Description
Eight Days: A Personal Journey is an album by the American singer, songwriter, and producer Austin Roberts featuring Advent, released on NewPax Records in 1976, distributed by Word. The album – called a “rock musical” in the liner notes on the back cover – was produced by Austin Roberts and arranged by Kim Rose. Lyrics by Roberts and music by Roberts and Rose.
The album was included among Harmony Magazine‘s Best Albums of 1976, a list of ten albums featured in issue No. 11. (“Harmony picks Jesus Music’s best of ’76” – “Regardless of music style, “the best” were picked on the basis of their ability to communicate beyond the four walls of the church.”)
Austin Roberts is known for having produced two classic Christian rock albums of the 1970s, Eyes to the Sky (1975) by Randy Matthews and Come and Join Us by Petra (1977). Roberts also wrote “Chance of a Lifetime”, recorded by Take 6 on their 1996-Grammy Award winning album Brothers.
A decent yet strangely ignored progressive rock musical with all the desirable ingredients: hard rock guitar crunch, synthesizers, classic rock organ, symphonic, classical and acoustic passages. Perhaps people recognize that Roberts had a couple pop hits in the ’70s («Something’s Wrong With Me», «Rocky») and figure this is more of the same. Not true. And don’t let the “musical” tag throw you into thinking this is some Godspell takeoff – to me Eight Days comes off more as a conceptual album than a musical. No immediate comparisons come to mind though sections reminded me of Barratt Band and Daniel Amos circa Horrendous Disc. I like this better than Cry 3 or Because I Am. An atypical release for this label. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
Monday
A1. “The First Day” – 3:32
A2. “Once There Was Light” – 3:47
Tuesday
A3. “(Eight Days Theme) Who” – 3:08
A4. “Rain” – 2:52
Wednesday
A5. “Eight Days Theme (Overture)” – 3:46
A6. “Time Out/God I Need” 5:03
Side Two
Thursday
B1. “Eight Days Theme” – 1:50
B2. “Children (We’re All Children)” – 5:33
Friday
B3. “Eight Days Theme” – 0:41
B4. “The Mellow Song” – 2:21
Saturday
B5. “(Eight Days Theme) Sadder Day” – 2:53
Sunday
B6. “Eight Days Theme” – 1:17
B7. “Trilogy” – 4:46
B8. “Home” – 3:01
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by NewPax Records.
[youtube_sc url=”v9WYrDRLYp4″ title=”Austin Roberts and Advent – The First Day” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
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