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Label: New Haven Records
Website: http://www.newhavenrecords.com

The music of the Imperials knows no bounds. They are one of the few groups whose history is so rich, it’s impossible to put it all on one CD, or even two for that matter. One reason is because their history is so vast that it’s best to break it down into musical era’s (Jake Hess era, post-Jake Hess era, Blackwood/Andrus era, Russ Taff era, Paul Smith era…you get the idea!) This latest release from New Haven Records in their Gospel Legacy Series focuses mostly on the Blackwood/Wiles, Blackwood/Andrus and the Russ Taff eras of their history. While I would have like to have heard more from other areas of their history, like I said, there is no way to encompass it adequately on just one CD.

Classic quartet tunes done in the Imperials unique style are included here, such as “YOUR FIRST DAY IN HEAVEN”, “SWING LOW/SWING DOWN CHARIOT”, and “SWEET, SWEET SPIRIT”. Also included are such great classics like “I’VE GOT CONFIDENCE”, “THE OLD GOSPEL SHIP”, “JESUS MADE ME HIGHER”, “GIVE THEM ALL TO JESUS”, “NO SHORTAGE”, “SAIL ON”, “OH BUDDHA” and “PRAISE THE LORD”. One of my favorite Imperials tunes is the unique “A THING CALLED LOVE”, and it was great seeing this song included here. This really shows off some intricate harmony and has always been such a fun tune to listen to.

As with most “Best of…” type recordings, you run in the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” game of tunes that should have made the cut. But as I said, the Imperials legacy of music is so vast, it’s really hard to narrow it down to just 12 songs. But, I think for the most part, the people at New Haven Records did a really good job in choosing the right material to adequately showcase the music of the Imperials from the 1970s.

Reader Comments

I love this CD.Great tracks and OH BUDDHA is my favorite track.To bad they don't identify the group members by name.BUT I recomend this CD.
Skull

You can get all of the Imperials material from Jake Hess on, except their newest one at http://www.imperialsmusic.com/

Deon Unthank
SoGospelNews.com
My Blog

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My wife bought me this cd for Christmas, and I too have enjoyed it quite a bit. For the fan who may have forgotten that the Imperials were once a southern gospel quartet, this album is a wonderful introduction to what in my opinion, is the greatest quartet of all time.

I would have liked to seen New Haven fill the disc up with 80 minutes worth of material, and specifically, I would have loved to hear some of the songs from when Jake Hess was with them, but it's not a perfect world, and it's still pretty good as is.

Here is a list of the group personnel included on this cd...

Armond Morales (bass)
Jim Murray (tenor)
Terry Blackwood (lead, tracks 1 - 9)
Roger Wiles (baritone, tracks 1 -5)
Sherman Andrus (baritone, tracks 6, 8, 9)
Greg Gordon (baritone, track 7)
Russ Taff (lead, tracks 10 - 12)
David Will (baritone, tracks 10 - 12)

Anyway, happy listening to everyone who buys this disc...I recommend it highly!

Hey Imperialsfan67; Thanks for the update and info.Who is the guy with the beads on the lower left side of the cover photo?

Skull,

The guy wearing the beads in the photo is pianist/emcee Joe Moscheo. Played for the Imperials from 1966-1975 (he was Henry Slaughter's replacement), and was probably the most "progressive" member of the group. Armond has been quoted as saying that Joe left the group "partly because we decided not to pursue the mainstream route that he felt we had been working towards for some years."

It is my personal opinion that the situation with Elvis really changed some things about Joe, and to back that up, I compare the emcee work he did on the two live albums the Imperials released during his tenure. On the first one, he did a very good job of emceeing a gospel concert, but by the time the second one was done four years later, the difference was like night and day. Most of the "spiritual" dialogue on that album had to be done by Sherman Andrus.

Anyway, Joe is the guy you are asking about, and he is definitely a major player in the history of the Imperials.

Dear Sir:
Joe Moscheo is a major player in MUSIC! Period. He is a gentleman's gentleman and a highly respected man across the board.

Does JOE still perform with a quartet?Or is he retired?
Skull

Joe is still working with Terry Blackwood, Sherman Andrus doing dates, especially recent dates in Europe. He is a highly respected man in Nashville music. He is a great person.

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