Leadfeather - God Love And Rock & Roll

Label: Bell
Year of Release: 1971

One for all you truckers out there.  "God Love and Rock & Roll" would appear to have been the only single by Leadfeather - or at least, the Internet so far records no others - and sounds pretty much exactly as you'd expect it to, like some unholy alliance of gospel and whiskey-gargling rock.  It's akin to being harassed by a congregation on a squad of motorcycles.

The song itself was originally written and performed in a rather more subdued manner by Teegarden & VanWinkle, a Detroit based duo whose single has since cropped up on some Christian rock compilations, and could therefore be considered to be cultishly successful to this day (but in whose cult?  That is the question).

As for whether Leadfeather were Christians or just covering a song they felt was good, as I can find no information on them at all that's hard to say.  The B-side "Don't Ask Me", however, is more pleasing to my ears and has tremendously cryptic, vaguely sinister lyrics backed with a snaking, buzzing guitar line.  The lead singer apparently took a girl off the street, gave her "some clothes and somewhere to live", but she must accept she "ain't his wife".  Hmmm.  Either this is Christian compassion in action or something else entirely.

I strongly suspect that Leadfeather may have been another example of a studio-bound, record company created act - Bell Records had them in spades throughout the seventies - but it would still be interesting to find out who was involved.  If you're reading this and know, or were a member yourself, please do enlighten us.

(Also, it's probably only fair to add that I suspect I bought this some time ago off Robin Wills' stall at a record fair - but there's been a lot of vinyl under the bridge since that event, so I wouldn't swear to that!)