Larry Norman Album " In Another Land " Review by Jeff Miller
Today we take a gander at another Larry Norman release. Although So Long Ago the Garden, the follow up to Only Visiting This Planet, has its moments, the follow up to that one, 1976’s In another land (#3 in the trilogy) feels more so like the Only Visiting This Planet sequel, and is therefore not only a standout as one of Norman’s best, but is also one of the standout ‘Jesus Era’ records of the ’70s.
This doesn’t take on the social commentary that Planet does, but that’s fine. Within just a few short years (from 1972-1976), the mood of the country had changed and artists had moved on from protest songs to….well, whatever.
Like Planet, this album also includes what became Christian Baby Boom anthems such as “One Way” and “I am a servant.” And like Planet’s “I wish we’d all been ready,” this album includes two almost-equally memorable second-coming tracks: “Six sixty-six” and “UFO.” In addition, there is a memorable 1920s-sounding tune called “The Sun Began to Rain,” which features Dudley Moore on piano. And speaking of celebrities, his “Song for a Small Circle of Friends” does a lot of name dropping, though it has been contested that he actually knew all of those people.
Regardless, with this album, Norman once again stands out as not just a decent rocker and the genre’s ‘grandfather,’ but also as one of Christian rock’s few truly brilliant lyricists.
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