One of the most unexpected releases for many a year was N-Soul's recent remix album of Jesus Music legend LARRY NORMAN. Mike Rimmer spoke at length to the man who almost single handedly invented Christian rock music.

The majority of the songs on the album were written more than a quarter of a century ago. Talking to Scott Blackwell, I wonder whether today's dance fans had responded positively to the album. Scott replies, "Most of the kids who are into our stuff love 'UFO' and 'Sweet Sweet Song Of Salvation'. We knew that there would be a lot of die-hard Larry Norman purist fans who would absolutely hate what we did! A few people didn't quite get the whole idea but we expected that. Some people even requested their money back! A few people have made comments about 'God Part 3' and 'Why Should The Devil' saying that they like them!"

I wonder how Blackwell discovered Larry's music? He comments, "Not being around for the first generation of contemporary Christian musicians, I knew nothing of Larry's history. He was introduced to me several years ago by a friend of mine who's a prolific writer and Larry's obviously found a place in his heart because he's controversial and thought-provoking! Unfortunately that seems to be a quality that's missing in a lot of today's Christian music. Larry was a pioneer. He seems to have a heart just to communicate with people in a language they understand."

So did Blackwell feel it was important to introduce Larry to a new generation of music lovers? Scott replies, "That's first and foremost one of the things we really wanted to do because there are some great songs here and some serious in-your-face subjects. Hopefully we're introducing kids to somebody who is a key player. Audio Adrenaline and the Newsboys can go out there and do what they're doing because of people like Larry Norman, Keith Green or Randy Stonehill. They paved the road for all of them."

Back in the day when Larry was first pounding out his Jesus rock songs, he faced enormous criticism for almost every aspect of his performances. His style of music was criticised, as was the length of his long blonde hair and the fact he didn't smile in concert. There were frequent rumours that he had backslidden or started taking drugs. Larry spent time arguing against those who accused him of playing music which was satanic in style pointing out that the roots of rock 'n' roll were to be found in the Church, in gospel music.

In the enlightened '90s, the debate about rock music has all but fizzled out but in its place seems to be opposition from the Church, particularly in America, to rave and dance styles. Scott Blackwell explains, "Dance music is popular in the USA and Europe and this music affects a great portion of youth culture. We want to get to the kids with the tools that we have, which is dance music. There's been a lot of resistance to what we are trying to do from certain areas. Dance is the last type of music to be really accepted by the Christian music community in the States."

Larry Norman isn't surprised that there has been opposition. "The beat is very dominant in dance music and some people don't like music to be too lively!" Scott and Larry have discussed the subject as Scott reports, "It was great to relate to him. It was the same arguments that he received 20 years ago that we hear now. He's a guy with a lot of vision. He's not out of touch with the scene at all. He knew what the rave scene music was all about."

So does Scott think that Larry could perform in a dance style for the '90s? He thinks very carefully before responding, "Hmmm. Possibly. I could see him doing 'If The Bombs Fall' like that. I think that would really work live. 'God Part 3' and 'Why Should The Devil' would work depending on the band he had. And possibly 'Fly Fly Fly'. But definitely not 'UFO!'"

What about producing an album of new material for Larry? Would Scott be interested? "We'd be open to it but we've got our hands full now with this album," he replies. Apparently I am not the first to make the suggestion, as Scott continues to explain, "We've received a lot of e-mail and letters asking us the same thing. We'd love to facilitate it. We're not talking about it but it's possible."

During our conversation, I tentatively make the suggestion to Larry that he could consider making a dance album to reach kids. He is definitely not keen on the idea as he replies, "I think there are enough dance albums on Scott's label for people who like dance music. Why do I have to become a dance artist to reach a generation of people who like that kind of music? I've never specifically tried to appeal to any group who like a certain type music. I'm not really a recording artist - I'm a Christian who writes songs about what I feel and believe. I don't go chasing after the commercial market. The whole point of being an artist is being yourself and telling the truth."

The Christian music scene has changed beyond recognition since the time Larry first entered a recording studio. Is it possible for him to still be relevant in his 50th year? I wonder what he thinks of the music that is being produced now. He says, "The majority of people in the Church are probably over 30 so I'm certain that their music is different from the people under 30. But I've always encouraged artists to go as far as they want to go with their music as long as they stay within the spectrum of worship and respect towards God. I don't think Christian music should be buffeted by vanity and ego or turned into a circus. Some groups appear then disappear, making foolish vain babblings with their music. I'm not against them for doing it, because that's who they are and the kind of music they make. But it doesn't take root; it blows away like a badly sown seed. I try to encourage all the artists to take Christian music in whatever direction they want to go and feel that God is leading them, because music is a very pliable, flexible art form."

Looking back, does he have any regrets about the way his career has progressed, either as an artist or as a record company executive? Does he wish he'd been more commercially successful? "When I had Solid Rock I licensed my music out through Word Records but I still produced albums by myself. I'm doing the same thing now just working with other companies that I trust. As far as being in the Christian record business is concerned, I never was that interested in business. It's kind of a conflict of interest for me to pursue a career when what I've been trying to pursue throughout my ministry is to have an affect on people's lives emotionally and spiritually. The music business has gotten big so you could say that the river is running swifter and there are a lot more boats in the water. But I'm fishing on the edge of the river. I'm not in a boat trying to see how far or how fast I can go. I'm still fishing for salvation and individuals; I'm still casting out my line to encourage the rescue. Some people like to have a gospel award on their mantelpiece - I'd rather have a letter from somebody who said they really appreciated the time I spent talking with them. It's all about a difference in lifestyle. I don't think I should be condemned for not wanting to be a commercial artist."

Larry's Remixers

SCOTT BLACKWELL AND AARON DE LA CRUZ
The president of N-Soul Records, the legendary Mr Blackwell and co took care of "If The Bombs Fall", "I Am A Servant", "Fly Fly Fly", "One Way" and "Why Don't You Look Into Jesus".
Describe the technology involved: "We used time compression or expansion. The system we use is a digital performer - it's a sequencer and multi-rack recorder built in one. It has eight tracks on the hard drive that run in conjunction with the sequencer. Then we have various samplers and all he synth modules outside all that. The only song we used it on was 'Fly Fly Fly'. We sped it up about 12 per cent and changed it from a Caribbean
vibe to a reggae vibe."
Favourite songs: '"If The Bomb Falls' was just one of those things where the original vocals seemed to fit in an R&B groove. It sounded like something from Happy Days, something you'd hear in a '50s diner! I love the song! 'I Am A Servant' is just straight ahead CCM radio. It's a great song so we put it on a palette that radio is about right now. We did the same thing with 'One Way' - it's on a radio-friendly palette too."
The Challenges: "The hardest thing for me was locking up 'Why Don't You Look Into Jesus'. That song is more or less the same as before. We're so used to doing remixes but didn't have to do much on this song. Square is never square! We're always putting a square peg in a round hole!"

GREG YOUNG
Working as part of Virus, whose latest name variet/recording project is Bubblebaby Experience; Greg was responsible for remixing "UFO". A radical remix?: "The kind of remixes I like are ones where people have completely reinterpreted a song and made it into something that doesn't even closely resemble the real song. It wasn't until we heard the CD that we thought people might be afraid of what we did. We gave it a kind of spooky feel."