Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

If you're a long in the tooth Christian music collector you will recognise the name Gary S Paxton. From 1976 to 1980 he released a series of zany pop gospel albums on his NewPax label as well as being the first record producer for Don Francisco. But then he retired from Christian music, and indeed music period, and nothing really has been heard of the man for many a long year. Now, thanks to those amazing music archivists at Ace, we have an exhaustive chronicle of the producer and songwriter's pre-conversion recordings. Gary was responsible for two truly memorable novelty pop records, "Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles, cut in 1958 (Gary was a member of the group), and the horror film spoof by Bobby "Boris" Pickett And The Crypt Kickers' worldwide chart topper from 1962, "Monster Mash", which Gary produced. Both of these cuts are included on this 32-track CD, along with a cross-section of the other stuff Gary created in his studios in Hollywood between 1958 and 1966 as performer and producer. As usual with Ace, the music has been lovingly remastered, and the sound quality is excellent. Some may question why this is being reviewed for a Christian music website, but I believe that where you've been can be just as relevant to your eternal destiny as where you're going, and the evidence of a life-changing experience is always valuable when it comes to witnessing to the saving power of the Holy Spirit. On a totally different level, this is a truly fascinating slab of music history - I loved it!

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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