Label: Spring House Music Group
Producer: Bill Gaither
Song Titles for Rocky Mountain Homecoming: “Colorado,” “That’s When The Angels Rejoice,” “He’s Alive,” “Praise You,” “He Must Have Had A Mountain On His Mind,” “Castles In The Sand,” “Sing, Sister, Sing,” “America, The Beautiful,” “The Workshop Of The Lord,” “When I Wake Up In Glory,” “Higher Ground,” “I Just Love Old People,” “When He Blessed My Soul,” “Back Home Again,” “Come On In The Room,” “My God Is Real,” “All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name,” “Sweet Holy Spirit,” “Pass Me Not,” and “These Are They”
Song Titles for Red Rocks Homecoming: “Then He Said, ‘Sing,’ ” “Ridin’ Down The Canyon,” “For I’m Persuaded to Believe,” “Bigger Than Any Mountain,” “I’ve Never Loved Him Better Than Today,” “A Perfect Heart,” “There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing,” “They Call It Gospel Music,” “I’m Rich,” “Thanks,” “The Reason That I’m Standing,” “One More Mountain,” “So High,” “Heroes Of The Faith,” “Mention My Name,” “I Never Shall Forget The Day,” “The Anchor Holds,” “When The Rains Come,” and “It Is Finished”
Rocky Mountain Homecoming and Red Rocks Homecoming were recorded in the same setting with the same artists, so there’s really no point in reviewing them seperately. As with previous Gaither Gospel Series titles, the DVD versions contain bonus features such as artist profiles, extra footage of songs that didn’t make the final version, photo galleries and more.
The setting for these DVDs is the beautiful Red Rocks ampitheater in Colorado. While there’s a great deal of inserted footage showing the surrounding Rocky Mountains, 90 percent of the performances take place after dark. Aside from seeing the wind blow their hair and clothes, the point was somewhat defeated by not filming more during the daylight hours. Another annoyance with these DVDs is the amount of lag time (approximately two years) between the event and the release of the product for sale. In one respect, it’s good to see people like Hovie Lister again enjoying himself with his good buddy Jake Hess. The tribute to Lister is a nice touch as well. On the other hand, it seems odd to hear several songs that artists were pushing two years ago on a “new” Gaither release. Two examples are Legacy Five‘s “Heroes Of The Faith” and the Hoppers’ “Mention My Name.”
On a positive note, we get to again enjoy the superb production quality we’ve come to expect from Gaither products. There’s even some shots of the performance that were made from a helicopter. It’s clear that no expense was spared, and there’s some good talent assembled as well. Mark Lowry, Aaron Wilburn, and Taylor Mason are on hand for comedic relief. Lowry’s “fifth part” with the Gaither Vocal Band on “Ridin’ Down The Canyon” is particularly amusing, especially when Guy Penrod makes an inside joke about having to sing Mark’s part. Other artists include the Crabb Family featured on “The Reason That I’m Standing,” the Florida Boys offering “My God Is Real,” and Avalon performing an a cappella rendition of the classic hymn “All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name.” Fans who feel Gaither’s videos have become “too contemporary” in recent months ought to appreciate the higher percentage of Southern Gospel artists on these two DVDs. The Greenes, Booth Brothers, Isaacs, Jeff and Sheri Easter, along with individual legends like Ben Speer, Sue Dodge, Terry Blackwood, and others help round out the cast.
Any live concert event is going to be more difficult to capture than a controlled studio environment, and of course, outdoor live events also bring the weather into play. I believe those factors along with the extended delay between shooting and releasing to the public contributed to the overall feelling of “good, but they’ve done better” that I had when viewing Rocky Mountain Homecoming and Red Rocks Homecoming. I’m not giving them a bad rating in this review, because with the exception of other Gaither videos, these two meet or exceed most of the competing products I’ve seen in the Southern Gospel market. 3 1/2 Stars is defined as “A good solid project” by the owners of this website. In my opinion, that statement describes these DVDs accurately.
Author: David Bruce Murray
| Author's Website: http://www.musicscribe.com
Written: 09/30/2003
| 
Category: CD Reviews
Comments: 4
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I knew you'd catch Penrod's remark! I wonder how many people picked up on it?
I just want to correct one thing. Avalon's rendition of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" is not done a cappella.
Thanks for the correction, Mike. I had a brain freeze on that one!
I have the Rocky Mountain Homecoming DVD. I love it, but I think one of the best parts is Sandra Payne singing "God Delivers Again" in the Bonus Material! I just put the chapter on repeat and listen to it all day! I love it! I think it was worth the whole DVD just for that song!
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