Search - Steve Camp :: Collection

Pretty close but not comprehensive Camp collection

Greg Brady | Capital City | 05/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Camp got his start in Christian music through the help of friend Larry Norman, managed to make some of the most popular Christian music of the 80s (along with a classic in the album JUSTICE), and continues to perform and speak at churches (though to smaller numbers these days). This 2 CD set renders just about all previous collections superfluous.



PROS:

-Lots of selections from the 2 albums generally acknowledged as his best: 1989's JUSTICE (4 tracks) and 1983's FIRE AND ICE (5 tracks)



-Inclusion of rare song "Do Something Now" from the C.A.U.S.E. (Christian Artists United to Save the Earth). The song was a gospel reaction to the flood of megastar charity songs like "We are the World" that came out in the 80s from mainstream rock artists.



-18 of his 20 hits for Sparrow Records are here (#6 "On the Edge" and #11 "The Church is All of You" are missing)



CONS:

-Biggest one is that this collects Sparrow material only...no attempt was made to license material away from his old label (Myrrh) or his later label (Warner Alliance). This means you get re-recorded versions of "Run to the Battle" and "It's a Dying World" and no cuts from the albums SAYIN' IT WITH LOVE, FOR EVERY MAN, START BELIEVIN',IT'S A DYING WORLD, MERCY IN THE WILDERNESS OR TAKING HEAVEN BY STORM.



-Missing songs "Squeeze" from FIRE AND ICE, "Justice" from JUSTICE, and "Asleep in the Light" from SHAKE ME TO WAKE ME, a great cover of the Keith Green classic. Those are some of his best work and were all done on the Sparrow label, so it's hard to accept their omission.



-Amid the poppier "radio hit" material (like "Shade for the Children"), it would have been nice to make room for CONSIDER THE COST's "Could I Be Called a Christian?" a weightier tune about transforming our inner attitudes of the heart to loving God, rather than just actions that make us "look good".



BOTTOM LINE:

This is still the best collection available on Camp for casual fans. Camp aficionados will find it incomplete so they'll need to fill the gaps with "Only the Very Best" (for his Myrrh Records output), used copies of his later 2 Warner Alliance releases, and JUSTICE and FIRE AND ICE (the 2 CDs most frequently mentioned by Camp fans as his best)."

Still The One

Josh Simpson | 12/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is still as real as they come. Although released in 1995, it still carries the same power message of repentance, self-examination, and love. In todays world, I say," Here's to the good guys.""

Great songs with an uncompromising message!

Josh Simpson | Hico, TX. | 12/21/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though many of the songs will make you feel sentimental with the 80's sound, the message in these songs will last forever. There are many songs on this cd set that will challenge you and will make you examine your current walk with God. This cd has songs that will make you laugh, cry, and worship with a fervent heart. If you love music with a great message, get this set."