Favorite Rez Song - Innocent Blood

Bring on the blues!     Innocent Blood is Rez' most blues-based hard rock offering yet, without a bad track on the whole album. This CD just screams blues -- "Rooster Crow," "Where Roses Grow," and "Great God in Heaven" are straight blues songs, "Child of the Blues" starts out as a Robert Jordan-esque blues tune before progressing nicely into a real blues rock jammer, complete with slide guitar (and I don't mean a country slide LOL), "The House Is On Fire" has a great blues beat to it even if the vocal and guitar styles are more rock, and the bass and drums for "Fiend or Foul" are true blues as well. The rest of the songs are just great rockers, and I mean hard rockers, like we've come to expect from Rez by this time, along with an excellent cover of The Who's "Bargain." I especially like "Right on Time," even though it has keyboards (keys are OK, when done right    ); it was almost retro enough for Rainbow's End.


Interesting tidbits:
- The CD cover for this album does not list "Alter of Pain" --- oops!
- "Bargain" was a number one hit on Christian radio


The album also has a sad story behind its title. From the liner notes (misspellings theirs, not mine   ):

Quote :

The small girl staring through the dirty glass door [on the cover] is remembered by us as a friendly yet shy sort of child. She lived next door and loved to come over and help us serve dinner to our neighbours. One day she was laughing and playing, the next day she dissapeared. So far as we know, she was never found. This innocent child was the victim of forces not understood by a child's mind, fodder for someone's perversion, maybe money for someone's pocket ... innocent blood.

I was really getting into blues when this album came out -- Eric Clapton, Robert Jordan, etc. -- so I really enjoyed this whole album. Even today I have a hard time saying what my favorite is, although "Great God In Heaven" tends to get repeated a lot in my CD/MP3 players so I'll go with that one.

Where Rose Grow, what a great, great blues song. Love this one all the way through.

I'll second that, RF.  That song is so bluesy that even Bo Diddley would step back and go, "Man, you got dem blues bad!"

However, it isn't just the music to this song that I love.  The message is counter to the sadness of the music.  It gives great hope to the believer that one day we WILL run where roses grow.  Roses are full of thorns.  If they are rose bushes, you also have to watch for hidden snakes.  So, to be able to run there, all the dangers have to be removed.  It is a day when we will walk with Jesus by sight not just by faith.

My 2nd favorite is "Great God In Heaven".  When I get a bit better with my cigar box guitar, I am going to rework the harmonica parts and do this one at church.

Next would come "Laughing Man".

While there are other albums by Rez that I have a sentimental attachment to, musically,  this Innocent Blood is my favorite. It's a front to back blues rock album, but at the same time, it seemed a little "heavier". I always assumed it was a side effect of touring with Sacred Warrior. This was also an album that, in my circles, had appeal to non- Christians as well. It seemed like someone was always wanting to borrow it. 

It's hard to beat the groove of Fiend or Foul, or the energy of Child of the Blues, but my vote has to go to Altar of Pain. As BearDad said, there's not a bad song on it. This would be the Rez album for those who aren't fans.

I actually prefer Right on Time.

I'd love to hear your version alldat.

Another absolutely fantastic album by Rez, at this point in their career they were really firing on all cylinders. Difficult to chose a favorite because (as said by others) they are nearly all fantastic. I really really like Right On Time, but when forced to pick a single favorite I'm gonna have to go with the great cover of the Who classic "Bargain".

Six votes is pathetic! I think I'm going to have to start setting these things up for multiple votes. Come on folks ... Rez is like bread! You can't have a sandwich without bread, and we wouldn't have today's Christian hard rock with Rez. (OK, that's my opinion, I know, but it's my poll so I can say that!  )

By this time in my music listening career I was off into other things and Rez got left behind.  And then shortly after this time I got into playing music and was focusing on that and music purchases really waned.

BearDad wrote:

Six votes is pathetic! I think I'm going to have to start setting these things up for multiple votes. Come on folks ... Rez is like bread! You can't have a sandwich without bread, and we wouldn't have today's Christian hard rock with Rez. (OK, that's my opinion, I know, but it's my poll so I can say that!  )

I find it difficult to argue with that logic.

Those defective youth. Why won't they listen?

metaldude wrote:

Those defective youth. Why won't they listen?

Hey who you calling deceptive?!?  And where do you expect us to make a list in???

kerrick wrote:

metaldude wrote:

Those defective youth. Why won't they listen?

Hey who you calling deceptive?!?  And where do you expect us to make a list in???

Listen up my doomy friend. It says DEFECTIVE,  not deceptive. It's a joke that Rez fans will understand. Now get back in line before we get BeerDad after you. 

I am NOT moody!  And I am a good listener.  But why are you poking Rez fans???

Someone's got dain bramage.  ↑↑↑

Hehehe...

metaldude wrote:

kerrick wrote:

metaldude wrote:

Those defective youth. Why won't they listen?

Hey who you calling deceptive?!?  And where do you expect us to make a list in???

Listen up my doomy friend. It says DEFECTIVE,  not deceptive. It's a joke that Rez fans will understand. Now get back in line before we get BeerDad after you. 

I think I'm going to change my username!! LOL!  How's DanielBandFan sound?

Altar of Pain.... period...

I chose Right on Time, but several others are a close second. Bargain is a favorite, as is Where Roses Grow.