# Xian Paych (Obscure Christian 60s and 70s Underground Music)



## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I really find this music to be wonderful. It can be functionally defined as Christian music that reflected the culture of the 60s and 70s but never became popular. It was just as innovative as the most innovative secular music, and for the most part remained obscure for 25 years. It's just coming to light now. There are about 300 quality artists I've noticed and I'm sure more will come to light.

There is a good playlist that comes up if you type Xian Psych into youtube.

It's hard to pick a few songs to represent it, but here are a few:


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

This Christian rock/"psych" is one genre which The Deacon is NOT enamoured of.
The reasons for being obscure are evident.
For the most part it is sub-level music.

I have a feeling that like exploito or library, collectors are barrel-scraping for Ixian because they love the record-collecting hobby but the well has run dry on the REAL thing (except, of course for those with big ebay-bucks) so Ixian must make do. They are desperate to invent new worthy genres so as to keep the interest going.

But Ixian, in my humble opinion, is not really worthy.

For one - like Production Music library record collecting - the Christian lps are very patchy. MALCOLM & ALWYN lp comes to mind or this ODEN lp (having one good fuzz track) with the strange choice of lp title: "Come For the Children".

I try to be unbiased, but I must say I find the concept of a Son of God abhorrent and blasphemy. Still The Deacon has TRIED to like this musical genre, and however much I hate Jesus-this,Jesus that lyrics, there are a handful of decent Ixian lps albiet in many cases I would say calling them "psych" is a big stretch. Reminds me of all those catalogues pushing "acidfolk" when it was nothing of the sort.


The thing about Christian "psych" is this: most real psych is NOT about lyrics, indeed much of the best psych is instrumental jams. Message-rock lps are just that.

I was going to post some piccies, but looks like the mods have disabled that in my case.


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

Here are some good'uns:

MOONRAKERS I forget the lp title, has 4 or 5 real good pop-psyches, weird label - Shambley, I believe
SEARCH PARTY - MONTGOMERY CHAPEL
AZITIS - HELP
EARTHEN VESSEL
GLASS HARP (but Phil Keaggy solo lps are not for my liking - except "Master & Musician" which is good instrumental prog lp!)
CONCRETE RUBBER BAND - RISEN SAVIOUR
TREES - CHRIST TREE
FRACTION - MOONBLOOD (supposed to be Christian, but I never saw it that way. But have not played it in a while...)


I like it when the Christian-jabber/rhetoric is dark, suicidal : Bob Desper, Bill Bixby...

good prog ones:
BAKERY - ROCK MASS FOR LOVE recorded in a church with real spoken mass in Perth,Australia

BRIMSTONE - PAPER-WINGED DREAMS

JIMMY HOTZ - BEYOND THE CRYSTAL SEA

WARRIOR


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Kindekrist - Life To Give


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

The Deacon said:


> This Christian rock/"psych" is one genre which The Deacon is NOT enamoured of.
> The reasons for being obscure are evident.
> For the most part it is sub-level music.
> 
> ...


Humble opinion? LOL!

Glad to know you know what I think of your opinion already!


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

"Real people" music. Sheesh!

What it all boils down to is introconvertable fact that these are.... back-country, teenage preacher-wannabees.


My eyes glaze over.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

If anyone just listened to the Reflection track, he or she would see innovation on the level of what the Velvet Underground was doing at the time.


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

Aye. Reflection were a good band. (Wasn't Sydney Carter an archivist of British folk music, as was Cecil Sharp?)

Anyways, the UK Christian rock scene was waaaaay less-prominent than the US. And less in-your-face (therefore more desirable)


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## allsavedfreakband (Oct 29, 2020)

Carp
Overland Stage
Mike Deasy
Mason Proffit
The People
Larry Norman
Mylon and Holy Smoke
All Saved Freak Band
The Crusaders: Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars,1966,Capitol Records
The Exceptions: Rock-n-Roll Mass, 1966, Flair Records
Peter Cetera (Chicago) and Michael Been (The Call) connections
Electric Prunes: Mass in F Minor, Reprise,1968
Electric Prunes, Release of an Oath, Reprise, 1968
Mind Garage: Electric Liturgy, 1970, RCA
Os Mundi: Latin Mass, 1970, Metronome
Krautrock, Latin Lyrics, Dark Mood
Spooky Tooth: Ceremony, 1970, Island
Lalo Schifrin, Rock Requiem, 1971, Verve


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## Comity (Nov 8, 2020)

I like Bill Fay a lot. I guess his lyrics often/sometimes have christian themes (I barely pay attention to lyrics).


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

The Deacon said:


> Here are some good'uns:
> 
> MOONRAKERS I forget the lp title, has 4 or 5 real good pop-psyches, weird label - Shambley, I believe


https://www.discogs.com/Moonrakers-Together-With-Him/release/2379073

The whole album was on YT but now there's only two songs.


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