DAN McBRIDE

Righteous Indignation (CHM 72) 1969




Brace yourself. Are you ready for (drumroll…) the Christian Allan Sherman? Well (gulp) here he is! Meet Dan McBride: a 28-year old conservative-looking spectacled short-haired coat-and-tie Baptist pastor armed with a guitar and an endless supply of twisted take-offs with titles like ‘Call Me Ecumenical’, ‘Don’t Shave Your Sideburns, Pastor’, ‘Come To Church And Give Your Money’ (to the tune of ‘Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey’). Spoofs of ‘Downtown’, ‘Home On The Range’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’ and scores of other songs are delivered in rapid-fire mode with an endearing down-home Texas drawl that evokes images of Mayberry RFD; picture Andy or Goober picking up a guitar and belting out a few and you’re in the neighborhood. Includes brief raps, jokes and stories between the songs, like the time he was on an airplane that was about to hit some turbulence and being a pastor he was asked to do something religious to prepare the passengers - “so I took an offering”. And by golly he’s a pretty decent picker, too. Playing these all back to back the humor starts to wear thin, but taken in small chunks they make for a unique listening experience as well as some genuinely funny moments, even if it is somewhat dated. Lyrics mainly take G-rated potshots at church life, poking fun at budgets, people nodding off in the service, pastoral woes, Sunday school, secretaries, automation, visitations, conventions, soap operas, deacons, women in the church, the nursery, etc. Tiptoe Through The Tithers begins the saga with twenty-seven ditties, including the title track’s butchering of the Tiny Tim classic. Righteous Indignation adds a banjo to the mix and is described as a “product of several years of dealing with disgruntled disciples, torn teachers, perturbed pupils and lamenting leaders”. By the time of Dear Computer We Adore Thee (what a title!) the joke had obviously gone on far longer than expected, yet McBride shows no signs of drying up. Each album ends with a more serious song, sung in a deeper more traditional voice - kinda like Gomer Pyle transforming into Jim Nabors. All three recorded live before a small audience that thinks he’s the cat’s pajamas, cackling profusely and lavishing mass quantities of applause. Had I been there I mighta done the same. (The Archivist by Ken Scott, 4th Edition)





Special thank you to Ozark Ken for this one.

Tracks:

01. Righteous indignation
02. The church of your choice
03. We've got a place for you
04. Baby place
05. Save a part for me & me and my builder
06. Sacred society
07. Somebody cares
08. Baptist building
09. Youth truth
10. Secret stormcloud
11. Secretarial symphony
12. Messengers lament
13. Medley-glorietta,old promotions,half hearted workers
14. Going thru the motions
15. This road will lead you home


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