Customer Reviews

The World As Best As I Remember It, Vol. 2

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The other day, I was walking through a mall in London Ontario when suddenly, my wife and I passed a man playing a piano in the food court. From what I could tell, he was not a professional--he had laid his shopping bags beside him and just started playing. He was playing Rich Mullins's "Sometimes by Step." Even without words, the music that Rich Mullins created has the power to stir my soul.

"Sometimes by Step" is just one of the great songs on "The World As Best As I Remember It vol. 2." I know I've said it a lot...but I must say it again...Rich never made bad or even mediocre music. All the songs on this disc are great.

The highlights of this disc to me are: "Waiting," "What Susan Said," "Growing Young" (probably my favorite track), and Rich's rendition of "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" (Rich was great with hymns by Robert Lowery).

The thing that appeal to me most about the work of Rich Mullins is the deep insight of his lyrics. This disc is particularly strong in the lyrics department. Some examples:

"When a million voices whisper, and they tell me I should leave, into the shadows that the moon casts on these alleys and these streets. But I know that chasing shadows won't get me anywhere 'cause I've been there..." (Waiting)

"Two full grown men in a huddle of kids and they're trying to help them to believe what is too good to be real but is more real than the air they breathe. And it's Wally and the Beaver, David and Jonathan...it's the Love of Jesus puttin' on flesh and bone." (What Susan Said)

"And everybody used to tell me big boys don't cry. Well I've been around enough to know that that was the lie that held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons. Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old and our Father still waits and He watches down the road to see the crying boys come running back to His arms and be growing young." (Growing Young)

I cannot recommend this disc, and all of Rich's music enough. Get it. There is nothing like it.

If you do a search for Jesus here on Amazon, you're bound to come up with all kinds of stuff...stuff from the Jesus Seminar talking about what a great cynic sage or Jewish Rabbi Jesus was; stuff from the Wiccans--no doubt describing Jesus as yet another earth mystic; stuff from Theologians that you have to work out to be able to lift while at the same time requiring that you keep a dictionary at hand for the every third word you don't know...well scrap all that stuff. I can tell you all you need to know about Jesus by playing you "Growing Young" and handing you a Bible. This stuff is great. Nobody makes music or writes songs like Rich did. This disc is just another case in point.

"The World As Best I Remember It; Volume 2" is another album by Rich Mullins that leaves you breathless and in awe of Mullin's incredible writing ability. His lyrics and his music have a way of reaching into your soul and making you want to reach out of yourself towards God. Rich Mullin's knew how to write about the things that mattered, in a way that the simplest could understand. This album is a jewel!

Rich Mullins, once again, stirs souls with this sequel to TWASBIRI-Vol. 1. Some of the more noteworthy songs are "Sometimes by Step", "Everyman", "To Tell Them", "The Maker of Noses", "Growing Young", and "All The Way My Savior Leads Me". Of course, any song he wrote has significant meaning. The meoldies further amplify the ever-important messages he delivers.

This is one of the Rich Mullin's albums that everyone should have. It continues to bless me over and over. The visionary "Maker of Noses" and the most soul-searching song I have ever heard, "Growing Young" will stir your soul (and maybe bring you to tears). I miss Rich. I know he is heaven and he is laughing.

This album is personal, it is radical, and it is true. As I listen to my entire collection of Mullins music, this cd just touches me in a different way. "Hello Old Friends" makes me feel like Rich is in the room rambling in song about life. "Sometimes by Step" is a gem that makes me think about the grandness of God's plan throughout history. And the words of "Everyman" are some of his best:

"The world draws up its lines, but at the foot of the cross there's room for everyone. And love that is not blind, it can look at who we are and still see beyond the differences we find. But with thorns in his brow and a spear in his side, nails in his hands, He died, for you and I, for you and I and everyman."

My least favorite song on the album is "To Tell Them." The message is excellent, but the style is different than the typical Rich music. "What Susan Said" is one of those sentimental type songs that makes you look back on your life and realize what matters, makes you think about what true love is. Finally, "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" is simply played and beautifully performed. It is a song that gives me something to hold onto when life gets hard.

If you're looking into Rich's albums, this one and "Never Picture Perfect" are both excellent first choices.

If you ask ten people what entering heaven will be like, you'll likely get ten different answers. I imagine I will find myself sitting around a warm campfire with a group of people, watching and listening as Rich Mullins plays acoustic guitar and sings "Hello Old Friends." Having the opportunity to listen to this song, and the others on this wonderful CD, is a taste of Heaven on Earth.

Rich Mullins was an incredible artist, a poetic painter with words and melody. This disc laid the groundwork for his masterpiece: "A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band" - while it is not quite that masterpiece, it is nonetheless an incredible work of art, well deserving of a five star rating.

The disc begins with Rich playing acoustic guitar and singing: "Hello old friends / There's really nothing new to say / But the old, old story bears repeating /And the plain old truth grows dearer every day / When you find something worth believing / Well, that's a joy that nothin' could take away." Listening to this disc brings me great joy, and I like to start most every day off by listening to it.

Rich revisits the tune Step By Step (now titled "Sometimes By Step"), played on the hammered dulcimer. The chorus remains familiar ("Oh God, You are my God / And I will ever praise you / I will seek you in the morning / And I will learn to walk in your ways / And Step by Step you lead me / And I will follow you all of my days"), and the new verses are beautifully poetic.

Orchestral strings lead off "Everyman" - a song that refers to various Biblical characters who were touched by Jesus during their lives, in many different circumstances, and reminds the listener: "At the foot of the cross there's room for everyone / And love that is not blind / It can look at who we are and still see beyond / The differences we find / But with thorns in His brow and a spear in His side / Nails in His hand, He died for you and I / For you and I and everyman."

A solo piano introduces "The Just Shall Live" - The song grows as it goes, with percussion being added, then strings, and then a chorus as the listener is taken on a journey to the last days, when "the meek shall inherit the earth" and the just shall live - then the song resolves with solo piano.

"Waiting" is one of my favorite songs by Rich. A song to listen to when you need encouragement, when you feel that you are being tested, yet you just can't walk away from the Truth - and so you wait upon the Lord, having the faith that your strength will be renewed.

"To Tell Them" is an experiemental departure - a different song, with an odd time signature, piano and percussion, and sort of a funky world beat. Kevin Max Smith (from DC Talk) sings background on this track.

It's back to a familiar sound with "The Maker of Noses", a song that slowly builds in great Rich style. A wonderful song about seeking justice, and getting frustrated with the advice of this world to follow our hearts, our noses, our dreams - since these things don't lead to the Truth. We must follow the Father of hearts, the Maker of noses, and the Giver of dreams.

"What Susan Said" is a great story song about friendship. Whether it is Paul and Silas, or Abbot and Costello, nothing beats having a friend by your side. But what did Susan say?
"How love is found in the things we've given up / More than in the things that we have kept."

"Growing Young" is a beautiful and poetic song about running back to God with tears in our eyes after our multitude of sins. It serves as a reminder that we are all sinners in need of a Savior and as a foreshadowing of the ragamuffin theory that Rich would explore in more detail on his next album.

Rich closes the album with a beautiful version of the Crosby Hymn "All the Way my Savior Leads Me" and a reprise of his own praise and worship classic "Step By Step."

This is a great follow-up to Volume One, and a wonderful precursor to his masterpiece.

This album has touched my heart many times. Though I think a new listener exploring Rich Mullins should by SONGS first, this is my personal favorite. It is intimate and compelling. "Sometimes By Step" always brings me to the throne of worship. The lyrics are a refreshing water to my spirit. In this album Rich's connection to the spiritual heart of people really is proven. His lyrics say so much of what I feel in my spiritual journey. My all time favorite RM song appears on this album and I am saddened that it did not make the cut onto either of the two greatest hits compelations. The song is THE MAKER OF NOSES. This is really one of those moments where his music speaks to my spirit. It addresses those times in our lives when we don't know what lies ahead or the best decision to make. We feel pulled by everyone's opinions but when it comes down to it we just have to have faith that Christ will lead us if we follow Him. It stirs my soul and the whole CD is worth buying for this one song. I have personal thoughts of WHAT SUSAN SAID as it reminds me of the ministry I did with friends when I was carefree and single. Those moments were God sent. I learned so much about the Father and life doing ministry when I was younger. My wife is an awesome gift and this song reminds me of how God spiritually was preparing me for her and our future together in ministry by allowing me to minister with my frioends for several years. The version of "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" that appears on this CD was performed at my ordination to ministry. It is simple and beautiful and it was a blessing to me as my sister played the guitar and sang using Rich's arrangement only a month after he went home to be with the Lord. I could go on and on about this CD but for lack of space and time I just want to emplore you to buy it. It has become an old friend that ministers to my heart and if you let it, I am sure it will do the same for you!

As far as studio albums go, this album is second only to another of Mr. Mullins' masterpieces, A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band. A truly phenomenal album by, possibly, the greatest songwriter this world has ever known. Like his other albums, This World...2 weaves insightful, poetic lyrics with perfectly appropriate, inspiring melodies. With its focus on God's relationship to man, it brings the listener to the feet of the Risen Savior.

If you do a search for Jesus here on Amazon, you're bound to come up with all kinds of stuff...stuff from the Jesus Seminar talking about what a great cynic sage or Jewish Rabbi Jesus was; stuff from the Wiccans--no doubt describing Jesus as yet another earth mystic; stuff from Theologians that you have to work out to be able to lift while at the same time requiring that you keep a dictionary at hand for the every third word you don't know...well scrap all that stuff. I can tell you all you need to know about Jesus by playing you "Growing Young" and handing you a Bible. This stuff is great. Nobody makes music or writes songs like Rich did. This disc is just another case in point.