Scott Toderash – Page 2

The 77s – Tom Tom Blues – 1995

A lot of stuff happened between 1984’s All Fall Down and Tom Tom Blues. Six other albums in fact, so the fact that this one stands stark against their 1980s style isn’t that strange. However, here at Real 80s CCM we really like the 80s stuff so I have to talk about it. I first discovered this album in the used CD bin at a local record shop in the mid-90s. I think someone else must have bought it expecting that cutting, pop-new wave and found something else instead. Not that this isn’t a good collection of songs, but it required seriously resetting some expectations. Having said that, I don’t like it as much as some of their other work, such as their self-titled album in 1987. This 1995 release isn’t what I would call grunge, but it came from the grunge era and in retrospect, that is probably the most noticeable influence on the sound. 77s do not really excel at the grunge sound. The lead track, Rocks In Your Head comes on strong, and may be the most memorable one here. Throughout the album there is a lot of rumbly bassline and gutsy guitar. It did make me think back to Ping Pong Over the Abyss with the guitar sound. If there is such a thing as new wave grunge, maybe this is it.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPcTOx34g9XRXbJ9vRQ1CpVQtjCAKdvOn

Tracklist
1 – Rocks In Your Head – 3:37
2 – Honesty – 6:21
3 – You Still Love Me – 5:22
4 – Outskirts – 4:42
5 – Flowers In The Sand – 4:51
6 – Don’t Leave Me Long – 4:21
7 – Gravy Chain – 3:17
8 – Five In The Nave – 1:01
9 – Earache – 6:06
10 – Deliverance – 8:53

Credits
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Bass, Backing Vocals, Other [Bottom] – Mark Harmon
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Other [Everything In Between] – Bruce Spencer
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Guitar [Guitars], Lead Vocals, Other [Top] – Michael Roe
Cover, Illustration – Rachel Thornton
Design Concept [Art Concept By], Design – Seventy Sevens
Engineer [Engineered By] – Craig Long, Kirt Shearer, Scott Reams
Engineer [Engineered By], Mixed By – Guy Niosi, John Flanagan
Executive-Producer – Gene Eugene, Ojo Taylor
Featuring, Percussion, Other [Cool Vibes] – Cary Avery
Illustration [Inside B/W Illustration] – Kathryn Garcia Smith
Mastered By – Michael Romanowski
Photography By – Pat Johnson
Producer [Produced By] – The 77’s
Songwriter [All Songs Written By] – The 77’s

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Brainstorm Artists International
Copyright © – Brainstorm Artists International
Distributed By – Diamante Music Group
Recorded At – Paradise Studios, Sacramento, CA
Recorded At – Plaid Jacket
Mixed At – Plaid Jacket
Mastered At – Rocket Lab
Pressed By – Disctronics USA – 138314
Published By – 7 And 7 Is Music

Steve Camp – Start Believin’ – 1980

This is one of the early albums that set the stage for Steve Camp’s 1980’s popularity. His recording career spanned from 1978 through 2002. The track “Under His Love” was co-written by Steve Camp and Larry Norman. The two would cross paths many times over their respective careers and there are a few examples of them appearing on stage together and recording each other’s songs. In addition to working with Larry Norman, it seems to me that Steve has an uncanny vocal similarity. Not only the tone of his voice, but the way he expresses it has a strong similarity to the way Larry sounded. No wonder they were able to work together easily.

Tracklist
1 – The Feeling Is Happening – 6:02
2 – You Are The Rainbow – 3:12
3 – Under His Love – 3:35
4 – Easy Livin’ (Under The Sun) – 3:05
5 – Ambassador In Chains – 3:51
6 – Start Believin’ – 4:46
7 – Do They Have To Grow Up? – 3:56
8 – I’ll Always Need You Lord – 5:47
9 – Bobby – 5:19
10 – Psalm 131 – 2:10

Credits
Steve Camp – Songwriter, Vocals, Production Assistant
Jack I. Baron – Tenor Saxophone
Big Foot – Feet Stomps
Phillip Blum – Cello
Sol A. Bobrov – Violin
Phil Bonono – Additional Engineering
Leonard Chausow – Cello
Dale Clevenger – French Horn
Gary Elghammer – Additional Engineering
Richard Royce Ferrin – Viola
Ronald Friedman – Trumpet
Joseph Golan – Violin
Tommy Hanson – Additional Engineering
John W. Haynor – Trombone
Tom Howell – French Horn
Arthur Hoyle – Trumpet, Fluegel Horn
Russell Iverson – Trumpet
Harold D. Klatz – Viola
Robert Lewis – Trumpet, Fluegel Horn
Paul Libman – Production Assistant, Songwriter
Arthur F. Linser – Trombone
Samuel Magad – Violin
Glenn Meadows – Mastered
Rodger Moulton – Viola
Hank Neuberger – Recorded and Mixed
Larry Norman – Songwriter
David Isaiah Radford – Songwriter
Arnold Roth – Violin
Kenneth G. Soderblom – Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Fred Spector – Violin
Morris Butch Stewart – Producer, Songwriter
The Chicago Hands – Hand claps and Finger Snaps
Cyrill J. Touff – Trombone

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Recorded At – Chicago Recording Company

Leslie Phillips – The Turning – 1987

“The Turning” is a fitting title for this album for several reasons. This 1987 release was Leslie Phillips’ last CCM recording. After this she signed with Virgin Records and released a few albums with then husband T Bone Burnett, whom she married after recording this album with him as producer. The Turning was the only one of her four CCM releases produced by T Bone and it has a very distinctively different sound. The acoustic sound familiar to T Bone’s work replaces all the the 80s glitz that Leslie had been doing an excellent job of until now. Leslie’s deep songwriting continued under the folk influence of the music on The Turning. However, she managed to squeeze out some pop sounding folk on a few songs, particularly “Libera Me”. In “Down”, Leslie addresses some of her “Turning” directly: “Shattered convictions I thought were offending you” suggests she has experienced a shift in her relationship with God, in a way that probably gives her more room as an individual. Bookended with two cheerfully haunting sounds at the lead track “River of Love” and the closer “God Is Watching You” this album brings a deep echoing sound that matches Her lyrics perfectly. It was an unexpected turn from the upstart who was hailed a few albums ago as the CCM version of Cyndi Lauper, but under T Bone’s influence, any artist seems to turn ahead of the curve.

Tracklist
1 – River Of Love – 2:43
2 – Love Is Not Lost – 3:57
3 – The Turning – 3:36
4 – Libera Me – 3:09
5 – Carry You – 4:18
6 – Beating Heart – 2:56
7 – Expectations – 3:15
8 – Down – 3:25
9 – Answers Don’t Come Easy – 4:10
10 – God Is Watching You – 3:50

Credits
Bass – Jerry Scheff
Drum Programming – Ralph Forbes, Ralph Forbes, Leslie Phillips, T-Bone Burnett
Drums – Mickey Curry
Executive-Producer – Tom Willett
Guitar, Producer – T-Bone Burnett
Harmony Vocals – Dawn O’Hanlon, Peter Case, Leslie Phillips, T-Bone Burnett, Tonio K.
Mixed By – Tchad Blake
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Recorded By – Bill Jackson, Bobby Hickey, Judy Klapp, Larry Hirsch, Stephen Shelton, Steve Ford, Tchad Blake
Recorded By [Assisted By] – David Knight, Mike Kloster
Remastered By – Steve Hoffman
Synthesizer – John Schreiner, Leslie Phillips
Written-By – Leslie Phillips, T-Bone Burnett

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Myrrh Records
Copyright © – Myrrh Records
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word Music
Copyright © – Word Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Black Tent Music
Copyright © – Black Tent Music
Manufactured By – DCC Compact Classics Inc.
Marketed By – DCC Compact Classics Inc.
Recorded At – The Sound Factory
Recorded At – Sunset Sound
Recorded At – Mad Hatter Studios
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Recorded At – Eagle Audio Recording
Recorded At – Capitol Studios

Larry Norman – Come As A Child – 1983

Come As A Child is a live solo set by Larry Norman released in 1983. It was probably recorded in 1982 or 83. This record is billed as a concert for the benefit of The Calcutta Mission. Very little information about that transaction is available, but we assume that a portion of the profits of record sales were used to help the poor in India. It starts out with an introduction by Barry MacGuire, who was a late convert to Christianity and had a huge hit with the spiritual song “Cosmic Cowboy.” Larry always seemed to have a heart for California Culturals who were willing to learn about Jesus. There seems to be no lasting connection between Barry and Larry other than this introduction. Evidently Barry really was a fan. The performance is good and is a great example of vintage Larry. The sound quality is not great, but better than some of the other bootlegs released by Phydeaux. Unlike Roll Away The Stone and Live At The Mac, this album is primarily an acoustic performance. He did a lot of those on tours during the 1970s as well as the ones near the end of his career. Always with his “Spanish guitar” and the contract specifying 2 microphones set at the same volume. One for him and one for the guitar. Nightmare and Peacepollutionrevolution are stand-out tracks here because he did not do them live all that often, and they do not normally show up in his acoustic sets. Some of Larry’s humourous banter is here introducing songs, and talking about salvation and what we now call “Chritianese” on his talk “Heaven And Hell.”

Tracklist
1 – Barry McGuire Introduction – 2:34
2 – U.F.O. – 3:01
3 – I Hope I’ll See You In Heaven – 5:17
4 – Why Can’t You Be Good – 2:38
5 – Singing At The White House – 2:54
6 – The Great American Novel – 4:09
7 – Nightmare – 4:52
8 – Six Sixty Six – 2:26
9 – Peacepollutionrevolution – 2:45
10 – The Outlaw – 3:01
11 – Heaven And Hell – 2:16
12 – Strong Love, Strange Peace – 2:54

Credits
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano – Larry Norman
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Written-By – Larry Norman

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Solid Rock Records
Mastered At – A&M Studios

African Sonrise – Children of Africa – 1986

In 1986 Apartheid was popular news in Canada and other Western countries. It wasn’t a new thing, but it was being talked about openly for the first time. African Sonrise is a group that was formed as a result of the opening up of South Africa. Here’s the explanation from the back of the album:

Rising out of the depression and sorrow of Africa comes a crisp, dynamic sound…

AFRICAN SONRISE

Diverse yet sharing common roots, the men of African Sonrise bring to you a special fusion of unique ethnic rhythms and Hot, contemporary instrumentation. You’ll sense many musical styles from pop to reggae, but find none that clearly defines the vibrant harmonies recorded here. Founder Henry Louw, son of a Capetown minister, first visited the U.S. in 1980. At the end of his singing tour he was encouraged to return with other performers. After achieving much success in South Africa where their ministry was greatly annointed and used of God, he and three other men are now based in Canada to share their special blend of music with the world.

The current team includes Peter Ecksteen, Daniel Visagie, and Christian Absolom. Each member has suffered under the apartheid system, yet together they sing of an answer above political struggles and military force.

This is fresh, Dynamic music. There’s incredible variety in the tunes. Both American and Canadian musicians sense the power and light that flows from the group.

The title cut, Children of Africa will move you deeply. The peaceful sounds of the jungle clash with souns of war. But shining through the strife of Africa is power and hope in following Jesus Christ. In “Tswana,” a native African language, the group sings…

Dumela, dumela, Fela (you have only to believe)

He (Jesus) will make ALL things right!

Here is power mightier than any weapon, a force above political struggle. It is the power of the Lord Jesus. These songs are the heartcry and the heartsong of Africa. May these songs encourage every listener to stand strong in Christ.

Tracklist
1 – More Like You – 3:44
2 – This Time – 4:35
3 – Just One Touch – 3:40
4 – So Much More In Jesus – 4:25
5 – Children Of Africa – 4:36
6 – Dumela Fela – 4:35
7 – Commitment – 4:04
8 – Too Good Not To Be True – 3:41
9 – So Tired And True – 3:45
10 – Together As One – 4:47

Credits
Drums – Daryl Bennet
Bass – Brian Newcombe, Rob Bailey
Guitars – Dane DeViller
Keyboards – Duncan Meiklejohn, Morry Stearns
Percussion – Daryl Bennet, Darren McGrath
Trumpet – Paul Baron
Sax – Bill Runge
Producer – Duncan Meiklejohn

Dennis Agajanian – Where Are The Heroes – 1984

Produced by Terry Talbot, this 1984 outing from Dennis is a different sort of foray into Country music. It includes two songs written by Steve Camp, and one co-written by Dennis and Terry Talbot. There is also a pseudo-country version of Bach’s Jesu Joy Of Man’s Desiring. Dennis has been referred to as a “guitar virtuoso” and this is a demonstration of why. In general, this album has a lot more prominent guitar work than earlier releases like Rebel To The Wrong. Backing vocalists on this album include Dennis Agajanian, Julie Miller, Matthew Ward, and Terry Talbot. Over a career spanning around 30 years, Dennis released over a dozen albums and spent some significant time contributing to Billy Graham crusades. This record has all the polish you would expect from a Terry Talbot project, and a smooth sounding Nashville country sound.

Tracklist
1 – If You Say – 2:37
2 – Via Dolorosa – 4:36
3 – Where Are The Heroes – 4:20
4 – The Tongue Is A Fire – 4:32
5 – Jesu Joy Of Man’s Desiring – 2:54
6 – She’s A Servant (Single And Living Alone) – 2:55
7 – Goodbye Old Man – 3:32
8 – Colleen’s Pirouette – 2:48
9 – I Will Never Leave You – 3:36
10 – All That I Am – 2:52

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Dennis Agajanian
Backing Vocals – Julie Miller, Matthew Ward
Bass – Abraham Laboriel, Scott Parish (tracks: A5)
Drums – Bill Maxwell
Electric Guitar – Michael Thompson
Keyboards – Dennis Bouchard*
Mastered By – Ken Pennell, Steve Hall
Mixed By – Ron Capone
Producer, Backing Vocals, Mixed By, Acoustic Guitar – Terry Talbot
Recorded By [@ Poiema] – Bill Cobb
Recorded By [@ Westwind] – Ron Capone

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – The Sparrow Corporation
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Record Company – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Birdwing Music
Copyright (c) – Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company Inc.
Copyright (c) – Paragon Music Corp.
Recorded At – Poiema Studios
Recorded At – Westwind Studio
Mastered At – Future Disc

Messiah Prophet Band – Rock The Flock – 1984

Metal done just right. The album starts out with a perfect 1984 hard rock anthem, “Rock The Flock.” Along with some melodic metal tunes like “Labor of Love” this album keeps the pace up all the way through. The band’s strong vocals, bold drumming and continuous guitar flourishes make a nice blend. This was the first of only two albums the band put out in the 80s. Although there was room for more, we got all there was of MPB.

Tracklist
1 – Rock the Flock – 3:36
2 – Labor of Love – 3:46
3 – Try to Understand – 4:44
4 – Travel the Rough Road – 4:08
5 – Why Must You Run – 5:34
6 – To the Rock – 3:55
7 – Answer Our Call – 5:21
8 – Riding Out the Storm – 4:50
9 – Sing – 7:09

Credits
Charlie Clark – Songwriter, Lead Vocals
Rob Clark – Rhythm & Lead Guitars, Vocals
Dave Daubert – Drums, Vocals
Dean Pellman – Songwriter, Bass, Vocals
Andy Strauss – Songwriter, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Cedric Winters – Engineer
Jim Zimmerman – Producer

Kerry Livgren – Seeds of Change – 1980

Kerry Livgren made the big announcement in 1980 that he had become a born-again Christian. That caused a bit of friction with some of his bandmates in Kansas, although they continued making albums together after that. The album cover features a baby in the womb of a diamond. Kansas albums were always big on imagery, and I think this could be discussed at length (by someone), but the baby seems to be a pretty clear reference to being born again. Notably though, Kerry did the majority of his Christian themed writing for his solo projects and with his new band, A. D. This record includes vocals from Christian rock artist Mylon Lefevre on a few tracks, as well as lead vocals by famed metal guitarist Ronnie James Dio on “Mask Of The Great Deceiver” and “To Live For The King.” This is a 7 song affair, with some marathon song lengths reaching over 8 minutes long. There is only 1 song under 5 minutes on the album. The musical offering here continues on from a consistent arc where Kerry left off with Kansas at the time. It’s a record that would not isolate any fans, and the high level of talent he had to make this album certainly shows. It’s a great transition album for him, aptly named “Seeds of Change.”

Tracklist
1 – Just One Way – 5:46
2 – Mask Of The Great Deceiver – 7:36
3 – How Can You Live – 4:13
4 – Whiskey Seed – 5:33
5 – To Live For The King – 4:55
6 – Down To The Core – 5:18
7 – Ground Zero – 8:36

Credits
Kerry Livgren – Producer, Songwriter, Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Vocals
Brad Aaron – Producer, Background Vocals
Barriemore Barlow – Drums
Bobby Campo – Trumpet
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Phil Ehart – Drums
John Fristoe – Background Vocals
Gary Gilbert – Bass
Paul Goddard – Bass
Joey Jelf – Background Vocals
Darryl Kutz – Harmonica
Mylon LeFevre – Vocals
Victoria Livgren – Background Vocals
Davey Moire – Vocals
David Pack – Vocals
Jeff Pollard – Vocals
Robby Steinhardt – Violin
John Thompson – Drums
Steve Venezia – Background Vocals
Steve Walsh – Vocals
Donna Williams – Background Vocals

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – CBS Records
Manufactured By – CBS Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
Copyright (c) – Corn & Blood, Inc.
Recorded At – Axis Sound Studio
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Published By – Don Kirshner Music
Published By – Blackwood Music Publishing

Altar Boys – Altar Boys – 1984

Altar Boys’ self titled debut album came out in 1984. This California style punk was typical of what punk was at the time, although now we seem to have a lot of splinters of types of punk – melodic, thrash, pop, hardcore, metalcore, screamo, and more. A lot of punk was poppy at the time, modelled after The Ramones, and sounding like a precursor to MXPX or Green Day. Starting to play together around 1978, musicians that would later form the bands Undercover, Lifesavors, and Altar Boys (in that order) all came out of the same scene. Mike Stand and Ric Alba ended up in Altar Boys along with Jeff Crandall and Steve Pannier, while Mike’s brother was in Undercover, and Ric had previously done some playing with Lifesavors. Ric also played with Undercover before Altar Boys. In the spirit of punk rock, these songs are all high energy and a lot of fun, a hallmark of Altar Boys from start to end.

Track Listing:
1 – Alright! – 2:24
2 – I’m Into God – 2:52
3 – Have A Clue – 2:36
4 – Where’s It Gonna Lead You – 2:24
5 – You Found Me – 3:46
6 – Take In The Son – 2:44
7 – Well O.K. – 2:36
8 – Good Life – 3:31
9 – Oh, Oh Nancy – 1:33
10 – We Love Jesus – 2:40
11 – It’s Up To You – 3:07

Credits
Art Direction – Alex McDougal
Backing Vocals – Ojo
Backing Vocals, Drums, Vocals – Jeff Crandall
Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals, Guitar – Mike Stand
Bass, Keyboards – Rick Alba
Cover, Design – Debby Edwards
Engineer – Derald Daugherty
Engineer, Producer – Joey Taylor
Executive Producer – Bradley S. Hamilton
Guitar – Steve Pannier
Photography By – Oh Oh Nancy
Saxophone [Sax] – Bill Walden
Written-By – Annis

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Ministry Resource Center
Copyright (c) – Ministry Resource Center
Recorded At – Sound Affair
Recorded At – Whitefield Studios
Mixed At – Sound Affair
Mixed At – Whitefield Studios
Published By – Oh Oh Nancy Music
Published By – Maranatha! Music

Larry Norman – Stop This Flight – 1986/1997

This version is the Phydeaux CD from 1997, which includes several radio spot interviews and a bonus track of “What’s Wrong With This Body” with extra verses. Stop This Flight was around as early as 1984 with all the songs intact, however the major release of it was in 1986. The songs here are all new, except for “I Hope I’ll See You In Heaven.” That song has appeared as a live cut in several different versions, and a highly polished studio version is on “Down Under But Not Out.” Several tracks are recorded live rather than studio, so clearly they were floating around for a while before this release. This album contributed some classics to Larry’s repertoire. Woman of God and What’s Wrong With This Body stayed in his concert sets for a long time. “Messiah” is an epic piece, and was a show-ending, church-shaking finale for as long as Larry still performed with the band. Larry did a North American tour to support this album, with a full band, including Charly on bass. The 1997 version has a completely different album cover from the originals. The 1986 Phydeaux version had a few snapshots on the cover, later to be replaced by Larry posing with the spaceman on the moon. It seems likely that the change was due to his divorce from Sarah in 1995, since her picture was on the previous album cover. The radio spots here are another creative example by Larry to get his version of the story out. People always wanted to write stories about him, so he simply recorded one side of an interview, leaving the gaps for someone else to put questions in. Radio stations would have the ability to use these clips to make a faux interview, or just play some of the clips on their own.

Tracklist
1 – Finchian Etude / Stop This Flight
2 – A Woman Of God
3 – What’s Wrong With This Body
4 – Don’t You Wanna Talk About It
5 – And We Sing “The Tune”
6 – Out Of My System #1
7 – I Hope I’ll See You In Heaven
8 – Messiah
9 – Radio Interview
10 – What’s Wrong With This Body

Credits
Arranged By – Larry Norman
Performer – Charly, Sarah
Producer – Larry Norman
Written By – Larry Norman

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Phydeaux Inc.
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix – △ 10439
Copyright (c) – Six Blue Lions