Paul Clark


Songs From The Savior - Volume 1 Creative Sound 1972
Looking Glass Incident
It Is Free
We'll Soon Be Going Home
Respected Jesus music pioneer began things off on a very mellow note with the classic custom Songs For The Savior, picked up by the early Creative Sound label. It's a lovely simple expression worthy of your time, mostly gentle melodic acoustic ballads, some piano-accompanied, a few lightly orchestrated. Use of electric is rare, save for a couple of country twangers. KS


Songs From The Savior - Volume 2 Sonrise Mercantile 1973
You Must Be Born Again
One With You
Let Us Climb The Hill Together
Volume 2 picked up on the rural theme with a heavier approach sounding more like a full band with some folkrock moves reminiscent of Van Morrison and Neil Young. A dash of acid guitar and reverse edit psychedelia are pleasant surprises while the ballads sparkle with better production, including the wedding standard 'Let Us Climb The Hill Together'. KS


Paul Clark & Friends
Phil Keaggy * Paul * Bill Speer * John Mehler * Mike Burhart * Jay Truax


Come Into His Presence Sonrise Mercantile 1974
Come Into His Presence
He'll Do The Same
A New Man's Song


Good To Be Home Seed 1975
Holding On To You
All Your Ways
Abide
For Come Into His Presence (subtitled Songs From The Savior Volume 3) and Good To Be Home, Clark enlisted some Jesus rock heavyweights: Bill Speer on piano, Love Song members Jay Truax and John Mehler on bass and drums, and not least of all the commanding presence of lead guitarist Phil Keaggy. The musical depth was expanded to a fuller rock sound, including some of Clark's heaviest moments. These two albums are rightly considered Jesus music classics. KS


Phil Keaggy & Paul

Rehearsal for Good To Be Home

Hand To The Plow Seed 1977
Hand To The Plow
All I Need
Woman...The Man That I Love


Change In The Wind Seed 1978
Change In The Wind
He Wouldn't Lie
Me In You
For his late '70s phase Clark surprised us with a couple of records that signaled a complete change in direction. With piano directed to the forefront and the help of Harlan Rogers and Hadley Hockensmith of the jazz group Koinonia (and later Bill Maxwell and Abraham Laboriel), Clark dabbled with a progressive fusion of jazz, rock, and pop which at its jamminest is not unlike Steely Dan's The Royal Seam. Sleeker production was joined by saxophone, heavy guitar leads, brass section, synthesizers, organ, funky keyboards, ladies on BGVs. With it came a few AC ballads in the Gino Vannelli vein (of which Plow's B-side is entirely dominated), but on the whole it's a successful transition that was fully perfected by the time of Aim For The Heart. Change In The Wind also has some nice straight-ahead rock numbers. All of these albums as well as Clark's 80's output have been made available in a deluxe series of double CD's. KS