LEGEND Revisited - New Recording Project

Back in the 70's I was playing drums in a Connecticut band, we named Legend. It was a power trio playing a mixed genre of music. We recorded one album, From the Fjords, which was released in 1979. I became a Christian in March of that year, left the band and went on with life in various ministries. Come to find out in 2006, the album became internationally known and was a collector's item in genres of Rock and Metal. I was shocked, to say the least. After receiving many requests from record companies to offer an 'official' reissue of the recording (against all the bootlegs in print) I ended up working with a company from Greece, Sonic Age Records, and they did an excellent job, in 2019.

I had already rewritten all the lyrics to reflect a Christian message and had ideas for a rerecording project but, the necessary elements were not in place for me at the time. Today, I am in a better position to do so. The record company is excited for such a new revisiting of the material. The guitarist passed away in the 80's. The bassist is not interested.

I am open to finding websites or ways to search for new musicians to record the new project. My wife and I live in rural Texas and aside from personal recording projects, access to musicians of the caliber of the original guitarist and bassist, that are committed believers, is a rarity at best.

If anyone knows of any avenues to pursue to find such musicians, I'd appreciate being directed.

Thank you - Ray

Hi Ray!

Are you looking for local musicians to work and record with or are you open to working with folks across the country?

Xid wrote:

Hi Ray!

Are you looking for local musicians to work and record with or are you open to working with folks across the country?

Local would be great but, realistically, for such a project, and the common ability to share files and all, the world is an open field next door. 

I trust the Lord will bring the right people together for this. It may have some growing pains if people are far apart but, as long as everyone is open and up front, distant collaborations take place all the time now, especially since 2020. 

Once I have the right people, a lot of discussion will take place to nail down details. 

More info on my website but, rules won't let me post it for seven days. 

Do a search for 'Drums in his heart.' It should get you to my site and click on the Legend Revisited tab. 

Take a look and see what you think. 

Thanks for your interest.

Posting Ray's link (since he is still in that probationary period).

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Staybrite wrote:

Posting Ray's link (since he is still in that probationary period).

Thank you for that, although that will take you to the Legend page. Helpful for the background. Once there, the Legend Revisited page is the one for the recording project. :-)

I don't know if I am the level of bass player you are looking for, but I am listening to the first song from the Legend album on YouTube now and I feel I could do something similar.  That would remain to be seen.

So, it might be that I could be a part of this.  I do have recording equipment of my own and could record my parts here in Tennessee and send them to whoever would be doing the mixing.  I am not up to snuff on mixing using a computer yet, so I would not want to be responsible for that at this time.

alldatndensum wrote:

I don't know if I am the level of bass player you are looking for, but I am listening to the first song from the Legend album on YouTube now and I feel I could do something similar.  That would remain to be seen.

So, it might be that I could be a part of this.  I do have recording equipment of my own and could record my parts here in Tennessee and send them to whoever would be doing the mixing.  I am not up to snuff on mixing using a computer yet, so I would not want to be responsible for that at this time.

As you listen to the whole album you'll get a better feel for what our sound was like. Because we were all into Fusion back then the Jazz, Rock and Funk influence became a big part of our approach, despite the nature of the songs we chose for the album. 

In many ways the essence of the jam bands, like Cream, was a big influence on us, as well. Lots of creating on the fly. You'll hear that on the album too, especially on The Golden Bell's solo section. 

R.A.R.Z was totally Kevin's, words and music, and I'm not going to redo the lyrics for that song, just to honor and respect his legacy. It will be replaced by another song we originally recorded for a demo.

I am also replying on the Christian Metal Realm.  I posted a few songs from YouTube that I played on.  If I can be of assistance, that would be amazing.  If not, no harm-no foul.  If you need someone else, I fully understand and look forward to hearing what you do in the future.  Pray about it, and let me know.

Peace!

alldatndensum wrote:

I am also replying on the Christian Metal Realm.  I posted a few songs from YouTube that I played on.  If I can be of assistance, that would be amazing.  If not, no harm-no foul.  If you need someone else, I fully understand and look forward to hearing what you do in the future.  Pray about it, and let me know.

Peace!

I saw and listened and replied, as well as a PM. We'll see what the next few weeks reveals.

I'm not the best with words, but here's my attempt at an album review.  I hope y'all enjoy it and pick up From the Lord!!!

As mentioned earlier, From the Lord is a remake of the 1979 album From the Fjords with mostly all-new playing and vocals* - but now with an overtly Christian message upon Ray becoming a Christian.  I was chatting with Ray some via personal messages and exclaimed to him how wonderful an illustration of God’s work within His people this is: like every one of us prior to our justification, you could say From the Fjords (while musically awesome!) was spiritually “dead” - but now new life has been breathed into it, redeeming its secular, Gospel-void message with one of the Good News, biblical truths, and warnings to repent.

Musically, this album is really fantastic.  It walks a fine line between progressive rock and metal, with an especially groovy feel.  Ray’s warm vocals fit the music very well.  The instrumentation is quite complex and dynamic, requiring careful and repeated listens to even begin to digest all that’s happening within it.  The drums are the standout instrument here to my ears, significantly elevating the songs to be quite engaging.  These days, top-notch musicianship alone won’t separate a band from the umpteen zillion other prog bands who can noodle their way through their longwinded tunes – but that’s exactly where Legend Revisited really shines and sets themselves apart from many of their contemporaries: the songwriting.  These are very catchy songs that’ll get your foot tapping and stick in your head for days.  Likewise, they’re never too long or overstay their welcome.  The album clocks in at 42 minutes but feels shorter due to its great pacing and diversity.

Lyrically, folks who like their Christian music bold and clear will find much to love here.  There is no fluff and no ambiguity in the lyrics.  Each song spurs the believer onward in their faith and/or warns the unbeliever of the perils their unrepentance will bring.  I highly recommend anyone interested in this album to by the CD or vinyl because in addition to the lyrics, the booklet includes Scripture references for every song as well as personal insights into each track – comparing the songs’ original counterparts’ meaning to the new messages.  Reading the notes along with the lyrics really enhances the overall listening experience and not to be something skipped over!
Overall Ray’s passion and zeal permeate the entire album - musically and lyrically - to be one cohesive chunk of stellar progressive music to edify believers and remind us all of the need to be ready when Christ returns in all His power and glory.



*One original song wasn’t written by Ray, so he omitted that from the new tracklist and instead replaced it with a new song, Gideon.

CDs and vinyl are available at Roxx!
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I saw that Roxx was distributing the album/cd.  Very cool!