(MP3s: all 19 of Pastor John Rydgrens Silhouette radio spots are linked below the jump along with more illos that Dennis Worden's did in 1988 for our former zine, LCD.)
When Liz played Pastor John Rydgren's Rinky Dink last Tuesday, I was reminded of just how great and weird Rydgren's radio spots were, and what a strange confluence of events created the country's only Psychedelic Christian format back in 1967.
Heading into the Summer of Love, Rydgren was the crafty head of the TV, Radio and Film Department of the American Lutheran Church. Years before the words "Jesus" and "Freak" became joined at the rib, the straight-looking Rydgren created a daily radio show called Silhouette in which he became the reassuring, resonant-voiced Hippy for God. Rydgren wrote, announced and programmed Silhouette, taking his musical and cultural cues from The Electric Prunes, Herb Alpert and the cover of Time (Is God Dead?), with a vocal delivery that was straight out of the Tom Donahue / Scott Muni / Ken Nordine school of breathy baritone radio seduction. Silhouette dropped all the counter-cultural codewords of the day into a heady mix of Peace, Love, Sex, Drugs and Jesus. Not to mention Fuzzy Guitars.
New York's WABC-FM picked up Silhouette on a daily basis after the FCC forced them to stop using their FM station to re-transmit WABC-AM, their Top 40 powerhouse. Faced
with an immediate need for a new format, ABC signed on to Rydgren's
Psychedelic Christian thang, at least for part of the day.
The FCC rule in question - the non-duplication rule
- sent stations all over the country scrambling for formats at a time
when youth counterculture ruled the zeitgeist. Yes, the same rule that
created the Psychedelic Christian format also gave birth to the
commercial freeform radio movement in the US.
ABC quickly dropped Silhouette from its lineup, and flailed around for three more years before finally changing the station's call letters to WPLJ in 1970 and finding their calling as one of New York's eminent Album Oriented Rock stations throughout the 70's.
But Rydgren and the American Lutheran Church aggressively syndicated the show beyond New York, and in that effort, they issued a double LP in 1967 called New Life Radio Spots and Cantata,
which distilled Rydgren's swinging message of redemption
into bite size bits for other radio stations to play. If they liked the
Silhouette segments on the New Life LPs, they could pick
up the whole show, as American Armed Forces Radio did in 1968. The 2-LP
set was issued to radio stations only, but the segments were later
reissued a few years ago on a single LP called Silhouette Segments.
That reissue wisely omitted the LP-length Cantata, which was along the lines of (but far
worse than) The Electric Prunes Mass In F Minor, as I recall.
But Rydgren's Silhouette segments are stunning. Here are all 19 of them:
Thanks!! This LP is so incredibly cool! One of my all time favs and and obscenely hard to find.
Posted by: Ron D | July 08, 2005 at 12:14 PM
hehe... hippies and jesus. That does make alot of sense!
Posted by: john bellows | July 08, 2005 at 12:34 PM
It's the double-LP version sent to radio stations which is the true Holiest of Grails! Who(mso)ever shall post this complete upon the Internet(s), the Kingdom of Heaven shall be both his and hers.
Posted by: Carl Howard | July 08, 2005 at 12:46 PM
Thanks a lot, never got around to buy the reissue, so this will serve me good
Posted by: Magnus | July 08, 2005 at 01:21 PM
I'll be stealing this for my blog.
I always loved "Music to Watch Girls By", wasn't aware there was so rich a body of stuff!
Posted by: forksclovetofu | July 08, 2005 at 03:46 PM
Yes!Yes!Yes! Thanks a lot.
Posted by: Dan Willems | July 08, 2005 at 03:55 PM
It`s a God thing Baby!
Posted by: Mark | July 11, 2005 at 08:54 AM
i love this site and i just want to say hello to all the members in this site
Posted by: mike | July 19, 2005 at 12:40 PM
where oh where can I buy this? Did anyone make a reissue of it?
Posted by: E PH | August 20, 2005 at 01:37 PM
My Dear beloved Christ,
Grace and peace to you, to your Dear family from our Heavenly Father soon coming Saviour Jesus Christ.
Dear Brother:
How are you? We are all constantly praying for you and are hoping that you are fine in health by His grace.
I praise God for the opportunity given to me to speak to you by this letter. We were all constantly praying for you in our daily personal, family and assembly prayers.
I wants to speak to you daily, but could not able to do, since I am busy with Ministry work. God is GREAT and He is utilizing my services in spreading the Gospel Word. Large number of souls were saved and added to the kingdom of God. Part of my work I am also visiting the HIV/AIDS patients and preaching the Glorious Gospel to them. I am also visiting the widows and old aged people, giving them the necessary medicines and clothing.
Besides, I am leading the Pastor’s Fellowship and encouraging I agree number of Pastors to walk with Him.
I send herewith by attachment a photo picture, in which the children belong to HIV/AIDS patients and I have taken up their burden in providing food, accommodation and education. It became a heavy burden for me, but, I do feel that God shall supply all their needs. I request you my Dear Brother to kindly pray for these children in providing free food, clothing and education.
There is a lot of work yet to be done in our rural villages and still there are large number of villages where people do not know Jesus. I wants to reach these unreached areas and like to preach the Gospel Word and in this mighty task, I seek your fullest cooperation, help, support and constant prayers.
Our Country in which more particularly, our State of Andhra Pradesh stood second in HIV/AIDS since there are 30% people soaked with the dreadful disease. I request you to kindly pray for these HIV/AIDS patients my Dear Brother.
My dear family, co-pastors, saints have all constantly praying for you and for your family and Ministry and request you to continue to pray for me, for my Ministry and for the HIV/AIDS children and the people living in all our congregations.
With much love in Christ Jesus.
Yours Brother by grace alone,
Pastor J.PRABHUDAS, New Juruselem Prayer Church
AMARAVATHI PLOTS, CHENCHUPET,
TENALI - 522 202,GUNTUR(DT)
A.P., S.INDIA.. Ph: + 91 - 8644-230771
Posted by: Pastor J.PRABHUDAS | September 11, 2005 at 06:54 AM
Dear Sir,
I humbly apply for your free Bible .
I want my life to be change and my friends life.Please I will like
you to send us the Bible (4)Copies so that will can study it and
understand it Sir. I realy need it . Well speak English language.
This is my postal Address again.
NO 2 SECOND OFFUNMWEGBE LANE OFF UZAMA OFF SILUKO ROAD OLIHA QUATERS BENIN CITY EDO STATE,
NIGERIA.
YoursFaithfully,
PHONE:2348027893702
REX E ROWLAND.
I will being waiting for your reply Sir.
Posted by: Rex E Rowland | September 22, 2005 at 06:29 PM
Hey, I have the full version, and the Cantata is very interesting - not awful, as it is characterized above.
Y'all are stuck in the soundbyte generation, and cant take an extended workout.
-Roscoe
Posted by: Gary Roscoe Johnson | March 19, 2006 at 02:07 PM
I remember the old wabc-fm radio station, before they became
WPLJ-fm...................... gw
Posted by: gary wanvig | March 28, 2006 at 08:08 PM
Fulfilling God’s Will in India !
my beloved in Christ, I Prabhudas from India greetings to you in the name our Lord Christ. I am very knee on evangelism. I reaches hundreds through Gospel meetings, crusades fasting & praying and house visiting. I have special burden for perishing youth and love for the little children. Though I am financially helpless I still helps the destitutes and widows and orphans by providing some medicines and garments and food. Very recently I opened a door for a new and heart touching ministry of visiting AIDS & HIV patients.Large number of people are here suffering due to lake of proper food and clothing and medication are left to fate. Truly when I see these people, my heart is rendering. They have no food for days together, they have no strength to knock the door-to-door begging food. Some are in desparate mood to attend even for nature of calls. I have no words to say about these people unless we look at them. People like you to come forward to their rescue. God laid great and heavy burden on meto work among these desparate people. I therefore taken up this greatest burden; meeting them, preaching and loading them in gospel. But I seek your help and support in this matter as I have no capacity to meet theirneed. In this connection I swear to the fact that every rupee shell be best utilized and spent for these poor children and orphan and old aged people and HIV patients. God provided you all comforts for which I pray God immensely. I therefore request you to kindly pray for these neglected and uncared poor children and widows, old aged people and HIV/AIDS patients believing them as your parents and children. I shell send you report regularly where the service is conducted supported with pictures for prayer. Your love and offerings to this service is much more needed. With all the burden I have I am not asking for anything but only desires that you should visit me and the ministry and see it yourself. I can arrange some special public meetings and Pastors conferences so that you can personally talk to them to know the true condition of Indian Pastors.A lot is to be done for God and the extension of His Kingdom. India is a free country and God’s grace is abundant on this country. The field is readly to be harvested and Prabudas Means “Servant of the Lord”! I was born in a staunch Hindu family where worshipping many idols was a serious matter and was done with all the faith I had in them. God’s saving eyes were seeking to save all those who are willing to change. I was saved from the life of idolatry 20 years ago and committed to serve the Lord and thus fulfilling the meaning of my name! now with my wife and eldest son I fully involve in various ministries in Guntur District. I live in Tenali in Andhra Pradesh.There are currently about two dozen congregations and nearly 120 co-workers who are zealously serving the Lord in dozens of villages, only a few congregations have church buildings – mostly thatched huts. I also educate ten young people a year to take up the ministry in new villages. The harvest is truly plenteous and labourers also plenty but only thing any Indian worker lacks is money. So please pray for the situation here going on. So many people are willing to work for Christ if the minimum needs are met a number of labourers are available with no help to go further. It is a very serious situation but needs only a little understanding. If one does not see it personally it is difficult to understand. Who can come here without burden for the lost souls. You don’t have to be a missionary but first came and see then you will surely become one!God bless you and your household.I am waiting for your adviceYours in Christ,
Pastor. J. Prabhudas
Christ’sLoveAwarenessSocietyToPeople
NewJerusalemPrayerHouse
AmaravathiPlots,Chenchupe
tTENALI-522202
Guntur(Dt.)A.P.,S.India
PH+91-8644-230771. coll 93463 37194
E-mail : njp_church@yahoo.co.in
Clasp_7@yahoo.co.in
http://claspdas3.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Pastor. J. Prabhudas | June 01, 2006 at 02:59 AM
This is the comic version of the sacred mushroom and the cross
Posted by: Let It Think | August 07, 2006 at 01:23 PM
This is just what our station needed!!! This makes it just be more fun for the station to add this cool stuff!!!
WE play Christian/Positive Hard Rock Metal... and even a show 3 times a week that is from that era late 60's - 70's, 80's 90's straight into 2000+
We are always looking for more stuff like this!
Rock on...
Tri-Rock Crew
http://classicgod.com/trirock.htm
Posted by: Tri-Rock Radio | November 03, 2006 at 04:04 AM
What a neat deal to find pastor Rydgren's cuts which I played for years on my late night jazz shows in the 60's and Armed forces radio in Vietnam. Is he living and I have the rights to continue to play them today on the air....unchanged, of course.
Cliff
Posted by: Cliff Houser | November 22, 2006 at 06:36 PM
Most of the Christian community around the world use alcohol. But only some are addicted to it. Drug usage is the other fact. The religion has a big effect for the recovery process.
.................................
Bhathiya Senanayake
Just use the keyword "Christian Drug Rehab" as the link in the signature
Christian Drug Rehab
Posted by: Bhathiya Senanayake | June 23, 2008 at 03:28 AM
I knew Rev. Rydgren and his family when they lived on Long Island in the 1970s.Would he please contact me?
Posted by: Pamela | January 14, 2009 at 08:14 PM