Axelrod, David
Messiah
Having already set a Catholic Mass to psychedelic guitar in 1967 with the Electric Prunes album Mass in F Minor, in 1971 legendary arranger/producer David Axelrod went for Baroque and set Georg Friedrich Handel's signature work Messiah to contemporary instrumentation as well. But he didn't do it alone: frequent collaborator Julian "Cannonball" Adderley conducted the orchestra (the two were next to team on the cult classic concept albums Soul Zodiac and Soul of the Bible). The result was a record was a record far more restrained, even respectful, than Mass in F Minor, with touches of psychedelic guitar, a funk rhythm section, flute and electric piano the principal instruments in some very tasty, swinging instrumental passages. But perhaps the record's most inspired interpretive move was to set the vocal passages to a gospel choir, sounding for all the world at times like a more soulful Jesus Christ Superstar or Godspell (all of which, curiously, came out at about the same time...this album was definitely reflected the early '70s zeitgeist). Needless to say, given Axelrod s reputation and the repertoire involved, this is very much a cult favorite, given its first reissue here of any kind, with new liner notes and photos. Another Real Gone (ahem) resurrection!