THE NEW GOSPELS

The New Gospels eh? What was wrong with the original ones then? Silly title aside this is a re-recording of The Gospels that came out in the mid-80's. I believe Rick wasn't really happy with the quality of the original recording and wanted to do this modern oratorio more justice. Did he succeed? Well, I think the end product whilst OK is still missing something, which is a shame because with the right handling the beauty and power of the music, that you feel is really there, would come right through. The Choir sounds like it's singing from a distance and musical dynamism is lacking. It just sounds too...prosaic; it needs more (no pun intended) passion! For me real plusses are the singing of tenor Ramon Remedios right through; Narrator Garfield Morgan does a competent job; 'The Welcoming' where the Choir (distant as it sounds) does a great job; 'Await the Hour' and 'Children of Mine' which create some real atmosphere. Please don't get me wrong, I do like this piece and find it uplifting and beautiful - I just think it could have been much better production wise!