Found this old photo of a music ensemble I was a part of before starting Calvinistic Cartoons. We recorded a Gospel album we entitled, "It's Absolutely Free!" - hence, people got the wrong message and just walked out of the store with our album under their arms. Our second album was entitled, "It Cost Everything" and this time no one even attempted to purchase one. We went our separate ways after that. See if you can spot anyone you might recognize in the photo. They all became successful and each one made a few albums of their own.
One of the big hits of The Tulip 5 Quintet was "Oh, Hear that Efficacious Call," also known as "Five Points to Explain to You."
ReplyDeleteThis song could only be played live because it sounded so close to "Has Anybody Seen My Gal (Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue)" that it could not be placed on the record albums. Dean Martin had just brought it back into popularity and had dollar signs in his eyes when he thought he could get The Tulip Five on a copyright infringment. Now, after years in hiding, after the quintet broke up into five trios and then later into fifteen smaller groups, the original words to "Oh, Hear that Efficacious Call" are available on Calvinistic Cartoons.
ANNOUNCER: "Take it away, Mr. Welk.
L.WELK: "A won'erful, ah won'erful. It is my pleasure to give to you The Tulip 5 Quintet... more bubbles if you-a please... an's a-one, an' a-two..."
THE TULIP 5 QUINTET:
Five points to...
Explain to you...
But Oh! what those five points could do...
Oh, hear that efficacious call.
Tot’lly depraved...
and ill behaved...
Without grace you will not be saved...
Oh, hear that efficacious call.
Now if you run into...
An preacher who...
Has no altar call…
He’ll proclaim God’s Word...
and when you’ve heard...
No sinner’s prayer will do at all...
But does God save...
so Sovereignly?
Could grace, could grace be so free?
Oh, hear God’s efficacious call.
{Repeat}
Would buy both albums, both a necessary. LOL!
ReplyDeleteUnlike many of the ensembles previously chronicled in these fine pages, the TULIP 5 Quintet members could actually count.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the poor choice of album titles and their pre-occupation with theolgically and numerically redundant ensembe names as in:
The Trinity 3 Triplet, The 4 Gospels Quartet, The TULIP 5 Quintet, etc. ruined there ability to capture a significant fan base.
Additionally, certain members of the ensemble were just too oddly attired for their era (e.g., the Cosmonaut from Alabama with a banjo on his knee). Though today such attire would hardly be noticed it was completely unacceptable and was considered way too "strange" in their day of bow ties.
And the piano was manufactured by Obi-Wan Knabe? Classy.
ReplyDeleteThey had a minor radio hit in the 70s with "Free Will" ... no, that was Rush.
ReplyDeleteThe Calvinist Quintet burst onto the music scene with their 70s FM radio hit, "Free Will" mocking their Arminian neighbors but they really scored in the 80s with their dance tune, "Like a Spurgeon".
ReplyDeleteThat was funny! "...like a Spurgeon"...wish I'd have thought of that!
ReplyDelete