Ark - Voyages (1970)

Ark - Voyages (1970)

Simpsonville, South Carolina trio whose mega-rare custom lp sounds remarkably like The Doors, both instrumentally and vocally. Ark rocks quite strongly on the ‘Roadhouse Blues’-ish opener ‘When The Son Comes Out’, the heavily fuzzed ‘Sidewalk Preacherman’ and the instrumental ‘In The Desert’ (which has some neat air raid siren effects). The bulk of the album, however, suggests The Doors’ softer side - a most welcome sound completely unexplored in Christian music. Witness the playful psychedelia of ‘New Civilization?’ with its surreal stroll-along groove, fluttering flute flourishes and extended spacey electric guitar noodling. Or the dreamy adrift mood of the ballad ‘Sea Of Life’ and the ethereal harmonics of the acoustic instrumental ‘Peace Of Mind’. ‘Blue Angel’ and ‘Drifting’ both have irresistible loungy electric grooves that capture what Jim Morrison might have sounded like had he gotten saved and begun singing at Holiday Inns. In fact the lead vocals are generally relaxed throughout, even on the heavier selections. Good electric guitar work throughout by Eddie Herold, rounded out by bandmates Charles Moses (bass, acoustic guitar) and Lee Henderson (drums, percussion). Forget that late date - this stuff sounds more like 1970. Cool primitive b&w cover art. Was valued at one point around $1000, due no doubt to reports that only 100 were made, though copies do seem to turn up occasionally. A more affordable Belgian re-issue appeared in 1994. (Ken Scott)

Tracklist:

1. Introduction 0:58
2. When The Son Comes Out 3:18
3. Sea Of Life 4:55
4. Drifting 2:10
5. Sidewalk Preachesman 2:59
6. In The Desert 3:15
7. Blue Angel 1:44
8. Lord I'm Learning 2:41
9. Peace Of Mind 1:41
10. New Civilazation 6:20
11. Dear Old Friends 5:36