Reviewed by Andy Long

This is one for the Jesus Rock generation. Agape were originally formed in 1968 as a vehicle for rock guitarist and singer Fred Caban, one of the hosts of disillusioned hippies who were turning to Christ. Fred wanted to express his faith in a way that would he relevant both to himself and to his contemporaries (surely the ethos behind almost every Christian band) and so formed Agape with a few friends, one of the earliest Christian hard rock bands. Musically, the band arc reminiscent of other American bands of the era. Iron Butterfly are a prime example of where Agape are coming from, whilst British Christian rockers Out Of Darkness are also in the same arena, indeed this album will appeal lo the same crowd who bought Plankton's limited edition CD two years ago. The unreleased studio tracks are from later sessions, mostly late '70s and feature varying line ups. There's even a 1993 cut. "Standing Still", proving that Fred is still out there somewhere. The live material is from a rare eight-track recording of a college gig in Walnut, California and is probably more representative of the band's true sound. "Wouldn't It Be A Drag" features the obligatory drum solo as well as some improvisational rambling from Fred. The unfortunate truth is that Fred was no great shakes as a guitarist had live this is painfully evident. Like Red Dwarf's Lister, the man thinks he is an axe hero when everybody else knows he should never have been let loose with anything more than a tennis racket Bit harsh maybe, but there you are. If you are a collector of CCM rarities (like me) or bit of an anorak when it comes to the history of Jesus rock (like me) then you'll want to buy this CD, from that point of view it's worth having. But don't buy it as an example of classic musicianship.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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