Turn On !! (Music for the Hip at Heart)

Christian Yoga Church

Remarkable record produced by the Christian Yoga Church as a meditation aid for their members. All-improvised jam session with religious chanting, reed organ, and an array of weird percussion devices. There were many religious orders in California during the '60s & '70s who produced similar, Eastern influenced LPs, but none sound quite like this. "Turn On" was an attempt at blending ancient, religious Yogi music with modern psychedelic sounds and was carried out by several, um... inexperienced musicians. The session was organized for spontaneity. One at a time, church members entered the recording room, selected an instrument, and joined in. No music was prepared in advance. And the instrument selection, unknown to members, was very odd. Participants manned reindeer bells, metal bowls, toy flutes, French horns, kazoos, and waterfalls. The end product is bumbling, magical, and drenched in a dense psychedelic atmosphere. Absolutely outstanding! This MP3, featuring an improvised kazoo solo, paints only part of the picture.

Unfortunately this album is very hard to find and has never been reissued. Somehow, I lucked out and ran into an original copy. Click here for a scan of the back cover liner notes which can fill you in even further. Also click here for scan of the label ...