Ray Mansfield – Page 55

Albrecht, Roley & Moore – Starlighter – 1978

AR&M are back with their second album on the new label Spirit and with a Sparrow records distribution deal. Everything was looking up for this album. The band/label put together a killer studio band for the guys and even got Bonnie Bramlett in to sing backup on the song “Carry It On”. The album got the guys their first and only CCM chart single with “Eyes On The Clouds” coming in at #22. The album is definitely a step up from their first album. It has a more Rock feel but don’t be expecting a 70’s rocker, that’s not what these guys did but they did get a few rock riffs onto this album.

Tracklist
1 – Questioning Heart – 2:18
2 – Carry It On – 3:39
3 – Chasin’ The Rain – 3:26
4 – Song Of The Starlighter – 2:56
5 – Eyes On The Clouds – 3:36
6 – Holiday Son – 3:43
7 – One To One – 3:22
8 – Rise Complete My Maiden – 2:46
9 – You Are My Life – 2:43
10 – Benediction – 1:11

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Bobby Thompson, John Goin, Mike Albrecht, Scott Roley
Backing Vocals – Bonnie Bramlett
Bass – Jack Williams, Joe Osborn, Tommy Cogbill
Bass, Acoustic Guitar – Alan Moore
Design – Lynn Robb, Stan Evenson
Drums – Kenny Malone, Larry Landin
Electric Guitar – Steve Gibson
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – John W. Thompson
Electric Guitar, Mandolin – Pete Bordonali
Engineer – Jim Cotton, Pat Holt
Photography By – Bill Grine
Producer, Arranged By – John W. Thompson
Producer, Arranged By, Keyboards – Shane Keister
Strings – The Shelly Kurland Strings

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Spirit Records Inc.
Distributed By – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Produced For – White Knuckles Productions
Manufactured By – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Copyright © – Sparrow Song
Published By – Spirit Records
Recorded At – The Sound Lab, Nashville
Mixed At – The Sound Lab, Nashville

Valor – Masquerade – 1987

Valor rose out of the ashes of another band named Golgotha. The band was pretty much the same lineup but with Chris Price replacing Todd Price. Chris brought a more thrash sound to the band. Vic Sardon was brought on as a second guitarist to solidify that thrash sound. The band had a pretty good following as Golgotha so they had a head start as they toured and played across the U.S. They actually stayed together for several years and though they never got a real record deal (they did release a full self produced album) they were quite popular. Now it’s well known that thrash bands had a very difficult time with record deals I am kind of surprised that Valor had this problem. Their version of thrash is far more bearable than most. The lyrics are clear and good. The guitar has distinguishable chords and quite frankly this is probably one of the best thrash albums I’ve ever heard. Even if you’re not a fan of thrash I’d really suggest you give this one a quick listen. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Tracklist
1 – Masquerade – 4:26
2 – Fight For Your Life – 2:42
3 – Burn – 5:00
4 – Didn’t I – 4:27
5 – The Flesh Is Weak – 4:11

Credits
Bass, Backing Vocals – Adam Alvarez
Drums – Jim Maxwell
Guitar – Chris Price, Vic Sardon
Vocals – Michael Brueck

Johnny Markin – No Frontiers – 1993

This is Johnny’s second album and again as near as I can tell it was only released in the UK. This one is another great 80’s pop rock album which again was a little late but it stands on its own anyway. I really wish ICC records had negotiated a U.S. distribution deal as this album would have sold well in the U.S. market. Johnny returned home to Canada in 2000 and is still releasing albums with funding through GoFundMe.

Tracklist
1 – The Face Of Love – 4:46
2 – Generation Of Greed – 3:40
3 – Now The Tears I Cry – 6:06
4 – There You Are – 5:14
5 – I Need A Vision – 2:59
6 – Where Would I Be – 3:45
7 – Not Afraid Of The Darkness – 4:42
8 – For The Hurting – 5:01
9 – Half A Truth – 5:36
10 – So Breaks The Hardest Heart – 6:41
11 – The 4 Seasons – Spring – 2:59

Credits
Backing Vocals – Annie McCaig, Frank W. Dursthoff, Gary Houston, Johnny Markin, Paul Burton, Paul Field, Suzanne Zielke
Bass – Gary Houston
Drums – Frank W. Dursthoff
Electric Organ – Steve Thompson
Engineer, Mixed By – Paul Burton
Guitar – Johnny Markin
Keyboards – Johnny Markin
Piano – Paul Field, Steve Thompson
Producer – Johnny Markin, Paul Field
Programmed By [Additional] – Johnny Markin
Tambourine – Johnny Markin

Companies, etc.
Engineered At – ICC Studios
Mixed At – ICC Studios

Benny Hester – Perfect – 1989

Benny Hester returns with another great Pop Rock album and as was pretty normal for him at this point it was very successful. It had 2 top 10 hits, “Perfect” made it to #5 and “You Weren’t Meant To Live Your Life Alone” to #6. Rounding out the singles was “Before You Know It” at #15 and “Shall We Gather At The River” crept into the chart at #34. As is normal for the CCM charts the best track on the album is actually “Headlights On The Highway” didn’t chart and doesn’t even appear to have been released as a single.

Tracklist
1 – Headlights On The Highway – 3:13
2 – Before You Know It – 4:15
3 – If You Die Before You Die – 4:20
4 – Perfect – 4:23
5 – Hungry World – 3:30
6 – You Weren’t Meant To Live Your Life Alone – 4:55
7 – Two Good Reasons – 3:50
8 – This One’s For Keeping – 3:30
9 – Passion, Possession, Position – 3:40
10 – Shall We Gather At The River – 3:48

Credits
Arranged By – Bill Baumgart, Tim Heintz
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Backing Vocals – Allison Beech, Benny Hester, Bill Baumgart, Bob Carlisle
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Drums – Jeff Porcaro
Engineer – Dave Jahnsen
Engineer [Assistant] – Beth Wisner, Doug Beiden, Eric Kibbe, Kirt Shearer
Guitar – Marty Walsh
Keyboards – Aaron Zigman, Tim Heintz
Mixed By – Bill Baumgart, Dave Jahnsen
Percussion – Pete Pfiefer*
Photography By – David Dobson
Producer – Benny Hester, Bill Baumgart

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Frontline Records
Copyright © – Frontline Records
Recorded At – Mixing Lab A
Mixed At – Mixing Lab A
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus

The Eli Band – Sunday Drivers – 1979

This is another one of those oddball Canadian bands on the Praise Label (Tunesmith, New Born etc…). It has an excellent seventies sound and would probably done pretty good but unfortunately it was stuck in the Praise records group who, well, I’ll just say weren’t always such a great friend of the bands they signed. Most tracks were written by Ron Badger who is still active in the music industry from his home in Regina Saskatchewan. Only have time for one track? “Victory Road” is the track for you. If you like the 70’s sound this is definitely one you need to listen to as I am willing to bet very few people have heard this one.

Tracklist
1 – Intro – 0:46
2 – It’s Real – 4:30
3 – Victory Road – 2:59
4 – I Gave To You – 4:29
5 – He’s Coming Back – 4:32
6 – Lord Of Lords – 4:07
7 – You’re Always Around – 5:33
8 – Whatr’e You Gonna Do? – 3:20
9 – God Bless You God – 3:35
10 – Joyful Blues – 3:35
11 – Outro – 0:35

Credits
Jim Reid – Lead Vocalist
Lori Anderson – Back-up Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Ron Badger – Guitars, Back-up Vocals
Don McAreavy – Keyboards
Brian Clark – Electric Bass
Blaine Bonner – Drums

Companies, etc.
Label – New Born Records

Randy Matthews – Eyes To The Sky – 1975

After the fiasco at The Jesus Festival in 1974 during which he was unplugged and thrown out for playing Rock & Roll he went into the studio to cut this album. He even wrote a song about the incident “Pennsylvania Song” on which he sang “you pulled the plug and drained my soul, but I know I left a ring around the tub of tradition, I saw some dance and sing” Many of us who stumbled on Randy in the 80’s problem didn’t even know he was a Rock & Roll pioneer. A quick listen to this album will reinforce this new knowledge as this is a great 70’s rock album. Seriously if you missed this one back in the day it’s a must listen to.

Tracklist
1 – It Took A Carpenter – 3:09
2 – Oh My – 3:20
3 – Paid In Full – 2:38
4 – There’s A Shadow Passing Over The Land – 3:03
5 – Wounded Warrior – 3:57
6 – Captain – 4:04
7 – Guardian Angel – 3:10
8 – Pennsylvania Song – 3:47
9 – In The Morning – 4:32
10 – Four Horsemen – 4:11

Credits
Arpa – Kim Rose
Arranged By – Kim Rose
Backing Vocals – Austin Roberts, Bergen White, Buzz Cason, Kim Rose, Randy Matthews
Bass – Joe Osborn
Cover [Painting] – J. T. Morrow
Design – Small Wonder Studio
Drums – Jerry Carrigan
Engineer – Brent Maher
Executive Producer – Billy Ray Hearn
Flute – Billy Puett
Guitar – Billy Sanford, Kim Rose, Reggie Young, Steve Gibson
Keyboards – Kim Rose, Ron Oates
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Producer – Austin Roberts
Recorder – Billy Puett

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Creative Workshop

Randy Rose – Sacrificium – 1991

While Randy was still a member of Mad At The World he decided to do a solo project. He released it on Intense Records even though MATW was signed to Alarma Records at the time which is rather odd. Anyway it appears he wanted to do something a little harder than what the band was doing. As such this album has a heavier and darker feel. He has reworked “Marshmallow Land” which was previously released by MATW but the rest of the tracks are original tracks. I’m not really a fan of the darker feel of the album but that aside it is really well done. It is easily as good as anything done in the secular market at the time. As such this album falls in that category of albums I really respect but don’t choose to listen to again.

Tracklist
1 – Pain – 4:06
2 – Oppression – 3:46
3 – Fire – 4:29
4 – I Was Alive – 5:31
5 – Wicked Ways – 3:40
6 – Black Harvest – 5:31
7 – Marshmallow Land – 4:09
8 – Wall Of Hate – 3:56
9 – Death – 3:46
10 – Sacrificium – 4:42

Credits
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Bass – Ray Rose
Co-producer, Recorded By, Mixed By, Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Music By – Randy Rose
Design – Brian Godawa
Drums – Chris B, Jason Martin
Lead Guitar – Brent Gordon
Mastered By – John Matousek
Music By – Roger Rose
Performer – Ronni Martin
Photography By – Wayne Armstrong
Producer, Guitar – Roger Rose

Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Soundworks West
Recorded At – MATW Studios
Record Company – Frontline Music Group

Diane Tong – Land of the Living – 1980

This is another oddball Canadian artist found on New Born Records (Sister label to Tunesmith). There are several of these one album artists on New Born and Tunesmith. The real standout on the album is Diane’s guitar and banjo work. The opening track is a toe tapper but unfortunately the album turns easy listening after that. Her vocal stylings are not my cup of tea but she is a very good vocalist and this album is a stand out if you like her vocal style.

1 – In The Land Of The Living – 4:24
2 – I’ve Seen You Smile – 4:06
3 – The Lilies – 4:52
4 – How Lovely – 2:54
5 – Dear Brother – 3:14
6 – Faith – 4:18
7 – Too Long – 2:17
8 – Heartbeat Of The Lord – 3:26
9 – Jesus Is The Lover – 4:50
10 – Morning Star – 3:48

Tom Howard – The Harvest – 1985

This album caught me way off guard. I honestly had no idea that Tom put out an instrumental piano album. I was not expecting this from him at all. That said it’s a very good album if you like Instrumental piano albums. Personally this is not my kind of album but we have uploaded it as Tom is one of our favourite artists.

Tracklist
1 – Humble Yourself (In The Sight Of The Lord) – 6:08
2 – For The Beauty Of The Earth – 5:06
3 – On Wings As Eagles – 5:10
4 – Gethsemane – 5:22
5 – A Shield About Me – 4:17
6 – Horizon Storm – 3:54
7 – Katie’s Rainbow – 3:45
8 – Morning – 6:19
9 – Seek Ye First – 4:41
10 – The Harvest: Prayer; Dance – 5:53

Credits
Art Direction – Alex MacDougall
Artwork – Kevin Short
Design, Typography – Gary De Lacy
Engineer – Wally Grant
Executive-Producer – Tom Coomes
Liner Notes – D. Ellen Harris
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Photography By – Harriet Burger
Piano, Soloist – Tom Howard
Producer – Tom Howard

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Mad Hatter Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc
Mastered At – Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc.
Pressed By – Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc.
Manufactured By – Maranatha! Music
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Published By – Tom Howard Music
Published By – Maranatha! Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Maranatha! Music
Copyright © – Maranatha! Music

NewSong – More Than Music – 1981

If you’re a fan of the current or recent offerings from NewSong you might be surprised by this album. This was their first album but it wasn’t on a label. Instead they actually self released it. It is almost all covers so there is no way a record company would have even touched it. The band was founded at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia and I am guessing they never knew what they would become. Like I said this album is almost entirely covers and it is rather obvious they were going for that Imperials sound and feel. This album is a bit of a contrast from their later stuff but it’s nice to hear where it all started for them.

Tracklist
1 – I Will Glory In The Cross – 3:46
2 – Oh Buddah – 3:05
3 – Something Right – 2:18
4 – God’s Way – 3:41
5 – Swing Low/Swing Down Chariot – 2:41
6 – Rise Again – 3:28
7 – Questions – 3:26
8 – You Are My Everything – 3:18
9 – No Shortage – 3:10
10 – Your First Day In Heaven – 1:24