~ the word becomes music
FAMILY
Album reflections from Ian Truscott
The Word became flesh, and lived among us. John 1:14
THE WORD BECOMES MUSIC was the album we wanted to record. FAMILY had kicked off with our first album simply titled “FAMILY”, containing our first Top 40 hit.
The record company then wanted us to do an album for Mothers’ Day. “Postcard to Home” was interesting and fun, but not really “our thing”. Being considered “religious”, they also wanted us to do an album of hymns.
In 1974, many churches were singing scriptures set to music. But we wanted to take it further - perhaps incorporate whole chapters into a song, or, entire themes.
So Revelation 3:20 “Standing at the Door” expanded to all the Laodicean message. “Born Again” told the whole story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Don Hargrave suggested replacing “Verily, verily” in the Nicodemus “Born Again” story, with “Get this, it’s heavy”.
The song “Living Water” drew on multiple Old and New Testament scriptures. Jesus spoke of the feet of those bringing news of Him as being “beautiful”. I hoped by using the soulful feeling of the ‘blues’ in “Beautiful Feet Blues” that we could extend the impact of the message.
My brother Phil wrote a melody to Psalm 3. While playing the piano, I came up with a tune in my meditation on Psalm 51. Each time I sing it, I feel the agony and the ecstacy of repentance and being cleansed.
I wrote the song “The Lord be with You” for an Anglican family mass in Ipswich. We used to ask audiences to sing the - and with you - response at concerts.
“If We Abide” was an important song for me - not flashy, not emotive but straight and vital. I love the Philippians 4:8 song, a potent reminder for what our minds should focus on.
