Congregation
This British mixed choir and accompanying orchestra was a one-shot studio creation of composers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was fronted by veteran session vocalist Brian Keith (ex- Plastic Penny) who was ideal for Softly Whispering I Love You which, hinged on an eminently hummable melody, climbed to number 4 in the UK chart and exhaled from many a late-night stereo during the festive build-up to 1972. Too cumbersome for concert tours, Congregation was laid to rest after the single's television promotions but the song itself proved sufficiently durable to be revived successfully by Paul Young in 1989.