Reviewed by Tony Cummings

It's not every day that a reviewer gets a 20-album set to review but that's what this compilation is. The label Documents specialises in box sets of long deleted albums and if you're a fan of a particular style of music or a particular artist featured they offer a very economical way of putting swathes of the music of yesteryear into the music fan's collection. 'Milestones Of Gospel Legends' offers a headspinning selection of 20 albums crammed onto 10 CDs and to be honest CD1 alone is worth the £14.99 buying price, it featuring two of the fine albums by African-American gospel's matriarch Mahalia Jackson - 1956's 'Bless This House' and 1961's 'Every Time I Feel The Spirit'. Particular standouts are Mahalia's stirring rendition of Dorsey's "Take My Hand Precious Lord" and Robert Anderson's "I Know Prayer Changes Things".

CD2 showcases two albums by the Golden Gate Quartet, the jubilee pioneers who gradually moved from a cappella gospel to more mainstream showbiz material. The Gates' were probably at their prime in the '40s but 1957's 'Spirituals' (with good versions of "John The Revelator" and "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You down"- a.k.a "Run On For A Long Time") stands up well. 1958's 'Negro Spirituals Vol 2" isn't quite as good though that too contains some good stuff though how "Round The Bay Of Mexico" got on there is anybody's guess.

The third CD is a bit of an enigma. Nat King Cole recorded his 'Every Time I Feel The Spirit' album in 1958 but the velvet-voiced crooner's perfunctory version of the title track compared with Mahalia's magnificent rendition on CD 1 is more soporific than uplifting. In fact the 12 traditional gospel songs here, ("Go Down Moses", "Steal Away", etc) blandly arranged by easy listening man Gordon Jenkins, do nothing to enhance Cole's reputation as a fine song interpreter. Equally bemusing on CD three is BB King's 'Sings Spirituals' originally released by Crown in 1959 and shows the renowned blues man going through the religious motions to complete his contractual obligations to the notorious Bihari Brothers.

CD4 offers 'Sings Negro Spirituals', a 1962 album by actor, social activist and basso profundo star Paul Robeson. His classically orientated renditions of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", "There Is A Balm In Gilead", etc are geared towards the concert hall rather than the church but do exude a mannered elegance. The same cannot be said of Louis Armstrong's 'Swing Low Sweet Satchmo" with the gravel-voiced jazzman-turned-Broadway-entertainer running through some old spirituals and folksy (some would say cornball) recitations like "Shadrack" and "Jonah And The Whale".

CD number five gives us Elvis Presley's 1960 gospel set 'His Hand In Mine' where the superstar shows his Southern gospel roots with credible renditions of Hoovie Lister's title track and "He Knows Just What I Need" while Jack Scott's 'The Spirit Moves Me' shows the million-selling Canadian singer running through a set of overfamiliar spirituals with little discernible enthusiasm.

Like several of the other projects on this album collection, CD6 begins with an album from an artist not often associated with gospel music. Little Richard's 'The King Of The Gospel Singers' is one of several albums of recordings the one time rock and roll wild man once made with the notorious New York record man George Goldner after Richard had momentarily turned his back on rock music, enrolled in Bible school and set out to be a preacher. One or two capture some of Richard's old mainstream excitement (a rip roaring version of "Joy, Joy, Joy (Down In My Heart)") but others are decidedly limp. Musically far more interesting is The Soul Stirrers' 1962 album 'Encore! With The Soul Stirrers' which despite lacking the thrilling voice of their one-time frontman Sam Cooke still has plenty of quartet fire to keep you engaged.

CD7 sees the box set head off for Nashville. 'Sings Sacred Songs', the 1958 album by Hank Snow, shows the country music hitmaker running through reasonable versions of Stuart Hamblen's "My Religion Is Not Old-Fashioned" and the Snow composition "I'm Movin' On To Glory" while Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit album from 1957, 'Spirituals', shows that the rich voiced crooner had a charming way with songs like "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" and "When God Dips His Love In My Heart".

The eighth album in this mammoth collection offers gospel fans Sister Rosetta Tharpe's 'Gospels In Rhythm' which shows that even in the autumn of her years the electric guitar-toting evangelist was able to launch into "Shine For Jesus" and "Blow You The Trumpet Of Zion" with more fire than most singers half her age could muster. A strange CD companion on this disc is 'My Lord What A Mornin' by Harry Belafonte, the smooth-voiced singer and actor who sounds involved on "Oh Freedom" but disinterested on a four-minute version of "Swing Low".

CD nine presents Jim Reeves' 'We Thank Thee' album from 1962 together with Pat Boone's 'Hymns We Love' from 1957. Gentleman Jim's album is well up to the standard of his mainstream albums with Brumley's "I'll Fly Away" and Twitty's "My Cathedral" showing all of the country star's relaxed and warm phrasing though Pat Boone's run throughs of the US hymnbook are dull even by easy listening standards.

The final CD in 'Milestones Of Gospel Legends' gives us Hank Williams' 'Wait For The Light To Shine' and once again we can ponder the anomalies of Hank's tragic lifestyle as we hear his fine compositions like "When The Book Of Life Is Read" and "Are You Building A Temple In Heaven". Another country music icon for completes the huge album package. Johnny Cash's 1962 set 'Hymns From The Heart' has some OTT production embellishments but that magnificent voice makes songs like "My God Is Real" stay with the listener.

No doubt there will be some hardcore collectors who will continue to search for the original vinyl releases of the albums in this set that they don't yet have (though it's doubtful there will be many people out there interested in all of these albums such is their startling stylistic diversity). And maybe there will be some fans demanding CD booklets with sleevenotes with the reissues they purchase. But for other music lovers interested in gospel music from the '50s and '60s, be it country, black gospel or easy listening, this bargain basement box set is surely going to pull in some purchasers.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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