“In this record youths proclaim the existence of God through the wonder of creation. The album consists of two musical styles folk-type ballad and contemporary rhythm. This record makes extensive use of instrumental arrangements whilst retaining the simplicity of melody needed for congregational singing. We believe this album to be a creative expression of our joy in Today and our hope in Tomorrow.”
Sleeve notes
During the mid-1980s in the UK indie music scene there was a notion of "perfect pop", reflected both in the play-lists of indie clubs I went to, and the sound of young bands who looked back towards the 60s for inspiration. Typically, this blended the music and looks from different sources – the folk rock and jangly guitars of the Byrds or Love, the girl group sounds of the Shangri-las, the New York edge of the Velvet Underground, the sunshine pop of the Beach Boys and Mamas and Papas, British beat and the folk / beatnik style of early 60s Greenwich Village. It encouraged many of us to trawl through the more obscure records of that period in the hope of discovering a gem that met our own ideal. I didn’t think that 40 years later I’d finally find the record that I was looking for. Nor would I have believed it would have been created by an unknown young Christian group from Tucson, Arizona.
“Hard Time Smiling” from His People's sole, privately pressed album, "Thoughts of Time", is a sublime example of the type of song and sound I had long been searching for. It has a beautiful, memorable and simple melody counterbalanced by a cool guitar sound and a slowed down rhythm reminiscent of the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale. A key change, and it fleetingly morphs upwards towards something more akin to California Dreaming before returning to its more downbeat feel. The music is complimented by gorgeous pure female vocals and harmonies. Lyrically it is subtle, nuanced and relatable. With a minimalist, lo-fi production, the song echoes many of the best qualities of 60s music and eschews the more self-indulgent excesses that were becoming commonplace by 1970.
His People’s album, “Thoughts of Time”, is a genuinely exceptional record. The group manage to deftly move between music genres, whilst always sounding distinctively like themselves. There is a melancholic undercurrent flowing through the album that connects the songs. This is perhaps a tacit recognition of the difficulties and sacrifices required in achieving the youthful ideals in life, and for the world, that the band were striving for.
The eclecticism throughout the album includes: the gentle folk melodies of “Through all the World”, the sunshine pop of “Playground for the People”, the breathy simplicity of “Beauty Is”, the Byrdsesque jangly guitars and flower power lyrics of “Creation” or the soul of “Look to Your Soul”. The country styling of "It’s Mine – It’s Mine" featured the banjo of local musician Ned Sutton, who became well loved in Arizona and was considered an influence on a later generation of Tucson indie kids, such as Howe Gelb and Calexico. The band who augmented His People’s main players also included the well respected young drummer Rod Shields who produced and recorded the album at a local studio. This indicated close friendships with the independent music scene in Tucson at the time and a good knowledge of what was going down.
In 1966 Time Magazine used stark font to create one of the their most provocative and iconic covers, asking "Is God dead?". Pop and rock music was also starting to be more questioning - moving away from cultural convention. Avant guarde influences, eastern tunings and rhythms all became part of this expanded outlook. Lyrically, By '67 Lou Reed was singing about the nihilistic rush of heroin in the veins, whilst on the West Coast, Grace Slick was extolling hallucinogenics to feed the mind.
Overdoses, acid casualties, counterculture commercialisation and the rise of the me generation, perhaps all eroded some of the idealism of the 60s. "God is Alive", however, took the sounds of Californian psychedelia, and infused it with a positive life force pulsing through mind and body. It references both nature and sharing, seeing faith as a means of keeping hold of the dream. A stunning track.
In mainstream bands of the period, in was rare for women to given roles other than singing (Mo Tucker being a notable exception). The Jesus Music Movement, however, often gave increased opportunities to write, sing and play. Not only did His People include Charlotte Bounds and Kathleen Sweeney but also a Dominican nun, Sister Judith, who taught at the Sacred Heart School in Tucson. As well as contributing musically, her organising skills helped the project become a reality. The beautiful “I’m Living I’m Living” features children from the school, providing a gentle natural echo without need for studio trickery.
When I contacted Kathleen Sweeney she wrote...
" Please give my dearest, sincere gratitude for having such a great teacher while Sister Judith was with us on Earth."
Kathleen was keen to point out Sister Judith's amazing ventures in the Amazon, working tirelessly with indigenous people to help respond to the social and environmental consequences of the destruction of the rain forest. Sister Judith also co-founded alternative schools, one set up as an immediate response to the Columbine High School massacre, always striving for social justice and inclusion. A remakable life and legacy.
Kathleen Sweeney, England. 1973
Kathleen Sweeney was a major creative driving force in His People, and no doubt contributed to the group’s edge. She is a highly talented songwriter and a remarkable, strong and distinctive vocalist. When I managed to contact her son, L.A. drummer and producer Te’Amir Sweeney, he told me. “Such a beautiful voice”. Of Irish heritage, she was brought up in Tucson, a neighbour of Linda Ronstadt. A while after the His People album, she did the hippy thing, and travelled around Europe in an old VW camper, with her then partner Bill Lackey. In England they befriended likeminded alternative folkies including Ian. A Anderson. He was so impressed with the songs that they had written on the road, that he recorded them on his independent Village Thing label in 1973. "Junk Store Songs for Sale" is a glorious, organic psych-folk album – Sweeney’s “It’s Good to Cry” is a mesmerising stand-out track.
After parting company with Lackey, she continued performing – singing solo and in a rock band. She then moved to California and (as Ramona Sweeney) secured a major role acting and singing one of her own songs in the cult film White Star, set in the punk scene of Berlin, starring Dennis Hopper at his most cocaine fuelled intense, both on and off screen. She continues to be exceptionally creative, with extraordinary, under the radar, recordings posted on YouTube and SoundCloud, mixing songs, visual art, poetry and Catholic iconography in a heady brew. Her dreams of hope undiminished by time.
I’ve not been able to find out much about John Furman, one of the other major players in the band. There is a wonderful quality of world-weariness about his voice, reminiscent Gene Clark at his emotive best. "Wondering Why" is a slow, stark, stripped back song dominated by a shuffling beat and emotive vocals. "Too many people in a world that doesn't care, no longer try and you will go nowhere." sung with a plaintive quality comparable with later artists such as Elliot Smith or Sufjan Stevens.
"Thoughts of Time", is a beguiling collection of songs that celebrate the universality of love and the beauty of spirit and place. Whether that love is godly or romantic they often leave open to personal interpretation. It doesn’t seem to matter, so closely do they intertwine.
One of my earliest and abiding memories of my father, was of him singing Eriskay Love Lilt, around the house. It probably gave me an early and lasting love of my native folk music. "Forever" wasn't written or recorded in Scotland but across the Atlantic in Arizona. Nonetheless the two songs feel like they were cut from the same cloth. It is as if His People distilled the sound of the Gaels (whether secular or psalms) into something of yearning simplicity and aching beauty. With gorgeous chiming guitars, It completely takes your breath away. Might be my new favourite song of all time.
I've been thinking of downsizing my record collection - too many albums I no longer play much or relate so closely to. Some are regarded by critics as the essential discs of the era. It would be better for someone else to get the pleasure of listening to them, rather than gathering dust on my shelves. When it comes to "Thoughts of Time", however, when something that good comes along, no longer how long it took to find it, you want to treasure it and keep it close to your heart forever.
Notes
Huge thanks to Kathleen Sweeney, Te'Amir Sweeney, and Ian A. Anderson for your help and interest. Really appreciated.
Kathleen's music can be found on:
https://soundcloud.com/kathleen-sweeney-828766379
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