Spirit of the Church, Volume 1

The first installment in this 12-volume set presents four episodes of the Chicago program TV Gospel Time, which aired Sunday mornings on NBC from 1962-1965. Each episode includes a text introduction with biographical information about the featured acts (interestingly, the third episode was actually filmed in Baltimore). A few solo artists appear—including Brother Joe May and Marie Knight, the latter an associate of Sister Rosetta Tharpe—but most of the music here is performed by ensembles, some of whom perform a cappella, while others add guitar or piano. Songs include familiar gospel favorites, such as "Wade in the Water" (the Soul Stirrers) and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Knight), but there are also plenty of lesser known hymns. Among the highlights: Inez Andrews and the Andrewettes ("What Love") and the Caravans ("That's Why I Call Him Mine"), who anticipate crossover groups like the Staple Singers in the way that they combine pop, rock, and proto-funk (the only accompaniment to their powerful voices are hand claps and tambourine). If the music has value, the audio-visual quality of these monaural kinescopes is poor at best (blurred outlines, ghosting, and speckling)—to the point where it's hard to make out individual faces whenever larger groups appear onscreen (fortunately, there are plenty of close-ups). Promos for Feen-A-Mint, Artra Beauty Bar, and other vintage products add to the historical appeal, while the bonus feature offers two fine Mahalia Jackson performances from 1961. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)