Icons

Description

Icons is the sixth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer Jeff Johnson, independently released on his own label Ark Records in 1984, distributed by Sparrow/Star Song Distribution. (Originally a Limited Edition release. Re-issued again in 1986.) The album was recorded from fall 1983 to Spring 1984 at The Ark in Camano Island, Washington; with Jeff Johnson and Sandy Simpson producing. Written and conceived by Jeff Johnson. (The symbols that make up the cover’s design have been rendered in the Celtic tradition. Eternity, never ending existence, the Trinity, as well as the monogram of God are a few of the things they symbolize.)

“To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower” – William Blake.

Continuing the visionary musings of ‘The Face of the Deep‘ (1980), ‘Icons’ (1984) followed ‘Shadow Play‘ (1983) in a unique series combining classical sensibilities with the energy of rock. Originally released as a limited-edition LP. ‘Icons’ soon became Jeff Johnson’s most popular work, and has now been added to the Ark catalog of compact discs. Roving freely through life and art, he unveils, in ten icons, a world transfigured by new ways of seeing, charged with grandeur, and as richly intertwined as the celtic cover design. Burning with Blake’s double vision, ‘Icons’ is a mystical journey through the natural world. [CD liner notes by Gord Wilson]

An artist definitely worth mentioning is an independent by the name of Jeff Johnson. (Who?) Jeff has just finished his fifth and best album titled Icons. The album is a limited edition (500 autographed and numbered copies) and is available on either cassette (high quality chrome bias) or record. The cost is $25.00.

The album is well worth the cost. Jeff Johnson’s music is a superb mix of classical, jazz, pop, and avant-garde. Instrumentally, Johnson reminds you of Vangelis with his spectacular combination of acoustic and electronic keyboards. The lyrics are more than lyrics, they are treatises on the search for meaning inspired by Madeleine L’Engle, George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis and many others. This is definitely an album to sit down and listen to.

Icons may well be one of the most creative, high-quality albums ever to be produced for the Christian market. [Mike Atkinson, Wittenburg Door Magazine, October/November 1984]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/icons/58213699)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Tesseract” – 2:30
A2. “People In Peril” – 6:22
A3. “Selah” – 1:55
A4. “Closed, Please Call Again” – 7:14
A5. “Birth, Dreaming, Death” – 6:02

Side Two
B1. “Remove The Mask” – 4:32
B2. “Agony And Ecstasy” – 3:29
B3. “Waiting For The End” – 4:40
B4. “Ancient Icons” – 3:51
B5. “Windemere” – 7:08

Note: Originally released on cassette and a Limited Edition 12-inch vinyl LP in 1984, and re-released again in 1986. Later re-issued on CD by Ark Records. Available at Bandcamp: https://jeffjohnsonarkmusic.bandcamp.com/album/icons-2

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