Ray Mansfield – Page 56

Angelica – Time Is All It Takes – 1992

Dennis Cameron is back with Drew Baca on lead vocals with Angelica’s third and last studio album. This album definitely has a different vibe than their other ones. Many reviewers say it has a funk feel but I just think it concentrates a lot more on acoustic guitar work. While I’m in the minority I actually think this might be their best work. I actually really liked this album which is rare for me of a Metal album. This album was released in the US and Canada as Angelica but it was released as a Dennis Cameron album in Japan. Considering he did all the work but lead vocals I guess I can see why but I suspect it was more likely due to some oddball legal issue.

Tracklist
1 – Gotta Get Ready – 3:55
2 – Running Wild – 4:40
3 – Second Chance – 5:03
4 – I Can Hardly Wait to See – 4:19
5 – Open Your Mind – 3:48
6 – Don’t Stop – 4:04
7 – Time is All it Takes – 3:37
8 – Carry Me – 3:56

Credits
Backing Vocals – Daniel Ysais
Guitar [Guitars], Lead Vocals – Dennis Cameron
Lead Vocals – Drew Baca
Producer – Dennis Cameron
Written-By – Dennis Cameron

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Intense Records
Copyright © – Intense Records
Published By – Broken Songs
Distributed By – FMG Distribution
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus

Phil Keaggy With Glass Harp – Song in the Air – 1977

This 1977 release from Phil Keaggy and Glass Harp is actually a compilation album of Keaggy’s work with Glass Harp in the early 70’s. Glass Harp was one of the early bands Keaggy was a member of. The album is very easy listening but does highlight Keaggy’s excellent guitar work.

Tracklist
1 – Song In The Air – 2:35
2 – Can You See Me – 6:25
3 – One Day At A Time – 3:40
4 – Song Of Hope – 4:21
5 – The Answer – 2:38
6 – David & Goliath – 2:50
7 – I’m Going Home – 2:40
8 – Do Lord – 4:22
9 – Let’s Live Together – 3:50

Credits
Design, Artwork – George Werth
Lacquer Cut By – KP
Mastered By – Ken Perry
Performer – Dan Pecchio, John Sferra, Phil Keaggy
Producer [Associate], Engineer – Bill Culhane, Dick Shapiro, Gordon Shaad, Ralph Moss, Tom Lubin
Producer [Original Recordings] – Lewis Merenstein

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – MCA Records, Inc.
Copyright © – Star Song Records
Manufactured By – Star Song Records
Published By – Archaball Publishing Inc.
Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Mastered At – Capitol Studios
Pressed By – Wakefield Manufacturing – 32194

Will McFarlane – Only The Heart – 1987

Will McFarlane self released his 3rd album though his previous label Refuge Records did take care of distribution. Because it was self released it was virtually guaranteed not to have a charting single. This is too bad because the album definitely had a couple tracks that could have singled. It has a bit of an Imperials sound and feel. The album is not my preferred genre but I actually quite liked the album. If you missed this one in the 80’s you should give it a listen now.

Tracklist
1 – I Can Depend On You – 3:44
2 – Can’t Go Back – 5:07
3 – Who Can Separate Us – 3:54
4 – The End Of Me – 5:44
5 – Only The Heart – 3:45
6 – Don’t Be Fooled – 5:33
7 – Come Unto Me – 5:24
8 – Blessed Jesus – 5:35

Kansas – Vinyl Confessions – 1982

The eighth studio album from Kansas was a pretty important one. Lead singer Steve Walsh wasn’t cool with the direction of the band so John Elefante was brought in to take on the role. This album also marked the departure of Robby Steinhardt who finished out the tour for the album but that was it. The album was not overtly Christian but instead touched on Christian topics. The album made it to # 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart and the single “Play the Game Tonight” made it to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. CCM Magazine even chose Vinyl Confessions as the No. 1 CCM album of 1982 which I think disappointed many Christian artists who wanted that “award” to go to a Christian album.

Tracklist
1 – Play The Game Tonight – 3:24
2 – Right Away – 4:03
3 – Fair Exchange – 4:56
4 – Chasing Shadows – 3:17
5 – Diamonds And Pearls – 4:47
6 – Face It – 4:15
7 – Windows – 3:29
8 – Borderline – 3:57
9 – Play On – 3:39
10 – Crossfire – 6:35

Credits
Alto Saxophone – Bill Bergman
Art Direction, Design, Design Concept – Tom Drennon
Backing Vocals – David Pack, Donna Williams
Baritone Saxophone – Greg Smith
Bass – Dave Hope
Bassoon – Bev Dahlke
Design [Additional], Other [Additional Art] – Andrew Barnum
Drums – Phil Ehart
Engineer – Ken Scott
Engineer [Assistant] – Brian Leshon, David Spritz, Philip Jost, Ralph Sutton
Guitar – Rich Williams
Harmonica – Warren Ham
Keyboards, Guitar – Kerry Livgren
Keyboards, Vocals – John Elefante
Management [Budd Carr] – The Carr Company
Mastered By – Stan Ricker
Photography – Glen Wexler
Producer – Kansas, Ken Scott
Tenor Saxophone – Jim Coile
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Bill Bergman
Trumpet – John Berry, Lee Thornburg
Violin, Vocals – Robby Steinhardt

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – CBS Records Canada Ltd.
Distributed By – CBS Records Canada Ltd.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS Inc.
Copyright © – Corn & Blood, Inc.
Copyright © – Don Kirshner Music, Inc.
Copyright © – Blackwood Music Publishing
Recorded At – Chateau Recorders
Mixed At – Chateau Recorders
Mastered At – Original Masteringworks
Mastered At – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Inc.
Lacquer Cut At – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Don Mills, ON
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Don Mills, ON
Printed By – Shorewood Packaging Corp. Of Canada Ltd.

Altar Boys – Forever Mercy – 1989

This was the last real studio album from Altar Boys though they did come together in 2018 to release an album. At this point they simply weren’t the punk powerhouse they once were. If anything at this point they were more new wave than punk. That said I missed this one in the 80’s and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. The band were super tight at this point and Steve Griffith was an excellent choice as producer. Though I preferred their commercial punk sound this album is good too.

Tracklist
1 – Forever Mercy – 4:20
2 – Listen Up – 4:28
3 – Faith! – 4:03
4 – The Meaning Of Life – 4:26
5 – Ride This Train – 4:26
6 – World Burning – 4:00
7 – Here Ends The Night – 3:53
8 – Love Eternal – 3:55
9 – More Than Words – 3:48
10 – Silent Night – 4:13

Credits
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Bass – Ric Alba
Drums – Jeff Crandall
Drums [Additional] – Steve Griffith
Engineer – Steve Griffith
Engineer [Additional] – Dave Jahnsen
Guitar – Mike Stand, Ric Alba
Guitar [Additional] – Steve Griffith
Harmonica – Mike Stand
Lead Guitar – Mike Stand, Steve Pannier
Lead Vocals – Mike Stand
Percussion – Jeff Crandall
Performer [Altar Boys Is] – Jeff Crandall, Mike Stand, Ric Alba
Photography – David Dobson
Producer – Steve Griffith
Vocals – Jeff Crandall, Ric Alba
Vocals [Additional] – Steve Griffith

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Frontline Music Group
Copyright © – Broken Songs
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Alarma Records
Recorded At – The Mixing Lab
Marketed By – Frontline Records
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Liaison – Urgency – 1991

Brothers Larry and Tim Melby are back with their second album and in my opinion it picks up where the first one left off. Others however feel it has a heavier feel but everyone hears things a little different. Bill Baumgart is back in the producers seat but also gets credited as the keyboard player for the album. The album did well with 2 radio hits, “Free Will” made it to #9 and “Friend To The World” to #14. All in all it’s a great album but I feel it might have been a little late in 1991 but as I love all things eighties I don’t care.

Tracklist
1 – Urgency – 4:17
2 – Ocean View – 3:47
3 – Luwenda – 4:26
4 – Listen Up – 3:44
5 – The Hardest Part’s The Waiting – 4:59
6 – He Smiled – 4:34
7 – Lay Our Weapons Down – 4:48
8 – Free Will – 4:06
9 – All I Have To Offer You – 3:56
10 – Friend To The World – 4:28

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Tim Melby
Arranged By [Rhythm Arrangement], Keyboards – Tim Heintz
Art Direction, Design – Ed Mc Taggart, Joe Potter
Bass – Kelly Burns
Drums – Doug Matthews, Vinnie Colaiuta
Engineer – Dave Jahnsen
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Glenn Pearce
Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Lary Melby
Photography – Michael Seeley
Producer, Engineer, Arranged By [Rhythm Arrangemen], Arranged By [Vocal Arrangement], Keyboards – Bill Baumgart
Production Manager [Production Coordinator] – Beth Wisner
Vocals [Additional Vocals], Acoustic Guitar – Rick Elias

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – The Mixing Lab
Mixed At – Front Page Recording
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Modest Attraction – Get Ready – 1992

Modest Attraction Featured Christian Liljegren (Narnia) and Mick Nordstrom (Leviticus) and rose from the ashes of Swedish band Borderline. This album is actually their first 2 Demos put together. These may have been demos but the production is fantastic. Mick Nordström is credited with production and this was one of the first albums he produced and he nailed it. This was only released in Sweden until 2021 when Retroactive Records did a U.S. re-release so you may have missed this one. This is without a doubt one of my favourite Metal albums I’ve reviewed yet. Everyone knows that Metal is not my preferred genre but wow this album is just so good it doesn’t matter. If you like hard rock I think you’ll like this one as its well produced and the guitar is decipherable so give it a listen.

Tracklist
1 – Action – 3:30
2 – King Of Rock ‘N’ Roll – 3:47
3 – Get Ready! – 4:31
4 – Come On! – 4:08
5 – Unfailing Love – 3:25
6 – Be Your Child – 2:40
7 – Love Shot Me Down – 4:08
8 – Calm Before The Storm – 4:47
9 – Shake The World – 3:29
10 – Down On My Knees – 4:11

Credits
Arranged By – Modest Attraction
Artwork [Album Cover By] – Jonatan Samuelsson
Bass, Vocals – Simeon Liljegren
Drums, Keyboards [Keys], Vocals – Mick Nordström
Engineer [Engineered By] – Mick Nordström, Peter Jingsäter
Executive-Producer – Matthew B. Hunt
Guitar [All Guitar Parts on Side A Played By] – Stefan Selvander
Guitar [All Guitars] – Stephan Mohlin
Layout, Design – Scott Waters
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Christian Liljegren
Liner Notes – Christian Liljegren
Producer [Produced By] – Mick Nordström

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Retroactive Records
Licensed To – Retroactive Records
Recorded At – PLC Recording Studio Hultsfred
Mixed At – PLC Recording Studio Hultsfred
Designed At – NoLifeTilMetal
Manufactured By – The ADS Group – 24379-CD-0085

Mark Heard – Dry Bones Dance – 1990

Mark Heard started the 90’s by starting his own record company, Fingerprint Records, with Dan Russell and Chuck Long. This was the first album on the label and they started out with a bang. Mark invited several guests for this album and they included Jerry Chamberlain, Sam Phillips, and Michael Been. Many Heard fans believe this is his best album and personally I must concur. I can put this one on repeat. When Mark started recording for his own label he made sure people were getting their moneys worth with his album having 14 tracks. We would only get a few more albums from Mark before his untimely death and I’m glad we got this one.

Tracklist
1 – Rise From The Ruins – 3:02
2 – The Dry Bones Dance – 3:46
3 – House Of Broken Dreams – 4:11
4 – Our Restless Hearts – 3:42
5 – Nobody’s Looking – 3:26
6 – All She Wanted Was Love – 4:19
7 – Strong Hand Of Love – 3:03
8 – How Many Tears – 2:58
9 – Lonely Road – 4:12
10 – Waiting For A Reason – 3:30
11 – Everything Is Alright – 4:24
12 – Awake In The Nightime – 3:29
13 – Mercy Of The Flame – 4:58
14 – Fire – 7:13

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Accordion, Harmonica, Kalimba, Backing Vocals [Assorted] – Mark Heard
Backing Vocals – Jerry Chamberlain, Pam Dwinell, Sam Phillips, Sharon McCall
Chapman Stick – Fergus Marsh
Co-producer [Associate Producer] – Dan Russell
Drums – David Birmingham
Dulcimer [Hammered Dulcimer] – Doug Berch
Engineer [Second Engineer] – Dan Reed, David Miner, Richard Tiegen
Executive-Producer [Executive-At-Large] – Chuck Long
Fiddle, Mandolin – Byron Berline
Graphics [Graphic Art] – Tim Alderson, Tom Goosmann
Mastered By – Dennis Bouch
Other [Occasional Back-Seat Driving], Engineer [Second Engineer] – Tom Willett
Other [Wagonmaster], Engineer [Second Engineer], Photography By – Joel Russell
Producer – Mark Heard
Soloist [Guitar Solo] – Michael Been
Viola – Novi Novog

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Fingerprint Records, Inc
Copyright © – Fingerprint Records, Inc
Copyright © – Ideola Music
Distributed By – Word Ltd.
Made By – Disctronics S
Recorded At – Fingerprint Recorders
Mixed At – Fingerprint Recorders
Recorded At – Plum Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

The Swoon – Neverland / Ben Son Ben Son Beatrice – 1990

The Swoon started out as a group of four kids who played D&D together. Only one of them had any formal music training but this didn’t stop them from forming a band and playing in a church that was Pastored by one of their fathers. After a few demo’s, name changes, and new members the band played at Cornerstone in 1988. They actually cut a deal with Wonderland records but it never worked out. The band moved to California and recorded this album in Neverland studios. It was produced by Charlie Peacock though there seems to be some debate as to his level of involvement. After the record came out Refuge agreed to help with distribution. This however would be it for the band. It was already 1990 so I’m not surprised that this was their only album as it has a pretty strong 80s feel. Anyway it’s really really good and is one you should definitely give a listen to.

Tracklist
Neverland
1 – Whose Hands Are These? – 4:17
2 – Sweet Ally – 4:38
3 – Gypsy Street Legacy – 4:09
4 – One Day The Passion – 3:45
5 – Speak Soft – 5:57
Ben Son Ben Son Beatrice
6 – I Cried Out – 5:22
7 – Let’s Talk About Love – 3:59
8 – Ben Son, Ben Son Beatrice – 5:13
9 – Square Dance Candle Light – 6:52
10 – Via Dolorosa – 2:35

Credits
Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar – Troy Baartman
Backing Vocals, Keyboards – Jeana Gillispie
Bass Guitar – Daniel Thomas
Composed By [Compositions] – Austin Dacey
Drums – Emmett Dacey
Engineer – Derri Daugherty
Executive Producer – Charles Clark
Executive Producer, Producer – Charlie Peacock
Lead Vocals – Daniel Thomas
Lyrics By – Daniel Thomas
Mixed By, Engineer – Dave Hackbarth, Greg Sotebeer
Music By – The Swoon
Other [Guy Who Does Stuff] – Mark Derby
Photography By [Cover Photo] – David Dobson
Producer, Mixed By, Backing Vocals [Additional] – James
Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards – Austin Dacey

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Refuge Records
Distributed By – Spectra Distribution
Distributed By – Mainroads Music Group

Per-Erik Hallin – Morgonluft – 1985

This was Per-Erik’s second album and as near as I can tell it was only released in Sweden. His first album had been released in Sweden, Europe, and the United States on Refuge Records. I don’t know why Refuge didn’t pick up this album because I think it’s even better than his first. It might have been because it had 3 tracks in Swedish but that’s only a guess. Anyway as I said this album is even better than his first. In fact the lead track “S O S” is as good if not better than anything on the radio at the time. It is a fantastic song that will be going into my regular rotation. The most interesting track is “The Glorious Outfit” in that he actually takes a stab at rap. While the rap is questionable the chorus is fantastic. To tell the truth I can’t decide if I hate or love the track, it’s one of the other.

Tracklist
1 – S O S – 4:32
2 – Morgonluft – 2:53
3 – Movin’ On – 3:54
4 – Cabbage Patch Kids – 3:32
5 – Att Vänta – 3:57
6 – Labyrint – 2:56
7 – Forgiven – 5:19
8 – Fågelsång – 3:45
9 – The Glorious Outfit – 5:27
10 – Open Up Your Heart – 3:11

Credits
Arranged By [Horns] – Anders Neglin, Glen Myerscough, Lars Brandström
Arranged By [Synthesizer], Arranged By [Cello] – Anders Neglin
Engineer – Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg, Lennart Ström, Niklas Flyckt, Thomas Gertz
Engineer, Mixed By – Peter In De Betou
Graphics, Design – Camilla B. Tryck
Other [Craving] – Peter Strindberg
Painting [Oil] – Janeric Johansson
Photography By – Lennart Dannstedt
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Per-Erik Hallin

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Royal Music Productions
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Royal Music Productions
Recorded At – Studio Bastun
Recorded At – Arco Studios
Recorded At – OAL Studio
Recorded At – Park Studio
Recorded At – KMH Studios
Lacquer Cut At – Cutting Room
Printed By – SIB-Tryck AB, Norsborg
Pressed By – Skandinaviska Grammophon AB