Month: December 2023

Zipcodes – Sold Sight Unseen – 1988

While Andy Piercy was off recording his new album Peter Banks and Pete King went into the studio to record this rather excellent album. Even though it was recorded and mixed in Peter’s home studio it sounds radio ready to me. I am assuming they shopped the album around but like all things After The Fire the record labels didn’t want it. I will try to not go off on a tangent again about how After The Fire and subsequent member recordings were treated but I just simply can’t understand how this didn’t get picked up. Anyway it lived on a shelf until Pete King’s death in 1987 when Peter took it back out to try to get it released in memory of Pete. Lucky for us Christian label Plankton Records picked up the ball and released the album. Unfortunately it looks like it was only released on cassette and of course it had a tiny distribution so most of us never heard it but here it is. This is yet another excellent 80’s sounding album that we should have been able to hear at the time.

Tracklist
1 – Got My Reasons – 3:46
2 – Making It Tougher – 2:58
3 – I Won’t Go Home – 2:34
4 – Hold Me Tight – 3:38
5 – Where Are You Now – 3:36
6 – Let It Go – 3:38
7 – Hold On – 2:53
8 – Never Let It Be Said – 3:37
9 – Nothing You Can Say – 3:22
10 – Found You Out – 3:04
11 – Call Me Up – 4:22
12 – Something special – 3:28

Credits
Peter Banks
Peter King
Stewart Van Blandameyer
Elana Harris
Mark Pearson
Colin Pye
Keith Smith
Dave West
Simon Wilkinson

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Rondor Music (London) Ltd.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Plankton Records

Andy Piercy & David Clifton – Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow – 1993

In 1993 Andy got together with David Clifton and recorded a “worship album” and it is without a doubt my favourite worship album of all time. Now you may be wondering who David Clifton is as did I but I can bet you’ve probably heard him. He is a prolific studio guitarist who has appeared on a ton of album and done a ton of tours. He actually started out his recording career in a band called Sensible Jerseys who had a couple of really good singles you’ve probably never heard but you should. As for this album the songs are all very worship oriented BUT the arrangements are not. The arrangements are very contemporary and it really works. Now you know I love Andy’s music and this album may have my favourite track by him. “Precious In Your Eyes” has a fantastic sound and I can sense a touch of Elvis Costello but let’s give Andy and David all the credit. It is a fantastic track. This album was first released on Cassette in 1993 with a CD release in 1994. It has been re-released a few times since with a few tracks added here and there but this is the original.

Tracklist
1 – Praise God – 4:09
2 – God Is Our Refuge – 3:58
3 – Oh How I Love Your Law – 3:58
4 – Come Let Us Sing – 3:01
5 – I Need A New Heart – 2:04
6 – Thank You – 2:25
7 – Father In Heaven – 3:25
8 – Holy Holy – 4:34
9 – Precious In Your Eyes – 5:01
10 – Name High Over All – 3:00

Credits
Andy Piercy: vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
David Clifton: vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin and mandola
Dudley Phillips: bass guitar
Terl Bryant: drums and percussion
Martin Neal: drums and percussion
Steve Creese: drums
Pete Sainsbury: keyboards
Holly Coward, Jess Rudolf, Ellen Holly & Laura Piercy, Benj, Barny, Kirsty & Josh Lee: backing vocals
Produced by Andy Piercy & David Clifton

Solid Rock – Real 2 Reel – 1985

Third and final LP from Oklahoma group Solid Rock. They are best known for their progressive 70’s rock sound and this album they continue that but give their music a more 80’s sound and feel. They did a great job of adjusting their music to changing times. The problem of course is that niche CCN bands had an even smaller audience. Too bad because these guys were very good and did this style very very well. Only time for one track? Check out “Time Goes By”.

Tracklist
1 – Uncommon Valor – 3:38
2 – Plastic Love Affair – 3:36
3 – Open Your Eyes – 3:30
4 – No Substitute – 2:48
5 – Time Goes By – 4:08
6 – Blind Lead The Blind – 2:45
7 – Wheel Of Fortune – 2:35
8 – Alien – 4:46
9 – Where Are The Banners – 4:16
10 – Right Road – 3:09

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Kevin Bartel
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Larry Percy
Guitar, Vocals – Stan Mathis
Keyboards, Vocals – Scott Jay
Lead Vocals, Keyboards – Jerry Johnson

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Interdesign Music

Brighton – Promise Of Love – 1991

Brighton was fronted by David Brighton. On bass was Mark Robertson who would go on to be in several bands including Altar Boys, The Stand, and Rich Mullins to name a few. Drummer Steve Latanation was and has also been in a ton of bands but none of them Christian that I can tell. Guitarist Dave Wronski and Keyboardist Denny Bouchard rounded out the band. This is a 90’s band that I think would have fit better in the 80’s. That is not a negative comment because I absolutely love their sound. I first heard these guys through a live clip recorded at the 1991 Flevo festival and knew I had to find and upload the album. This is a great Rock/Pop album with the standout track being “(Doesn’t Sound Like) Love To Me”. Also of note is Boulevard which has a pretty good early 90’s rock feel. The novelty track on the album is “Anytime At All” which is a Beatles cover and the band does a pretty good cover which is very much like the original. This is the only album we got from them though they did have a demo before this with the same name and many of the same tracks. If we find it we will post it. The Elefante brothers must have liked what they heard in the demo and signed them for a deal on Pakaderm records which generally had more hard rock oriented bands but I still think these guys were a good fit for the label. So in closing if you missed this one in the 90’s you really should give it a listen.

Tracklist
1 – Promise Of Love – 4:13
2 – On Any Sunday – 3:40
3 – Wash Me In The Rain Again – 4:05
4 – I Would Die For You – 3:55
5 – And You Know – 3:30
6 – Anytime At All – 2:07
7 – (Doesn’t Sound Like) Love To Me – 3:40
8 – Run Through The Flames – 4:10
9 – Boulevard – 3:12
10 – Cursing The Night – 3:50

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Terry DeGraff
Backing Vocals – J. Elefante, Linda Elias
Bass, Vocals – Mark Robertson
Booking – Street Level Booking Agency
Design Concept – Jeff Michaels
Drums, Vocals – Steven W. Latanation
Engineer – Randy Thomas
Engineer [Assistant] – Jeff Simmons
Engineer, Mixed By – Mike Mierau
Executive-Producer – John Elefante
Executive-Producer, Engineer, Mixed By, Guitar – Dino Elefante
Guitar – Dave Wronski
Keyboards – Denny Bouchard
Photography – Karen Brighton
Producer – The Pakaderm Company
Vocals, Guitar, Producer, Design Concept – David Brighton

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – JVC
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Published By – Word Music
Published By – MacLen Music
Recorded At – Pakaderm Studios
Recorded At – Allies Recording Studio
Mastered At – Future Disc

Zion (OR) – Cry Out – 1987

There are several “Zion”s in the CCM market. This is the one from Jacksonville, Oregon. They were an excellent Pop Rock band that released two self financed albums. This is the second one of those albums. I’m a little mystified how these guys didn’t get a record deal. They are really good in my opinion. The vocals are shared between Dave Day and Linda Holt Morrison. I’m a big fan of Dave’s vocals but I struggle with Linda’s. That said I think it could be fixed in post production but what do I know. I don’t like Sandie Brock from Servants vocals either so I think it comes down to personal preference. My other small criticism is that the tracks are a touch long but again that would be fixed in post production. But lets toss all that aside because this is a great album and it’s pretty well engineered. The credits say it was mastered by Steve Hall. I don’t know if it’s THE Steve Hall but if it is wow, he’s one of the best. Anyway this is a great Pop Rock album and there are a couple tracks here that are going on my playlist for sure.

Tracklist
1 – Cry Out – 5:10
2 – The Edge – 4:03
3 – Kidz – 5:31
4 – Take My Life – 5:46
5 – Heaven Help Us – 6:17
6 – Rad – 4:16
7 – Love You To Life – 4:43
8 – I’ll Be There – 5:57

Credits
Bass, Vocals, Guitar – Larry Wick
Drums, Percussion – John Scott Armas
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Dave Day
Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals, Producer – Jeff Bates
Lead Vocals – Linda Holt Morrison
Mastered By – Steve Hall

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Starlight Recording, Applegate, Oregon
Mastered At – Future Disc
Published By – Crosstalk Music
Published By – D-Day Music

Split Level – Sons Of Liberty – 1987

This is the second album from Split Level and what a great album it is. Their first album was released on a label I’ve never heard of and can’t find any record of, Big Feet Records. I also can’t find a copy of the album. The band went into the studio with Andy McCarroll who was about to produce his first album. Reportedly when the album came out the band said the album didn’t sound like them. I just watched a live cut of them and I think it did represent them well. Maybe the band wasn’t used to a studio album toning down the rawness that band has live. From the one track I saw live the album is a pretty good representation. Anyway the album was popular and the band kept on touring and playing gigs where they thought they could reach people who wouldn’t normally listen to Christian music. It should be noted that the released album track order was not the same as the album label. I have no idea if this was intentional or a gimmick but here we’ve presented the tracks in to order on the record label. Word only released the album in the U.K. and why they did that is beyond me. I’m sure this album would have done well in the North American market.

Tracklist
1 – Land Of Freedom – 3:45
2 – Peace Of Home – 3:02
3 – I Will Live – 3:25
4 – Into The Fire – 3:40
5 – It Won’t Be Long – 4:27
6 – Sons Of Liberty – 3:58
7 – View Of A World – 3:48
8 – Desertland – 3:21
9 – God Is – 4:13
10 – Dove – 3:54

Credits
Design – James Kessell
Keyboards – Brian Jones
Keyboards, Programmed By [Engineering Programming] – Enda Walsh
Mixed By – Neil Costello, Pat McCarthy
Photography By – Jim Loring
Photography By [Additional] – Branka Jukić
Producer – Andy McCarroll
Vocals, Bass Guitar – Derek Currie
Vocals, Drums – Barry Kennedy
Vocals, Guitar – Adrian Thompson

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Gap Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word (UK) Ltd.
Mixed At – ICC Studios
Recorded At – Homestead Studios
Copyright © – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Copyright © – Gap Music (2)
Printed By – Shorewood Packaging
Made By – Shorewood Packaging
Mixed At – Windmill Lane Studios

Prism – Green – 1988

Usually I bash Chris Harris and Mark Heimermann and their Prism projects but not this time. As I’ve been processing CCM artist’s Christmas albums this week more and more of them sounded like the record company recorded a bunch of Christmas carol arrangements and then invited a CCM artist in to sing them. None of these albums had a feel of the artist and quite frankly the arrangements sound like any album I could buy at Walmart for 99¢ in December. But not this album. Chris and Mark actually sat down and wrote some excellent arrangements for these tracks and did some great vocals. I have no idea who else was involved with this project but it is great as far as Christmas albums go. Many of these tracks will go on my Christmas playlist this year.

1 – Joy To The World – 3:41
2 – O Holy Night – 4:05
3 – Snowdrift / Silent Night – 5:09
4 – White Christmas – 4:22
5 – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear – 2:01
6 – Away In A Manager – 4:33
7 – O Come All Ye Faithful – 4:52
8 – The First Noel – 3:25
9 – Angels We Have Heard On High – 3:16
10 – Only Love (Will Last Forever) – 4:09

Steve Green – Joy To The World – 1987

Here’s a collection of Christmas tracks that the record company put together for Steve Green to sing. I say this because this is about the 3rd CCM artist Christmas album I’ve listened to that had nothing contemporary about it and doesn’t seem to have that touch from the artist. That said it’s an okay album but it won’t go on my Christmas playlist.

Tracklist
1 – Joy To The World – 2:25
2 – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Angels We Have Heard On High – 2:41
3 – Angels From The Realms Of Glory / O Come, All Ye Faithful – 3:06
4 – Silent Night, Holy Night – 3:19
5 – The Birthday Of A King / O Holy Night – 4:24
6 – Jesus Is Born – 3:24
7 – Messiah Medley – 3:16
8 – Rest – 4:09
9 – Adorar Al Niño (Go And Worship Jesus) – 2:08
10 – O Come, O Come Emmanuel / Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne – 4:21

Credits
Arranged By [Percussion Arrangement] – Don Hart
Arranged By [Rhythm Arrangements] – Greg Nelson, Phil Naish
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Don Hart
Arranged By [String and Vocal Arrangements] – Alan Moore
Arranged By [Vocal Arrangement] – Don Hart
Arranged By [Vocal Arrangement], Conductor – David T. Clydesdale
Arranged By, Orchestrated By, Conductor – David T. Clydesdale
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Bass – Craig Nelson
Contractor [Background Vocalists] – Beverly Darnall
Contractor [Orchestra] – Carl Gorodetzky, The Nashville String Machine
Design – Jackson Design
Drums – Mark Hammond
Engineer – Brent King
Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Whittington, David Murphy
Engineer, Mixed By – Bob Clark
Guitar – Jon Goin, Mark Casstevens
Keyboards – Phil Naish
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Photography By – Steven A. Heller
Piano [Acoustic], Harpsichord – David Huntsinger
Producer – Greg Nelson
Sleeve Notes – Steve Green

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Word Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Sparrow Corporation
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Recorded At – Great Circle Sound
Recorded At – OmniSound Studios
Recorded At – Downstage Studio
Mixed At – Great Circle Sound
Published By – LCS Songs
Published By – Pamela Kay Music
Published By – Beckengus Music
Published By – River Oaks Music
Published By – New Wings Music
Published By – Greg Nelson Music

Michael W. Smith – Christmas – 1989

Okay just right off the bat I’m going to clarify that this album is in no way contemporary. It is 100% classical or whatever you want to call this genre. If you like Michael’s piano playing you MIGHT like this album but quite frankly it doesn’t fit in as CCM music in any way shape or form. It is Michael W. Smith so we thought we would upload it anyway but I can guarantee that after the work needed to upload this album I will likely never listen to it again.

Tracklist
1 – Overture/O Come All Ye Faithful – 5:38
2 – Lux Venit – 3:28
3 – Anthem For Christmas – 3:11
4 – First Snowfall – 2:44
5 – Christ The Messiah – 3:59
6 – No Eye Had Seen – 2:53
7 – All Is Well – 4:08
8 – Memoirs: A Trilogy – 4:28
9 – Gloria – 5:03
10 – Silent Night – 1:33

Credits
Arranged By [Choral Arangements] – Ronn Huff
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor [Orchestra] – Ronn Huff
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Brent King, Danny Garcia, Scott Macminn
Engineer [Assistant] – Bryan Lenox, Joe Kraus, Steve Charles
Engineer, Mixed By – Billy Whittington
Executive Producer – Michael Blanton, Terry Hemmings
Featuring – The Nashville Festival Orchestra, Nashville String Machine
Mastered By – Ron Lewter
Producer – Michael W. Smith, Ronn Huff
Producer [Orchestra & Choir] – Mark Laycock
Recorded By [Orchestra] – Brent King

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Reunion Records, Inc.
Copyright © – Reunion Records, Inc.
Made By – Discovery Systems
Published By – O’Ryan Music, Inc.
Published By – Tapestry, Inc.
Published By – Age To Age Music, Inc.
Published By – Annie Merle Music
Published By – Gaither Music Company
Published By – Emily Boothe, Inc.
Recorded At – War Memorial Auditorium
Recorded At – Martinsound
Recorded At – Sigma Sound Studios
Recorded At – Digital Recorders
Recorded At – Deer Valley Studio, Franklin, TN
Mixed At – Deer Valley Studio, Franklin, TN
Edited At – Digital Associates
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Truth – Your Heart Is Where Christmas Is Found – 1989

A very very expanded version of Truth plays some Christmas tracks in medley and full length versions. They included some non traditional songs whch gives the album a very rounded appeal for a Chrsitmas album.

Tracklist
1 – Celebration Of Joy – 3:35
2 – Caroler’s Song – 3:29
3 – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas / We Wish You A Merry Christmas – 4:26
4 – Your Heart Is Where Christmas Is Found – 4:00
5 – O Come, All Ye Faithful – 5:03
6 – Silver Bells / Carol Of The Bells – 3:55
7 – The Way He Came – 4:16
8 – Sleigh Ride – 3:08
9 – Carol Medley – 4:11
10 – O Come, O Come Emmanuel / Emmanuel – 4:51

Credits
Arranged By – David Maddux, David Clydesdale, Don Hart, Steven V. Taylor
Art Direction – Katherine DeVault Design
Bass – Gary Lunn
Directed By [Director] – Roger Breland
Drums – Mark Hammond
Executive-Producer – Dan Cleary
Guitar – Jon Goin
Keyboards – David Huntsinger
Orchestra – Nashville String Machine
Performer [TRUTH Is] – Alicia Williamson, Amy Thomas, Andy Chrisman, Brian Smith, Christi Bovee, Cynthia Snelling, Dana Cappillino, Ellen Schoppert, Gina Walker, Glen George, Roger Breland*, Kevin Rizzo, Kirk Sullivan, Lanny Cox, Mark Bovee, Mark Childers, Mark Harris, Marty Magehee, Mike Cole, Mike Thomas, Mike Walker, Sharon Childers, Steve Schoppert, Tim Ranson
Photography By – Jim DeVault Photography
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Steven V. Taylor
Recorded By, Mixed By – Mike Psanos

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Benson Company, Inc.
Copyright © – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – Great Circle Sound
Mixed At – Great Circle Sound
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Distributed By – Mitchell Family Books, Inc.
Published By – John T. Benson Publishing Co., Inc.
Published By – TRC Music
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.
Published By – EMI Feist Catalog, Inc.
Published By – Word Music, Inc.
Published By – Paramount Music
Published By – Mills Music, Inc.