Posts Tagged ‘ alternative worship ’

// sunday music: great live versions

Okay, this one is going to be really quick – this weekend has been crazy, and so i’m pretty exhausted at present. These are clearly only a very small selection of the amazing live versions out there, but i’ll undoubtedly post another piece later this year with more of them – so let me know any of your suggestions of songs whose live version has lifted the original to a whole new level.

The first is Springsteen again, with an incredible version of Thunder Road that was recorded the year after the release of Born to Run. The crowd is totally wild, the atmosphere is obviously electric even from the grainy footage and Bruce is on fire. It’s enough to restore your faith in rock and roll, and it’s worth a look even if you’ve never been a Springsteen fan.

“Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night; | You ain’t a beauty, but hey, you’re alright…”

Pick number two tonight is, of all people, U2 – a live version of Where the Streets Have No Name from Slane Castle. The original has always been one of my favourite songs, embarrassing though it is to admit it, and this version turns it into a glorious and yearning song of worship.

Sometimes U2 can be lyrically clumsy, pious or just plain embarrassing – here, though, they are breathtaking:

Finally, pick number three comes from Jesus Culture and their new album Come Away. This is the closing track, called One Thing Remains, and it is an incredible, jaw-dropping worship experience. The sound on this video is slightly off, which is frustrating, but you still get a sense of what it would have been like to have been in the room. (There’s an audio-only version here.)

It’s immersive worship music, arguably worship the way it should be, drawing you into the singer’s awe and adoration and carrying you along with it until you too see it as they do. It is amazing:

* * *

And that’s sunday music for this week!

Thanks for your comments over the weekend and i’ll see you next Friday…

2010
12/05
CATEGORY
culture
God
music
other
TAGS









Leave a comment

// sunday music: songs about Bible characters

Three awesome and eccentric songs from a range of artists today – although I suppose you could class one of them as a cheat.

Pick number one is the mighty sufjan stevens with Abraham, a song from his first acoustic album Seven Swans. It’s a glorious and chilled piece, with a kind of drowsy tone that fits the Old Testament story perfectly. Sufjan has long been an inspiration for a whole generation of contemporary Christians who like the more idiosyncratic side of music, and it’s not hard to see why:

Pick number two is Brooke Fraser, who famously wrote the Hillsong United song Hosanna, which you can listen to here (it’s been covered to death lately, but there’s a power to the original that nobody has yet managed to match, in my eyes at least. The album which it’s from, All of the Above, is a cracker, too).

The song is Hosea’s Wife, and it’s another triumph of thoughtful lyricism, something she does well. Sorry about the video – the official version wouldn’t embed again. But if it appeals to you, i’d also recommend Crows and Locusts, from Brooke’s new album, which you can get here. Here’s the song:

And finally, pick three is, of course, Regina Spektor with Samson. The official video (which is here) won’t embed and so i’ve had to post a live version, which is nonetheless pretty amazing. Watch the video if you get chance, though.

I’ve said this is something of a cheat because it’s actually a story about a lover who died from cancer – I didn’t know that wonderbread is recommended as a help for cancer sufferers, either, but that explains a lot. That said, though, Regina comes from a Jewish background and there’s a lot to be said for taking the old stories and re-imagining them for your own circumstances. I’ve got a lot of love for this song, anyway, not least because it’s beautiful poetry, sliding in and out from the lines of the Biblical story to try and articulate how we relate to tragic circumstances. Listen to it here:

* * *

And that’s sunday music for this week!

Let me know your thoughts, and I’ll see you next Friday.

2010
11/28
CATEGORY
culture
God
music
other
TAGS










Leave a comment