::ALBUM REVIEW::

By the time 1978 rolled around, contemporary gospel pioneer/master songwriter Andrae’ Crouch had already grabbed the attention of different musical cultures including Jesus music (pre-contemporary Christian), folk rock, early praise-and-worship and contemporary gospel. He had mastered his unique sonic fusion of traditional and contemporary pop gospel and worked up a very extensive resume’ of hits in such a short period of time. His hits continued to escalate in number and the demand to hear more of Crouch’s music captured in a single live-recorded session circulated around gospel music supporters. Crouch’s fellow contemporaries like James Cleveland and Walter Hawkins were already fixed icons in gospel and knew that live recorded sessions captured the intensity of the performances and perfectly displayed the heart of how gospel affected its listeners - in particular, with black audiences. But Crouch had earned a reputation for producing what some gospel critics considered to be “watered-down” gospel; something Crouch highly disapproved of being labeled as. On his first live LP, Live at Carnegie Hall (1973), the back cover stated that “this album is not a slick or watered-down album.” That’s because his studio creations lacked the hype that serious gospel fanatics craved for. It was at this time that Crouch, along with his talented ensemble The Disciples, decided to once again move beyond the studio and decided to take his gospel train to the UK to produce the double-LP Live In London - his second live recording.

Even though mostly all of the songs captured here are recreations of his popular staples, the songs are loaded with Crouch’s charismatic ad-libbing, mind-blowing horn arrangements and catchy extensions from the original versions. Juicy contemporary gospel grooves sits on the bulk of this session and is highly represented on the disco-tinged, six-minute “Just Like He Said He Would” and the oozing, dance-driven “Well Done.” Most of the tracks surround 60-second interludes and song setup introductions from Crouch; giving the album a crisp memoir of the historic evening. But there’s the impromptu congregational hymns that pop up that help compliment Crouch’s songwriting and gives the album a bold international connection such as the popular worship chorus of “Hallelujah”, “Revive Us Again”, a fast-uptempo version of “Power In The Blood” and “Praise God”; which uses the melody of “Amazing Grace.” Great performances of “Perfect Peace” and “I Just Want To Know You” are also present and definitely describe Crouch’s passion for more progressive contemporary gospel - uniting funk, disco and pop into familiar gospel rhythmic formats. “Take A Little Time”, another Crouch early classic from 1971 made better during this live session, uses the James Cleveland-melody of “Thank You Lord” and crafts it around the Disciples’ warm unison chants and bright harmonies.

What made Live In London such a success in the eyes of most contemporary gospel enthusiasts was the understanding that Crouch laid a foundation that was neutral for all cultures without overshadowing his gospel roots. Even with the additional overdubs of horns and strings on the live set, it could never fade out the intense, raw vigor of Crouch’s ensemble. This album, with its broad exposure of Crouch’s superstar popularity, ushered contemporary gospel music using its live energy towards newer audiences and also helped expose newer ideas to the gospel market. Many gospel-oriented worship leaders cite Live In London as one of the most important recordings of the praise-and-worship movement.

It is important to also speak of the Funkadelic-like futuristic design embracing the front album cover with a glowing galactic piano suspended in mid-air hovering over a set of hills. The artwork remains one of the most popular and memorable album covers in gospel music history.