Discussion of the Week: Glen's Gospel Albums

[Cowpoke]

Yes Mike, the contemporary christian music Glen made is an often overlooked but qualitywise very interesting part of Glen's body of work. A longtime fan once said to me that in the early nineties Glen's heart seemed to in the christian music he made, much more than in the country albums he released during the same time.

One of my favorites is actually one of the last songs Glen recorded for the New Haven label: "Turn up the radio". Glen always loved songs that required a big vocal range and this sure is one of them! This track can be found on "Jesus and Me: The Collection".

[Mike Joyce]

Hi arlw, Yes I do have that album, Number 90 in my Glen Campbell albums collection. I also noticed that the picture is the same as the drawn picture of Glen on the front of the "Old Home Town". except he has a wrist watch on in the picture which wasn't included in the drawn image. As I looked through my box of albums it dawned on me I also have another gospel album by Glen called "Amazing Grace" This album on the Word label WST 9625 released in 1983 This is essentially a compliation album of songs featured on the Oh happy day album with other spiritual or uplifting songs such as The impossible dream, less of me I will never pass this way again.
I need to get these albums out and play them again as I tend to just go to the CD player these days and there are some great songs I haven't heard in awhile.
The play list on the album is

Side one
He's got the whole world in his hands
Amazing grace
Daddy sang bass
He
Someone above
Faith
One pair of hands
People get ready

Side two
Oh happy day
The impossible dream
Less of me
I knew Jesus
I believe
You'll never walk alone
I will never pass this way again
Angels in the sky.

[Dee]

Thanks, arlw! Looking forward to Mike's reply as to whether or not he has seen this album in the U.K.!

Jay, thank you for posting the tracks to "Oh Happy Day". I had forgotten about some of the beautiful songs on this gospel album. (I don't think this album ever made it to CD.)
I treasure the LP itself because it is one of the last Glen Campbell albums that my Grandmother gave me before she passed away.

I am passing along a link to Richard Marx' blog from 2012 that I thought you all might enjoy reading.
This article recently crossed my desk, and I was excited to see that one of the stories shared by Richard ties in perfectly to Mike Joyce's Discussion of the Week: Glen's Gospel Albums!

Mr. Marx wrote:

I was on a long concert tour about a dozen years ago and was flipping the dial on my hotel room tv when I spotted Glen singing live on a church stage somewhere. It was a Christian program and Glen was singing mostly gospel songs and hymns. It was live, and this was way before Autotune (not that Glen ever needed that) and I sat and watched and listened as my jaw fell further to the floor. His singing was sublime. It was deeply soulful, and true and yet vocally challenging.

You can find this blog entry at http://richardmarx.com/2012/02/blog-gle ... s=og.likes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(I am working on my post about Glen's gospel albums...my big favorites right off the bat: "Jesus" from "Meet Glen Campbell" and "Long Walk Home" from "I'll Be Me OST"!)

[arlw]

Mike,
I have that gospel album of Glen's--I love it as I have the CD too! You mentioned "The Glen Campbell Album"-do you have this?

The Glen Campbell Album – This is an imported LP from the UK. It is on the K-TEL Label – NE-1341. The release date of this record is from 1986. It contains 12 total tracks. It has the shiny glossy finish to the jacket and the picture of Glen Campbell is from the “Old Home Town” LP. The jacket and record are in excellent condition. (CE-2341), also available on cassette. (5-012206-134118). 1986 K-Tel International (UK) Ltd. The album is in the regular sleeve which is marked “Made in England.” R.S. -5-87. The label is a bluish color with black writing. Terrific selection of songs on here. Some of the tracks are, “The Twelfth Of Never”, “True Grit”, “Turn Around Look At Me”, “The Straight Life”, “Homeward Bound”, “Words”, “Crying” and more. This is a great imported LP from Great Britain.

Not a Gospel LP but Same Title so don't know if you own it!!!

[Mike Joyce]

Here's the track from Youtube

[Mike Joyce]

Jay, I don't know if you are aware but the Oh happy day album wasn't released in the UK. It was only several years later I spotted it on ebay and bought it. In the UK we had the Glen Campbell Good Time album which was also released in the US and repackaged in the UK with the Oh happy day cover and simply called The Glen Campbell Album.
Glen of course has received the Dove awards for some of his gospel albums. I also love his favourite hymns album especially "Softly and Tenderly". Glen's vocals on this are excellent.

[jay]

Oh Happy Day has to be one of his best! Thanks Dee for for providing this video. I just love this song.




Tracklist
A1 Someone Above
A2 Oh Happy Day
A3 I Believe
A4 He's Got The Whole World In His Hands
A5 You'll Never Walk Alone
B1 One Pair Of Hands
B2 He
B3 People Get Ready
B4 Angels In The Sky
B5 Daddy Sang Bass

[Mike Joyce]

Hi Guys,
I was just looking through my record collection earlier and it occurred to my that as far as I know no one has discussed Glen's gospel albums in any detail. I own several albums Oh happy day, Wings of Victory,Show me your way,The boy in me, Favourite hymns, Love is the answer, No more night. There are some great songs on these albums which I like to listen to such as Unto the least of these, The Garden, Come harvest time etc. I wondered what other fans thought about these spiritual albums. I appreciate not everyone has religious beliefs but do you still enjoy the music on the albums, are they uplifting in their message or do they leave you cold?