Pastor T.L. Barrett And The Youth For Christ Choir 'Like A Ship... (Without A Sail)' LP

Liner notes written by Peter Margasak (Chicago Reader), which include new interviews with T.L. Barrett, Phil Upchurch and Gene Barge

“Like A Ship evokes the Beach Boys’ ’ ‘Til I Die’ and Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.’ ” – Spin

“When the electric piano and sleigh bells ring in over an almost ghostly rhythm section on disc opener ‘Like a Ship,’ it’s hard to tell whether one’s listening to an artifact from 1971 or one of the myriad collectives that rose from the ashes of freak-folk over 2009 … Pastor Barrett’s definitely a master composer who deserves wider recognition and study.” – Other Music

“The powerful rhythm section lifts Barrett’s simple, melodic keyboard riff high as the boisterous choir fills the air with sorrow and hope … Pastor Barrett could hear the sound on the horizon. The sound of anger, of change, the sound of soul…” – Wax Poetics

Chicago pastor and activist T.L. Barrett’s rare gospel soul classic Like A Ship… (Without A Sail) is finally receiving a much-needed reissue. Long revered by record collectors, this album remains one of the holy grails of gospel soul. Self-released in 1971, Like A Ship was the result of Barrett channeling his passion for music, a determination to keep children off the streets, and his charismatic preaching (which attracted the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Donny Hathaway to his sermons at Mount Zion Baptist Church) into the production of the album, a project bolstered by the saxophonist and arranger Gene Barge of the famed Chess Records, and backed by a cast of players that included Richard Evans, Phil Upchurch and the rapturous vocals of the Youth For Christ Choir. Like A Ship is filled with sanctified grooves and spiritual praise delivered with a righteous, infectious chorus.

Tracklisting:

1. Like A Ship
2. Wonderful
3. It's Me O Lord
4. Ever Since
5. Nobody Knows
6. Joyful Noise
7. Medley
8. Blessed Quietness
9. Jingle Bells Pt. 1 (Bonus Track)
10. Jingle Bells Pt. 2 (Bonus Track)
11. These Are The Words (Bonus Track)

Catalogue number: LITA056LP

Condition: New

Label: Light In The Attic