The Soul Messengers, who you will be hard pressed to find an album of, until now, headed to Dimona to record messages of hope and peace. During the Yom Kippur War, the Soul Messengers were trekking around the country to perform for the soldiers. The tour got their message and music out very fast and they went on to record studio tracks with enough soul to match their beautiful dress and garments. (Pitchfork Media hipsters chime in….) [The album is] “intertwined with the histories of Israel, Liberia, the Black Hebrew movement, Zionist emigration, and black art and culture in Chicago….They tied together aspects of Judaism, black nationalism as first articulated by Marcus Garvey, and Zionism; South Chicago’s Black Hebrew leader, Ben Ammi Carter, saw Garvey’s back-to-Africa concept as a step on the way to settling in the Promised Land itself, Israel.”
I’ve seen their “Sweet Land Of Mine” album from 76′ on Ebay selling for upwards of $250. As someone into the Israeli obscure especially when its got soul, funk and jazz, I was really excited to see that the Numero Group dropped this reissue. I picked up the “The ABCs Of Kid Soul: Home Schooled” at Turntablelab and never would have thought they would have dipped into the semitic sonics next. So what’s it all about? (7 yr old niece chimes in…well, from the song titles it looks like the songs are about the Heavens, G-d and the Messiah). Check it out for yourself in the Shemspeed player!
p.s. When the second track, “Our Lord And Savior”, comes on my stereo I can’t help but chuckle. I mean who would have thought of traveling to Dimona to record a Hebrew singing cover of the Steam’s “Na Na Na (Kiss Him Goodbye)”!
Yoni C.
6/2/2008
Great post DJ Handler, very interesting stuff!
rootlesscosmo
6/4/2008
I used to see the self titled around (about 50-60 bones) and the “Sweet Land of Mine” I came across once but I know a dealer that has moved at least two of them and never for more than $100. $250 is just crazy; must have been a (Japanese) collectro with little grasp on reality. then again I have not seen either title in years. there was a Northern Soul outfit called the Soul Messengers that has at least one $$$ 45 floating around but hey whats a N Soul 45 for under $250 right hahaha…