Reviewed by Dougie Adam

18 songs in all. 15 of them have previously been issued on various Solid Rock CDs, 'The Cottage Tapes' (with Randy's tracks from the 1971 'Born Twice' sessions), 'Get Me Out Of Hollywood' (Stonehill's unreleased secular crossover effort for Philips), 'Welcome To Paradise' and 'The Sky Is Falling'. All in all a good collection of some of Randy's best material recorded in the '70s and an indication of how he came to be regarded as one of the finest troubadours to emerge from the Jesus Music era. This compilation also gives a good cross section of the different styles of song he undertook during the period: thus we have a rockin' "Good News" live from Greenbelt in 1979, the zany testimony "Norman's Kitchen", a beautifully orchestrated version of the classic "King Of Hearts" among the highlights. Three of the bonus tracks are unreleased cuts from the late '70s and feature Norman and other Solid Rock artists rehearsing new songs "Safe In Your Arms", "Hide Me In Your Love" and "Chinatown" as some of the stable were gearing up to try for a secular crossover with Warners. All of the unreleased songs are rougher than the more familiar songs but one can imagine them sounding great in more polished and concise arrangements. Stonehill completists will want this for the rare bonus tracks while newcomers seeking a good overview of Randy's early work will also find this a rewarding listen. Those suitably impressed are advised to track down the few remaining copies of "Welcome To Paradise" before that classic sells out.

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