One of the best classic-rock acts that nobody knows came from a Christian commune in Chicago. Resurrection Band, whose roots go back to Milwaukee's early-'70s Jesus Liberation Army group of holy hippies, created a substantial catalog of heavy rock that eventually absorbed prog, new wave, metal and folk influences-with great artistic success-over 26 years and more than a dozen studio albums.
Wisconsin native Glenn Kaiser's soulfully bluesy singing and ace guitar work easily could have been heard in rotation between Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were it not for his group's subculture being pigeonholed. Kaiser's wife, Wendi, could wail in a way that split the difference between Grace Slick and Janis Joplin. The band's willingness to address diverse subjects such as divorce, racism and video-game addiction without resorting to churchy jargon presaged the current trend of evangelical emo and pop-punk bands wending their way into the general marketplace. Three CDs with 52 tracks and more than an hour of music videos and concert footage on a DVD testify to a talent deserving of a wider audience, however belated.
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