I'm somewhat forgetful. I also have this habit of lending thing to people. Thus, when I lose something, I can never be sure whether I left it somewhere or loaned it someone. Thank..well...God that I digitized The Musical Harts album I found in a junk shop in Goderich, Ontario, Canada before losing it.
Remember the whole Rev. Wright debacle during the election? In the middle of it, Wright made a speech talking about race and brought up the very apt point that in a 4/4 song most white people clap on 1 and the 3. Most black people clap on the 2 and 4. 1 and 3 = military march. 2 and 4 = soopah-freekeh.
And what about those poor souls who are Rick James trapped in the body John Phillip Sousa? What of those poor souls who, though no real fault of their own, cannot, let's say, externalize their soulfulness. What of The Musical Harts?
I'll admit that it took me a long time to understand that authentic reggae music was supposed to sound like everyone was stoned. It's same with the current trend in rap to almost aggressively stay on the very edges of the rhythm to the point of (my) annoyance. So, perhaps, I'm ignorant of the "style" of The Musical Harts and should keep my big trap shut.
But I don't think so.
This is an A for Effort album. Their love and their effort leap off the vinyl as well as their Model-A Ford execution. These folks are passionate about their music and about God. When they sing that "ain't no grave gonna hold my body down", it's a promise.
Download Feed Me Jesus - What can you say about a gospel song that starts like the Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There"?
Download He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield - I can't help thinking that this song (and most of the others) are just badly synced.
Download Leave It There - And suddenly, the mystery of the Musical Harts becomes apparent when they rein it in for a gospel balled...in Swedish.
Download On the Wings of a Snow White Dove - Slow enough for plenty of guitar fills. Let's remember that Liz Phair is not a great singer, either.
Download Let's Go Forward - What can you say about a gospel song that starts like the Beatles "Day Tripper"? Seriously. What's the Fab Four Fixation?
Download Faith In The Fathers - I just find noodling, tinny, whiny guitar fills annoying.
Download Dreaming of a Little Cabin
- Did the sound engineer just leave our the rhythm guitar on purpose?
Download There Ain't No Grave
- I'm still not sure what tempo this song is supposed to be in. It's almost like musical vertigo.
Download Troublesome Waters - I remember hearing that, although she sang them like an angel, Pasty Cline hated ballads. This is the perfect song for The Musical Harts.
Download Stayed On Jesus - This is not. Although I'm slowly convincing myself that they were a lot better live than recorded.
Download Idle Hands - Seriously. Try clapping to this one. I dare you.
Download Dem Bones - Crank the volume. Listen to the bass lead. Listen the song completely change feel and tempo.
Photo Credit - http://www.bobsyouruncle.net/TNM_Guitars/tnmnewsarchive1.htm
This sounds like the Ventures and the Fugs took LSD and tried to make a gospel surf album together. Cool!!
Posted by: Ray Zinnbrazen | February 25, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Damn. That's perfect!
Posted by: Hbee | February 25, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Hi there--I certainly enjoyed the music of the Musical Harts!! But I don't think it was Reverend Doyle Hart and his doubleneck Mosrite.
Not sure if this photobucket image will show up here, but I've attached a jpg of "The Musical Harts of Detroit" which I believe is your group you have posted here. The cover identifies the patriarch of the family as Ralph Hart, not Rev. Doyle.
The Detroit proximity makes sense for you to find a copy of the LP in Ontario, Canada, as well.
[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g143/eccofonic/5cd9_1.jpg[/IMG]
Posted by: Deke Dickerson | February 25, 2009 at 01:56 PM
That are my father that playd guitar sing on some songs
and they are not stoned.
The rekording is done in Oslo Norway 1966 in june.
Ralph Hart is first singer than sings my father Roland And my
onkel Curt ho is playing Bass.
Curt & Roland has been on 3 rekordings with Musical Hart 1 Are you Sure, If you belive and Child of the King ho is this rekord here.Curt & Roland is coming from Sweden and they was famous group in Sweden and Norway but Roland was so good on his Guitar so Ralph pickt him and Curt for this rekordings.Then they went on tour over Europe Usa and South america.
From Kristian in Sweden
Posted by: Kristian l. | March 08, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Doyle is Ralph's brother. His church is located in the genius Acadamy Theater in Inglewood; Ralph has one in an old art deco theater on Seven Mile Road here in Detroit. They are both in their late eighties and have another brother around the same age still pastoring in Texas, where they are all from. Doyle and Ralph came to Detroit in 1954 and cut a 45 of "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" with some cool guitar that I am assuming is Doyle. I also have a 78 they made when they were still in Texas with some good steel breaks; both are on Texas Musical Harts Records.
I suppose it may be up to you and I to head down to these architectural wonders of our respective locales and try unraveling the Hart Brothers' whole story. When did Doyle move to California? Did he make recordings out there? Does he still have his Mosrite? Does he still play it? As for Ralph, I wonder how many singles they put out on the aforementioned Texas Musical Harts label. And then, how many albums with the Musical Hart Family? I have three.
Posted by: Michael Hurtt | May 25, 2009 at 03:19 PM
The third brother, Maurice, died a couple years ago. There is a web site for Ralph's church, Liberty Temple. HE and his wife divorced many years ago, she runs a banquet place in Vegas, daughter Linda appeared in a few movies, is now doing Broadway.
Posted by: Larry | July 03, 2009 at 06:38 PM
Do not know what you have against the Harts. Knew Curt and Roland very well. They were at the church quite a while.
The Harts have done a lot of good in their lifetimes. They enjoyed what they did and enjoyed singing and playing the musical instruments. Ralph, Doyle and Raymond are the only three left.
Posted by: Ruth | July 07, 2009 at 07:43 AM
Found several Hart Albums last Saturday in Dallas, Texas. I have
I Found the Answer by The Musical Harts
Hey Mr.Devil! Ralph and Abilene Hart
If you Beleive The Musical Harts
God is Near The Musical Hart Family
Heart and Soul Larry Hart & Soul
Going Up in Smoke Larry Hart & Soul
Posted by: bob mottor | March 29, 2010 at 10:40 PM
The weirdness needs no comment - after all, that's why we're here. But the bass does indeed sound like someone stuck a delay on it in the mix.
Has anyone else ever considered the idea that some studio folks might dislike something like this enough to deliberately mess with them? It wouldn't be hard to slap a delay on the bass and have it playing late, or worse, slowly drifting late and back, and incidentally a bit out of tune.
Tammy Swindell's "Two By Two" sounds like this. She actually sings the verse tolerably on-key (no, not good, just on-key - I never said she was good), and then in the chorus, it not only goes beyond pear-shaped, but you can hear her swooping up and down, AND you can hear her timbre go out the window as she realizes she's way off pitch. And then the next verse is fine again. Personally I think the engineer stuck a delay or pitch shifter on her monitor to make her sing off key, and only on the choruses. In fact, the last chorus is quite reasonable, except she's got no more confidence, and then the ending dies...
I have, in person, seen this done to opening bands, but haven't ever heard anyone own up to getting away with it on record.
Posted by: ogg vorbis | April 17, 2010 at 01:44 AM
Set your own life time easier take the mortgage loans and everything you want.
Posted by: JACKIE21Solis | June 13, 2013 at 08:51 PM