Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples

by Young Disciples

Overview

The Young Disciples emerged from the chaos and misery of 1960s East St. Louis. They were not a band, but rather a youth group formed by producer and community organizer Allen Merry, who gathered troubled kids from the South End Community Center and brought them into his studio, forming them into a variety of solo and duo acts, horn sections, dance ensembles, and other groups. This volume in the Eccentric Soul series celebrates the recorded output of Merry's communitarian project. The quality is inconsistent, heaven knows, and that's not surprising -- what is surprising is how many of these performances are very good. The program opens on a mixed note, with LaVel Moore singing "The World Is Changing" in a consistently flat voice over a rich and elaborate soul arrangement, complete with strings. Things start to improve with the Young Disciples Co. on "Crumbs from the Table," a sharp and spare funk workout that nevertheless goes on just a bit too long. Elsewhere the pleasures are less mixed: the DeDe Turner Happening's "Anyone or Anything" is delightfully, unabashedly cheesy, the Debonettes' "Choose Me" is a pitch-perfect confection made up of equal parts sassy assertion and sweet longing, and the Georgettes' "Hard Hard" features a finger-snapping beat and lovely girl group harmonies. But even the weaker moments on this album combine with the strong ones to add up to an inspiring and enjoyable whole. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	10/21/2008
Label:	Numero
UPC:	0825764102322
Rank:	189426

Tracks

1. The World Is Changing  -  Moore
2. Crumbs from the Table  -  Young Disciples Co.
3. Third Flight  -  Third Flight
4. Tears  -  Debonettes
5. Checking Myself  -  Harris
6. I'm Not Afraid of Love  -  Clark
7. Anyone or Anything  -  Turner
8. Girls Girls Girls  -  Young Disciples Co.
9. I Love You  -  Williams
10. Hard Hard  -  Georgettes
11. Country Loving Country Style  - Bobby McNutt
12. It's Not Your Business  -  Clark
13. People  -  Harris
14. Would You Rather  -  Georgettes
15. Love Love Love  -  Third Flight
16. Choose Me  -  Debonettes
17. Outside of Memphis  -  Turner
18. That's a Good Reason  -  Clark
19. I'm Your Man  -  Williams
20. Bang Bang Bang  -  Young Disciples Co.
21. Homeboy  - Eddie Fisher  - Allan "Dealth" Merry

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Young Disciples   Primary Artist
Third Flight   Primary Artist
Sharon Clark & The Product of Time   Primary Artist
The Georgettes   Primary Artist
Bobby McNutt   Primary Artist
Dede Turner Happening   Primary Artist
LaVel Moore   Primary Artist
Dauphin Williams   Primary Artist
Ames Harris's Desert Water Bag Company   Primary Artist
Allan "Dealth" Merry   Primary Artist
Eddie Fisher   Primary Artist
Young Disciples Co.   Primary Artist
Debonettes   Primary Artist
Gus Thornton   Guitar
Dennis Cosby   Reeds
Willie Perry   Reeds
Ernest Johnson & the Western Night Riders   Guitar
Kay Williams   Reeds
Waddey Williams   Guitar
John "Snakehips" Johnson   Brass
Tyrone Perry   Reeds
Michael James Moore   Percussion
Donnie Lewis   Percussion
Albert Hamilton   Brass
Bruce Dennis   Percussion
Oswald Peters   Guitar

Technical Credits

Tom Lunt   Reissue Producer,Liner Notes,Research
Jeff Lipton   Mastering
Julius "Big Red" Davis   Personnel
Edgar Matthews   Staff
Michael Merry   Staff
James Randolph   Personnel
Darren Young   Personnel
Elijah Harris   Dancer
Linda M. Smith   Dancer
Judson Picco   Liner Notes
Charles Spearman   Personnel
Ralph Davis   Personnel
Robert Bruce Scott   Personnel
Bobby McNutt   Personnel
Larry Murphy   Personnel
David Pryor   Staff
Evang. Tara Black   Personnel
Rob Sevier   Reissue Producer,Liner Notes,Research
John Hicks   Staff
Ken Shipley   Reissue Producer,Liner Notes,Research