A Band Called Lovesong
Because we have a number of Calvary Chapel refugees here I will note that there is a new documentary out called “A Band Called Lovesong“.
It’s available on Prime Video and something called SalemNow…which I’ve never heard of.
Brian Brodersen was promoting it and calling on his group of churches to do likewise.
The documentary is in three parts, each of which costs $9.99.
Featured guests include Chuck Smith, Skip Heitzig, Greg Laurie, and Mike Huckabee.
If I hear it, I’ll gladly pay someone $9.99 to turn it off, but I’m not very nice…
$30 to watch the series? I’d rather take my wife to a movie.
Bob,
The cynical part of me…which is more than half of me…is wondering about the money involved…
Great sound!
I’d guess SalemNow is part of the Salem Media Network, which provides
(per their website)
“conservative and faith-based films, documentaries, and shows.”
If you listen to “Christian” radio they’re the ones behind “SRN News.”
$30 to watch and have to hear from Mike Hucksterbee?
That’s a hard pass.
I’m with Bob…
I went through the Jesus Movement, and was a fan of Randy Stonehill, Larry Norman, Second Chapter, Keith Green, Daniel Amos… I found Love Song boring as hell. Never got the appeal, so I guess you had to be there. The comparisons to The Eagles is pretty lame. More like Poco? Barkely James Harvest?
As Randy Jackson would say, “That’s a no from me, Dawg!”
Besides, there are free YT videos of Love Song which don’t include the celebrity pastor drivel.
Terry, you had me at Stonehill and Second Chapter!
Michael,
I have prime and not much else to do this afternoon while organizing lesson plans, so I listened to the first installment. Nothing to write home about, bu the way. We didn’t have a contemporary Christian music station in my area and I rarely heard any of this music until I went to college. And, I was in my IFB church where anything contemporary was suspect!
Linn,
I probably would prefer IFB music…I have terrible aversion to most CCM in general and this stuff in particular…on the other hand I love Southern and Black gospel stuff…
I grew up on totally secular classic rock, and then got into punk, new wave, post-punk, and alternative rock. They served spiritual and artistic needs in me when I was still struggling through degrees of alienation from the Church. Whenever I tried to listen to Christian contemporary rock — and I did try —- it all sounded so derivative, and, ironically, so uninspired. I have to admit that, to this day, my favorite rock band is the Replacements, aka The Greatest Band that Never Was.
I also have an aversion to Pat Boone…who made his way taking black rock and roll and making it white…
Michael, it was all in the shoes.
Captain,
Blue suede shoes?
CK,
LOL…it was right around this era that I saw Jerry Lee wearing white patent leather shoes…so naturally I had to have a pair of my own. Didn’t go over well in a small logging town…
Robert F,
Boone wore white bucks…but not well…
I’m sure he didn’t wear his hips well either.
Back in HS, the local Xn radio station each Friday night played a half hour of CCM
music (though it wasn’t called that back then in the mid 70s). Heard Larry Norman and I don’t remember who else. Wouldn’t have known that such music existed at
the time, otherwise.
I wouldn’t listen to that krapola for all the coffee in kona.
Get your copy from the 999 cent store.
lol
I just heard ‘Tiny Dancer’ (Elton John) on my car radio.
What a relief!
jd–turn that upside down and bingo! I listened to LS, but found them like The Lettermen. There were plenty of acts that were exploring the intersection of faith and music that honestly sounded like…themselves!
Lovesong was the first contempory Christian band that ever hit my ears and they certainly struck a chord. Not that it they were so great, but it was like nothing I ever heard in church circles. But the musicianship of Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill was far superior. And then, the 80s wave of Undercover, Altar Boys, The Choir and the 77s was even more pleasing to me.
Pineapple Head – The 77s and Steve Scott got me through the 80s. I know Scott was a reluctant “pop star” but he had the highest level of lyricism/art of anyone, even if he was a fish out of water on stage.
Wanna’ hear some really good stuff?
Try Gershwin’s ‘An American in Paris’
And Bela Fleck’s banjo transcription of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue (written to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the piece).
I saw Love Song live a few times in their brief but impactful time and again when they toured with Chuck Smith a few years before his death. I don’t think I’ll watch this documentary; just not interested.
I didn’t listen to Christian music in the ’80s and didn’t even know the names of the Christian bands in that era. I was into secular music, some country in the early ’80’s and then mainly listening to what was on the radio, alternating between Bay Area rock and punk stations. But then again, the ’80’s were a blur for me and I remember little of that decade until the summer of ’88.
Terry, I must admit that I’ve never heard of Steve Scott. How did I miss him? Was he Northern California based like the 77s?
Pineapple Head – Here’s a link to a collection of his music on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/4lYjMKw2CuBUtsWh0nsLIO?si=zPdDpGboRWCbIzFZ3IgZmg
He wrote “A Different Kind of Light”, and his backing band on all the songs are the 77s, Charlie Peacock and guys from Vector. He was part of the Sacramento Warehouse and Exit Records community of the 80s.
PIneapple Head – First watch this video of Steve Scott performing with The 77s. The collection on Spotify is not his bet work.
Link: https://youtu.be/4nv2l-o39YU?si=FhxdyMClRHqAftfZ
So In watched part 1 of the Love Song documentary last night. It’s free to watch by-the-way.
Thoughts: The band members and people interviewed feel they have to remind us at every moment that everyone involved, including themselves, were all long-haired hippies at the time. It gets tiresome. That all the spaced-out hippy video is woven in with images of civil rights marches and MLK felt odd. Like that was another demonic assault on culture that The Jesus Movement was going to redeem.
Love Song’s lyrics were more challenging a listen than the music. “Little Country Church” is weirdly referential. Look at us, we’re long-haired hippies praisin’ the Lord. Isn’t that wild! Maybe it’s just Chuck and Tommy’s writing, but man is it on the nose.