This amazing American gospel album reissue – The Sound Of San Francisco Christian Center – has finally dropped from Boston’s Cultures of Soul label. It’s a perfect example from 1978 of new forms of the genre that sprung from the Christian youth movement.

Deano Sounds at the label explains: “The San Francisco Christian Center was founded in 1954 and was one of the first churches to open its doors to disaffected hippies searching for a deeper spiritual substance in the dog days of the 1960s. This era saw the flowering of new, youth-driven forms of “Jesus music” that fused gospel messages with rock aesthetics, including the driving rhythms and charismatic delivery found in the work of modern soul stars like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Earth, Wind & Fire.”

San Francisco-based Andraé Crouch was one of the new wave of gospel artists who was a key influence on the San Francisco Christian Center’s debut, recorded under the direction of multi-instrumentalist and arranger Carl Fortier.

It was planned for Record Store Day in April this year, but has now dropped on vinyl after a pause for the pandemic.

This release has been eagerly anticipated at WTM, following news of its release in an interview with Deano Sounds earlier this year.

For more on this release from the label, as well as details on how Cultures Of Soul are supporting Black Lives Matter, click:

The Sound of the San Francisco Christian Center – New Release Date June 27th