Ha! I’m going to remember this quote, because it sums up how I feel about most specifically Christian music.
I’ll add another voice to recommend FIF. I saw their last concert, in Denver. It’s out on CD now. The last track, Every New Day, is phenomenal. It’s also on this album.
Hiebram
I have a strong feeling you’d really like the 6 CD box set “Goodbye, Babylon”, which has Christian gospel and country-western music from the early 20th century. It’s very raw, beautiful and full of soul. Really obscure stuff, mostly recorded on tape recorders… but one of the best CDs I’ve heard in a very long time.
My two favorite Christian artists (as somebody who isn’t fond of most Christian music I’ve heard) are:
Steve Taylor: Catchy, sarcastic lyrics and equally catchy 80’s-style new-wavey music. His albums are a bit hard to find, but worth it. “Meltdown,” “On the Fritz,” “I Want To Be A Clone,” and “Squint” are all very good, and you might have better luck finding his compilation 2-CD set, “Now The Truth Can Be Told.”
Alice Cooper: I’m kidding, right? Listen to “The Last Temptation,” “Brutal Planet,” and “Dragontown” and then tell me whether I’m kidding. Okay, so Alice isn’t solely a Christian artist, but I find that a lot of his stuff (especially his newer stuff) has a very strong Christian slant while still rocking just as hard as ever.
Some even more so than that. “40” from the War album is Psalm 40 set to music.
Lifehouse is pretty good too (as seen on Smallville during the last prom)
Hey, cool, so was I. Flew out from Philadelphia to see the final show, and it was worth it. 
Well, with U2 it goes a long way. The October albums is really full of gospel allusions, and listen to Where the Streets Have No Name while thinking that it might be about heaven. Bono carries much more respect as a lyricist with me because he’s not pressured into just preaching by an audience that thinks it’s required. Read some sites or books about U2’s lyrics, and you’ll find that quite a lot of their songs have a biblical reference or basis.
I saw a Behind the Music about U2, and they said that in the early days of their career they were pressured by a Christian organization they were part of to give up their music and devote themselves to the Lord or something like that. The band decided that they had been given a talent for music and didn’t want to let it go to waste, so they rejected the organization and kept playing.
Absolutely right! Even older stuff like “Second Coming/ Hallowed Be My Name” off the “Love It To Death” album showed that he knows his way around a Bible. How about “My God” from “Lace and Whiskey”?
He’s also extremely upfront about his faith and has helped to found and fund a Christian based charity , the Solid Rock Foundation which mainly assists with programs for at-risk youth around the Phoenix area. His dad was a pastor and so was his father-in-law. BTW, he’s been married to his wife, Sheryl, for nearly thirty years and has three kids. Not a bad example at all, eh?
That’s very cool indeed! I’m more of a fan of his more recent stuff, so I’m not familiar with the titles you mention–I’ll have to check them out.
The thing I like about Alice is that he understands that if you’re going to hook people with your music, first of all it has to rock! Many Christian bands I’ve heard (and I’ll admit it–I’ve not heard that many because the ones I have heard have turned me off, mostly) don’t seem to get that. IMO, you can’t counteract today’s edgy, hard-hitting music with smarmy lyrics and lackluster arrangements. Alice shows that Good kicks ass!
Lyrics are available over at SickthingsUK. There’s a lyrics section for older stuff and the lyrics to his as-yet unrealeased album, “Dirty Diamonds” are tucked away in the Discography page. Just click on the album cover and keep scrolling down. Check out “Running Down The Devil”. He’s not exactly a fan of Ol’ Scratch!
w00t! I didn’t know he had a new album this close! Last I checked they didn’t even have it listed on Alice’s own site (I see they do now, but kinda buried at the bottom past the tour dates), so thanks for the scoop. And yes, I see what you mean about “Running Down the Devil.”
…wanders off doing the Alice-fan happy dance (which probably involves snakes…