Glass Harp - Stark Raving Jams
-- by Stephanie Bargenquast

I've always maintained that Glass Harp is best in a live setting. The enormous talent of Phil Keaggy, John Sferra and Daniel Pecchio, individually and as a whole, is all the more evident when they are allowed to feed off of and be inspired by an active audience's enthusiasm. There is a good reason six out of the ten CDs the band has released have been live material, and Stark Raving Jams is the "greatest hits" of their live performances over the past 33 years. A chronology of sorts, it allows the listener to see an evolution of talent and proves why these guys have been wowing audiences since 1968. SRJ is three discs' worth of the extended jams and tight playing the group has become famous for--a jam lover's delight.

Comparisons have been made with this release and Phil's 1999 release, Premium Jams, and there are some similarities. True, these are improvisational jams, and anyone who likes Premium Jams will like Stark Raving Jams. But unlike Premium Jams, most of these songs flow from fully developed vocal pieces instead of a handful of jam sessions. Some tracks are snippets, many are extended instrumental endings and some include the entire piece, which is good news for those of you who missed the vocals on Premium Jams.

Different from Strings Attached, and Live At Carnegie Hall, Stark Raving Jams is a compilation--and it feels like one. It lacks the continuity of a complete performance. Not all the tracks flow together well and the source tapes vary from soundboard to audience recordings. The transition can catch a listener by surprise in a few spots.

Having said that, there are some incredible moments throughout these three discs! The band's standard "trilogy" is 15 minutes long and at least 13 other tracks are longer than five minutes. In fact, at more than three hours, this set will take a while to digest--but then that's part of the fun!

With all these delectable treats, it's hard to pick out a few favorites. Of course, I'm partial to those recorded with me in the front row ;). "Once A Daydream" displays the incredible talent of the late Jeff Snauffer on mandolin. What fun it was to watch Phil and Jeff play together live and I'm pleased the rest of the world will get a hint of what a joy it was to watch! "My Prayer" is another of my favorites, blending rock, blues and salsa into the usual musical stew Glass Harp is known for. "Voice Of God Call Out" is probably the mellowest song in the lot, but it is majestic in aural quality. "Nothing But The Blood" is smooth, serious and soulful while the "leftovers" from Strings Attached, "Let's Live Together" is happily optimistic.

Many of these songs are simply uncompressed versions of mp3's originally appearing on Glass Harp's website, but if you've got all those, don't think you've heard the whole set! There are plenty of extras, including some long lost gems, early demos and even a radio promo to make this set worth every penny! Stark Raving Jams is a treat and should be enjoyed by both new and longtime fans, and anyone else who enjoys great jamming by great musicians.

-- Stephanie Bargenquast

View more information on Stark Raving Jams.

Posted: August 14, 2004