Phil Keaggy: Play Thru Me (1982)

Tracks:

1. Happy
2. Carefree
3. Nobody's Playgirl Now
4. Cherish the Moment
5. She Came to Stay
6. Papa Song
7. The Wall
8. Make a Change
9. Train to Glory
10. Play Thru Me
11. His Master's Voice
12. Morning Light

It's possible to argue that Play Thru Me was Phil's most contradictory album to date.  Or maybe contrasting is a better word.  Case in point:  Look at that brooding cover photograph.  Looks like Phil's getting serious, maybe even melancholy, right?  But then you put on the record and you hear the boppy rock tones of "Happy," with jumpy, jazzy riffs, sprightly rhythms, and a new addition to his bag of tricks--a slide guitar part.  Okay, so maybe it was an "accidental" slide--he actually used a jack plug cover, but I suppose Blind Willie Johnson might have used the same thing had they such things back in the '30s.  The point is, Play is Phil's most optimistic, bright-eyed, and yes, playful album since What a Day.  

But don't mistake "playful" for "lightweight."  Sure, he follows up the opening instrumental with a even more fun song, aptly named "Carefree."  But the playing seems to have taken a bluesier turn...for Phil's style anyway.  He pulls out a cranky, bright tone on his axe that cuts through the fun beats and stands on its own.  Still, the melody is classic Keaggy, and his singing continues the exuberance of Town to Town as he belts out, "Like a child, I'm carefree."  And the soloing on the coda is free-flowing and inspired.  

The happiness parade carries through songs like the the title track, which features Phil mining more of the light blues rock vein with lines like, "Where did I find these chords?  I never had 'em before."  Again, there's some nice vamping at the end, as if God were indeed playing through the man.  "Train to Glory" has a tougher melody, with a faster tempo than usual, but still optimistic and funky.  "The Wall," which is no relation to either Pink Floyd or Kansas, is even faster and features a rapidly rising riff that manages to conjure the image of someone surmounting the titular barrier.    

Then there's the ballads, which center around friendship ("Cherish the Moment") and domestic bliss ("She Came to Stay"), and the family snapshot of "Papa Song," a filler-ish singalong featuring the coos of his wife and infant son.  "His Master's Voice" is a continuance of the musical poetry in the tradition of "As the Ruin Falls," featuring deep acoustic soundscapes.  Overall, these are nice, sometimes teetering on the edge of cutesy, but providing a nice counterpoint to the funkier stuff.  See, it's about the contrast!

As with Town, the big "hit" is an acoustic-driven uptempo closer: "Morning Light" is based on old poetry, but the watery acoustic rhythms are driven by solid rock beats and a big chorus, making it the perfect bright, happy finish to the whole experience.  Phil throws some more of that "light wailing" tone in there for some edge, and it's probably his strongest cut of the period next to "Sunday School."

Speaking of "the middle years," I would have to vote this one with Sunday's Child as the best of his '80s albums.  The happy vibe, which could have gotten too sweet if overplayed, is instead tempered with some of his best playing of the decade, adding a layer of depth and energy that seemed a little lacking on Town to Town.  Plus, I do kinda dig that James Taylor-esque cover photo, although, like Sweet Baby J, you can already tell the hairline is rising.  But it would be a few years before that floppy cap would make its debut.     

Phil Keaggy: Underground (1983)

Tracks:

1. "What A Love"
2. "The Ransom"
3. "Deadline"
4. "Think About It"
5. "One In A Million"
6. "I Know Someone"
7. "A Glorious Sunset"
8. "The Two Of You"
9. "Paid In Full"
10. "What You Are Inside"
11. "Follow Me On"
12. "The Survivor"
13. "When I Say I Love You"

His early 80s Sparrow trilogy complete, Phil camped out in his home studio for a few months with a his guitars, synths, and a drum machine.  With only Bernadette to help on a few vocals, he rekindles the one-man band spirit of What a Day, 80s style.  Originally released as Private Collection Vol. 1, these home recordings would represent Phil Keaggy as the Mad Musical Scientist, concocting weird formulas and dangerous elixirs too volatile for any record executive.   Okay, maybe not that mad, but still, he was sitting simultaneously in the artist's, producer's, and engineer's seats, and that's always a setup for self-indulgent disaster.   

Luckily, Phil is not arrogant enough to let such freedom overwhelm his sense of taste.  The resulting stack of tapes were assembled by the tiny Nissi label and released as Underground in '83, and present the man in a boxy, pixelated environment that screams it time period like never before.  If you ever wondered what Phil Keaggy would sound if he were hanging out with, say, Jan Hammer, this is your album.  That's not to say it's a bad record, but it is what it was:  High quality demo material with all the trappings of any self-respecting songwriter of the day.  The ideas and sounds are probably as good as they would be had they been done in Hollywood or Nashville, just with fewer personnel. 

 
If there were a pick for a single, it would probably be the lead-off track "What a Love," a mid-tempo rocker that bops along on an electronic beat and a typically bright Keaggy chorus melody.  Of course, it's not the best song on the album.  There's "The Ransom," a brooding instrumental with a quasi-metal theme and icy keyboards, and probably the darkest thing Phil had written up to that point.  Another rocking instrumental is "Follow Me On," which indeed sounds like the successor of "Follow Me Up" from Master.  There's the retro 50s feel of "One in a Million," The moody minor key folk of "When I Say I Love You" (written for new daughter Alicia Marguerite), and the slightly-cheesy romance of "The Two Of You," where Phil plays wedding singer for some friends' nuptials.  All surrounded by the requisite keyboard beds, fills, and metallic drum beats.

But the best track is "The Survivor," a stirring song written from the perspective of a Holocaust prisoner.  With some of his best acoustic rhythm playing and a haunting melody, it's an unexpectedly heavy spot at the end of a relatively easygoing record.  The song proved to have some staying power, as Phil would remake it on his True Believer album.

It would be easy, and perhaps even a bit justified, to dismiss Underground as a dated, under-produced curio of 80s period pieces, made for the benefit of the artist and a few diehards.  And while there are some painful moments of oscillator overload, they're not enough to render the songs unlistenable.  Mostly, it finds its value as a fun experiment, which for Middle Period Phil is still worth a listen.

Daniel Amos: Live Bootleg '82 (1982/1990)

1. I Love You #19
2. I'm On Your Team
3. Faces To The Window
4. Mall (All Over The World)
5. Everyone's Fallen Down
6. Baby Game
7. Through The Speakers
8. ¡Alarma!
9. Love Has Open Arms
10. Hit Them (With Love)
11. Hound of Heaven
12. Ghost of The Heart
13. The Surf Suite: Surfin' USA/Wipeout/Near Sighted Girl with Approaching Tidal Wave/Endless Summer

This little artifact was recorded in St. Louis, and as the title tells us, was recorded during the tour that followed the release of ¡Alarma! These shows feature the same four-piece, guitar-driven lineup of that album with one major difference:  Tim Chandler has been installed as the new bass player, and once again, the DNA of the band is mutating in the process.  The sound isn't radically different--yet, as would be revealed on the next studio album.  At this point, they're still playing fast-paced new wave rock with Chamberlain cranking out loud, bristling solos and Terry chopping out angular rhythm parts.  But it's Chandler who brings a whole new level of playing to the band.  Dieckmeyer's somewhat laid-back style was great, but Tim thumps out heavy, funky patterns with an almost fusion-esque recklessness.  It's most obvious on the one preview from the upcoming Doppelgänger, "Mall (All Over the World)."  Chandler jumps in with a series of thundering pops and pings on the bass, and the band launches into their most ominous riff yet.  It's just a portent of bigger things to come.

As for the rest of the set, the bulk of the songs are from the previous album, and there's no real changes in arrangements or sounds;  If anything, the band seems to be playing everything a bit fast, with the result that Terry is spitting out lyrics at such a rate (especially on "Faces to the Window") that I run out of breath just listening to it.  Still, the guys seem to be having a great time, and really getting into the whole new wave vibe.

The most interesting tracks are the three previously unreleased songs.  "I'm on Your Team" is one of those 200 bpm sprints that the band whistles through, so that the only thing I hear is the title in the chorus.  The ballads "Everyone's Fallen Down" and "Love Has Open Arms" are more arresting in their style and message.  Both are tender songs about forgiveness and reconciliation, and would have been quite at home on side 2 of Horrendous Disc.  

Speaking of that "old" album, the biggest changes come in the chestnuts "I Love You #19" and "Hound of Heaven."  To understand these differences, I now take a brief digression:  For years, while Larry Norman was figuring out if the aliens were going to steal the Solid Rock catalog while he was on a plane to Cambodia (Okay, that was mean, but really, is there any better explanation as to why he sat on the tapes for almost twenty years?), the only way to officially hear any Horrendous tracks (other than in person) was this here bootleg.  When the band released Our Personal Favorite Worldwide Hits in '98, these were the versions that represented the album on that disc.  And this is where the I learned the songs from, and what I assumed were the "right" arrangements.  So when I finally got to hear the original studio takes, in their stately 70s SoCal tempos and pristine gloss, they sounded like plodding, sluggish Lincoln Town Cars lumbering down the freeway compared to the streamlined compact sports car versions flying in the fast lane on Bootleg.  You can guess which one I prefer.  "Hound" especially seems much tighter and upbeat, even if it's not that much faster.  The major difference is that Tim and Ed keep such a heavy, almost bluesy beat, with minimal fuss, that the guitars slice through with a much sharper edge.  

The Horrendous songs are the only connective tissue between Bootleg and Preachers From Outer Space, and it's a thread at best.  Comparing the two records, you really hear two different bands, with two different approaches and two different sensibilities, although it's 75% the same personnel.  Of course, Terry's high tenor brings it all together, even if he still has a slight twang in his throat.

Oh, and let's not forget the "Surf Suite" that closes the album, featuring some silly dialogue by Terry and Jerry, as the two break into laughter midway through "Tidal Wave."  The surf vibe is probably the best-hidden branch in the band's majestic family tree of musical influences.  Still, the way they rip through "Wipeout" would make the Surfaris hang ten with pride.     

Phil Keaggy: Town To Town (1981)

1. Wished You Were There
2. Full Circle
3. Life Love and You
4. Town to Town
5. What a Wonder You Are
6. In Between
7. Our Lives
8. Rise Up O Men of God
9. Let Everything Else Go

Phil continued his journey into CCM on his next effort, Town to Town.  The album has a lot of the same qualities as Ph'lip Side, except it's not split down the middle between acoustic ballads and uptempo rockers.  Phil's still cranking out melodic, radio-friendly pop rock with a playful spirit and aurally deep soundscapes.  If anything, his sound is shifting into the middle, as there's nothing as purely acoustic as "Little Ones" or "Spend My Life With You," but also nothing as rocking as "Pulling Down" or edgy as "Sunday School."  

The big single off the album, "Let Everything Else Go," is strangely placed at the end of the album, as it's a gentle pop ballad with a huge chorus, and doesn't seem like much of a finale song, with its verses about "chasing down hot air balloons on Sunday Morning."  Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I'm usually chasing my socks and burning toast on my way to church on Sunday morning--maybe the scene from the album cover is Phil and the boys loading out after a Saturday night service?  

Still, the song is probably the best thing on the album, although I could cast a vote for some others: The title track, which seems like a younger brother to "A Royal Commandment" in that it opens with a mellow acoustic prelude, then cranks into an uptempo, heavy chorus riff before shifting into a nice pop verse.  Indeed, the "Town" riff could the heaviest thing on the album.  

Or there's the gentle nose-thumbing of "Wished You Were There," Keaggy's account of his old band Glass Harp's reunion shows in Cleveland that year.  The "Stacy" that never mentioned the shows was Plain Dealer rock columnist Anastasia Pantsios, and Phil's "complaint" is really just a good-natured nostalgia trip.  Phil, ever the well-read scholar, may have unconsciously borrowed the line from chapter 30 of Anne of Green Gables: "Miss Stacy never mentioned such a thing to me, Anne, and its only your guilty conscience that's the matter with you.'" (Here's the rest of the chapter)

Speaking of early 20th century literature, there's "Rise Up O Men of God," PK's cover of the old William Merrill hymn.  It's suitably epic, with punchy acoustic chords and marching cadences by Alex Acuna, who would re-visit these rhythyms on The Wind and the Wheat.  The only thing that takes it down a bit for me is that Phil tries so hard to sound "manly" that it almost feels like his vocal is pitched down a semitone.  Which is really odd, considering this album is his most vocally-adventurous one yet.  There's lots of falsetto grace notes, big crescendos, and lots of belting out, without the squeakiness that used to mar some of his attempts to sing big. 

Overall, a nice album with nothing earth-shattering or groundbreaking, but then, Phil was never much of an earth shatterer anyway.  He's always been more of a "song in the air" kind of guy. 

 

Third Day: Offerings II: All I Have To Give (2003)

1. Sing a Song
2. You Are So Good to Me
3. Creed
4. Offering
5. Show Me Your Glory
6. Nothing Compares
7. Anything
8. God of Wonders
9. May Your Wonders Never Cease
10. The Everlasting
11. Medley: Give/Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus/With or Without You/Your Love Oh Lord
12. Take My Life

The Georgia boys' first foray into worship music proved so successful that they went back and drew deeper from the well for Offerings II.  They followed the same paradigm from the first album: a half live/half studio mix of originals and covers, some traditional-sounding and some re-worked, rocking out where appropriate and bringing friends like Michael Tait along for the ride.  And just like last time, the band solidified their image as the Southern Fried version of the Rock and Roll Worship Circus.  

The opening two tracks sound ready for Sunday morning...if the church in question's worship band moonlighted as a .38 Special tribute band.  "Sing a Song" and "You Are So Good to Me" are simple worship songs with big singalong choruses and Southern Gospel trimmings.  The band come up with a couple of meditative/spiritual tunes like "Offering" (which sounds like a made-to-order title track), "Anything" and "The Everlasting."  These studio tracks follow in the direction of the "deeper" songs from Come Together: Slow to mid-tempo ballads, spacious arrangements and lots of ethereal guitar effects.  

Speaking of which, "Show Me Your Glory" and "Nothing Compares" are featured among the live material, and stay fairly close to the studio versions, although "Nothing" features a spoken interlude from Mac (which is edited from the usual raps that went on for at least five minutes at the shows).  There's also "God of Wonders" from the City On A Hill album, featuring the aforementioned Mr. Tait on the second verse.  There's even another acoustic closer from Third Day, "Take My Life."  

But the most memorable tracks are the most warped in their arrangements. "Creed," which Mac rightfully attributes to "late great Rich Mullins," starts out with a plodding intro à la "War Pigs," then kicks into the typical TD workout, with an expected stop at the line, "On the third day, He rose again."  Then a long medley of seemingly unrelated worship tunes, built around the Time closer "Give." The band actually finds a better setting for it than the drawn-out feedback fest of the original, rolling right into the old hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus," then a snippet from U2's "With or Without You," finishing off with another Time track, the now-ubiquitous "Your Love Oh Lord."  

This second installment leaves me the same feelings I had with the first:  The band sounds earnestly in the Spirit as they worship the Lord, even though the songs do seem a little formulaic at times.  They're not going to be the next Christ Tomlin or Dave Crowder, but it's clear they love the Lord and appreciate their fans, and have established their sound.   

Relient K: The Bird And The Beesides (2008)

  

1. Where Do I Go From Here
2. The Scene and Herd
3. At Least We Made It This Far
4. The Last, The Lost, The Least
5. The Lining Is Silver
6. There Was No Thief
7. No Reaction
8. Curl Up and Die
9. You'll Always Be My Best Friend
10. There Was Another Time In My Life
11. Beaming
12. I Just Want You to Know
13. Bee Your Man
14. Up and Up (Acoustic)
15. Wit's All Been Done Before
16. The Vinyl Countdown
17. For the Band
18. Nothing Without You
19. A Penny Loafer Saved is a Penny Loafer Earned
20. Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying
21. Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying (Wannabe Ska Version)
22. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Acoustic)
23. Here I Go (Acoustic)
24. The Stenographer (Demo)
25. Jefferson Aeroplane (Demo)
26. Hope for Every Fallen Man (Acoustic)
27. Where Do I Go (Acoustic) 

As its title suggests, The Bird and the Beesides is essentially a mixed bag of would-B-sides (sorry, had to do it), outtakes, demos, and acoustic remakes of previously-released material.  Culled from the band's many EPs over the previous seven years, it's actually a compilation of two seperate releases: The Bird and the Bee Sides EP proper, which comprises the second half of the album, and the similiarly-punned Nashville Tennis EP.  As a body of work, it's a mish-mash by design, being comprised of tracks going back to '02, but all the usual bells and whistles are present: dorky puns, sweet hummable melodies, choirboy harmonies, and a modicum of angst.  

If there's something out of the ordinary, it's the proliferation of ballads and softer-sounding songs.  There's a few rockers thrown in there, like the single, "The Last, The Lost, The Least"--penned and sung by bassist John Warne--as well as "The Vinyl Countdown" and "The Scene and the Herd."  But the most interesting tracks are these acoustic guitar and keyboard-driven confessionals, letting Thiessen and the others get a little deeper than the fast numbers would allow.  

The Nashville songs are more of a piece, of course, being recorded in one time (2008) and space (The Music City).  The theme is loosely based around the young adult relationship angst of the last few albums, but written in the context of the travelling musician and the sacrifices of plying his trade.  "Where Do I Go From Here" starts the record off on a reflective note, asking "Where do I stand/Where can I find myself again" during a phone call home.  "At Least We Made it This Far" builds on the "taking stock of life's journey" vibe, with an optimistic view to the future.  There's a lot of synthesizers in this part, adding a slightly-cheesy mildness to the proceedings--again, probably intentional.  

There seems to be a lack of strong hooks in the songs, as if the guys are scaling back the pop sensibilities in favor of mood and atmospherics.  The biggest ear-catcher for me was the relatively downbeat "There Was Another Time in My Life," with an inter-verse "Ba-da-ba-ba" that livens up an otherwise draggy 3/4 ballad.  They also take the Nashville theme literally with quite a few country stylistics and flourishes.  

The Bird EP is less remarkable, although the aforementioned rockers lift it up, especially the autobiographical "For The Band," shouting out to fans who've been to all their shows.  They even pay homage to compadres Five Iron Frenzy, who were breaking up at the time (although they've since reformed).  The acoustic "Who I Am" Hates Who I've Been" is probably the most interesting of the relics on this side.  Overall, nothing too out-of-character for the K, but something from a different angle that the usual pop punk pleasures.

Audio Adrenaline: Underdog (1999)

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Tracks:

1. Mighty Good Leader
2. Underdog
3. Get Down
4. Good Life
5. Let My Love Open the Door
6. Hands and Feet
7. Jesus Movement
8. DC-10
9. It is Well with My Soul
10. This Day
11. It's Over
12. The Houseplant Song

With Burkum and Cissel permanently installed as members, Audio A upped their musicianship and after a couple of years of touring came up with an even stronger album, Underdog.  They still played around with samples, hip-hop beats and other assorted samples, but now cranked out heavier rock pieces in the spirit of Bloom.  Indeed, Burkum actually starts to sound like a Barry Blair disciple on this one, as his playing takes on much of the Southern-fried tones of the founding guitarist.  It's his electric grooves that provide much of the record's spark, as the first six tunes form a solid slab of fun rockers that take the Audio A sound in a few new directions.  "Mighty Good Leader" is good opener, with a nice build-up on the verse and pre-chorus a la "Some Kind of Zombie."  The title track is also strong, with a decent chorus melody and a sermon excerpt on the break.  In fact, the melodic approach on the album is probably the most sophisticated yet, as Stuart and the gang have moved beyond shouted lines and "bah-de-bum-bum" singalongs and really coming up with some decent tunes.

"Get Down" and "Hands and Feet" were the two big singles, and represent the two big themes of the album.  The former, based on the title, sounds like an invitation to boogie, but it's really about God's intervention when we "get down" emotionally when facing life's struggles.  It's the only song to really carry over the "techno-acoustic" sound of Zombie, with a rhythm riff right out of the Blair playbook.  "Hands and Feet" sings of the timeless AA message of missions, and has a more epic feel than most of the songs on the album.  

The album also has three cover songs, starting with a tight, fast run-through of Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door."  The author once described the song succinctly with the phrase, "Jesus sings."  And while Townshend is hardly a voice for orthodoxy (He's actually much closer to Hinduism in his beliefs), the song represents the next in a long line of Pete's "spiritual" songs that can be interpreted in a Christian context (Such as "Bargain," "Christmas", and even "Behind Blue Eyes").  Audio A's version turns the chorus into more of a rock chant than the original, and what it takes away from its poignancy and heart-felt romanticism, it makes up for in fun and power.

They also cover the classic Horatio Spafford hymn "It is Well with My Soul."  The somewhat languid arrangement puts a weird, dark spin on the song, and having Jennifer Knapp echo Stuart on the refrains doesn't make it any easier to swallow.  Still, the lyrics pack a deep spiritual punch, echoing the sentiments of "Get Down."  More twists are made in their cover of their own "DC-10" from the self-titled album.  What started as a blustery hard rock/hip-hop hybrid is now turned into a rockabilly swing exercise, played at a breakneck tempo.  Still, Burkum pulls off a decent Brian Setzer impersonation, and again, speed and humor win out over any shortcomings.

It's telling that the band chose to list their names on the cover, as the group was finally beginning to sound like they were greater than the sum of their parts.  Still, they have their laughs with the closer, Herdman's "The Houseplant Song," which re-introduces Smooth Steve into the mix.  And Underdog manages to maintain a much more cohesive feel than the somewhat discombobulated Zombie.