Month: November 2018

Charlie Peacock – Lie Down In The Grass – 1984

This is Charlie Peacock’s introductory album. Up until this he was best known as being a producer, having produced the Seventy Sevens amongst others.

This album is strongly new wave with very strong synth influence. It is highly produced which I guess is to be expected when a producer produces their own album.

As an aside, in my opinion this album has one of the worst album covers in the 80’s.

Tracklist
1 – Lie Down In The Grass – 3:29
2 – Watching Eternity – 2:58
3 – It’s Gone, It’s Over – 3:47
4 – Human Condition – 3:00
5 – Lost In Translation – 3:47
6 – One, Two, Three (That’s Okay) – 3:45
7 – Whole Lot Different (Whole Lot The Same) – 3:32
8 – Till You Caught My Eye – 3:30
9 – Turned On An Attitude – 2:57
10 – Who Is Not Afraid? – 3:00

Credits
Artwork By – Jim Abegg
Bass – Eric Heilman, Erik Kleven
Bass, Tom Tom, Vocals – Steve Griffith
Design – Jim Abegg
Engineer – Daryl Zachman
Executive Producer – Mary Neely
Guitar – Jim Abegg
Guitar, Vocals – Mike Roe
Mastered By – John Golden
Mixed By – Larry Hirsch
Other [Executive Coodinator] – Jan Eric Volz
Percussion [Additional] – Jim Caselli
Percussion [Ethnic & Orchestral] – Bongo Bob Smith
Photography – Kent Lacin
Producer – Charlie Peacock
Saxophone – Michael Butera
Trumpet – Larry Lunetta
Vocals, Keyboards, Drums – Charlie Peacock
Written By – Charlie Peacock

Randy Stonehill – Welcome To Paradise – 1976

This album was Randy’s third and at this point Randy was a very accomplished musician.

His song writing had always been very strong but now his guitar work was catching up. For many this album was their first exposure to Randy Stonehill and it had strong sales numbers.

Larry Norman both produced and played guitar on the album.

Point of trivia is that T-Bone Burnett joined the album as a bass player.

Track Listing
1 – King Of Hearts – 4:53
2 – Keep Me Runnin’ – 5:57
3 – The Winner (High Card) – 3:43
4 – Lung Cancer – 3:31
5 – Puppet Strings – 4:25
6 – First Prayer – 3:08
7 – I’ve Got News For You – 3:49
8 – Song For Sarah – 3:28
9 – Christmas Song For All Year ‘Round – 3:56
10 – Good News – 2:54

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Randy Stonehill
Bass – The Mighty T-Bone
Conductor [Charts And Baton] – Anthony Harris
Drums – Mark Walker
Electric Guitar, Piano, Harmony Vocals – Larry Norman
Engineer – Andy Johns
Engineer [Co-Engineer] – Tom Trefethen
Lead Guitar – Jon “Wonderfingers” Linn
Management – Street Level Artists Agency
Producer, Arranged By, Photography By, Design [Album Design] – Larry Norman
Typography [Lettering] – Joe Taylor
Written-By, Performer [Performed By] – Randy Stonehill

Sparrow Christmas – 1988

It’s Christmas time so here’s Sparrows 1988 Christmas album. Highlights on this album are, White Heart – Little Drummer Boy, Steve Taylor – Winter Wonderland, and Geoff Moore & The Distance – Jingle Bell Rock.

Track Listing:
1 – Bebe & Cece Winans – Silent Night, Holy Night – 5:43
2 – Margaret Becker, Steven Curtis Chapman, Geoff Moore, Bebe & Cece Winans, White Heart And Steve Camp – Home For The Holidays – 4:18
3 – White Heart – Little Drummer Boy – 4:12
5 – Michael Card – What Child Is This? – 2:47
6 – Deniece Williams – Do You Hear What I Hear? – 4:13
7 – Steve Taylor – Winter Wonderland – 1:56
8 – Margaret Becker – O Come, O Come Emmanuel – 4:52
9 – Steve Camp – O Holy Night – 4:09
10 – Tim Miner – The First Noel – 4:35
11 – Geoff Moore & The Distance – Jingle Bell Rock – 2:59
12 – Steven Curtis Chapman – Away In A Manger – 4:18
13 – Margaret Becker, Steven Curtis Chapman, Geoff Moore, BeBe Winans And White Heart – Angels We Have Heard On High – 3:31

Street Angel – (self titled) – 1986

Street Angel was an 80’s Christian band with 2 releases.

This EP release was the demo they shopped around before being picked up by Dark Records. The band was fronted by Bill Romansky who had a solo album in 1979 just catching the end of the Jesus music era. The album has strong U2 influence, but with slightly more synth.

Track Listing:
1 – When The Sun Comes Up – 3:26
2 – I Am Calling – 6:21
3 – The Blood – 5:20
4 – Together We – 5:32
5 – Falling – 3:33
6 – MTV – 3:44
7 – The End – 2:47

Petra – Come And Join Us – 1977

This album from 1977 supplied us with the Christian equivalent of a Rock Anthem.

God Gave Rock And Roll To You was on every Christian mixed tape I remember. That said, the album has other gems that have been forgotten over time.

My personal favourite is Woman Don’t You Know.

Little known fact is that God Gave Rock And Roll To You was actually a cover of a Russ Ballard song originally recorded by his band Argent in 1973.

Track Listing:
1 – God Gave Rock And Roll To You – 5:37
2 – Holy Ghost Power – 2:27
3 – Woman Don’t You Know – 3:41
4 – Sally – 4:26
5 – Come And Join Us – 4:39
6 – Where Can I Go – 3:52
7 – Without You – 4:27
8 – Ask Him In – 3:31
9 – God Gave Rock And Roll To You (Reprise) – 2:50

Credits:
Arranged By – Petra (9)
Artwork – Dennis Bellile
Bass Guitar – John DeGroff
Drums, Percussion – Bill Glover
Engineer – Terry Jamison
Guitar – Bob Hartman, Greg Hough
Keyboards – Steve McElyea
Percussion – Steve Mergen
Producer – Austin Roberts

Margaret Becker – Never For Nothing – 1987

This is the introductory album from Margaret Becker.

While usually classified as easy listening I think it’s one notch closer to Rock & Roll though you won’t hear any screaming guitars. I do detect a Patty Smyth and Scandal sound but with less lead guitar riffs.

Track Listing:
1 – Fight For God – 4:02
2 – Standing On Top Of The World – 3:31
3 – Never For Nothing – 3:43
4 – Break The Silence – 3:32
5 – Sacred Fire – 4:32
6 – Love Was Waiting – 3:27
7 – What You Feel – 3:42
8 – Make It Right – 5:19
9 – Giants Will Fall – 4:09
10 – For The Love Of You – 4:24

Credits:
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Design – Stan Evenson Design*
Engineer – Brent King, Doug Sarrett, Jeff Balding, Joe Bellamy, Mike Psanos
Executive-Producer – Peter York
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – David Schober
Photography By – Steven A. Heller
Producer – Billy Smiley

Level Heads – (self titled) – 1986

Level Head was a new wave band out of Sarnia Ontario Canada.

This was their self titled introductory EP that appears to only have been released in Canada. Very heavy New Wave influence on this album makes it a favourite of mine.

The music has a strong Depeche Mode feel while I can’t actually nail down a comparative vocalist. The bottom line is that the album has a very strong Synth sound and yes the track Wo Wo Wo is supposed to end that way.

Track Listing:
1 – Excuses (Really?) – 3:12
2 – Behold – 2:41
3 – How Long? – 7:23
4 – Wo Wo Wo – 3:17
5 – The Fighter – 3:10
6 – Tell Me What You See – 2:25

Credits:
Bass – Craig Gillings
Cover – Sue Houden
Drums – Todd Gillings
Engineer – John Press (2)
Guitar – Jim Chevalier
Keyboards – Scott Douglas
Marimba – Scott Douglas
Performer [Level Heads Is] – Craig Gillings, Jim Chevalier, Scott Douglas, Todd Gillings
Producer – Gamiel Shabawda, Level Heads
Vocals – Craig Gillings, Jim Chevalier

Larry Norman – bARCHAEOLOGY / Labor of Love – 1984

The songs on Labor of Love are a refreshingly different sound to hear from Larry Norman. They are far less brooding, and much less singer-songwriter or blues artist approach to songs. The reason? These songs are written by Tom Howard.

Labor of Love is one of 3 records included in the bARCHAEOLOGY boxed set released in 1984. Labor, and Letter of the Law, another of the 3 records in the set are comprised mainly of songs written by Tom Howard. There was also an album released called Quiet Night, under the name “Larry Norman & The Young Lions” although there is no evidence that the Young Lions were anyone other than Larry and his brother Charly. Actually that’s a pretty credible theory.

Larry was promoting Tom Howard on the Solid Rock label, and produced one album for him. Apparently at one point Larry decided that if he recorded some of Tom’s songs, they would be easier to promote, and it would result in better album sales for Tom.

There isn’t any evidence that this was a big boost for Tom Howard’s career, but he did have a few albums out on his own, including the one on Solid Rock Records.

There are a couple of “L’Etudes” tracks here, which are the only pieces written by Larry on this record. They serve as interludes between some of the songs.

Track Listing:
1 – Where His Love Touches Down
2 – Let The Master Make It Right
3 – Stairway L’Etudes
4 – Farther On
5 – Come On In
6 – Piano L’Etudes
7 – Mansion On The Sand
8 – Twilight L’Etudes
9 – Higher Calling
10 – Jesus Is The Song
11 – Drum L’Etudes
12 – One More Reason

Daniel Band – Run From The Darkness – 1984

Great rock’n’roll out of Canada! This is Daniel Band’s third album and by this time they had everything going. They had the sound, they had the energy, and they had the clear response to all those 666 t-shirts the rock fans in the 80s were wearing.

The 1980s high school uniform for a while was one of those baseball style 3/4 sleeve shirts done in black and white with an upside down cross, a bat, some blood, and a 666 on it.

Daniel Band took that 666 and drew a circle around it and put a line through it. They found a way to embrace the genre without embracing the wrong message and it really took for them.

Track Listing:
1 – Don’t Give Up – 3:51
2 – Run From Darkness – 4:41
3 – Walk On The Water – 3:38
4 – Never Gonna Die – 3:42
5 – Sixteen – 3:07
6 – Live Connection – 2:50
7 – Let’s Get Ready – 4:19
8 – Walls – 3:52
9 – It’s Over – 4:15

Credits:
Drums, Percussion – Matt DelDuca
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals – Tony Rossi
Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar, Keyboards – Dan McCabe
Mastered By – George Graves
Mixed By, Recorded By – Mark Wright (3)
Rhythm Guitar – Bill Findlay

Resurrection Band – Awaiting Your Reply – 1978

Awaiting Your Reply was the first commercial release of Resurrection Band.

The hard rock, blues sound would become the signature sound for Resurrection band. The album was controversial for its time and was often sold from under the counter.

Word of mouth, however made the album very popular and paved the way for future releases to be on the racks instead of being hidden.

Trivia point for the album is that it was recorded on a budget of $8000, a tiny amount given the quality of the recording.

Track Listing:
1 – Waves
2 – Awaiting Your Reply
3 – Broken Promises
4 – Golden Road
5 – Lightshine
6 – Ananias & Sapphire
7 – The Death Of The Dying
8 – Irish Garden
9 – The Return

Credits:
Bass – Jim Denton
Drums – John Herrin
Harmonica – Tom Cameron
Lead Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer – Stu Heiss
Percussion – Roger Heiss
Saxophone, Flute – Kenny Soderblom*
Vocals – Wendi Kaiser
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Dulcimer – Glenn Kaiser