Music News

One of the great weird albums of all time is getting a re-release

Fans of outsider music know that one of the great examples of the genre is the 1978 release by a bunch of kids from a school in Langley, BC.

The Langley Schools Music Project’s Innocence & Despair features a 60-voice children’s choir singing a strange assortment of songs in a haunting, mysterious sort of way. The recordings were made the school gym in 1976 and 1977 on a two-track tape deck, all in one take each. Once complete, the recordings were issued as two LPs for students, teachers and parents, numbering about 200 copies. Total cost was around $40.

The record might have disappeared forever had it not be found in a thrift shop in 2000 Victoria, BC, by a record collector named Brian Hinds. He engineered a CD re-release through Irwin Chusid, outsider music’s foremost producer. The result was a cult sensation.

Excerpts from the CD made it onto the soundtracks for several movies and TV shows. There are stories that link the inspiration of the movie School of Rock to this record. And David Bowie himself was entranced by this recording.

Now it looks like the record is going to get a re-release. Read more here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38022 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.