Month: August 2022

David Zaffiro – Surrender Absolute – 1992

This is David’s third solo album and he is still mellowing out at this point but not in a bad way. Yes I generally lean towards liking harder Rock album but this is a great album. It’s a solid Pop album that some say is AOR but it leans Pop for me. The album has 3 acoustic tracks which I think are really well done. While they aren’t really my style they are very well done and we can really appreciate David’s vocals on these tracks. Interestingly Aussie Randall Waller stepped in and assisted David with the production on the album.

Tracklist
1 – Find My Way – 4:03
2 – To The Heavens – 4:15
3 – Carousel – 4:14
4 – Silas And Serai – 5:15
5 – In A Box – 4:05
6 – Attitude – 3:56
7 – Calling Out To Me – 4:47
8 – Surrender Absolute – 3:56
9 – Every Little Thing – 4:17
10 – No Long Goodbyes – 4:58

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Brian Godawa
Co-producer [Production Assistance], Engineer [Assistant] – Randall Waller
Engineer – David Zaffiro
Executive-Producer, A&R – Matthew Duffy
Mastered By – Ron McMaster
Photography By – Joe Potter, Mark Wilkins, Susan Waller
Producer – David Zaffiro

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Glasshouse
Mixed At – Glasshouse
Mastered At – Tower Mastering
Mastered At – Capitol Studios
Produced For – Zaffiro Productions
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Frontline Records
Copyright © – Frontline Records
Distributed By – FMG Distribution
Copyright © – Broken Songs
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Pieces – Face 2 Face – 1985

So a friend of ours stumbled on the fact that a Danger Zone track on their 1985 album is actually a cover from this band. Let’s be clear that neither band is very well known but both should have been better known. This is a German band and as near as I can tell this album was only released in Germany and was their only album. It’s on Pila Music which is/was a German CCM label that was fairly well known in the European market. Strangely it’s a live album and I can only think that the band was pretty well known as the audience is well aware of the tracks. I saw in a conversation about them that they did open for Larry Norman on one of his European tours. For that reason alone we should have heard of this band. Anyway, it’s a great pop album and I really wish I had heard of it back in the 80’s as I certainly would have pushed it in the Canadian market.

Tracklist
1 – Winners – 3:52
2 – Spiritual Masquerade – 3:49
3 – Dancing In The Summer Rain – 3:25
4 – Fantasize – 4:07
5 – For You – 4:38
6 – Robot System – 4:18
7 – Keep On Rocking – 4:17
8 – Fighting – 2:34
9 – Thanx For Friends – 3:50
10 – Roter Mond – 4:16

Credits
Arranged By, Producer – Pieces
Bass, Vocals – Gerhard Barth
Crew [Roadcrew], Engineer [Sound] – Thorsten Herdejost
Crew [Roadcrew], Lighting [Lights] – Christoph Hahnl
Design – Zquare
Drums – Matt Staiger
Guitar – Tommy Schmieder
Keyboards, Vocals – Andy Staiger
Lead Vocals – Heike Barth
Management – Mike Raven
Mixed By – Gerhard Barth, Helmut Ruloffs
Other [Clothing] – Pash
Photography By – Fritz Schöttner

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Pieces
Copyright © – Pieces
Distributed By – Pila Music
Published By – Manuskript

Mustard Seed Faith – Limited Edition – 1980

I am going to be perfectly honest here and tell you I have never listened to a Mustard Seed Faith album before today. Quite frankly due to their appearances on various Maranatha albums quite frankly I didn’t want to. This is a little odd as I loved Oden Fong’s work after the band. Boy was I surprised when I listened to this album. It is really really good. It has a solid 70’s sound and while it’s no Rez band album there stuff here close to Rock & Roll. This is a solid seventies album and it’s a pity I never listened to it before. This is actually a reunion album of sorts as the band had split but came back together to release this album and I am very glad they did. Doing research I discovered that these guys never had a CCM charting single. How Bizarre.

Tracklist
1 – Might Come Tonite – 2:27
2 – Miracle – 4:06
3 – Sidney The Pirate – 5:03
4 – All I Know – 3:20
5 – Whatever Happened? – 4:12
6 – Lost Inside Your Love – 3:23
7 – He’s Always There – 3:48
8 – Fault Line – 2:59
9 – Dual Pathways – 3:19

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Don Gerber
Acoustic Guitar, Producer – Oden Fong
Artwork [Logo] – Neal Buchanan
Backing Vocals – MSF
Bass – Darrel Cook
Design – Gary DeLacy
Drums – John Mehler, Keith Edwards
Engineer, Mixed By – Dan Willard
Flute – Pedro Buford
Harmonium – Jonathan Brown
Keyboards – Harlan Rogers, Phil Kristianson
Lacquer Cut By [SH in runouts] – Steve Hall
Lead Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith, Oden
Producer – Harlan Rogers, Jonathan Brown, Tom Stipe
Rhythm Guitar – Lewis McVay, Oden Fong
Saxophone – Brandon Rey Fields

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Mustard Seed Faith
Copyright © – Mustard Seed Faith
Published By – McVay Publishing
Published By – Maranatha Music
Published By – MSF Publishing
Recorded At – Whitefield Studios
Mastered At – MCA Whitney Recording Studios

Fierce Heart – Fierce Heart – 1985

Fierce Heart was Rex Carroll’s first published band. Rex was already 24 years old by the time this album came out and while he says he was a late bloomer I think that extra time until being recorded allowed his guitar playing to bloom. The whole idea of Fierce Heart was courtesy of Atlantic records though Rex did have a strong hand in picking the band. Jim Delehant & Chris Lord-Alge produced the album and they knew what they were doing which makes this a very well produced album. The album didn’t really catch which I find surprising considering how good it is but I suspect that there were probably rumours of Rex’s faith and we all know that in main stream music that is the kiss of death. Personally I think “Never Gonna Make Me Cry” is as good as anything else in this genre for the era and it should have singled on secular radio but I suspect it was never sent to the radio stations for consideration. Rex actually said both the band and the record company they knew the album cover was garbage but in typical music industry ways of the day it never got changed and it really is horrible. Rex authorized a re-release of the album and this jumped the band back into existence and Rex cut a new album using the band name, though with all new members, in 2020.

Tracklist
1 – Echoes – 1:34
2 – Fierce Heart – 3:45
3 – Out For Blood – 4:04
4 – Lion’s Share – 3:30
5 – Search And Destroy – 4:30
6 – Heroes – 3:55
7 – Never Gonna Make Me Cry – 4:05
8 – Bad Maureen – 4:15
9 – Loose Lips – 4:15

Credits
Choir, Engineer [Production Assistant] – Tom Lord-Alge
Cover – Marshall Arisman
Drums, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Producer, Engineer, Choir – Chris Lord-Alge
Engineer [Assistant] – Cathy Gazzo
Guitar, Choir – Rex Carroll
Management – John Doumanian
Mastered By – Dennis King
Producer, Choir – Jim Delehant
Vocals, Bass, Choir – Larry Elkins

Companies, etc.
Published By – Fierce Heart Music
Published By – Girder Music
Published By – Robbin Rae Music
Published By – Green Mirage Music
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Pressed By – Allied Record Company

DeGarmo & Key – Heat.It.Up. – 1993

This was D&K’s second last album and it really seems to have just been ignored. I really couldn’t find many reviews for it. As a result of this I sat down and listened to the album over again and I decided I love it. But that’s probably where the problem lies. I loved D&K thorough the 80’s but this album was in 1993. I now realize that D&K really hadn’t changed their sound much over the years. While this isn’t a problem for me it probably caused an issue getting new listeners in 1993. That said “Talk To Me” still made it to #6 on the charts and there were 2 tracks to make it into the 30’s on the charts. These would be the final charting singles for D&K. So my suggestion is if you enjoyed that D&K 80’s sound you will like this album but of you are more a fan of late 80’s early 90’s rock this album may not be for you. That said give it a listen anyway, it may surprise you.

Tracklist
1 – Voices – 0:40
2 – God Good/Devil Bad – 4:31
3 – Selective Amnesia – 3:12
4 – Never Look Back – 4:06
5 – Heat.It.Up. – 3:17
6 – It’s My Business – 4:28
7 – Dare 2B Different – 4:54
8 – Talk To Me – 4:29
9 – Armed And Dangerous – 4:27
10 – I Use The J Word – 3:56
11 – Soldiers Of The Cross – 4:24
12 – Divine Embrace – 3:34
13 – Fight Back – 5:37

Credits
Art Direction – Connie Harrington
Backing Vocals – Jim Jamison
Bass, Backing Vocals – Tommy Cathey
Design – The Riordon Design Group Inc.
Drums, Percussion – Greg Morrow
Engineer [2nd] – Jeff Powell, Jeffrey Reed, Skid Mills
Executive-Producer – Ken Pennell
Mastered By – Ken Love
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Producer, Engineer – John Hampton
Producer, Lead Vocals, Guitar – Dana Key
Producer, Organ [B3], Piano [Wurlitzer], Synthesizer, Vocals – Eddie DeGarmo

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Copyright © – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Benson Music Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Christian Marketing
Recorded At – Ardent Studios
Mixed At – Ardent Studios
Mastered At – Mastermix

Bryan Duncan – Mercy – 1992

To say this was a successful album is an understatement as it had 2 #1 hits and 4 #2 hits. Yet it did not get a Grammy or Dove award nomination. Until the end of time I will never ever understand the Christian Music industry. When 60% of an album goes to #2 or #1 it obviously should have been in the running. Furthermore the best track on the album, “Five Smooth Stones”, a duet with Crystal Lewis, wasn’t even released as a single. I am again left speechless by the industry. Anyway, the album has a few tracks where we get to hear that big band sound that Bryan loved and perfected and other than that we have some very solid pop tracks. I feel the album leans a little more to the ballads than his previous ones but it’s not a problem. This is a great album and several tracks are on my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Mercy Me (Love Is My Responsibility) – 3:17
2 – Step By Step – 4:41
3 – Into My Heart – 3:55
4 – You Don’t Leave Me Lonely – 3:59
5 – When It Comes To Love – 5:58
6 – Looks A Lot Like Me – 3:45
7 – Love Takes Time – 3:51
8 – Faithful To You – 5:04
9 – I’ll Not Forget You – 4:27
10 – Five Smooth Stones – 3:31

Credits
Arranged By, Keyboards [Arranged By] – Michael Omartian, Peter Wolf, Robbie Buchanan
Art Direction – Diana Barnes
Backing Vocals – Alexis England, Darrell Brown, David Pack, David Robertson, Diana DeWitt, Gene Miller, Leslie Smith, Suzie Benson, Tom Burns
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Brass – Bill Reichenbach, Dan Higgins, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey
Design – Larry Vigon, Rowena Rivera Curtis
Drums – John Robinson
Engineer – Mike Mierau
Engineer [2nd] – Slamm Andrews
Engineer [Additional] – Al Phillips, Paul Erickson, Terry Christian
Guitar – Glenn Pearce, Paul Jackson Jr.
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Daren Klein
Organ [B-3], Keyboards [Additional] – Alan Pasqua
Percussion – Mike Fisher
Photography By – Denise Milford
Producer – Dan Posthuma

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Embassy Studios, Simi Valley, CA
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word Communications Ltd.
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Recorded At – Soundhouse Studios
Recorded At – Bunny Hop Studios
Recorded At – Ocean Studios
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Recorded At – Hollywood Sound Recorders
Recorded At – Pack’s Place
Mixed At – Westlake Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus

The Archers – The Archers – 1973

This is the inaugural album from The Archers. At this point they were just brothers Steve and Tim along with Nancy Short. It was originally self release in 1972 but this is the commercial release a year later on Impact/Heart Warming Records. The brothers started out singing in their Fathers church in the mid 60’s. but by the early 70’s they were touring and even played EXPLO ’72 in Dallas, Texas to a crowd of 250 thousand. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Billy Masters who also played guitar on the album. “God’s Love” and “Jesus Is The Answer” both reached #1 on the CCM charts which is pretty good for your first album. As for my view on he album I actually think it’s pretty good. Normally I’m not a big fan of The Archers as they are a little too easy listening for me but quite frankly given the time period this is a really good album and strangely I think this will go down as my favourite from them.

Tracklist
1 – God’s Love – 4:12
2 – I’ve A Friend – 3:19
3 – Put On Jesus – 2:27
4 – Life In Jesus – 3:05
5 – It Won’t Be Long – 3:47
6 – As Long As I Know – 4:01
7 – Basically Roamin’ – 3:55
8 – Jesus Is The Answer – 3:24
9 – God’s Throne – 2:12
10 – For Me, For You – 5:00

Credits
Arranged By – Clark Gassman
Art Direction – Bob McConnell
Bass – Tim Jaquette
Drums – Tim Short
Engineer – Ami Hadami
Guitar [Uncredited] – Billy Masters
Keyboards – Tim Johnson
Photography By – Bill Grine
Producer – Gary Archer
Vocals – Nancy Short, Steve Archer, Tim Archer

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Impact Records

A.D. – Art Of The State – 1985

This was Kerry Livgren’s first album calling his band just AD. This album bumped up against the mainstream record label and rumour has it that the legalities of Kerry getting this album out was a nightmare. Kerry stated that the complete name change to AD was because he wanted to credit the whole band but behind the scenes it is fairly well known that his contract with CBS records meant he couldn’t even use his name. This release was on Kerygma Records and distributed by Sparrow. The album itself has a bit of a Kansas feel but not as much as you might think. Kerry’s songwriting skills are strong on this album and that helps the album stand out from his work with Kansas.

Tracklist
1 – All Creation Sings – 4:22
2 – We Are The Men – 4:41
3 – Lead Me To Reason – 3:56
4 – The Only Way To Have A Friend – 4:16
5 – Games Of Chance And Circumstance – 4:18
6 – The Fury – 5:34
7 – Progress – 4:39
8 – Heartland – 3:42
9 – Zion – 3:26
10 – Up From The Wastland – 4:25

Credits
Bass Guitar – Dave Hope
Design Concept, Executive Producer, Management – Ken Marcellino
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Dennis Holt
Engineer [Additional Assistance] – Gary Westman
Executive Producer, Management – Mark Ferjulian
Guitar, Keyboards – Kerry Livgren
Illustration [Front Cover Illustration] – Tim Wild
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Design Concept, Engineer – Michael Gleason
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Woodwind, Harmonica – Warren Ham
Management – FM Management
Mastered By – Glenn Meadows
Producer, Engineer – Kerry Livgren
Written-By – Kerry Livgren, Michael Gleason, Warren Ham

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Sparrow Records
Produced For – GrandyZine Productions Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Kerygma Records
Copyright © – Kerygma Records
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Pitman
Published By – Don Kirshner Music
Published By – Blackwood Music Publishing
Published By – Kerygmatic Music
Published By – Warren Ham Music
Recorded At – Camp Dunwoody Studios
Mixed At – Camp Dunwoody Studios

Wanda Jackson – Rockabilly Fever – 1984

Wanda started her gospel music career in 1973 but she is best known for being a rockabilly star in the early 60’s. She really was a Rock & Roll Queen of the era. As time went on her sound mellowed out and eventually she turned to gospel country. In 1984 upon urging of Tab Records out of Sweden she did another rockabilly album in 1984 as the genre had come back into style. It’s not really a gospel album but does have one gospel track. In 1986 Varrick Records grabbed the album rights for release in Canada and the U.S. They re titled the album “Rock ‘N’ Roll Away Your Blues” and did a completely different and better album cover. As for the album it’s a mix of classic and new tracks and while they are well done the album just doesn’t capture the quality of her work in the 60’s.

Tracklist
1 – Rock A Billy Fever – 4:07
2 – Stupid Cupid – 2:27
3 – Rock’n’roll Away Your Blues – 2:27
4 – Sweet Nuthin’s – 2:27
5 – It’s Only Make Believe – 2:25
6 – Oh Boy – 2:14
7 – Rock A Billy Hound Dog – 2:44
8 – Breathless – 3:00
9 – Sad Love Song – 2:27
10 – Rave On – 1:53
11 – Meet Me In Stockholm – 3:23
12 – Ain’t It The Gospel – 2:31

Credits
Accordion – Christer Olund
Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Ann Persson
Backing Vocals – Anette Bengtsson, Curt & Roland, Lars Bengtsson, Pelle Bengtsson
Bass – Sven-Inge Neander
Double Bass [Upright Bass] – Östen Eriksson
Drums – Gunnar Norsten
Electric Guitar – Per-Olof Ahslund
Harmonica, Percussion – Björn Alriksson
Piano – Bert Östlund, Per Erik Jonsson
Piano, Organ – Stephan Berg
Saxophone – Benny Lawin
Steel Guitar, Electric Guitar – Kenth Larsson

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Music Mill Recording Studio, Kumla

Zion – Rock For Eternity – 1984

Zion formed in 1981 in Sioux Falls, SD which is pretty early in the Christian Metal scene. This is technically their 2nd demo as they actually released a 2 track demo in 1982. But really this is the Demo that most people have heard about. Though they would become better known for metal this album is actually hard rock and it is very good. The production is actually pretty good too which is rare for demo’s of this era. We get a good introduction to Rex Scott’s later work with X-Sinner with the track “Jesus Loves” which is by far the best track on the demo. I apologize that the quality of our upload is not very good but I really wanted this one uploaded.

Tracklist
1 – Rock For Eternity – 6:38
2 – Your Love – 7:28
3 – Jesus Loves – 5:01
4 – Full Of Fire – 4:28
5 – You Need Jesus – 6:05
6 – Joy Of The Lord – 4:21
7 – Discontented Man – 4:48
8 – One Solitary Life – 4:11
9 – Time Is Running Out – 6:52
10 – Never Had The Chance – 5:17

Credits
Rex Scott – lead vocals, drums and guitar.
Bruce Fischer – vocals, guitar
Dave Moore – vocals, guitar
Greg Sauer – vocals, bass
Tom Bozung – drums