Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As any pop/rock historian will tell you, Gary S Paxton is a breathtakingly original songwriter, producer and occasional artist with a large wedge of hits under his belt who, after his Christian conversion in 1971, began to make Christian music hits for people like The Blackwood Brothers and The Imperials before starting the CCM label NewPax. On that imprint he released this 1976 album which was subsequently re-issued by Fortress and is now available from Paxton's Garpax Branson outfit. It's a fascinating item too, and even all these years on you can hear why it won the multi-talented Paxton a Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance. The standout song here is "Sophisticated Savages" which describes the insanity of our modern world with references to impending nuclear destruction. Some may find the sound of a lady screaming "Rape! Rape!" a little hard to bear, but no-one can deny its impact. This set also offers the listener a memorable anti-smoking song "You Ain't Smokin' Them Cigarettes (Baby They're Smokin' You)" and the engaging country rock anthem "Love It Comes In All Colors". If you thought Larry Norman or Steve Taylor were as confrontational as Christian music got, 'Astonishing, Outrageous. . .' takes things to a whole new level.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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