Upon This Rock (Larry Norman album)

Background

In 1969 Norman returned to Capitol Records, now headed by Mike Curb, to honor his original 1966 contract with the understanding that he would have complete artistic control. Believing that "Kids just don't want to listen to God's empty songs anymore", in December 1969 Capitol released Norman's first solo rock album, Upon This Rock, "the first major label record to marry rock music with the gospel". "the Sergeant Pepper of Christianity", widely regarded as "the album that first recruited rock in the service of salvation", later cited as being "one of the roots of the current Contemporary Christian Music"; and now considered to be the first full-blown Christian rock album".

Upon This Rock, whose music was "a blend of folk, psychedelic, and rock influences", combined "street language and gritty imagery". In August 1970 he described the album as "simply ... twelve love songs to Jesus", whereas Don Cusic believes that "these songs tended to be darker than the early Christian cheerleader type of songs coming from other early Jesus music artists". In this album, "Norman brought a mixture of reverence and rebellion ... spreading word of an impending Judgment Day in the midst of war and moral decadence ... [and] speak to the psychedelic generation without sacrificing their spiritual gravity". Believing that "Christian music could be powerful in its message yet relevant to the times", Norman explained his thinking behind the album in 1969:

"Upon This Rock" was written to stand outside the Christian culture. I tried to create songs for which there was no anticipated acceptance. I wanted to display the flexibility of the gospel and that there was no limitation to how God could be presented. I used abrasive humor and sarcasm as much as possible, which was also not a traditional aspect of Christian music. I chose negative imagery to attempt to deliver a positive message, like "I Don't Believe in Miracles" is actually about faith. "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" talked about something I had never heard preached from a pulpit as I grew up. "The Last Supper" and "Ha Ha World" used very surreal imagery which drug users could assimilate. My songs weren't written for Christians. No, it was not a Christian album for those believers who wanted everything spelled out. It was more like a street fight. I was saying to Christians, "I'm going to present the gospel, and I'm not going to say it like you want. This album is not for you."

Speaking to the magazine Contemporary Musicians, Norman later expressed his intentions and feelings about the record:

I wanted to push aside the traditional gospel quartet music, break down the church doors and let the hippies and the prostitutes and other unwashed rabble into the sanctuary, ... I wanted to talk about feeding the poor, going into the world.... I wanted the church to get active and go out and do what Jesus told us to do. I felt that while the hymns had great theology soaked into their lyrics, that most of the modern music was anemic and needed a transfusion".

Release and reception

While Norman was denounced by television evangelists like Bob Larson; Jimmy Swaggart, who called rock music "the new pornography"; and Jerry Falwell; and others within the conservative religious establishment, who considered the development of Christian rock-and-roll, "a sinful compromise with worldliness and immoral sensuality", his music gained a large following in the emerging counter cultural movements. However, not all critics were impressed with this album. For example, a writer in Entertainment World called Norman "a hermaphrodite" and wrote "Faith can move mountains, so it may move this incredible hunk of hubris". while another, who described Upon This Rock as "a musical misery tour", and wrote: "God didn't give Larry Norman a voice — a recording contract, but not a voice". Another reviewer wrote: "In "Ha Ha World," Neil Young's "Mr. Soul" is thinly and lethargically evoked. Ditto a Jim Morrison effect on "The Last Supper." And shades of Art Garfunkel on the ballad "I Wish We'd All Been Ready".

In February 1970, two months after Upon This Rock was released, Capitol dropped Norman from their label, as the album was deemed a "commercial flop" as it had failed to reach the sales target Capitol expected, telling Norman that "there is no market for your music." Norman analyzed its poor reception in a 1972 interview: "It was too religious for the rock and roll stores and too rock and roll for the religious stores." In April 1970 Capitol leased Upon This Rock to Heartwarming/Impact Records for two years a small sum. While Norman decided to leave Capitol Records in protest, because he had a different audience in mind, he cooperated with the re-release of Upon This Rock:

I gave my permission, did a special re-mix for the Southern record label in Nashville, diplomatically hoping to soften the cultural blow by lessening the distortion and percussion in favour of the lyrics and harmonies. After all, I had no desire to unnecessarily make enemies with the brethren or to cause them to stumble. Yet at the same time I had very little interest in cultivating endorsements from the Church. I was out to create a dialogue with people who believed they hated God. I wanted to be on the battlefield, fighting a spiritual battle, trying to convince and convert the undecided and get them to cross the battle line to stand together with other new believers. Though I may have been in error in standing aside from the brethren by not performing for them, the established Church was simply immaterial to me.

Upon This Rock received increased sales due to its distribution in Christian bookstores, and "became Benson's most acclaimed release", selling 23,000 copies when it was eventually released in England in 1972 through Key Records. In 1971 Upon This Rock was submitted unsuccessfully for Grammy Award nomination.

By May 1970 Capitol released a single (Capitol 2766) with both songs from Upon This Rock: "Sweet Sweet Song Of Salvation" backed with "Walking Backwards Down The Stairs".

Original LP release

Upon This Rock (Capitol 1969) Produced by Hal Yoergler

Side 1

1. "Prelude"
2. "You Can't Take Away the Lord"
3. "I Don't Believe in Miracles"
4. "Moses in the Wilderness"
5. "Walking Backwards Down the Stairs"
6. "Ha Ha World"

Side 2

1. "Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation"
2. "Forget Your Hexagram"
3. "The Last Supper"
4. "I Wish We'd All Been Ready"
5. "Nothing Really Changes"
6. "Postlude"

Extra tracks on some CD releases

1. "You Can't Take Away the Lord" (demo)
2. "Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation" (live)
3. "Nothing Really Changes" (demo)

Personnel

-The Dannie Belles, an African-American contemporary gospel quartet involved in the 'Jesus Movement' sang backing vocals on the song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready".