Customer Reviews

Blue

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Phil Keaggy remains one of those underrated Christian musicians. Fans of Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and even Nils Lofgren and Andre Segovia (classical guitarist) might love this outpouring of talent. Beatle fans might smile -- Keaggy has a Paul McCartney-like voice, except with an American accent.

Clearly influenced by 60s and 70s rock and blues, Keaggy shows he is force in modern guitar stylings.

His cover of Van Morrison's tune (from Avalon Sunset), "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God?" is profound and provocative. His cover of Bad Finger's "Baby Blue" has a sheer Paul McCartney tone to it.

With "Doin' Nothin'", he is 'doin' somethin', ripping from note to note like it is nobody's business.

His blues-rock rendition of the traditional black gospel song, "John the Reveletor" came off twice as solid in a concert, but definitely deserves top-volume in your car as you take on freeway traffic.

Explore other Keaggy CDs here as well. His ability to go from hard rock to quiet worship to flamenco-influenced acoustic stuff is astounding.

I fully recommend "Blue" by Phil Keaggy.

Anthony Trendl

A collection of surprisingly catchy pop tunes and a couple of extended guitar extravaganzas make for a fine album from the world's greatest guitarist which no one outside the Christian community knows about. The best song on the album is "John the Revelator" which would probably be an FM staple were it not for Christian lyrics. "Everywhere I Look" has a catchy melody that won't leave your head. "Shouts of Joy" features dazzling leads that sound like Steve Hillage. The cover of "Baby Blue", the old Badfinger hit, actually improves upon the original because of the blistering guitar solo which is missing in the Badfinger version. "Don't Pass Me By" brings to mind Eric Clapton's playing from his days with Cream. "When Will I Learn to Live in God" (penned by Van Morrison) is inspirational Gospel-rock at its best, both lyrically and musically. This album is a clinic in how to play pop rock and hard rock electric guitar, and any fan of great guitar playing, whether Christian or not, should have this in his or her collection.

I am not a christian, so anyone tagged as a christian artist would get a cold shoulder. Lucky for me PHIL KEAGGY produces musik that does not deserve to be labelled and is so beautiful, full of his wicked sense of humour and inspirational, that labelling him CHRISTIAN ARTIST does nothing more than exclude a lot of unfortunate people from the pleasure of his musik. This CD contains songs, which made me a bit sceptical as I didn't want anything preachy. Fear not!!! He has a great voice and his lyrics are not overtly religious. His guitar playing is some of the best recorded ( get the CD '220' for instrumental superlatives ), but his songs are great, bordering on classic. If you like musik, forget the CHRISTIAN tag if it doesn't fit YOU and buy this man's musik for it's quality. You won't regret it.

"Blue" is for the most part some remixing of tunes off the "Crimson & Blue" release of 1993. As a guitarist and long time fan of Phil, I'm glad I bought this CD.

The remix work brought out some vocals that deserved a stronger presence. I'm delighted to hear tunes that were "axed" off the original release, I guess due to time constraints. Great guitar playing that comes close to Phil's live work abounds.

Keaggy's rendition of "Baby Blue" is classic rock with modern day finnese and production. This album of course has the goal of recreating the tones and sounds of the late 60's and early 70's, but Phil did it in a fashion that makes it more than nostalgia. My kids love this album, and of course it's a headphone kind of mix that travels from side to side and front to back.

The album reminds us that Phil is one great master of the Les Paul, songwriting and visionary playing. Keaggy is one guy who has not copied other players - they have learned from him. Buy "Blue" and discover why.

Wow! Phil Keaggy proved his acoustic mastery with albums like Beyond Nature, and this album shows he can write catchy rock tunes and jam like nobody's business. I totally dig this album. Being a Christian AND a musician, I get very frustrated finding groups that are musically talented unique and interesting and that have good lyrics, but with this CD, I would buy it and really enjoy it even if it were a secular CD. It has incredibly well written tunes, with a HEAVY influence of Beatles and also late 60s early 70s hard rock like the Cream and other bands. The guitar playing is mindblowing. Not that its overly flashy, its just so tasteful, and so perfect. It still has a lot of flash dont get me wrong. Doin Nothin is a cool jam song. Nice groove to it. Great solos too. Dont Pass Me By sounds very VERY Cream influenced. But still very original sounding too...if thats possible. Baby Blue is an excellent cover of the Badfinger hit. All There Is To Know is a great catchy rock song, well written. John the Revelator is another great song for Phil to rip it up on his Les Paul. Everywhere I Look is a nice Beatlesian pop song. Very good songs, really. Shouts of Joy was my favorite a long time ago, and its still cool, albeit not a favorite. My problem with this album is that its a remake of the Crimson and Blue album (which I once owned) and they axed one of my favorites! "Love Divine" was such a cool little song, and they kicked it in favor of some more forgettable tracks. A shame. Anyway, its still in my opinion one of the best (if not THE best) Christian rock albums out. Very vintage, yet contemporary sounding. Classy...

The album, as mentioned in a previous review is a remix of Keaggy's "Crimson and Blue". I have to say that I found the original to be better due to the extended nature of several of the tunes and the more improvisational feel it has, but this album does justice to the original. The band was the best Phil ever assembled and you can tell on every song. I can't say that I've ever heard as tight a band or one that seems to be as in touch with each other as this one. All of the songs have a retro-rock feel to them, harkening back to Keaggy's 1970's roots, with a good heavy rock sound that manages to lift itself above three power chords. The lyrics can be biting and sacratistic as on the opening cut, "Doin' Nothing" or searching as with "When will I ever learn..."

If you want to get Phil at his rocking best, get this or the original. If Amazon offers you the Blue/220 special deal, be sure to pick that up. 220 is a great instrumental blues and rock album to pair with this one.

There aren't enough superlatives to describe this album. I have both Crimson and Blue, and Blue...and if pressed I must say I prefer Blue because of its more raw, high energy feel. The walls of sound that come at you from Phil's guitar and the band are simply amazing. Let it wash over you at high volume...you'll be transported back to the 60's and 70's when music was experimental and honest. The cover of Baby Blue alone is worth the price of the CD - it is quite similar to the original complete with that thick guitar sound, and yet as another reviewer put it, this version is an improvement on the original with a wonderful jam at the end. The mix is superb across the entire album and the arrangements spot on. You'll be hard put to find music of this quality anywhere nowadays...

Blue is a remix of Crimson and Blue, Phil Keaggy's landmark retro-rock album of 1993. There are a couple of different songs, as well as a different order and remixed solos. The disc opens with "Doin' Nothing," a hard-driving anthem about greed and immorality in Hollywood. Not only is the opening different from the original, but the vocals (not the lyrics) were redone as well. Track 2, "Don't Pass Me By," is quite possibly the darkest song on the disc, and one of the best. Keaggy then offers a cover of Badfinger's "Baby Blue," followed by "All there is to know," and "John the Revelator," one of my personal favorites. "John the Revelator" also has a remixed guitar solo, and is indeed one of Keaggy's best efforts. "World of Mine" and "Everywhere I Look" are essentially unchanged. Track 8, "The Further Adventures of...," is a twelve and a half minute free jam with drummer John Sferra, and it offers more of the extended solo work that made "Crimson and Blue" such a hit. "All our wishes," a song about the loss of a child (presumably unborn), is a departure, not only in subject matter but in style. That does not diminish its power, however. Next is the Van Morrison penned "When will I ever learn to live in God," and closing the disc is "Shouts of Joy." Keaggy is remarkable on this disc, as on the previous one, in that his style is never overstated. He weaves lyrics and music together as well as anyone, and although his guitar is most prominent, one could not fail to recognize his abilities as a songwriter and vocalist.

Totally unique, melodic and awe-inspiring. This is the album where Phil obviously was in the mood for jamming and was not willing to hold back. It has a late 60s early 70s rock feel to it. It appears to be intentually raw and energetic. Good clean fun with christian theme. I just about wore the CD out.

wonderful and refreshing to hear skilled guitar playing great lyrics and real passion unlike most of the music today jus hype & no real talent at all .