1971 was a tough time for Christian music listeners and especially for new Christians. The Jesus music movement wanted Rock and Roll music but had very little. I mean you can only listen to Upon This Rock so many times. Luckily some mainstream artists saw this void and released a Christian albums. Tommy James stated that he wrote this album based on his Christian beliefs but only lightly touched on Christian themes so the mainstream record company would still release the album. I think it’s safe to say this is one of the more successful secular albums with a Christian theme. “Draggin’ the Line” hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and “I’m Comin’ Home”, “Church Street Soul Revival”, and “Adrienne” also hit the top 100. I don’t want to get into what level or type of Christian Tommy was but he never did another Christian themed album again though he had many songs that touched on religious themes. As for the album it leans more to Tommy’s sixties style than 70’s Jesus music and is quite good if you like that style of music. I think most of us in the 80’s skipped this one or were completely unaware of it which is a pity because it deserves to be heard.
Tracklist
1 – Christian Of The World – 2:37
2 – Rings And Things – 1:55
3 – I’m Comin’ Home – 2:01
4 – Sing, Sing, Sing – 3:05
5 – Draggin’ The Line – 2:42
6 – Sail A Happy Ship – 3:13
7 – Light Of Day – 3:44
8 – Bits And Pieces – 2:28
9 – I Believe In People – 2:24
10 – Church St. Soul Revival – 3:16
11 – Another Hill To Climb – 3:07
12 – Adrienne – 2:41
13 – Silk, Satin, Carriage Waiting – 2:48
Credits
Arranged By – Jimmy “Wiz” Wisner
Art Direction, Design – Ruby Mazur
Engineer – Bruce Staple
Featuring – The Stephentown Singers
Mastered By – Ed Grossman
Photography By – Francis Ing
Producer – Bob King, Tommy James
Typography – Michael Manoogian
Written-By – Bob King, Ritchie Cordell, Tommy James
Companies, etc.
Record Company – Roulette Records, Inc.
Produced For – Tommy James Ventures, Inc.
Manufactured By – Roulette Records, Inc.
Made By – Shorewood Packaging
Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Rockaway
Recorded At – Allegro Sound Studios
Mastered At – Allegro Sound Studios
Published By – Big Seven Music Corp.
