Grace For Drowning

They say 'never meet your heroes', usually for fear of disappointment. Well, today I broke that tabboo when I met Steven Wilson, the guitarist and guiding light behind the Progressive Rock group 'Porcupine Tree' (and many other excellent projects), and I have to say I was not dissapointed at all. He was doing a personal appearance at a local independent record shop, 'Record Collector' in Sheffield, just a few hundred yards from our house, to publicise his new solo project 'Grace for Drowning'.

I was immediately struck by Steven's unassuming affability and total humility about his musical achievements. He was approachable, and interacted with his fans warmly, chatting and signing autographs with relaxed ease, from the same side of the counter as his admirers. He came across as a thoroughly nice bloke.

The new album - a second solo effort following on from the 2009 offering 'Insurgentes' - is a great collection of music, reminiscent of his work with Porcupine Tree, with some at times soaring guitar work that in places reminds me of Pink Floyd and King Crimson at their height, but also making use of keyboards, drums, bass and woodwind. The mood flows from hard rock to quieter, more meditative passages, all with Wilson's signature 'groove'. A highly commendable album - as is everything the man does. Give it a listen, or even treat yourself and buy a copy.

BTW: that's me on the right and the afore-mentioned Mr Wilson in the middle; the young chap on the left is my youngest, who has an (almost) impeccable taste in music ;)

If I could ask God one question...

Do you ever wish you'd kept a thought to yourself? A few weeks ago I had an idea for a preaching series, which was "If I could ask God one question...". Rather than come up with the questions myself I asked the congregation for suggestions instead, and for a few weeks nothing appeared. This week, however, a positive flood has come my way. Here's what I've got so far:

• Why does God in the Old Testament seem to be demanding mass slaughter, whereas in the New Testament God's message is about love?
• Are you the same God that is worshipped by other faiths?
• Why do you allow people who you know will do terrible things to be born?
• Why is it that the Jewish race has undergone such persecution over the years?
• Should we give all teaching in the Bible equal weight?

That should keep me busy! Any thoughts, anyone?

Norway - a beautiful land

For our family holiday this year (probably the last holiday the four of us will have together, as the boys get older and more independent) we sampled our first taste of cruising. We sailed from Southampton to Norway, visiting places like Stavanger and Bergen and cruising around some of the magnificent scenery of the Norwegian fjords.

We spent a day sailing along the beautiful Geiranger Fjord, with its towering mountains, magnificent forests and impossible buildings perched on the hill sides with little if any means of access.

Hand-carved over millennia:

each drop of rain;

each flake of snow;

each breath of wind;

each grain of rock;

etching, forming, shaping

the rugged beauty.

Each seed, embedding itself

into solid rock,

greedily thirsting for life-giving water;

silently growing

to shroud the hills in green -

towering pines standing evergreen sentry,

singing praise to their Creator.

How do trees hold on
To lofty mountain crag-side
But by God's firm hand?

These are just some verses that I wrote at the time, though I was, and still am, aware of the inadequacy of words in the face of such grandeur.

Home is where...

A phone call this morning has set me thinking about home. It was from my mother, to say that they have sold their house and are preparing to move into a bungalow. I knew this was on the cards - they've been talking about it for a few weeks now - but when the news came it took me aback, and took me back.

We moved as a family into that house in March 1967: I was almost 6 years old. I don't remember much about the previous house, a 2 bedroom terraced property, other than where it was and that it was nearer to church. The 'new' house had three bedrooms, which was important as there were now 5 of us in the family: mum, dad & 3 boys. As I was the eldest, I was allowed a room of my own, except when we had guests, when I slept on a camp-bed with my brothers.

I don't think it's too sentimental a thing to say that that house helped to make me the person I am today, principally because it was home. Even though I only lived there for about 18 years, it has always been home to me: a place I could return to at any time and feel as if I belonged, that felt familiar and comfortable. Since I left there I've had 11 addresses, and have never lived anywhere more than 6 years, but that house has been a rock, a place of permanence, amid the changes that life has brought. It was there that I received love and nurture, forgiveness and understanding.

The same could be said about the church in which I grew up. It was the place in which I was baptised, in which I was converted to Christ - probably more than once, and in which I received the encouragement of God's saints over many years. But, sadly, a few years ago, the building closed and the people became part of other fellowships. We drove past the place just the other week: the building has not yet been sold, and it saddened me to see the gardens that had once been so lovingly tended looking so overgrown - saddened me, because that used to be home.

I've written earlier in this Blog about place. But home is a special place: home is where we feel we belong; home is where we are accepted; home is where we are nurtured; home is familiar yet challenging; home is where we can always be secure and loved and welcomed. And yes, I know that there are times when home can be frightening and oppressive and abusive, which is anathema to me, but that is not part of my experience. Home is more than the address you live at, more than the church building you attend, yet they symbolise for me so much of what a true home is.

Home is where the key fits. That rite of passage when one is given 'the key to the door', a tiny piece of metal that allows one access to the home at any time, is symbolic of belonging as well as of maturity. I was trying to remember when I was given my key: I'm certain it was well before my 18th birthday, let alone my 21st. And soon it will need to be handed back (hopefully to be replaced with a new one for a new place, a new home).

I can't help but think of words of Jesus at this point: "There are many rooms in my Father's home." [John 14:2 NLT] It is in God that we are truly 'home' - accepted, loved, challenged, where we belong, where the key fits. Whatever changes in life, we can be sure of this.

Fly From Here

The wait is over. The first new collection of music from legendary Prog rock band Yes in 10 years has been released in Europe, with a few changes to the line-up and people now no longer wondering what the new sound will be like. It's only the second album of theirs not to feature Jon Anderson on lead vocals - a distinct, and some would say essential, feature of the Yes 'sound'. So how does it shape up?

The album opens with a six-part suite, 'Fly From Here', which began life as a shorter piece penned by Downes & Horn over 30 years ago, during their 'Buggles' period. The overture sets the scene nicely, introducing themes that will reappear later, and leading into the first 'movement', 'We Can Fly'. This is our first encounter with the lead vocals of Benoit David, Anderson's replacement, who made his name in a Canadian Yes-tribute band. He seems to have a similar range to Anderson, though perhaps just a touch more understated. The track itself is OK: a little pop-y in places, and the obvious single (if there is such a thing these days - an abridged 'radio-edit' has been available for a week or so now), though it is also quite obviously Yes in its style and particular in Steve Howe's guitar part.

The second 'movement', 'Sad Night at the Airfield' has echoes for me of Alan Parsons' early work, and also of a current favourite of mine, Big Big Train, and there are glimpses of David Gilmour in the slide guitar work, so a good prog pedigree shining through in this track. By the third 'movement', 'Madman at the Screens' we begin to see more clearly than hitherto the influence of Trevor Horn & Geoff Downes' previous work with Yes, as this has, for me, clear hints of 'Into the Lens' from their first engagement with the band, 'Drama'. It's also the first foray into odd time-signatures (an essential element of classic prog) with a substantial portion of the song in 10/8. This continues into the fourth 'movement', 'Bumpy Ride', which lives up to its name with passages in 15/8 and 6/8, with many changes in tempo as well as signature. The final section, a reprise of the first, draws the suite to a close, and at 23:49 it clocks in as the band's longest single piece of music. As one of their many epic tracks it's not quite up to the grandeur of 'Close to the Edge' or 'Awaken', but it is worthy of Yes.

The rest of the album comprises five shorter pieces. 'The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be' is the only track to feature Chris Squire on lead vocals, though strangely it's the only song in the collection that I can imagine Jon Anderson singing. It has a good guitar part from Howe, but has, I have to say, nothing really outstanding about it - which probably means it'll be a future single. 'Life on a Film Set' is another old Buggles demo brought to life, and another song that has echoes in it of Drama-era Yes: it has a nice section in 11/8. 'Hour of Need' is a Steve Howe-penned song, relatively harmless, of which there is a longer version on the Japanese release of the album. Steve Howe's other solo writing contribution, 'Solitaire' is a solo performance from him on acoustic guitar, a tune with nice variations in pace and good displays of his undoubted virtuosity, which stands well alongside his other classic solo acoustic numbers, 'Clap' and 'Mood for a Day'. The closer to the album is 'Into the Storm', which starts explosively, but which fades quickly. I get the feeling that it is trying to be another 'Tempus Fugit' or 'The Silent Wings of Freedom' as an album closer, but it doesn't quite manage it. The final bars contain echoes of the opening suite, which does give a wholeness to the album.

It's good to hear new material from a band that has been delighting audiences for over 40 years, in various manifestations. Although not up there with 'Fragile', 'Close to the Edge' or 'The Yes Album', it's certainly not a 'Big Generator': this is recognisably Yes, and is certainly worth a serious listen by aficionados and by those exploring the delights of Prog for the first time.