Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy tabs Phil Keaggy discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Phil Keaggy guitar tabs

CD reviews

Crimson & Blue

Phil Keaggy - Crimson & Blue Audio CD

A fair review of the Phil Keaggy "Crimson & Blue" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Phil Keaggy reviews here, or go back to the Phil Keaggy tabs.

Band: Phil Keaggy
Title: Crimson & Blue
Rating:

Release Date: 2006-01-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Shouts of Joy 2: World of Mine 3: Everywhere I Look 4: Love Divine 5: Reunion of Friends 6: All There Is to Know 7: When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God 8: Stone Eyes 9: I Will Be There 10: Don't Pass Me By 11: John the Revelator 12: Doin' Nothin' 13: Nothing But the Blood

Whoever said "Geezers Can't Rock"
This was one of the first actual Christian cd's I remember hearing. Apparently never listened to this album. This was before I knew that they sold Galactic Cowboys, and King's X in Christian bookstores. This is one of the best albums from the 90's. I mean no wonder Jimi Hendrix is quoted as saying Phil Keaggy is the best guitar player in the world. I haven't heard such fine rock and roll since his days with Glass Harp, and this is in some way a reunion of sorts as he reunites with John Sfara the drummer. I actually bought the cassette of this album after hearing one song, and that was "World Of Mine". I remember I was at a Christian Singles gathering on Labor Day, 1994, and was playing softball when I heard this song, and I was blown away. I remember going up to a guy, and asking "Who's doing this song?" That was when I was introduced to the world of Phil Keaggy, and yet looking back I had one of his earlier releases when he was with a garage band in the 60's. He did a song called "Batmobile" I had it on a "Highs In The Mid 60's" compilation from Pebbles records. I forgot about "Batmobile", so I didn't know what kind of guitar player Keaggy was.

Anyway this album is high energy from the beginning of "Shouts Of Joy" to the Beatlesque sounds of "World Of Mine". Well we should all know by now that Keaggy was influenced by the Beatles, so there's a trace of their music in his I mean he continues paying tribute to the Beatles with "Everywhere I Look", and "Love Divine", but don't think he's just stuck in that Beatles vein. . . . far from it. He also does some good acid rock sounds with "John The Revelator", "Doin Nothin", and "When Will I Learn To Live In God?" The album does have it's weak moments like with "Stone Eyes", but for the most part this was done up splendidly. Even to the final track with the old hymn "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus"; it sounds like Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter", but is done so reverently and humbly it's one of the best last songs to be put on an album. Keaggy was 42 when this came out, and people ususlly call the over 40 crowd Geezers. Well this was written by a Geezer, and I say "Pooh To You". I will definitely get this on cd as it was one of the instrumental albums that led me to a faith in Jesus. .

slamming guitar and lyrics
After The Wind and the Wheat, this is my favorite CD of his. Keaggy truly is a legend. The variety ranges from meditative Avalon (a brilliant remake of Van Morrison's song) to high-energy Shouts of Joy. Lyrics are just as strong as his off-the-hook musicianship. As always, his guitar artistry mesmerizes. Not a single weak track here. It may be older, but it is an absolute classic.

Definitely Phil's tour de force!
Phil had done Sunday's Child, then Find Me in These Fields, both excellent rock, guitar-driven albums, and then took a break from the rock genre to record Beyond Nature, probably one of his best instrumentals. I had not been a Keaggy fan for more than a year or so when this album came out. But Crimson and Blue shattered everything else, with Way Back Home being a more low-key exception. What an amazing band! John Sferra (his old bandmate and drummer from Glass Harp), Phil Madeira, a legend in his own right, Wade Jaynes on bass. . . half of the album (the "Crimson" part) is very Beatlesque, but with a new sound. The "Blue" half has long, instrumental breaks, monster guitar solos, and nothing cheesy. I did see the band on this tour, and it was an amazing experience. I was excited to find that the live recording of "Shouts of Joy" was recorded in Lancaster, PA, where I saw him! You can hear this recording on his "Time" anthology. Just to see Phil Madeira playing a marching snare drum was cool. .

The CD I bought is awsome!!!!
I highly recommend this CD it's really awsome, and it got here right on time! It was perfectly fine and there was no scratches and no skipping! Thanx for the great business!!!
Carissa.

Pretty good stuff
I know that at the time the first song I heard was "World Of Mine", and it was at a low point in my life as I was out of control, and not realizing that I turn this over to God that everything will be alright. This was one of the albums I was introduced to after giving my life to Jesus. I still had that rebellious nature about me, and so I couldn't appreciate this song as I found it in someway beautiful, but it can also drive me into a frenzy of melancholy. I know that it all depends on my frame of mind as to whether or not this song will make me happy, or want to go home, and have a all day crying fest. I played it no too long ago, and I felt a crying fest ready to come on, and it did, but not too long. Back when I first heard this however, I was straddling between wanting to go all full blown for Christian music, and still hanging onto the secular music. I chalk this up to not really making a church home for myself as the church I was going to at the time was 50 miles away from my house, and it was only because it was the only singles group that I knew of in Central Florida at the time, and longing to have friends was priority for me at the time. The rest of this album is rather good starting off with "Shouts Of Joy", track number 3 is forgettable, but "Reunion Of Friends" is classic as is "John The Revelator" as I first heard this on the day that I had a falling out with the girl I was dating at the time. . . actually her mother who was a friend at the time. I didn't take too well to it at the time, but since then I really dig it for the 60's early 70's sound to it almost rivalling Deep Purple, and "Doin Nothin" is even better. This pretty much got me to check out on the old Glass Harp material I consider the first Glass Harp album a classic. I would love to give this more than the 3 stars, but I'm still chasing ghosts from the past as I was making the transition from unsaved to saved, and alot of people would want to know why I didn't just surrender all up front? I wish I had an answer for them, but until I get the answer myself I can't say. This was a rather pivitol album however that got me seeking. I heard this for the first time on Labor Day, 1994. .

You can see a complete list of all Phil Keaggy discography, or go back to the Phil Keaggy tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.