Wilson McKinley Spirit Of Elijah

With beginnings firmly in the secular realm and a strong following in the Northwest, Wilson McKinley signed to Alshire Records (home of 101 Strings) and recorded one album under the label's 'acid-rock' moniker, The California Poppy Pickers. With the proceeds from those sessions, they self-released a 7" EP in 1970. But then they met street minister Carl Parks, gave up the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and effectively ended the first incarnation of the group. Parks encouraged the remaining band members to pick up their instruments again to create music for a street meeting, and thus the first 'Jesus Rock' group was born. The first Wilson McKinley LP, 1970's "Live On Stage," was a slapdash effort on all fronts and is generally dismissed by everyone involved (maybe why nobody seems to know the whereabouts of the masters for that one). Chastened by their debut, Wilson McKinley took a more focused approach to "Spirit Of Elijah": the result was a major leap forward, and a faithful representation of their massive talent; the power of the message and the playing shine through! However, what Wilson McKinley recorded onto the master tape and what made it to a buyer's phonograph in 1971 were vastly different things, with inconsistent patches of reverb in the final mix plus other anomalies that a minimally-financed, privately-pressed LP might have.