Good Stuff

Check this stuff out if you ever get a chance:

1) The Alarm, especially the songs The Day the Ravens Left the Tower and How the Mighty Fall.
2) The Clash, Combat Rock - they have the feel of a modern day prophet in their social criticism and a razor-like sharpness in their look at what might happen to the human race. Their unfortunate conclusion after looking at all the problems is that we need drugs just to cope. I did like their line, "I'm not the only one of the caped crusader fan club, watching the sky for mankind's friend." We need a Savior and yes, the world really is that bad.
3) The Seventy Sevens (77's) - a Christian band with a great deal of talent who have been around a long time and should have made it big on secular radio on talent alone. The only problem is they are too diverse and can play too many styles of music well and were too difficult to categorize. They can really make you think.
4) Anything by Bob Dylan and T-Bone Burnett, but understand that they target the world at large with their message and cover adult subjects. Both have huge reputations in the music industry and their contribution to modern music cannot be overstated. They both want to make you think more than anything else. Both will point you toward God. Now if you only heard early Bob Dylan music you might not get that impression, but he has certainly pointed to God since the late seventies, fairly consistently.
5) Kansas combines classical music with rock to create what I like to call "enchanted forest music." Both Leftoverture and Point of Know Return are rock music classics, but they have many other well thought out, concept albums.
6) U2 is arguably the greatest rock band in the world. Many people complain that they don't understand U2, but they obviously connect with people on a very deep level. The Joshua Tree album has been called a proper response of a Christian to the world as it is, full of injustice and yet there is hope, just like a tree that flourishes in the desert.

I hope it becomes clear that God has enlisted some very significant artists to point people in his direction. There are also other artists who are just being honest with themselves who also point people in a different direction than they have been traveling in, even though they don't have the answer. I have found these artists to be worthwhile. There are many artists who are a waste of time.