In a land of olde
Stands the fortress He chose
(or so the story goes...)
Many knights had come
Searching for their Glory's Pride
But in a daze they'd ride
Back home...
Back home...
Back home...
I walked the road
Wondering why I had to go
Into the wind and snow
Gave my sword away
As a gift to those I loved
And armless now I was
Alone...
Alone...
Alone...
The winter wind blew cold the night
I came into the town
The 'morrow was the Birthday of the Cross
My life till then seemed empty
And I knew the reason why
With desparation driving me
I had to find the Living Glory
A tower loomed before my eyes
A landmark in the sky
Surrounded by a score of warm abodes
With weariness I knocked upon a door
to enter through
And though I was a stranger there
The gates flung open
And a voice said
\"Welcome to the Hill, my friend...
Take off your boots and rest
Then tell us why you came to seek the Glory...\"
If you'll come with me
I will show you the way
But you'll have to stay
And at the journey's end
When you're asked
\"Wherefore you came?\"
You'll know you've gone the way
Back home...
Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios, Lansdowne, PA, June - October 1973.
Perry Leopold - Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Jon Gillaspie - Clavinet, Bassoon, Recorders
Jefferson Caine - Electric Guitar
Mike McCarthy - Electric Bass, String Bass
Stephanie McCarthy - French Horn
Rich Amoroso - Cello
David Goldblatt - Cello
Bill Zino - String Bass
Stan Slotter - Flute
John Bartlett - Oboe
Charles Cohen - MiniMoog
Lenny Tabla - Tabla
Rick Kivinick - Tympani, Percussion
Sam Rudin - Tof, Bongos, Percussion
This enchanting album is some kind of mystery and miracle - a mystery because it's master tapes, except for some mixdown copies, were erased for reuse soon after the recordings had been finished, because the studio went bankrupt and the material was sold. Perry Leopold was an ambitious musician from the Philadelphia area who played in rock bands in the '60s and released his solo debut the acid folk masterpiece Experiment In Metaphysics in 1970. From 1971 to 1973 Perry worked on his magnum opus, Christian Lucifer, an even more sophisticated and melodic album than his debut, still drenched colors that humans should not see and executed with a sense of progressiveness that was mainly associated with the European rock scene of the time. Perry Leopold created the album almost entirely alone, with melodies of an unearthly, mythical beauty that he connected with cantilevered instrumental passages of acoustic guitars, cellos, bells, strings, flutes, and a few analog keyboards and organs layered upon each other in harmonic structures of utter complexity. The whole piece of sound art, despite the overall accessible approach, bears a deeply spiritual atmosphere and sets your soul in a quiet and peaceful mood.
