Description
The musical Shipwrecks & Islands, sub-titled Touching the Heart of a Broken World, is a collaborative project featuring songs co-written by Phil Baggaley of Phil & John fame, Dave Clifton, and Ian Blythe, as well as narration by poet/author Adrian Plass, released on Gold Records in June 1999, manufactured and distributed under licence from Gold Records by Integrity Music Europe. Featuring lead vocals by Mal Pope and Julie Costello.
Shipwrecks & Islands was a follow-up to City of Gold: Impressions of Heaven in Poetry & Song, an album released in 1997. A third musical was released by Gold Records in 2001, entitled Road to the City: A Pilgrim’s Journey.
Promo
‘Shipwrecks and Islands’ is the powerful follow-up to the best selling Christian album in the UK, ‘City of Gold‘. Featuring many of the same elements that made ‘City Of Gold’ so popular – outstanding songs and lyrics, great musicians, and timeless poetry, it offers comfort to the broken and challenges those who have forgotten that faith and love can make a world of difference. Featuring the vocals of Mal Pope, Neil and Julie Costello, and narration by Adrian Plass.
Although we live in a broken and despairing world, many of us settle for the safety and familiarity of an established lifestyle. We close our eyes and ears to devastation in the lives of people around us, be they family, friends or neighbours.
The purpose of ‘Shipwrecks & Islands’ is not just to provide food for thought, but to offer comfort to those who are broken and a challenge to those who might help but have forgotten that the smallest grains of faith and love can make a world of difference.
– Adrian Plass [A note printed on the back of the CD]
Having explored the thrilling vistas of Heaven in ‘City Of Gold‘ composers Phil Baggaley, Dave Clifton and Ian Blythe plus poet Adrian Plass now turn to an even more challenging topic, the need for the Church to awake from its slumbers and to carry the message of a Saviour to a world careering to destruction. They achieve their goal with another breathtaking mix of music and poetry. If anything Plass’ poetry on ‘Shipwrecks And Islands’ is even stronger, so than even when distinctly Betchemanesque as on «Shades Of Blue» the effect is emotionally compelling. The standout musical tracks are «Holy Ground» where over an Enya-like synth Mal Pope purrs the memorable melody with real poignancy, and «Surrounded» on which Julie Costello sweetly sings a beautiful hook and husband Neil adds some haunting guitar work, but there are several other tracks here which pass the old grey whistle test and work brilliantly outside the context of this musical. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, June 1999]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/shipwrecks-and-islands/694305467)
CD tracklist:
01. Storm Warning/This Dark Water – 2:47
02. The Whisper Of The Wild Wind – 4:34
03. Winter Waking – 1:06
04. Lay Down The Burden Of Your Heart – 3:45
05. When I Was Small – 1:19
06. Holy Ground – 5:07
07. Surrounded – 4:49
08. Shades Of Blue – 0:59
09. Love Is Stronger Than Fear – 4:52
10. Escaping The Island – 1:48
11. Light Of All Lights – 4:26
12. Take My Life and Let It Be – 2:53
13. It Is Finished – 1:32
14. What Jesus Would Have Done – 5:03
15. Let Your Light Break Over The Restless Sea – 3:34
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Gold Records. Available at Bandcamp: https://littleroommusic.bandcamp.com/album/shipwrecks-islands
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