Childhood friends Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key joined forces in their late teens to create music and for three decades were responsible for some of the popular CCM ever recorded. Millions of albums and millions of miles traveled. Even after they had gone their separate way musically their single minded ministry and deep, personal friendship never wavered. I had always hoped for one reunion tour. I, and everyone else, will have to wait for quite some time as earlier this year Dana Key went home to be wioth the Lord. D&K were the first band I ever used my own money to buy. It was their debut album, This Time Thru. I wore out three vinyl copies of their second album, Straight On, Their live album is one of the best live records ever recorded in CCM. And during the Summer after I graduated from High School I was eagerly anticipating their latest release. It was not what I expected. the progressive and blues infused, guitar centered rock and roll had been replaced by a heavy dose of synthesizers and strings. At first I was appalled and saddened that I had lost “my band” and that my childhood CCM heroes hadAs time went on, though, I not only earned to appreciate the album foir what it was, I actually began to love it. For what it is, it is very, very good. Top notch production, great and memorable arrangements and some very finely crafted pop tunes. And though they will never get the credit for it, they really were early pioneers in the world of modern worship music. “Let the Whole World Sing,” the monster number hit from the album is a modern worship chorus that should have been a church standard. Mission of Mercy would be the first in what I have dubbed, “The Techno Years.” Sandwiched between nearly two decades of straight ahead rock were three albums of keyboard driven pop. MoM, Communication and Commander Sozo built a substantially larger fan base for the group and expanded their ministry opportunity. Many years later I came to understand the duo was keeping with the times and would not be defined by any previous release. I learned to live with it. Of those three album the first, Mission of mercy, would be the best even though it featured the least amount of guitar. When it came right down to it, it contained the best songwriting with more than a handful of huge hits. “That the Way God Planned It” would remain a popular live song for the band while Ready or Not and When It’s Over would all top the charts. Oddly enough , for a band noted for their rock style they had always been an amazing ballad band, mainly because of Dana Key’s stunning and compassionate vocals. Of all of the songs on the album the most like their earlier music is the ballad “All the Losers.” This great song ranks up with Addey, Mary and Only the Meek Survive. It’s also the strongest song lyrically. A great record that was a record for its time and must be regarded as such. Also, when taken within that framework it is a wonderful record with wonderful songs by a wonderful and unforgettable band.
God Bless Dana Key. RIP…Rest In Paradise
Contributor David Lowman – https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/
Tracklist
1 – Ready Or Not – 2:47
2 – Special Kind Of Love – 3:23
3 – When It’s Over – 2:52
4 – All The Losers Win – 3:18
5 – The Gift – 2:24
6 – Fill Me Lord – 3:36
7 – Let The Whole World Sing – 3:38
8 – In His Love – 3:31
9 – Everlasting Love – 3:02
10 – You Can’t Run From Thunder – 4:14
11- That’s The Way God Planned It – 3:24
Credits
Arranged By [Strings], Conductor – Carl Marsh
Art Direction, Design – Susan DeGarmo
Drums – Greg Morrow
Engineer – John Hampton
Executive-Producer – Dan R. Brock
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Dana Key
Management – Brock & Associates
Mastered By – Ken Love
Percussion – Chad Crowell
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Producer – Dana Key, Eddie DeGarmo
Producer [Vocals] – Ron W. Griffin
Recorded By [Strings] – Brent King
Strings – The Nashville String Machine
Vocals, Bass Guitar – Tommy Cathey
Vocals, Guitar – Tony Pilcher
Vocals, Keyboards – Eddie DeGarmo
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Copyright (c) – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Recorded At – Ardent Studios
Overdubbed At – Sound Stage Studios
Mastered At – Mastermix
Pressed By – Discovery Systems
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Distributed By – Main Roads Music Group
Distributed By – Alpha & Omega Distributors
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Distributed By – Concorde Distributors Ltd
