Customer Reviews

Big Picture

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a fantastic premier effort and a solid second album, Michael W. Smith goes off the charts with "The Big Picture." Lavish production and driving rock overtures are the keys behind this fantastic recording. It is unlike any previous effort or anything since. By far, "The Big Picture" marks the pinnacle of MWS's early years.

Michael W. Smith has carved out a career as an adult contemporary balladeer in recent years but this amazing LP showcased another side of this very versatile singer/songwriter/musician. Every song on this album is a tour de force. Too often there are Christian albums that, if you stripped away the message, are not left with anything of substance but not The Big Picture. There are many tracks on here that, with the right amount of push from the record company, could have been big radio hits. Indeed, Rocketown did become a hit on Christian/AC radio in 1986. That song is just the tip of the iceberg here though. Other standout cuts include Old Enough To Know, about the difficulty teenagers face everyday regarding pressures to give in to sexual desires, The Last Letter, a song about alternatives to suicide, and the raucous album closer, You're Alright, which proves that Smith could really rock. This album never gets old and if it had been given more mainstream exposure, would have to be widely considered the classic that it is.

Without a doubt the best produced Christian pop album of the decade, and it still holds its own with much of Christendom's 90's musical output. The songs on the album form one cohesive exhortation to America's youth to keep their faith in God during the tumult of the teen years, knowing He's promised to give them an abundant life. Usually, such a pre-meditated effort to instruct through art causes the finished product to smack of overblown, trite piety. Not so with the Big Picture. If I found myself in the role of a youth pastor, I'd be sure to get a copy of this album into every kid's cd player. The quality that sets this album apart does not rest in the slick production, the unforgetably catchy beats and rhythms, or in the clever, creative song writing. This album deserves to be referred to as a landmark, watershed recording in the annals of Contemporary Christian Music because of the sincerity of Michael's heart to help teens see past their present trials and tribulations and grasp hold of the God who serves as the artistic inspiration for the big picture only He has the power to bring about in their lives. As this recording nears its 14th birthday, here's hoping every adult with a youth in his or her direct care will augment their efforts to impart the message of the Big Picture to their impressionable understudy, by giving them a copy of the album.

This CD was a big part of the soundtrack of my high school years with good reason. It was completely of its time in the 80s in terms of sound and production and it had something to say to me. For crying out loud, I got my hair permed because of this CD!

Those who only know Michael W. Smith from his last couple worship albums and "This is Your Time" will not even recognize the Smith that's present here. On this LP, Smith was clearly gunning for the pop charts. Though he missed that mark, it was a huge seller charting 4 tunes on the Christian charts. ("Rocketown", #1 for 10 weeks, "Wired for Sound" hit #4, "Voices" reached #19, and "Old Enough to Know" was a #6 with the album itself winning the Dove for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for 1987)

The album's opening sound of a jet takeoff tells you right away that this was not "2", his previous album. It immediately kicks into a driving ode to an "island paradise" where people go to get away from it all...with Smith poignantly pointing out that you never can run "from the One inside of you."

It's the consistent theme running through the album, that God is there and waiting but Smith resists the temptation to pummel his listeners with it, instead relying mostly on subtler and more effective words to get it across.

Media overload is the topic in "Wired for Sound" in this modern world where "wisdom from the sacred page is turned and ignored". Rather than just telling the teenage protagonist of "Old Enough to Know" to 'just say No' to her boyfriend's hormonal urges, Smith reminds her not to confuse real love...an honest concern and care for another's feelings and wellbeing...with a quick roll in the hay ("what some say love should be..") This may be the only song here that's less universal (at 33,this doesn't "connect" for me as much as it did years ago).

Probably the standouts of the LP are "Pursuit of the Dream", Smitty's anthem of optimism for the future for the teens this album was aimed at, "You're Alright", the closest Smitty ever gets to full-bore rock with him reminding awkward self-conscious teens that "when you see your life through His eyes, You're alright..", "Rockettown" imagines Jesus popping into a typical big city of today, and his anti-suicide ode "The Last Letter."

Probably the only letdown is "Voices" which is kind of lackluster...it never really punches all the way home. But the sheer sonic blast of the other tracks makes up for this one misstep. As a bonus track, it ends with a tasteful slightly jazzy piano instrumental that probably would be better left off. It's cool, but it doesn't really "fit" into the album's allout 80s pop thrust.

It's a 4/2 star outing...replacing "Voices" with "Place on this World" (which appeared on Smith's next release) would take this all the way to five stars. Smitty's definitive album and definitely a high point of Christian music history.

This album is a must have for all Smitty fans! Even if you are not a fan, if you like Rich Mullins, Amy Grant and Jars Of Clay you will like this! "LAMU","OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW","YOUR ALRIGHT" and "WIRED FOR SOUND" are instant classics! This is a must have album

Earth-shattering performance! A real inspiration in christian music. I can't believe its been fourteen years since this album's debut and yet how "cutting edge" these very unique tunes still are. This record was heavily influential to me during my own teenage years, and helped steer my heart in the "pursuit of the dream" GOD had for me. Pump this musical thunderstorm through a set of 15"ers and you'll get THE BIG PICTURE as it was meant to be! Michael, if you read this...THIS WAS YOUR TIME! excellent job! As a musician, I wish I'd written this one myself! Enjoy!

Aimed at youth audiences - this brilliant album that dealth on the topic of teen suicide ("The Last Letter"), peer pressure and bigotry ("Voices"/"Goin' Thru The Motions"/"Old Enough To Know"), insecurity ("You're Alright"/"Lamu"), and the world's rejection of the Word ("Wired For Sound")- is one of the best record albums to have been ever produced bannering the tag as a Christian music LP release; the album comes with the presence of music that makes sense in its packaging and lyrics that are not after flare but are composed with real intelligent substance - which are quite missing nowadays in the whole spectrum of the christian music genre, and its abode of community in the churches circles in general as well.

In the time of this album's release - Michael W. Smith have come out fresh from his early days as a pinnacle in the CCM market, and have turned avowed to progress from the common form of the genres sound in those times , in the way he puts it: "moving away from the Sandi Patti type of music", Michael W. Smith have incorporated to experiment with different sounds and textures using the latest equiptment found by the time of this album's production using keyboards and synthesizers - that in this respect comes as quite innovative for its time, when the whole music market is then dominated by the likes of pop stars such as Lionel Richie, Prince, and Janet Jackson in the mid-80's - contemporary christian music have come up with a few number of real radical releases that may have never been that worldly popular; but if you were a then-rocker at that time and found yourself in the complete state of absence on anything to listen to during in those days, if one would only care to explore beyond bias-- Christian rock have come to fill in for that void during in those times, which sadly winded as mostly ignored, neglected, and missed by the whole spectrum of popular music's market due to restricted distribution mainly caused by the christian-tag label (that perhaps along with a handful of recording artists like Amy Grant, Kathy Trocolli, and (the most recent) Sixpense None The Richer - only U2 have really survived to surface amidst the dark loom associated with the label concerned).

MWS' The Big Picture is one to stand out as one among of such albums. Its emphasis on truthful radicalism is reflected in the bomshell of musical format that it carries. The music rocks; and although the production may not be as equal to the quality found in todays releases due to the aboundance of great technology and the possibilties that it have made possible thereof, this album is quite excellent considering what still-limited technology is only available at the time of this album's recording.

The track "Pursuit of the Dream" (perhaps the only passable song found here melodical-wise), which serves as the one to carry thematically the album title - is about one's christian goal to advance in the world that is lived in; whilst "Rocketown", a track that depicts an allegorical story of Christ visiting a small town as an alien from another planet... is one of christian rock's finest moment. The track is comparably equivalent to the likes of YES' Space-Rock ballad "Onward" (from the TORMATO album) and SUPERTRAMP's "Dreamer" (from their 1974 epic release CRIME OF THE CENTURY). Truly a XtianRock Classic. Like among the number of other reviewers - this album also have served to influence me a great deal during in those stage of being an easy-pikens as a young christian in a world that could easily ensnare with its deceit and pretensions.

The intermission track "Tearing Down The Wall" is a good musical piece including the outro-hidden piano track by the LP's end as well (my well-worn and old tape copy is a half lenght much longer about this part - dunno about the cd).

Along those albums that leveled similarly with Michael W. Smith's THE BIG PICTURE - also there's DAVE PERKINS' The Innoscence; AD's Art Of The State; BOB AYALA's Rescued; Mark Heard's IDEOLA album called Tribal Opera; PETRA's classic More Power To Ya and its worthy follow up Not Of This World; and those of Steve Taylor's releases are remarkable as well- including his work with the NEWSBOYS; plus for the most current, it's only Rebecca St James' grammy winning cd Pray that i have found evidently to have equally emulate such similar kind of integrity in christian music.

May Xtian Rock arise again to unfold such music as these before the second coming arrives. Peace.
Rate: 9 out of 10.

In the 90s I listened to this cassette so much I wore the ink off of it. Now it's great as a MP3 album! And, no more worries about wearing it out.

Michael never rocked as much before or after the release of this album. Big Picture was such a HUGE departure from Michael's previous albums which is why this ranks as one of my favorite. It was nice to see Michael stretch himself and get out of his comfort zone. After all these years, I continue to hope that Michael will give us another 'Big Picture' album.

The Big Picture is truly a work of art, and in my opinion a timeless one. I can't think of another CCM album in the 80's that was as well produced and had as much wide-spread appeal, especially among the teen crowd (I was 11 when it was released). For all these years, I have listened mainly to the latest bands out there, even today, to the point that I have largely abandoned music from bygone days. But not The Big Picture. I never quit listening to it at least once a month since I first owned it, and it still appeals to me in a heart-felt way (it doesn't hurt that I am a youth minister). It still reminds me of all those simple truths that I still need today as much as when I was a teenager - although some say I have yet to grow up.

The only thing that would make it better is if it was remastered to boost the bass, add modern compression, and boost the peaks to modern specs. I am an ex-sound engineer and plan to do that myself in the near future so it sonically will better match the other, more modern stuff I'm listening to. But I still get a rush every time I listen to the album. Great stuff!