Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A concert held on 18th October 2003 in Beaverton (which the fascinating sleevenote essay from Bob Gerstzyn helpfully tells us is 70 miles from Lebanon, Oregon) where the Jesus music pioneer sings a batch of breathtaking, classic songs, "The Great American Novel", "God Part 3", "The Outlaw", "UFO", "Six Sixty Six", "Why Don't You Look Into Jesus", "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" are surely the greatest body of work any postwar Christian singer/songwriter has assembled. A lot of this album was briefly available on the now deleted 'The Final Concert' album (which mysteriously our resident Larry Norman expert, Mike Rimmer, didn't rate) but with these stripped down versions putting all the focus on those unforgettable lyrics, I found the whole mood of intimacy and tender informality engendered here truly heartwarming. Considering his poor health Larry was in good voice and his chops only deteriorate during "My Feet Are On The Rock". The childhood reminiscence "You Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dog Around" may be an acquired taste too. If you're a hardcore Larry anorak with an ever growing pile of the maestro's CDs or a Christian music newcomer for whom the poet laureate of Jesus music is unknown to you, this is a haunting reminder of a huge talent.

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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