The William Booth Columbia Recordings - February 1907
William Booth, founder and first general of The Salvation Army was considered to be one of the most up-to-date men of his generation, who used all available means to spread the Gospel and publicise the aims of the Army.
One example of this progressiveness was the making of gramophone or talking machine records. His first commercial recording was made during February 1898 by the Berliner Company in Washington D.C. and later that same year was included in the first batch of records shipped to the newly founded Gramophone Company in London. Today copies of this record are extremely rare.
In January 1907, after protracted negotiations over royalty payments with the Columbia Gramophone Company Ltd, William Booth recorded four speeches: "Don't Forget", "Rope wanted", "Please Sir, Save me", and "Through Jordan".
General William Booth
These speeches were issued as both single sided disc records and phonographic cylinders, however despite good initial sales they were soon withdrawn from the catalogue. It is interesting to note that two of these records end with Booth requesting the taking up of a collection for the Army's work, which, according to the War Cry, was something many Salvationists did after playing the records to their friends.
Rope wanted
A year after William Booth's death in 1912, all four speeches were re-issued on the Columbia Rena label as double sided records 2074 and 2075. These records were later incorporated into the Columbia catalogue, with the same series number and both sold well for a number of years.
More recently the four speeches have been transferred to cassette tape format.
Despite being recorded almost 100 years ago, the message contained in these, the most historic of all Army recordings, remains as relevant now as when William Booth entered the studio and spoke earnestly into the horn of the recording equipment.
"Through Jordan - The Founder's Poem" was also issued as REGAL Zonophone MF258. This appears to be a straight transfer of the acoustic recording onto an electric matrix, the motor of the phonograph being audible throughout.
Subtitled "An appeal in verse" it describes the Christian's hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus and ends with a resounding "Fire a Volley" a Salvationist term requesting the congregation to shout "Amen!".
(Colin R. Waller, GB)
Through Jordan
"O Boundless Salvation - The Founder's Song" is performed on the reverse side by the Assurance Songsters and S . P. & S. Band.
O Boundless Salvation
Oh Boundless Salvation
(Text: William Booth 1893, Musik: J. Ellis)
O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O fullness of mercy, Christ brought from above,
The whole world redeeming, so rich and so free,
Now flowing for all men, now flowing for all men,
Now flowing for all men, come, roll over me!
My sins they are many, their stains are so deep,
And bitter the tears of remorse that I weep;
But useless is weeping; thou great crimson sea,
Thy waters can cleanse me, thy waters can cleanse me,
Thy waters can cleanse me, come, roll over me!
My tempers are fitful, my passions are strong,
They bind my poor soul and they force me to wrong;
Beneath thy blest billows deliverance I see,
O come, mighty ocean, O come, mighty ocean,
O come, mighty ocean, and roll over me!
Now tossed with temptation, then haunted with fears,
My life has been joyless and useless for years;
I feel something better most surely would be
If once thy pure waters, if once thy pure waters,
If once thy pure waters would roll over me.
O ocean of mercy, oft longing I’ve stood
On the brink of thy wonderful, life giving flood!
Once more I have reachèd this soul cleansing sea,
I will not go back, I will not go back,
I will not go back till it rolls over me.
The tide is now flowing, I’m touching the wave,
I hear the loud call of the Mighty to Save;
My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be;
I plunge ’neath the waters, I plunge ’neath the waters,
I plunge ’neath the waters they roll over me.
And now, hallelujah! the rest of my days
Shall gladly be spent in promoting His praise
Who opened His bosom to pour out this sea
Of boundless salvation, of boundless salvation,
Of boundless salvation for you and for me.
The heavenly gales are blowing,
The cleansing stream is flowing,
Beneath its waves I’m going,
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Text in deutscher Sprache:
O Meer voller Liebe
1. O Meer voller Liebe, unendliches Heil, / o Fülle der Gnade, durch Christus mein Teil, / du fliessest für alle, du fliessest für mich, / die Welt zu versöhnen, die Welt zu versöhnen, / die Welt zu versöhnen, ergiessest du dich.
2. Ich habe gesündigt, der Schaden sitzt tief, / ich war ein Verlorner, bis dein Wort mich rief. / Nun weine ich Tränen, die Reue ist gross. / O mache von Sünde, o mache von Sünde, / o mache von Sünde, von Sünde mich los.
3. Gebunden die Seele, zerrissen das Herz, / getrieben zum Bösen - wer heilt meinen Schmerz? / Ich weiss, eine Wandlung ist möglich durch dich, / wenn du, Herr in Gnaden, wenn du, Herr in Gnaden, / wenn du, Herr in Gnaden berührest auch mich.
4. Es quälen Versuchung und Furcht mich gar sehr, / wo finde ich Hilfe und Waffen zur Wehr? / Doch er, der vergossen sein kostbares Blut, / in unserer Mitte, in unserer Mitte, / in unserer Mitte auch heut' Wunder tut.
5. O Meer voller Gnade, oft stand ich dir nah, / mein sehnendes Herz die Erlösung schon sah. / Jetzt muss es geschehen, Herr, hilf mächtiglich; / ihr heilenden Fluten, ihr heilenden Fluten, / ihr heilenden Fluten, kommt, fliesst über mich.
6. Mit Macht bricht herein nun die göttliche Flut. / Ich fühle, mich reinigt des Heilandes Blut. / Mein Glaube wird stark und Befreiung find ich. / Ich tauch in die Fluten, ich tauch in die Fluten, / ich tauch in die Fluten - sie gehn über mich.
7. Und nun, Halleluja, mein Leben geb ich / dem, der von der Sünde errettete mich, / der Heil ohne Mass über Sünder ergoss, / und von dessen Herzen, und von dessen Herzen, / und von dessen Herzen der Wunderstrom floss.