Home    Like A Ship... (Without A Sail)

Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir

Like A Ship... (Without A Sail)

Light In The Attic

LITA056CD

LP Black $19
CD $12

• First time on CD, and first LP reissue
• Beautifully crafted gatefold jacket
• CD housed in lavish Digipak featuring previously unseen photos
• Liner notes written by Peter Margasak (Chicago Reader), which include new interviews with T.L. Barrett, Phil Upchurch and Gene Barge

Description

Chicago pastor and activist T.L. Barrett’s rare gospel soul classic Like A Ship… (Without A Sail) is finally receiving a much-needed reissue. Long revered by record collectors, this album remains one of the holy grails of gospel soul. Self-released in 1971, Like A Ship was the result of Barrett channeling his passion for music, a determination to keep children off the streets, and his charismatic preaching (which attracted the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Donny Hathaway to his sermons at Mount Zion Baptist Church) into the production of the album, a project bolstered by the saxophonist and arranger Gene Barge of the famed Chess Records, and backed by a cast of players that included Richard Evans, Phil Upchurch and the rapturous vocals of the Youth For Christ Choir. Like A Ship… is filled with sanctified grooves and spiritual praise delivered with a righteous, infectious chorus.

“One of the most important albums ever made. Ranks right up there with What’s Going On, Dark Side Of The Moon, and Pet Sounds as a flawlessly executed vision brought to life in perfect harmony. Enriches the soul and expands the mind.”

– Jim James, My Morning Jacket

“The most euphoric celebratory music that makes you want to jump around the house and explode with joy.”

– Colin Greenwood, Radiohead

“Like A Ship evokes the Beach Boys’ ’ ‘Til I Die’ and Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.’ ” – Spin

“When the electric piano and sleigh bells ring in over an almost ghostly rhythm section on disc opener ‘Like a Ship,’ it’s hard to tell whether one’s listening to an artifact from 1971 or one of the myriad collectives that rose from the ashes of freak-folk over 2009 … Pastor Barrett’s definitely a master composer who deserves wider recognition and study.” – Other Music

“The powerful rhythm section lifts Barrett’s simple, melodic keyboard riff high as the boisterous choir fills the air with sorrow and hope … Pastor Barrett could hear the sound on the horizon. The sound of anger, of change, the sound of soul…” – Wax Poetics

Chicago pastor and activist T.L. Barrett’s rare gospel soul classic Like A Ship… (Without A Sail) is finally receiving a much-needed reissue. Long revered by record collectors, this album remains one of the holy grails of gospel soul. Self-released in 1971, Like A Ship was the result of Barrett channeling his passion for music, a determination to keep children off the streets, and his charismatic preaching (which attracted the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Donny Hathaway to his sermons at Mount Zion Baptist Church) into the production of the album, a project bolstered by the saxophonist and arranger Gene Barge of the famed Chess Records, and backed by a cast of players that included Richard Evans, Phil Upchurch and the rapturous vocals of the Youth For Christ Choir. Like A Ship… is filled with sanctified grooves and spiritual praise delivered with a righteous, infectious chorus.

Artist Bio

T.L. Barrett is a complicated figure. Context colors perceptions of the man. To many on Chicago’s South Side, Barrett has been known for more than four decades as an activist and pastor, an influential figure in the city’s black community, and an active participant in numerous projects and initiatives intended to improve social and economic conditions on the South Side. To record collectors, he’s known for recording the classic, much-sought gospel record Like A Ship…(Without A Sail). To the Illinois legal system, he’s the man who fronted a series of pyramid schemes that defrauded thousands of people (for which Barrett was ordered to pay restitution to avoid a prison sentence). Among his supporters at one time, were Jesse Jackson and former Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer. To his parishioners, Barrett (who continues to minister) acts as a social conscious by preaching a doctrine of personal responsibility, and is a champion of economic development. To music critics and collectors, he was the purveyor of top-notch gospel recordings. The one certainty Barrett proves is that the complexities and contrasting elements of lives are what make individuals so compelling.

Preview Tracklist

  • 1 Like A Ship
  • 2 Wonderful
  • 3 It's Me O Lord
  • 4 Ever Since
  • 5 Nobody Knows
  • 6 Joyful Noise
  • 7 Medley
  • 8 Blessed Quietness
  • 9 Jingle Bells Pt. 1 (Bonus Track)
  • 10 Jingle Bells Pt. 2 (Bonus Track)
  • 11 These Are The Words (Bonus Track)