Reviewed by Stella Redburn

Volume 3 in the series releasing new piano arrangements played by John Larsson of songs from the influential series of musicals that he and John Gowans wrote between 1967 and 1990. They are part of that long history of musical excellence which is the Salvation Army. 'Glory!' and 'The Blood Of The Lamb' have plot lines celebrating the history of the Salvation Army. "Glory!" is based on Edward Joy's book "The Old Corps" in which he writes about the early days in Folkestone. Personalities described in the book are woven together in a story for the musical. "The Blood Of The Lamb" is based on Vachel Lindsay's epic poem "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven" describing a great march towards heaven of thousands and thousands of Salvation Army converts led by the General himself. The music is catchy, the lyrics are clever and the musicals undoubtedly had a huge influence at the time. Salvation Army meetings still use many songs from them and some are much more widely known. The lyrics are all included on the CD but it is not easy to sing along unless you already know the songs. Unless you remember the musicals from years ago and want a souvenir, I guess the main reason for releasing these piano tracks is to assist groups who still want to put on the musicals. The scripts and music for all ten musicals are available from SP&S.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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