Search - Various Artists :: Nuggets of Golden Age of Gospel 1945-1958

VISCERAL GOSPEL MUSIC FROM THE GOLDEN AGE

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 01/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Four discs 75,76,74,75 minutes in length each approximately. The sound overall is pretty good (unless you're an audiophile),especially considering when these tracks were recorded. There is occassionally some slight surface noise,but thankfully its in the background on the majority of these tracks. Another point is that,again,because of the recording era,the sound is slightly flat and one-dimensional. But none of that really gets in the way of enjoying this great music. The booklets (1 each in each jewel case) are informative,giving a look into both the various artists and this particular era. There is info on each track as to who is playing/singing and when the track was recorded. There are no photographs in the booklets. The four discs break down the years covered as follows-disc "A" 1945-1953,disc "B" 1953-1955,disc "C" 1955-1957,disc "D" 1957-1958.



These 105 tracks,all from the "golden age" (starting just after WWII) of gospel,contain a number of singing/arrangement styles. From the sweet tones of HAZEL CHATMAN with THE GOLDEN HARMONIZERS,and the GOLDEN GATE QUARTET,to the more declamatory style of SISTER ETHEL DAVENPORT with BROWNIE McGHEE,MARY DELOACH,EMILY BRAM,or the ANGELIC SINGERS & the DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS,this is some powerful music. Most consist of small groups with light instrumental backing,and the rest feature a single vocalist in a similar setting. Styles encompassed in this set range from jubilee,piano or guitar-playing soloist,to harder swinging groups for a great mix of styles. But no matter the style-the emphasis here is on the vocals and the message(s) which are very moving in their intensity.



The artists range from the well known (THE SOUL STIRRERS,FIVE BLIND BOYS of ALABAMA,THE HIGHWAY Q.C.'S etc.),to a number of singers/groups who were only known regionally at best,to some more well known singers such as Della Reese,who started out singing gospel. This set deals primarily with singers devoted solely to gospel music,but there are also singers from other areas,primarily soul music (O.V. Wright),who initially started out singing gospel. But on this well chosen collection it makes little difference who is singing,its the emotional message produced by these singers that matters. Everyone will have their favorites,and will come across new favorites. This set was compiled by Opal Louis Nations,who has put together a number of collections ("The Jaxyson Records Story","The Olliet Records Story","Bob Geddins' Big Town Records Story","The Trilon Records Story 1946-1948"),that deal with small,independent labels (all of which contain a number of good gospel tracks) from the past. This set which spans the years 1945-1958,is a good companion to the recently released set "Fire In My Bones-Raw+Rare+Other Worldly African-American Gospel 1944-2007". Together these two collections will give any listener,no matter if you've listened to gospel for awhile,or especially if you're new to the genre,a great overview and a visceral sounding experience and insight into this music. Gospel is exciting,emotionally moving music,and with this new JSP Records release (along with the above mentioned set),listeners will have a good collection of this timeless music. Listen and be captured by the music from this era,before the trappings of fame and money began to wear away the "old guard",and replaced it with a more "glamorous" style of modern gospel music."

Soul Pleasure

Dick B. Klaver | Michigan | 03/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nuggets is just plain fun. And if you are a believer, your soul will be lifted up with the faithful passions, words and rhythms and melodies of the singers. Healing for white brothers like me."

Best Gospel Compilation Ever

dukeofdeco | USA | 03/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This unbelievable 4 CD set, worth many times the cover price, goes far beyond any other compilation of traditional African-American gospel. One of the many glories of this set is the inclusion of material by artists who had gone on to success or near-success in the world of R&B. They all seem to be here: Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, James Phelps, Johnnie Taylor, Little Johnny Taylor, Candi Staton, Joe Cook, Joe Hinton, and on and on. It takes the breath away just to browse the titles and artists. With an emphasis on vocal groups, this set packs about 100 stellar performances by the tops in the gospel field from the period which was truly its golden age, before the introduction of synthesizers and singers who merely mimicked one another. I could ramble forever on the reasons you should own this compilation (the price is ridiculously low), but I'll stop here except to congratulate the great Opal Louis Nations, an artist and musicologist without whose input I'm sure this project would have been inconceivable. Thanks JSP! I'm glad someone is paying attention."