What a great way to start the day: a 45 that seems to have vanished from recorded history. I've found absolutely no reference to it anywhere, though I'm guessing it may be a Virginia release since Danville appears on the label. Then again, I've been wrong before, usually with great confidence.
Truth be told, I'm cheating a bit with this post. I'm still awake watching the Colorado game, and since Saturday morning's post arrived fashionably late, I figured I'd give Sunday a head start before common sense suggested sleep.
The A-side, What Could Be Nicer featuring Yvonne Jackson, eases you in gently. It's the musical equivalent of a Sunday morning sunrise, calm and reassuring. Then you flip it over to Another Step Toward Heaven and suddenly all restraint leaves the building.
This thing is FIRE.
Apparently the song was so powerful it couldn't be contained by one vocalist. It took three of them, John, Ron, and Bill, to deliver the message. The result is pure electricity. Not the kind currently running up my utility bill, but the sort that leaps out of the speakers like a holy bolt of spiritual lightning. The rhythm crackles, the vocals soar, and before long you're not taking another step toward heaven, you're practically being launched there.
Obscure records are one of life's great blessings. Sometimes you spend years hunting for the rare and celebrated only to have an unknown little 45 appear out of nowhere and remind you that joy, much like grace, often shows up where you least expect it.
So while I should probably be sleeping, instead I'm sitting here marveling at another forgotten gem rescued from obscurity. Maybe that's part of the fun of collecting records: every once in a while you are rewarded for your persistence with a revelation spinning at 45 RPM.
Amen to that.
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