| features in: Album Chart of 1961 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
The full session for this album was recorded on August 24th, 1960, with the blind Reverend taking just three hours to lay down his acoustic finger-pickin’ licks and impassioned vocal spirituals that range from the mournful to the joyous. The album was released early in 1961 on Prestige Bluesville (re-issued a few years later as “Pure Religion” – and not to be confused with “Pure Religion and Bad Company”!) 10 of the 12 songs were making their album debut, with only “Samson And Delilah” (essentially a version of Blind Willie Johnson’s “If I Had My Way I’d Tear That Building Down”) and “Twelve Gates To The City” (another reinterpreted traditional) having appeared on his LP discography before – both on his “American Street Songs” LP in 1956. At least 3 of the others were re-recordings of songs that he’d previously recorded in the 1930s. Never completely thrilling – but the 64 year old was in pretty good shape on this crisp and cleanly recorded set…
The Jukebox Rebel
15–Sep–2009
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [04:05]  Reverend Gary Davis - Samson And Delilah (Traditional) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A2 | [03:11]  Reverend Gary Davis - Let Us Get Together [album version ’61] (Traditional, Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A3 | [02:56]  Reverend Gary Davis - I Belong To The Band - Hallelujah! [album version ’61] (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A4 | [02:59]  Reverend Gary Davis - Pure Religion (Traditional) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A5 | [04:05]  Reverend Gary Davis - Great Change Since I Been Born (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A6 | [04:46]  Reverend Gary Davis - Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B1 | [03:11]  Reverend Gary Davis - Twelve Gates To The City [1960 recording] (Traditional, Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B2 | [02:57]  Reverend Gary Davis - Goin’ To Sit Down On The Banks Of The River (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B3 | [03:48] Reverend Gary Davis - Tryin’ To Get Home (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B4 | [04:20] Reverend Gary Davis - Lo I Be With You Always (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B5 | [03:36] Reverend Gary Davis - I Am The Light Of The World [album version ’61] (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B6 | [03:30] Reverend Gary Davis - I Feel Just Like Goin’ On (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
