side 2

6. Remember Bloody Budapest {3:14}

7. Harry Pollitt {2:58}

8. Every Time You Turn Around {3:36}

9. New York Times Blues {3:26}

10. My Song in the Wind {2:55}