Genre: garage
Rating: 2 stars **
Title: The Apostles On Crusade
Company: private pressing
Catalog: private pressing
Year: 1964
Country/State: Andover, Massachusetts
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4981
Price: $350.00
Yes, the title would give you the impression these guys were some sort of Christian outfit. Take my word for it. They weren't.
Given the number of mid-1960s garage/frat bands that came out of Andover, Massachusetts' Phillips-Andover Academy, The Apostles were nowhere near the most talented of the lot. That said, unlike such classmates/competitors as The Ha'Pennys, The Rising Storm, The Satans, and The Torques, this eight piece outfit managed to churn out two highly collectable albums. All the other groups had to settle for one release.
Nominally fronted by keyboardist Bob Kelley (you can tell he was the leader since he got a solo picture on the back cover and the biggest bio blurb), the band featured an extended line up including two sax players (Ralph Davis and Jeff Ludden) and two guitarists (Bob Donaldson and John Morgan). Musically their 1964 debut "The Apostles On Crusade" featured a rather pedestrian mixture of late 1950s and early 1960s pop and soul hits. About half of the tracks were rudimentary instrumentals, while the others featured former Torques lead singer Joe Freeman on vocals. Freeman's sharp and occasionally unstable pitch wasn't textbook perfect, but on tracks like their two Chuck Berry covers he certainly got the job done. On a one to ten scale of musical proficiency these guys probably deserved about a five, though bleating sax solos (check out the opening instrumental 'Night Train') cost them a couple of points. Still, anyone into the Justice Records catalog or frat rock will probably agree that there's something quite appealing about the band's low-fi, minimally competent performances.
"The
Apostles On Crusade" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Night Train (instrumental) (James Brown - R. Davis) -
2.) I Don't Mind (James Brown - R. Davis) -
3.) San-ho-Zay (instrumental) (F. King - J. Morgan - R. Donaldson) -
4.) Think (James Brown) -
5.) Watermelon Man (instrumental) -
6.) Good Good Loving (James Brown - R. Davis) -
(side
2)
1.) Last Night (instrumental) (Ralph Davis - Robert Kelley)
-
2.) Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) -
3.) Tequilla (The Champs) -
4.) St. James Infirmary -
5.) Money (Barrett Strong - R. Kelly) -
6.) Nadine (Chuck Berry) -