released March 31, 2022

1. Introduction

2. I'VE JUST BEGUN (AGAIN)
Recorded in Hollywood - July ‘88
I originally wrote this song in 1968. It was a tune with the simple optimism - I try not to think of things that can't be done. When Glass Harp formed in the autumn of ‘68, our original band, John Sferra and Steve Markland recorded the tune on an early demo album in ‘69. It sat on the shelf for many years until Lynn Nichols and I rewrote the lyrics for the “Sundays Child” album in 1987 with a message of hurt, pain, and love reconciled, still with a message of hope - the One who gave you back to me. It's a lyric many people have identified with. It's about forgiveness and not giving up on love.
Written by Phil Keaggy and Lynn Nichols - Sebastian Music/Word Music/SGO Management/ASCAP

3. SUNDAY’S CHILD
Recorded in Hollywood – July ‘88
Randy Stonehill came up with the original ideas for this song. I helped him write parts of the verses and chorus. We had lots of fun writing and recording the song at my home in Costa Mesa, CA in 1987. The main theme of this song is meeting the “King of Hearts”, an expression Randy has coined often through his own music over the years. Jack Puig (engineer) and Lynn Nichols did a great job mixing this tune. Sounds best with the volume up.
Written by Randy Stonehill and Phil Keaggy – Stonehillian Music/Word Music/Sebastian Music/ASCAP

4. LOVE DIVINE
Recorded in Nashville – July ‘92
Obviously, a melody with a touch of the influence of a 60's Rock band known as the “Fabs” - if you get my meaning. Lynn gave me the title and I took it from there. A very light-hearted sounding tune with the love message - except the love being sung about is a Divine love.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Sebastian Music/Word Music/ASCAP

5. I WILL BE THERE
Recorded in N. Hollywood – December ‘84
The original idea of this song was a musical get well card for Bernadette’s mom recovering from surgery. Alicia, our daughter, and I made up the tune. “Grandma I love you, Grandma get well soon,” and so on… The song evolved into this message of our Lord ever present with us on our pilgrimage through this life. My brother Dave was especially moved by this recording and it encouraged his faith in God. Grandma likes it, too…
Written by Phil Keaggy – Sebastian Music/Word Music/ASCAP

6. TIME
Recorded in N. Hollywood – October ’85 (Previously unreleased)
I wrote this song in 1976 for the “Love Broke Thru” album. This particular arrangement and recording was made in 1985 with Dave Spurr (drums), Leon Gaer (bass), and Smitty Price (keys). This version also sums up how it was performed in the 80’s. “Time”, as heard here, was recorded for the flip side of a single called “Discover The Book” to promote the Living Bible. The song was never released and so this recording of “Time” remained in the can for all these years.
The song is about time as a created thing. It will run out and that will be it. It's a message too of getting things right with God and our fellow man right now.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

7. HOPE’S DESIRE
Recorded in Nashville – Spring ’93 (Previously unreleased)
I wrote this with my sister Geri. She came for a visit a couple of years ago and we've tried to make it a goal every time she visits to write a song together. My dear sister’s presence brought out this melody that is very reminiscent of the early 70’s and some of the melodies I had long ago. She also plays guitar and sings on the track with me. It's an acknowledgment of the pioneers and the pilgrims who have gone before us and who fought the good fight of faith.
Written by Phil Keaggy and Geri Bobeck – Birdwing Music/Marguerite Music/ASCAP

8. LET EVERYTHING ELSE GO
Recorded in Kansas City, KS – June ‘81
I was living in Kansas City at the time, and I was just out one morning as the sun was coming up for an early bike ride. There were two hot air balloons rising up in the air and they were really low to the ground. I thought, oh if I could just catch up with them, maybe I can get a ride, because I always wanted to take a ride on a hot air balloon. Well, they were ascending too quickly for me, so on my ride home I was setting into a pace and I started to hear this melody in my head. And I began thinking about the truth that I may not always grasp the things that I want to take hold of in this life. You know, the tangible things. But God who is invisible can be found and sought after. He is within reach. And all the things that we think we accomplish in life mean nothing in comparison to knowing Him and someday seeing Him face to face. (Romans 10:8-10/Psalm 17:15) I have heard stories from people who were in a very hard and difficult place, and for some reason this song really spoke to them in a very special way. It's so simple. I thought it was too simple. I tried to write a third verse to it but it was an encumbrance.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

9. PILGRIM’S FLIGHT
Recorded in Schaumburg, IL – July ‘78
I recorded this before heading West in 1978. I layered a few guitars, two electric guitars against two classical guitars with the E-bow in it. The E-bow sounds like a flute. I've always enjoyed the music of John Renbourn along with lute music and English folk music. There's a touch of those sorts of things in it.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

10. FIND ME IN THESE FIELDS
Recorded in Nashville – December ‘89
This is a prayer for God to be merciful, to be understanding, and He is. A prayer to offer one’s self at His feet - a prayer of surrender. It's a song about being open, penitent, and yet stouthearted to carry on with God's grace. It was inspired by several photographs. One was a picture of a rose coming up through this cracked sidewalk in the midst of the city. That's how ironic it is, you know, that life comes out of death. Where there is barrenness, God often makes miracles. It also talks about the final joining of heaven and earth, where that which is wrong and defective will be corrected, and God will make all things new. And, then there will be the complete fulfillment of the prayer, “Your Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Written by Phil Keaggy – Sebastian Music/Word Music/ASCAP

11. THEME
Recorded in Schaumburg, IL – August ‘77
“Theme” is a Phil Madeira composition, and anybody who knows Phil will be able to see him grinning throughout it. You know, tinkering the keys and laughing, “Hey Buddy.” This is the Phil Keaggy Band (PKB) with Phil Madeira, Lynn Nichols, Terry Anderson, and Dan Cunningham. This tune often kicks off the concerts we performed in the late 70’s. We were a band of musicians based out of upstate New York. We had her own style and a ridiculous wardrobe!
Written by Phil Madeira – BMG Songs, Inc/ASCAP

12. WHERE IS MY MAKER
Recorded in Schaumburg, IL – August ‘77
More PKB. Musically, an attempt at a different style. Lyrically inspired by some passages in the book of Job. I like the shuffle at the end.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/Marguerite Music/ASCAP

13. DO LORD
Recorded live in New York City – December ’71 (previously unreleased)
“Do Lord” was me taking an opportunity during a jam session to sing about the Lord. That's what I used to do in those days in Glass Harp. We’d jam something, and I would just start pulling something out of the hat. I had just come from a prayer meeting at a barn in Newton Falls, Ohio. And I'd still hear these sing-along praise songs in my head, but I'm rock and rolling now. So, what I’d do is kind of meld the two. We were playing at Carnegie Hall on this recording, opening for the Kinks. Dan (Pecchio), our bass player, sings the vocal on the second verse. This concert was to have been Glass Harp’s third album, but it was never released and we went on to make a third studio album. This particular evening was one of our best performances as a band.
Traditional, arranged by Glass Harp – Archaball Publishing/ASCAP

14. WHAT A DAY
Recorded in Cleveland, OH – January ‘73
The entire “What a Day” album was a real stepping stone for me in learning how to work in the studio. We just laid things down, one thing at a time. I wasn't even using metronomes. I would play another instrument along with the first instrument, and keep adding on. This album as a whole really had a life about it. I feel it's one of the most spirit blessed albums I have ever done because of its innocence. This song was special to both my father and my sister, Peg, who have passed away. It's a song of hope, a view of heaven as a reality. I wrote this song shortly after my mother passed away in 1970. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Gary Hedden engineered this track as well as the whole “What a Day” album. It was a special experience.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

15. LITTLE ONES
Recorded in Chatsworth, CA – May ‘80
I began to write little ones after Bernadette and I had lost three pregnancies between 1975 and 1977. The first time was triplets, at five and a half months. Our second pregnancy was our baby boy, Ryan, who lived three days in August 1976. And then again in April ‘77 Bernadette had a miscarriage at four months. We went through a lot of pain during those times.
We moved to Kansas City in the summer of ‘79, and she was expecting again. But, we really had an assurance and a hope from the Lord, and a great doctor that worked with her and performed an operation that really saw her through this pregnancy. Just three weeks before Alicia was born in late February 1980, I heard these words come into my head and my heart… “Who will speak up for these little ones?” I hadn't really given the whole abortion issue a lot of thought. Although I had given the idea of babies a lot of thought. All of a sudden, it really impressed me deeply, that God cares about what we do about our unborn. And, that as Jesus said “…That what you have done for the least of these, my brethren, you have done unto Me.” And, God wants us to cherish life. So, I began to sketch out these lyrics when Bernadette was near the end of her pregnancy.

Alicia was born March 19th, 1980. I played that same month in San Bernardino, California in front of about 7,000 people with the Sweet Comfort Band and some other artists. I finish the lyrics to “Little Ones” that day, and for some reason God gave me the strength to sing this song to that live audience - to make the people aware. After each verse, there was an overwhelming response. I mean people stood to their feet. I thought, “this is amazing.” It was as if God had given a revelation about this message - that we need to be their voice. It was something to see all the people at that concert have the same response to its message. The same response that I'd had when I first read the words.
It's a difficult subject, especially in light of today when it’s so controversial and there's so much violence. But, true pro-life people aren't violent people. They don't take another person's life. They don't take justice into their own hands.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

16. MORNING LIGHT
Recorded in Kansas City, KS – Spring ‘82
This was inspired by a poem I found called “Above The Hills Of Time.” It was primarily talking about the cross and Calvary. To this cross all the eyes of men are forever turning. That’s where it’s at. It’s the cross. That’s where our salvation is. That’s where out hope is. The most important central event of all history is the Cross of Christ. And, according to Saint Paul, it’s the power of God unto salvation. So, I brought out the idea that it’s like we are in a troubled sea and we need a lighthouse – and the cross is like that lighthouse. It’s where we can focus and identify with our humanity and identify with our God. Because our God took humanity upon Himself, and it’s right there that we can really find our purpose, and what we are all about.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

17. MARCH OF THE CLOUDS
Recorded in Santa Ana, CA – Spring ‘86
I actually wrote this back in 1980. I think this is one of the best recordings I have ever made. And I have Jeff Lams to thank. He helped with the arrangement and all the keyboard work on it. Alex Acuña played drums and snare. In fact, after Alex did his rudiments and marchings he came out of the drum booth with his eyes moist and he said, “I haven’t played things like that since I was a boy.” He said, “I just loved that.” And so, it’s got a lot of emotion. In fact, I remember playing that song one time at one of my concerts. At the middle bridge in the middle section there was such a welling up inside of me. I couldn’t express it. I felt electricity running through my body. And so performing this song on certain occasions is really quite an experience. It takes you on a bit of a journey.
Written by Phil Keaggy – Birdwing Music/BMG Songs, Inc./Sandtree Music/ASCAP

18. O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST
Recorded in Cerritos, CA – April ‘89
This is a track Smitty Price and I worked together on for the “Our Hymns” project. When I hear this song, I get the feeling of Christmas, you know. Even though it’s not a Christmas song, it feels like it… It’s such a wonderful hymn. Recording this song was one of the best experiences I ever had. My nephew Eddie Keaggy engineered it and Doug Matthews played drums. Dennis Hoyt played percussion, and Smitty Price played keys. Dave Coy played bass and I did the guitars and layered many vocal tracks in the middle and end sections. It’s one of my favorite tracks of all time.
Traditional, arranged by Phil Keaggy, Smitty Price, and Loren Balman – Sebastian Music/Word Music/ASCAP/Dayspring Music/BMI

19. THE ANSWER
Recorded in Nashville – April ’95 (Previously unreleased)
I wrote this in August of 1970. It’s the second song I wrote as a Christian. You know we were all on a search in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I wrote it for an event that we had called “New Birth Concerts,” which were city-wide outreaches that we did in Youngstown, Ohio. It was just a real simple little folk song. We recorded it on the second Glass Harp album, “Synergy.” I was really surprised when Lewis Merenstein, the producer, called to tell me that he decided to let the song go on the album. I knew it certainly wouldn’t help Glass Harp’s career on Decca Records, having such an overtly Christian song, evangelistically speaking, on the album. For this version I changed the original ending lyrics a bit. Originally it said, “He’ll open the door.” I always thought, “why did I write that?” It should be “will you open the door?” because He’s the one standing at the door knocking. And there was a line in the original that said “I’ve searched, you’ve searched, we’ve run in the night and still felt un-together.” That’s a funny thing to say. I changed it to “we were lost together,” which is what we were, you know.
Written by Phil Keaggy - Archaball Publishing/ASCAP

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Produced and Compiled by Phil Keaggy and Mark Maxwell
Digitally Remastered by Hank Williams at Master Mix
Digitally Edited by Ronnie Thomas at Master Mix

I dedicate this project to a very special person, whose loving witness brought me to living faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you, my sister, Mary Ellen.

The Producers: jb, Dan Collins, Tom Coomes, Bob Cotton, Buck Herring, Peter Hopper, Lewis Merenstein, Lynn Nichols, Smitty Price

The Musicians and Singers: Jimmy A, Alex Acuña, Terry Anderson, Curt Bartlett, Geri Bobeck, Lenny Castro, John Catchings, Judith Cotton, Dave Coy, Rick Cua, Dan Cunningham, Derri Daugherty, Jim DeLong, Stewart Duncan, Michael Fisher, Karl Fruh, Leon Gaer, Jim Gordon, Annie Herring, Hadley Hockensmith, James Hollihan, Dennis Holt, Jim Issacs, Wade Jaynes, Lee Jones, Bernadette, Alicia, Olivia, and Ian Keaggy, Larry Knechtel, Brack Leaberry, Mylon LeFevre, Paul Leim, Jeff Lams, Phil and Elinor Madeira, Doug Matthews, Mike Mead, David Mullen, Dan Murdock, Lynn, Kathy, Bianca, and Damann Nichols, Michael Omartian, John Painter, Ray Papai, Charlie Peacock, Dan Pecchio, Al Pethel, Smitty Price, John Sferra, Leland Sklar, Richard Souther, Dave Spurr, Randy Stonehill, Matthew Ward.

Thanks to Holly Benyousky, Mal Davis, Paul Dear, Gary Hedden, Ken Johnson, Johnny Kay, Eddie Keaggy, Mark Maxwell, Glenda McNalley, Norman Miller, Dan Newby, Dave Parker, Denny Siegrist, Barb and Chuck Wagner and Peter York. Special thanks to Lewis Merenstein, Neal Williams, Chris Hauser, Lynn Nichols, Phil Madeira, Bruce Brown, John Styll, John Thompson, Tony Shore, Keith Harrold, Dave Eastburn, Robin Mawdsley, Mark Hollingsworth, Dan Holter, Buddy Miller, jb, and all of Phil’s friends who helped and gave their input on this compilation.

Art Direction: Chuck Nelson
Design: Chris Ferrara, Team Design
Cover Photography: Ben Pearson