There are lots of songs in the annals of Christian rock history that almost elevate the album to classic status. Songs that are so good, that they make up for, perhaps, weaker material elsewhere on the album. For this reason, we thought we’d suggest a mixtape for you culled from albums that didn’t quite make this list (but might’ve come oh-so close just because of these songs). That’s how this list got started. Before it was finished, however, I added tunes on here that had to be heard. Some are from bands that made it onto the list, others that didn’t. These are in no particular order. Enjoy…
“Without Eyes” – Veil of Ashes (Pain)
“Strong Tower” – Phil Keaggy (Find Me in These Fields)
“Big Boys” – Flock 14 (Brave New World?)
“Spaceman” – Believable Picnic (S/T)
“Rock Stars on H” – Mike Knott (Strip Cycle)
“Run Mary Run” – Cush (S/T EP)
“Save Me” – Rich Mullins (S/T) …could’ve be a Zeppelin outtake
“Be Still and Know” – Kim Hill (S/T)
“Don’t Say Suicide” – Rick Cua (You’re My Road)
“The Devil is Bad” – The Ws (Fourth From the Last)
“My God” – Audio Adrenaline (S/T)
“The Vision” – Darrell Mansfield (The Vision)
“Fifty-Five” – Rod Laver (Trying Not To Try)
“The Blood” – Street Angel (S/T)
“Nobody’s Fault but Mine” – 77s (Drowning with Land in Sight)
“Loving You” – The Rock & Roll Worship Circus (Welcome to…)
“Shut Off” – Puller (Sugarless)
“Dreams” – Recon (Behind Enemy Lines)
“Oh, Lord, You’re Beautiful” – The Insyderz (Skalleluia!)
“Big Man’s Hat” – Charlie Peacock (The Secret Of Time)
“Elle” – Avion (White Noise)
“The Prodigal Son Suite” – Keith Green (The Prodigal Son)
“Bring Jesus to Me” – Paul Q-Pek (Touch the Ground) …yeah, it’s a stretch to call it rock. Think Peter Gabriel…
“Do You Feel Their Pain” – Steve Camp (Justice)
“Keep Me Runnin’” – Randy Stonehill (Welcome to Paradise) …& add “Lung Cancer” as an honorable mention…
“The Suffering Servant” – Leviticus (Setting Fire to the Earth)
“Shelter Me” – Balance of Power (Perfect Balance)
“Up From the Wasteland” – AD (Art of the State)
“Breakaway” – Idle Cure (S/T)
“Church Of Do What You Want To” – Jacobs Trouble (Door Into Summer)
“Escher’s World” – Chagall Guevara (S/T)
“The Dance” – Kemper Crabb (The Vigil) …no, this ain’t rock at all.
“Duane Joseph” – The Juliana Theory (Understand This Is A Dream)
“Carry Me Down” – Demon Hunter (Storm the Gates of Hell)
“Baroquen Spirits” – Larry Norman (So Long Ago the Garden)
“Three Nails” – Undercover (Boys and Girls Renounce the World)
“Ecumenical” – Black Eyed Sceva (50,000 Miles Davis)
“Are You Ready For Thunder” – Rage of Angels (S/T)
“Is It A Crime?” – Zion (Thunder From the Mountain)
“Wind at My Back” – Spock’s Beard (Snow)
“Shine” – Newsboys (Going Public)
“A Little Love” – The Brave (Battle Cries)
“It’s Hard to Take” – The Front (S/T)
“Valerie” – Sweet Comfort Band (Cutting Edge)
“Sodom & America” – XL & DBD (Sodom & America)
“Train” – Jet Circus (Step On It)
“Goldilox” – King’s X (Out of the Silent Planet) …perhaps best song from best band?
“Kites Without Strings” – The Seventy Sevens (S/T)
“Gotta Serve Somebody” – Bob Dylan (Slow Train Coming) …this album was SO going to be on the list. sigh.
“Exoskeletons” – Tourniquet (Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance)
“Responsibility” – MxPx (The Ever Passing Moment)
“Who’s Who Here?” – Daniel Amos (Mr. Buechner’s Dream)
“Hollywood” – P.O.D. (The Fundamental Elements of Southtown)
“Six Feet Under” – Applehead (Meaning)
“Nice Guy” – Fell Venus (@)
“Fell in Love at 22” – Starflyer 59 (The Fashion Focus)
“Love Cocoon” – Vigilantes of Love” (Slow Dark Train)
“A New Law” – Derek Webb (Mockingbird)
“He’ll Take Care of the Rest” – Keith Green (For Him Who Has Ears to Hear)
“River Of Love” – Leslie Phillips (The Turning)
“Am I Ever Gonna Change?” – Extreme (III Sides to Every Story)
“Unicornicopia” – Joy Electric (The White Songbook)
“Bow” – Focused (Bow) …it’s just a spoken word intro, but wow!
“Every New Day” – Five Iron Frenzy (Our Newest Album Ever!)
“The Murder Weapon” – T Bone Burnett (Proof Through The Night)
“City of Blinding Lights” – U2 (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” – U2 (War)
“Godspeed” – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Lonely Road)
“Never For Nothing” – Margaret Becker (Never For Nothing)
“B-Fly” – Homeless J (Three Seconds To Gaze)
“Shadows” – Rez Band (Between Heaven and Hell) …could be the BEST Christian rock song ever!
“First Love” – Stryper (Soldiers Under Command) …my favorite song for many years…
“Heaven or Nothing” – Barren Cross (Atomic Arena) …talk about a POWER ballad!
“Man of Sorrows” – Pat Terry (The Silence)
…and the list could go on. And it should go on. Please add your additions with comments below.
Doug’s additions:
“Mary Mother” – Atticus Fault (S/T)
“Separation” – As I Lay Dying (An Ocean Between Us)
About the Author
