"Life Is A Problem" Mississippi Records

"Compilation of raw electric guitar-based gospel recorded between 1949 & 1976. Hard to find & unreleased gospel that makes most rock & roll sound weak & contained. Features Utah Smith, Rev. Lonnie Farris, Sister O.M Terrill & many lesser known artists. 14 tracks in all." -Mississippi.“Subject…rock & roll. Can I get an amen?” So begins Elder Charles D. Beck, the ‘singing evangelist,’ on “Rock & Roll Sermon, pt. 1 & 2“– arguably the most well known track found on Mississippi Records‘ Life is a Problem gospel compilation. And then things really start to cook.

Comprised of “raw, electric guitar-based, gospel recorded between 1949 & 1976″ the 2008 collection boasts hard to find & unreleased gospel that “makes most rock & roll sound weak & contained.” As with most of the label’s increasingly eclectic finds, Life Is A Problem indeed culls thirteen tracks, widely unknown outside of genre completists, that are big on both soul and spirit. Things are anything but tepid, here, no matter your spiritual convictions. Make no mistake, as with similar themed compilations, one need not be of the cloth to enjoy the offerings, as sworn heathens are just as likely to get off as true believers.

Spanning three decades in thirty six minutes, Life is a Problem feels as much like a sweaty juke joint as it does a pulpit, reveling in fatback 12 bar blues, scratch electric guitar, soul and a lot of hallelujahs. Dig in. (Aquarium Drunkard)

This is a collection of various artists singing heavy gospel. I like the way the cover and the back is all handwritten in crayon. It feels like the person who put it together is imparting some kind of secret knowledge. It has Utah Smith’s “Take a Trip” for that love/drug/religion combo that’s so irresistible to these ears (Utah used to wear wings in church!) and also features Elder Charles Beck’s “Rock and Roll Sermon Pts. 1 and 2,” which is the most rock-and-roll anti-rock-and-roll sermon in the history of such things. He’s saying all these lines about rock and roll being evil and the congregation is shouting “Yeah!” at him between every line. It sounds unwittingly like the best rock song ever made. The insert has a “further listening” list that name-checks the formidable Rev. Charlie Jackson’s “God’s Got It,” Fred McDowell’s “Amazing Grace,” and the Sinner’s Crossroads radio show on WFMU. It also comes with a seven-inch of George “Bongo Joe” Coleman’s street preaching. There’s a great line on the insert that says “ragged, raw, and beautiful,” and that sums up the whole record. Also, my copy has typo corrections written in black ballpoint.

I think this is my favourite Mississippi release. All cannot be recommended enough, but this has this loose, ragged quality. Check the filthy ‘I Pound A Solid Rock’, or the simply beautiful ‘Pray On’. The closer  ‘Amazing Grace’ is perhaps the most original rendition i’ve ever heard of a stupidly familiar song.  Features Mississippi stalwarts Sister Ola Mae Terrell, The Straight Street Group, and Utah Smith. It’s pretty much perfect. (https://mississippirecords.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/life-is-a-problem-but-where-theres-life-theres-hope/)

Info: http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2010/11/16/life-is-a-problem-mississippi-records-mr-017/

trax:

1. Take a Trip - Utah Smith 2. A Night in the House of Prayer - Rev. Lonnie Farris 3. Life is a Problem - Sister O.M. Terrell 4. Angels Keep Watching Over Me - The Straight Street Group 5. Lord Will Make a Way - Rev. A Johnson 6. Rock & Roll Sermon Prts 1 & 2 - Elder Charles Beck 7. Seat in the Kingdom - The Crumb Brothers 8. I Found a Solid Rock - Bishop Perry Tillis 9. I'm Free - Utah Smith 10. Pray On - The Willanette Singers 11. Standing In the Safety Zone - Professor Johnson 12. Lil School Song - Tom Dutson 13. Amazing Grace - Oakland's Famous One Man Band

...Many thanks to ronh1 for this share!  served by Gyro1966...