Various - Reverend Beat-Man's Dusty Record Cabinet Volume 2

Here's a weird one. It opens with a brief spoken intro from Rev Beatman himself followed by an annoying laugh like the ones our Brian does because he thinks it's funny. Thankfully, though, he shuts up after that and treats us to a selection of God-themed cuts from yesteryear, from famous names like Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt and Eartha Kitt alongside not-so-famous faces like The Believers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sanni Purmonen, The Jesus Lovers and Miles Davies (...along with a photo of Miles Davis on the sleeve! Wacky!). The quality of the music varies from the sublime to the ridiculous, and some of the songs (including the aforementioned Davies offering and The Believers' hilariously dated 'Einst War Die Welt') are just friggin' terrible, although I suppose in the context of a comp like this that's just part of the fun, isn't it? Some of the obscurities are real treats, though, with the big-lunged gospel-soul showboating of Sister Rosetta Tharpe being a particular surprise. More excellent full-throated gospel quickly comes courtesy of Staple Singers, too, with big harmonies and a garagey, bluesy guitar tone. Tasty. Django Reinhardt's nimble-fingered offering is unsurprisingly brilliant, too. Having listened to this LP all the way through I still can't tell you with any confidence if it's a joke or not. Enigmatic or what? If old Christian obscurities are your cup of tea, here's a whole urn full.