Lost & Found Dept – Let’s Just Praise The Lord

This record comes with pretty much everything you could ask for in a Private Press Gospel album. There’s the ugly chicks, long haired dudes, tubby inbred looking dudes and a bus within which to travel and spread the word. Just as well then that there’s a choice cover shot that incorporates all the ugliness of the group plus said bus, nicely parked infront of a church. Cool.

Anyhow, I found this record at a fair, still in shrinkwrap for the pricely sum of 25 cents and I just had to take it home.  Now saying the cover and all it stands for spoke to me would probably be taking it a little far, but hey, it was cheap and I guess we should all praise the lord sooner or later. From what I can gather The Lost and Found Dept. were a outreach ministry of the First Christian Church of Belleville, Illinois. The record itself is on a label called Professional Artist which is also the name of the studio in St. Louis where this was recorded in 1975.

Musically it’s pretty much your standard gospel of the time, one lead singer per track backed up by some other singers in parts. There is quite a bit of out of tune singing going on, especially from some of the females, but in saying that, there are a couple of chicks that can sing, and the lead male voice is so deep it is almost a parody.  It gets real funny when every song breaks down and he goes into this real serious, almost spoken diatribe that basically sums up what the singers have just sung as well as stating some completely crazy facts about religion, funny stuff. The backing band could best be described as being born again teenagers playing country but with a wildman drummer. Seriously, this kid can play drums, shame then that he gets no drumbreaks at all, I was listening intently just wishing he would break out, he is barely contained in this musical setting.  There is also some kinda funky guitar work going on in places, but the voices and steel guitar sort of kill it.

Oh yeah, my copy came with a neat handwritten piece of paper inside it that when held along the bottom of the cover actually pointed out who some of the members in the cover shot were. Was kinda cool, but I promptly threw it in the bin with the shrinkwrap. I want to know how the hell this record made it to New Zealand?