Customer Reviews

What A Day / Love Broke Thru

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This review is for "What a Day." The album was recorded in 1973 and was self-produced (it cost only $1800 to record). "Love Broke Thru" was recorded in 1976 and reflects more professional and polished production values. Nonetheless, the first of Phil Keaggy's solo efforts is also one of his finest and should be considered one of the top rate Christian albums ever made. The album is largely acoustic with richly layered melodies and subtle electric guitars complementing the acoustic wonders. It is really Keaggy's fingerwork at its best.

The lyrics are simple, but not amateurish. In fact, they are fresh no matter how often you listen. There is a profundity to their simplicity that makes the album so timeless. Keaggy obviously reflected on many of Jesus' most profound words and adapted them to songs that are as worshipful as anything I have ever heard in the modern worship craze. What adds remarkably to the worshipful tone of the album is the masterful melodic vocalizations, crooning and occassional falsetto voice overlays that interact beautifully with the lyrical flow and instrumentation. They together form a rich tapestry of praise, particualrly as the album moves toward the end, climaxing in the song "Hallelujah." The last 5 songs are absolutely magical.

Very rarely do you listen to an album in which the performer seems to be so fully absorbed in what he is performing that it exudes an effortlessness on his part. The sense of joy, peace and tranquillity expressed in this album is mesmerizing. I do not mean that in a crass way. But the album is simply angelic in its effect as if you are being led to the throne room of God. It obviously reflects a young believer who is enraptured with His Lord and Savior and could not hold back his excitement over it. It simply had to be expressed. Words are difficult for indicating the effect it has had on me over many hundreds of listenings since the first time I heard it some 25 years ago. And again, I say it is fresh each time.

I concur entirely with the other reviewer's opinions on What A Day - but a review of Love Broke Thru is also required!

My review title is no exaggeration - for a breathtaking combination of strong melodies, lush string arrangements, excellent performances, amazing variety of styles and inspiring and worshipful lyrics, I really think the only challenger to this is Larry Norman's Only Visiting This Planet.

OK - track review - the album opens with Phil's cover version of the title track written by Keith Green, Randy Stonehill and Todd Fishkind (whatever happened to HIM?!?!) - one of the finest string arrangements ever, coupled with heartfelt vocals that Phil very much makes his own. Take Me Closer is a mid-tempo AOR number with tight harmonies and great playing all round, esp by Michael Omartian on his Aarpvark (ho ho) synth solo, which Phil played live on his Gibson. As The Ruin Falls is a profound C S Lewis poem set to a beautiful arrangement of flute, strings and acoustic guitar. Unique. White Horse is another mid-tempo rocker, with wonderful piano, lead guitar and strings in the fadeout. Disappointment is another poem set to music with wonderfully inspiring words, sung tenderly by Phil, whose voice was possibly at its peak at this stage in his career. Side 2 (for vinyl lovers) opens with a great rock/blues number, Time, which presaged the feel on many tracks on his next album, Emerging. This lengthy track showcases Phil's lead guitar skills better than any other on the album. By marked musical contrast, the next track is another poem, Portrait, set to gentle acoustic guitar and another beautiful string arrangement. Back to rock next with Just The Same, which is possibly the "least brilliant" track on the album - there are NO weak tracks! Then one of the best on the album, a childlike ballad, Things I Will Do, based on two of my fave OT verses - Is 42:16 and 43:19. I think that the final track, Abraham, written by Annie Herring's husband Buck, is probably the finest on the album - spinetingling strings and a superb vocal performance from Phil. Also great piano from Bread's pianist, Larry Knechtel, who memorably played on Bridge Over Troubled Water.

These timeless albums should be in every music-loving Christian's collection - they don't make them like this any more!

In brief, this is Keaggy during his humble beginnings. Great memorable songs and great lyrics, and artistry at its best.

I've been wanting to obtain this double album CD ever since it first came out. I just missed out on getting it then, and unfortunately, it remained out of print up until the time this vendor made it available. I have had both LPs since the mid-70's and I practically wore them out then.

This was Phil Keaggy at a crucial formative stage in his Christian walk as well as in his musical development. If you ever get the chance to get this rare item, my advice is to jump at it! The only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is due to some minor skipping issues on a few of the first tracks. It was purchased as "used--like new", and it isn't perfect. But I am more than satisfied with this gem even as is. One other little personal note is that Phil is from my home town, Youngstown, Ohio. In his pre-Chrisian days as a teen, he was habitually truant, a regular customer of my father, who happened to be Attendance Officer of the public school system.

Read the other review articles to learn about the actual music. Contemporary Christian Music today does not hold a candle to it, in my opinion.

As far as I know, these are Keaggy's first two albums(I originally had both on vinyl). As such, they seem to represent his 'first love' experience in Christ - an unpretentious, from the heart, expression of a love affair between Creator and one of His sons. Throughout the lyric, as well as melody, his gift is offered back to its Giver with the passion of heartfelt thanks from a man who has finally found out who he is, and wherein lies his destiny. Besides all of the above, each track is simply, 'just good listening' - particularly, chord structures that depart from the beaten path of what we have become so accustomed to hearing. In many ways, Phil Keaggy has no peers as a guitarist, as well as songwriter.

Phil Keaggy / What a Day & Love Broke Thru (2 albums on one CD): These two Jesus Movement albums were released in 1973 and 1976. They are both terrific albums and contains Phil's wonderful version of Keith Green's song "Love Broke Thru". However, I bought this disk years ago when it was properly priced, I would not pay more that $30 for it today (at the Max). This CD rates Five Stars.

Aside from being one of the greatest guitar players in the world (and yes, I love Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix, along with other guitar legends), this album is special to me because it was the first Christian rock I had ever heard, and it came out about the same time that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. "What a Day" is so beautiful in its simplicity and "Love Broke Thru" which features more sophisticated production, continues to carry the message of Christ's love for us. If you haven't heard either of these albums, do yourself a favor and get them.

First of all, let me say that Phil Keaggy's guitar work in general is excellent. I love Master and Musician, and I love his instrumental works from the 90's on. I also really like his collaboration album, "Invention." Furthermore, he is a great role model as far a being a devout Christian goes and he's been a huge inspiration for me. So when I got "What a Day/Love Broke Thru," I thought, Two albums! How can I go wrong?
I'll tell you how I can go wrong. It's two albums of boring. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it seems there are two Phil Keaggy's. The modern and the classic? The awesome and the corny? The Rock and the New Age? That's the best way to describe these albums- Not rockin' and very New Age. If you like that style, more power to you, but it is not for me. I like the Keaggy that ROCKS.