STYLE: Jesus Music RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 28983-12889 LABEL: Solid Rock SRD124 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £14.69
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
A compilation of tracks recorded by the Jesus music pioneer between 1967 and 1984 with a particularly complicated history. Originally released in Australia (hence its title) in 1984 it was originally a 20-song double album compilation which confusingly cobbled together tracks from the People! era, finished recordings from various albums and unreleased demos recorded with brother Charlie. When in 1986 Larry released 'Down Under But Not Out' on his Phydeaux label there were cassette releases in two different versions with bonus tracks. But by the time the project got onto a CD it had been trimmed to 14 tracks! Musically, it's a very mixed bag. The very early tracks interspersed with more recent (well, 1984) recordings don't sit too well and this is more for hardcore Norman completists (but then they're probably trying to search out those rare Phydeaux cassettes). It has its moments of course. The studio version of "I Hope To See You In Heaven" from the 1973 sessions for the 'So Long Ago The Garden' classic is wonderful while "If The Bombs Fall" is a great pop song. But, in truth, it's still a rather exasperating hotchpotch of tracks.
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