Respected by the best players in the world, quite a few of whom felt privileged to record with him, Phil Keaggy‘s stylistic expertise has always been expansive, spanning from prog of GLASS HARP to fusion that saw the American guitarist pull in his orbit the likes of Leland Sklar and John Patitucci, to sonic experiments in the company of Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta. All of this makes the veterans first solo album, “What A Day” from 1973, all the more interesting – because he performed on that platter alone, handling every instrument – and, of course, vocals, and creating not only one of the most prominent opuses to bear the “Christian rock” tag but also a work of rare beauty. And now, five decades down the line, a time came to explore it in details.
In order to do so, Keaggy went for a deluxe reissue, scheduled for release on March 29th, yet he focused on songs rather than packaging, and while the principal disc of the fresh set is dedicated solely to the remastered album per se, the other two CDs are split between mixes and versions that highlight various elements of the record and demos and unused cuts that allow a deeper insight in Phil’s creative method.
What A Day:
50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
CD 1 – Remastered Album:
1. That Is What The Lord Will Do For You
2. King Of The Jews
3. Walking With Our Lord
4. A Time And A Place
5. Rejoice
6. What A Day
7. Now I Can See
8. Behold, All Things Become New
9. Hallelujah
10. I Will Sing
CD 2 – In The Studio 2023:
1. That Is What The Lord Will Do For You (alt. mix)
2. King Of The Jews (alt. extended mix)
3. Walking With Our Lord (instr. mix)
4. A Time And A Place (alt. mix)
5. Rejoice (alt. mix)
6. What A Day (instr. mix)
7. What A Day (end tag v.1)
8. What A Day (end tag v.2)
9. Now I Can See (alt. mix)
10. Behold All Things Become New (acoustic mix)
11. Hallelujah (instr. mix)
12. Hallelujah (cocal mix)
13. I Will Sing (instr. mix)
14. Psalm 98 (instr. outtake)
15. Children At Play (instr. outtake)
16. Original Idea (outtake)
What A Day:
50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
CD 3 – Demos & Outtakes:
1. That Is What The Lord Will Do For You
2. Walking With Our Lord
3. Rejoice
4. What A Day
5. Now I Can See
6. I Shall Not Be Moved
7. Behold, All Things Become New
8. Hallelujah
9. I Will Sing
10. He Is Risen
11. Give Thanks
12. Taste And See
13. Heaven Is Home
14. Unchanging Love For You
15. Field Of Flowers
16. Happy Are We
17. Sweet Dreams Tonight
18. Voice Of God Call Out
20. I Believe (excerpt)
21. With You
21. Lovely Jesus
