[9] Only Visiting This Planet, often ranked as Norman's best album,[10] "mixed his Christian message with strong political themes", and "was meant to reach the flower children disillusioned by the government and the church" with its "abrasive, urban reality of the gospel".

On the front cover, I find myself standing in the middle of New York City, with buildings and traffic pressed around me and my hand on my head kind of saying, What is going on in this life?

"[3] A statement by the Library of Congress called the album "the key work in the early history of Christian rock," describing Norman as one who "commented on the world as he saw it from his position as a passionate, idiosyncratic outsider to mainstream churches.

The album features future King Crimson bassist and Asia frontman John Wetton on bass guitar, then a member of the progressive rock band Family.

On the Street Level vinyl re-issue in 1977, Norman claimed that he always wanted the album to open with "I've Got to Learn to Live Without You" and subsequent re-releases had it first and "Why Don't you Look into Jesus" third.