Electric Church (album)

Last updated
Electric Church
Studio album by
Released1969
Genre
  • Blues
  • rock
Label Mercury SR-61222
Producer
The Buddy Miles Express chronology
Expressway to Your Skull
(1968)
Electric Church
(1969)
Booger Bear
(1973)

Electric Church is a 1969 album by The Buddy Miles Express. It was partially produced by Jimi Hendrix. It was his second album that was released on the Mercury record label.

Contents

Background

The album was released in 1969 on Mercury SR 61222 (S). [1]

Jimi Hendrix produced four tracks on the album and Anne Tansey aka Ann Tansey of Mercury Records produced the rest of the tracks. [2] [3] Producer Tansey was the one who actually brought Buddy Miles to the Mercury label.

The album featured a re-recording of the Electric Flag song "Texas", as well as "Destructive Love", a different version of "Wrap It Up" which he had recorded previously, and an eight-minute version of Otis Redding's "Cigarettes & Coffee". [4]

The album was also released in Muntz Stereo-Pak format on MC4 61222 in 1969. [5] It was reported in the 2 August 1969 issue of Cash Box that Electric Church had now been released in the 8-track cartridge format. [6]

Reception

Album

The album was reviewed in the 24 May issue of Cash Box , where this second album by the Buddy Miles Express was referred to as hard driving. The reviewer wrote that producers Jimi Hendrix and Anne Tansey had shared the load in capturing the energy of the group and the album could do better in sales than the first album. [7]

The album was reviewed in the 31 May issue of Billboard . The reviewer called it "a power play of hard, down blues and churning rhythm blasts." [8] It was also one of the eight New Action LPs listed that week by Billboard. [9]

A review of the album by Record World was published in the magazine's 7 June issue. After pointing out that Jimi Hendrix and Anne Tansey produced the "funky sides", the reviewer said that the group played with verve and energy. The songs mentioned were, "Miss Lady", "69 Freedom Special" and "Wrap It Up". [10]

Single

The single "Miss Lady" bw "69 Freedom Special" was a Four Star Pick in the 8 March issue of Record World. Calling the single a nitty gritty deck, the reviewer also said that they shout it like it is. [11]

Performances

The group performed "Miss lady" and "Cigarettes & Coffee" at Madison Square Garden. Their performance was reviewed by Ed Ochs in the 31 May issue of Billboard. Ochs wrote that the performance was superb. [12]

Charts

For the week ending June 7, 1969, their album entered the Billboard Top LPs chart at 147. [13] It peaked at No. 145 for the week of 14 June. It held that position for an additional week during its four-week run. [14] [15] [16]

Track listing

Side 1

  1. "Miss Lady" – 4:41
  2. "69 Freedom Special" – 2:53
  3. "Cigarettes & Coffee" – 8:25
  4. "Destructive Love" – 4:15

Side 2

  1. "Texas" – 7:53
  2. "My Chant" – 4:27
  3. "Wrap It Up" – 5:40

References

  1. Billboard, May 31, 1969 - Page 52 Billboard Album Reviews, POP, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS— Electric Church. Mercury SR 61222 (S)
  2. Beat Instrumental, July 1979 - Page 9 STATESIDE REPORT, Jimi Hendrix produced four tracks on the Buddy Miles Express' latest album
  3. Billboard, May 24, 1969 – Page 57 Audio Retailing, 'Church' in Merc. Six-LP Package
  4. Billboard, May 31, 1969 - Page 52 Billboard Album Reviews, POP, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS— Electric Church. Mercury SR 61222 (S)
  5. Billboard, June 14, 1969 - Page 80 New Tape Cartridge Releases • Continued from page 18, Mercury, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS- Electric Church; (2) MC4 61222
  6. Cash Box, August 2, 1969 - Page 16 Tape News Report, Mercury Aug. Promo Offering 5% Off For Complete Catalog, New Release
  7. Cash Box, May 24, 1969 - Page 40 Cash Box Album Reviews, ELECTRIC CHURCH - Buddy Miles Express - Mercury SR 61222
  8. Billboard, May 31, 1969 - Page 52 Billboard Album Reviews, POP, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS— Electric Church. Mercury SR 61222 (S)
  9. Billboard, May 31, 1969 - Page 56 Action Records, Albums-, * NEW ACTION LP's
  10. Record World, -June 7, 1969 - Page 10 record world PICK HITS ALBUM REVIEWS, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS-Mercury SR 61222.
  11. Record World, March 8, 1969 - Page 8 record world RECORD REVIEWS FOUR STAR PICKS, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS -Mercury 72903. MISS LADY (Miles Ahead-Three Eridges, ASCAP) 69 FREEDOM SPECIAL (Freedom Express-MRC, BMI)
  12. Billboard, May 31, 1969 - Page 23 Talent, Hendrix, Cot Mother Cr Miles Turn Garden Into a Rock Roost
  13. Billboard, June 7, 1969 – Page 57 Top LPs
  14. Billboard, June 21, 1969 - Page 104 TOP LP'S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 102, Weeks on Chart 3, Last Week 145, THIS WEEK 145, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS Electric Church Mercury SR 61222 (s)
  15. Billboard, June 28, 1969 - Page 74 TOP LP'S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22, Weeks on Chart 4, Last Week 145, THIS WEEK 156, BUDDY MILES EXPRESS Electric Church Mercury SR 61222 (s)
  16. Billboard, July 5, 1969 - Page 84 TOP LP'S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 82