Ray Mansfield – Page 66

The Choir – Chase The Kangaroo – 1988

Many Choir fans don’t consider this their best work. Hardcore fans loved it but casual fans were looking for a fun follow up in the style of “Diamonds And Rain”. I admit the first few times I listened to it I found it to be disappointing. That said I came around as I listened to the lyrics. The album is much better written but I don’t think people could get past the dark feel the album had and I will admit that while I like the lyrics I don’t think this was a musically strong album. It is said that it took 6 month to record the album and I almost wonder if they didn’t over think the album. There is a point in any recording that you have to say “I think that’s it”. If you keep going you can actually over think the songs and I believe that is exactly what happened here. More evidence of this is even the thought process of the album cover. The CD, vinyl, and cassette all have slightly different covers which are based on the same picture. I don’t know if they were trying to imitate Amy Grant’s Unguarded but to me it’s just another example of over thinking things. The CD version of this release has 5 bonus tracks which further proves my point. Some of these tracks were obviously destined for the cutting room floor but they had probably invested so much energy into them they felt they had to release them. Now that I have criticized this album I will step back and say there is some real good tracks on this album. It is by far their best produced album up to this point and lyrically it is probably their best. In the end it’s just a little dark for my liking.

Tracklist
1 – Consider – 4:08
2 – Children Of Time – 5:10
3 – Clouds – 7:00
4 – Sad Face – 7:14
5 – Cain – 5:18
6 – The Rifleman – 3:43
7 – Look Out (For Your Own) – 3:28
8 – Everybody In The Band – 1:36
9 – So Far Away – 5:07
10 – Chase The Kangaroo – 4:10
CD Bonus Tracks
11 – Fade Into You – 3:59
12 – 15 Doors – 3:05
13 – More Than Words – 2:36
14 – Tears Don’t Fall – 3:49
15 – All Night Long – 5:03

Credits
Artwork [Additional Graphic Assistance] – Phillip Foster, Stewart Ivester*
Artwork [Art Direction & Coordination] – Tim Alderson
Artwork [Cover Concept And Design] – John Joseph Flynn*
Artwork By [Additional Graphic Assistance] – Ed, June, Marcella at Slides And Print, Canoga Park, CA
Bass – Tim Chandler
Directed By [Choir Direction] – Brian Martin
Drums – Steven H.*
Executive-Producer – Tom Willett
Guitar, Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Derri*
Lyrics By – Steven H.*
Other [Tried To Keep Peace Among The Brethren] – Bill Batstone
Photography By – Stewart Ivester*
Producer – Derri Daugherty, Steven Hindalong*
Producer [Additional] – Gene Eugene, Steve Griffith
Recorded By – Dave Hackbarth, Derri Daugherty, Gene Eugene, Mark Heard, Steve Griffith
Recorded By, Mixed By – Mike Mierau (tracks: 11 to 15)
Saxophone, Lyricon – Dan “Buck” Michaels*

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Neverland Studios
Mixed At – Neverland Studios
Recorded At – Pakaderm Studios
Mixed At – Pakaderm Studios
Manufactured By – JVC
Designed At – OZ Graphics
Designed At – Slides and Print

Rick Cua – Can’t Stand Too Tall – 1988

This was Rick’s 5th album and his first with Reunion records. It is rumoured that Rick was a very diligent negotiator with his record deals so I think we can assume this album was a good earner for him. That said this album unfortunately falls into “that Cua album with that song” category. I don’t feel that way as I think this is a very good album. Furthermore this album introduced Rick to the CCM magazine charts. “Forever Yours” made it to #5 and “For The Love Of God” to #25. Now it almost goes without saying that these are not the best tracks on the album. My personal favourite is Hard Times which was written with Dino and John Elefante. Personally I love the female vocal (scream) at 22 seconds, it feels like we’re about to hear a metal song but alas it’s a good Rock & Roll tune in which you can definitely feel the Elefante brothers influence. To sum it up a great album, perhaps not his best but I still think it’s great.

Tracklist
1 – Hard Times – 4:43
2 – Can’t Stand Too Tall – 3:45
3 – Tunnel Vision – 4:08
4 – For The Love Of God – 5:31
5 – Reckless Faith – 4:43
6 – Crash The Party – 3:42
7 – We Are All The Same – 3:56
8 – Shakedown – 4:07
9 – Forever Yours – 4:01

Credits
Joey Cigainero – Programming
Rick Cua – Songwriter, Bass, Vocals
Bill Deaton – Engineer, Mixed
Nick Distefano – Songwriter
Dino Elefante – Songwriter
John Elefante – Songwriter
Michael English – Background Vocals
Rob Frazier – Songwriter, Background Vocals
Bob Halligan, Jr. – Songwriter, Background Vocals
Vicki Hampton – Background Vocals
Chris Harris – Songwriter, Background Vocals
Mark Heimermann – Songwriter, Background Vocals
Ron Hemby – Duet Vocals (For the Love of God)
Tom Hemby – Producer, Songwriter, Arrangements, Programming, Guitar
Terry Hemmings – Executive Producer
Wayne Kirkpatrick – Songwriter
Mary Lee Kortes – Songwriter
Carl Marsh – Fairlight
Donna McElroy – Background Vocals
Mike Mead – Drums, Percussion
Jeff Moseley – Executive Producer
Denny Purcell – Mastered
Chris Rodriguez – Background Vocals
Ron Sorbo – Percussion
Keith Thomas – Songwriter, Synthesizers

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Reunion Records
Copyright (c) – Reunion Records
Manufactured By – A&M Records
Distributed By – A&M Records
Recorded At – Gold Mine Studio
Recorded At – 16th Avenue Sound
Recorded By – Down Stage
Recorded At – Digital Recorders
Recorded At – Reflections
Recorded At – OmniSound Studios

Mylon & Broken Heart – Big World – 1989

It was 1989 and time for another Mylon LeFevre album. In the late 80’s Mylon was consistently putting an album out every year. His offering for 1989 was another successful album. It actually received a Grammy nomination for “Best Gospel Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group, Choir Or Chorus” but lost out to Daniel Winans. Having listened to both albums I believe Mylon’s was better but I wasn’t an academy voting member. The album spawned 3 singles with “Jesus, It’s You” making it to #1, “Movin’ On” to #12, and “Love Comes Down” to #22. While touring with Whiteheart in support of this album Mylon suffered a heart attack. Ironically the tour was called the Heart Attack tour, you can’t make up irony like that. It should be noted that he continued touring in the Philippines in 1990 against his doctor’s advice. Doctors stated that Mylon’s previous involvement with alcohol and drugs had a large role in his heart attack. As for the album I think it was toned down a bit from his previous release but still has some good Rock tracks on it.

Tracklist
1 – Big World – 5:11
2 – Love Comes Down – 3:12
3 – Falling In Love – 3:36
4 – Face To Face – 4:21
5 – Jesus, It’s You – 4:26
6 – Turn The Tables On Me – 4:02
7 – Remember The Future – 3:57
8 – Let Love Conquer – 4:15
9 – The Distance – 3:09
10 – Movin’ On – 4:21

Credits
Art Direction – Mike McCarty, Toni Thigpen
Bass, Vocals – Kenneth Bentley
Coordinator [Ministry Coordinator & Booking] – Greg Menza
Design, Illustration – Mike McCarty
Electronic Drums [Digital Drums], Vocals – Ben Hewitt
Engineer – Greg Archilla, Joe Hardy, Ricky Keller
Engineer [Stage Sound Engineer] – Dave Wagner
Guitar, Vocals – Scott Allen, Trent Argante
Keyboards, Vocals – Paul Joseph
Lighting [Technician] – Darin Pope
Lighting Director [And Lighting Designer] – Michael Murden
Management [Road Manager], Engineer [House Sound Engineer] – Clay Spivey
Mixed By – Joe Hardy
Photography By – Jimmy Collins
Producer – Joe Hardy, Mylon LeFevre
Programmed By [Fairlight Programming] – Joe Hardy
Stage Manager [And Rigging And Pyrotechnics] – “Punky” Higginbotham*
Vocals, Guitar – Mylon LeFevre

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Star Song
Copyright (c) – Star Song
Distributed By – Sparrow/Star Song Distribution
Published By – Angel Band Music
Published By – Jerome Olds Music
Recorded At – Ardent Studios
Recorded At – Southern Tracks
Recorded At – Southern Living Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Isaac Air Freight – Snooze Ya Looze – 1981

This is the 4th sketch comedy album from Isaac Air Freight also known as Dan Rupple, Dave Toole, and Larry Watt. These albums were a lot of fun to listen to, and hearing the jokes again, and the great comedic performances is a great trip down memory lane. Still fun to listen to now.

Tracklist
1 – People Say The Darndest Things – 6:20
2 – Leave It To The Squirrellie – 11:43
3 – Time Wasters Looks At TV – 5:37
4 – Pilgrim Race – 4:15
5 – Spec’s O’Keefe In The Case Of The Missing First Love – 18:21

Credits
Cover – David Schiedt, Tom Obbema
Engineer – David Schober
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Mixed By – David Schober
Photography By – Tom Obbema
Producer – Dan Rupple, Dave Toole
Technician [Sound Technician] – Tom Obbema
Written by – Dan Rupple, Dave Toole, Larry Watt

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Maranatha! Music
Copyright (c) – Maranatha! Music
Published By – Maranatha! Music
Mastered At – A&M Mastering Studios

Daniel Band – Running Out Of Time – 1988

This was the final studio album from Daniel Band. While I prefer Straight Ahead this album probably comes 2nd for me. It is a quite heavy rock/metal album with a variety of sub styles through the album. I was actually a little surprised at the varying styles but it works. Now the one complaint about this album from everyone was the poor production quality. Luckily it was re-released in 2012 with new mastering and a bonus track. This upload is that version. In 1990 Toni Rossi put out a blues album “Love In The City”. In October 2011, the band was awarded the GMA (Gospel Music Association of Canada) Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing their influence on Christian rock. Anyway, if you like your metal with a strong commercial feel this is your kind of album.

Tracklist
1 – Black Or White – 3:02
2 – Sins Of The Heart – 3:22
3 – Hold On – 3:19
4 – Long Time – 5:11
5 – Party In Heaven – 2:58
6 – We Need Love – 3:50
7 – Greedy Little Hands – 3:50
8 – Things Are Changin’ – 4:03
9 – Running Out Of Time – 4:14
2012 Bonus Track
10 – One – 4:23

Credits
Cover, Illustration – Mellissa McCarthy
Drums – Matt DelDuca
Layout – Jeff Spencer
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Tony Rossi
Lead Vocals – Tony Rossi (tracks: B4)
Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar, Harmony Vocals – Dan McCabe
Mastered By – George Graves
Producer – Daniel Band
Producer, Engineer – Mark Wright
Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards – Bill Findlay

Benny Hester – Legacy – 1983

This was Benny’s best forgotten album. When I read the bio’s on Benny it always seems this album is ignored. I’m a little confused by this as it did have 2 charting singles, Legacy made it to #5, and Melody Man made it to #40. Admittedly that’s not a stunning album but a #5 single shouldn’t be ignored. I know at the time it wasn’t ignored but for some reason history has kind of forgotten about it. One thing that was odd about this album is that at the same time Michael Card came out with an album with the same name. Normally I would have considered this a rather large error but in this case Card was on a relatively smaller label and I doubt that either company knew this was going to happen. By the way The Card album was more successful but in my opinion not as good.

Tracklist
1 – Legacy – 4:44
2 – Closer – 4:39
3 – It Took So Long – 4:30
4 – Melody Man – 3:19
5 – Sensitive Heart – 3:28
6 – Caught Away – 5:08
7 – Out Of The Natural – 3:38
8 – Nobody’s Listening – 4:05
9 – Footprints – 3:54
10 – These Things Were Done By You – 1:53

Credits
Bass – David Coy
Concertmaster – Assa Drori
Design – Dennis Hill
Drums, Percussion – Paul Bahn
Guitar, Vocals – Benny Hester
Keyboards – Michael Omartian (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3)
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Jeff Lams
Lead Guitar – Tony Sena
Orchestrated By, Conductor – Michael Omartian
Photography By – Aaron Rapoport
Producer – Benny Hester, John Guess
Recorded By – John Guess

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Printed By – Garrod & Lofthouse
Made By – Garrod & Lofthouse

Ojo – Relative – 1988

Strangely of all the work Ojo did over the years this is his only solo album. Considering his name is on so many Christian albums I found this surprising. He put this album out while still working with Undercover and I’m a bit surprised he found the time. Also strange is that Michael Knott (Lifesavers) sang lead vocals on the track “The Witch Hunt” which some consider the proper single to the album though “Give Your Children Wisdom” was the official single. A side note that “The Witch Hunt” is not a cover of the Petra song by the same name. Also vocally interesting is that Terry Taylor sang lead on the “He Fell In The Water” track. I guess this is as good a place as any other to state that Ojo has left the faith and is now a Agnostic Professor. sigh Anyway this is a great New Wave album and sounds similar to what Undercover was doing at the time.

Tracklist
1 – (Give Me) A Moment Of Your Time – 5:55
2 – Animals And Trees – 4:30
3 – Sha Nu Mi – 5:20
4 – Box Of Treasures – 4:06
5 – The Fire Rising – 2:46
6 – The Witch Hunt – 3:56
7 – Give Your Children Wisdom – 3:38
8 – The Dance Of The Secret People – 5:04
9 – He Fell In The Water – 3:53
10 – Love In Wonder – 4:43

Credits
Art Direction – Norman Fog
Artwork By [Drawing] – Benjamin Taylor
Backing Vocals – Dave Hackbarth (tracks: 6), Gary Olson (3) (tracks: 3, 6, 7), Gene Eugene (tracks: 2, 9), Inki Svensson (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 7, 9, 10), Joey-Jon Taylor (Squid) (tracks: 9), Marie McGilvray (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 10), Mark Krischak (tracks: 7), Riki Michele (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 10), Skylar (7) (tracks: 1)
Congas – Nathan Alford, Jr. (tracks: 8)
Drums [Hand Drums With Joey] – Nathan Alford, Jr. (tracks: 4)
Edited By, Mastered By – John Matousek
Engineer [2nd Engineer] – Dave Hackbarth, Glenn Holland
Engineer [Engineered By] – Gene, Joey
Guitar – Gene Eugene (tracks: 9), Greg Lawless (tracks: 1 to 4, 7 to 10), Joey Taylor* (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 9)
Guitar [Including The Lead] – Marky Schrock (tracks: 6)
Percussion [Additional] – Nathan Alford, Jr.
Photography By – Brian Ray
Recorded By [Congas] – Mike Mierau
Shaker, Bells [Jingle Bells], Percussion [Assorted Percussion] – Nathan Alford, Jr. (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 8)
Written-By, Arranged By, Producer [Produced By], Performer [Performed By] – Joey Taylor

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Broken Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Brainstorm Artists International Inc.
Copyright (c) – Brainstorm Artists International Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Neverland Studios
Recorded At – Pakaderm Studios
Edited At – Hitsville
Mastered At – Hitsville
Pressed By – Discovery Systems
Published By – B-1 Music

Ellen B – Två – 1987

I had a difficult time finding out much about Ellen B. I was able to learn that they were from Sweden and this was their second album thus the Swedish name of the album “Två”. The album was initially released in Swedish (with some English songs) in 1987 and then released in the United States, U.K. and Australia using the title Prince Of Peace in 1988. Unfortunately this was the end of our exposure to them and I really think that’s too bad as there was a lot of talent here. We have uploaded both the Swedish and English version of this fantastic album.

Tracklist
1 – Don’t End The Night – 4:35
2 – Bra Karl – 3:07
3 – Nu När Hon Lever – 6:28
4 – Regnbågen – 3:20
5 – Tiden Rinner I Väg – 4:50
6 – Fredsfurste – 4:25
7 – Man Med Många Namm – 4:47
8 – Water Into Wine – 4:01
9 – Aldrig Glömma Dig – 5:28
10 – Lugnet Växer – 4:50

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Kenneth Eriksson
Design – Carl Åkesson
Drums, Percussion – Per Hedtjärn
Engineer – Micke Lyander
Guitar – Lasse Olsson
Keyboards – Robert Wirensjö
Management [Projektledning] – Lasse Petersson
Mixed By – Christer Sjöblom, Kenneth Eriksson
Photography By – Henrik Brundin
Producer – Kenneth Eriksson
Vocals – Lasse Nilsson Wihk

Companies, etc.
Printed By – SIB-Tryck AB, Norsborg
Lacquer Cut At – Polar Mastering
Pressed By – Audiodisc AB
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Cantio Records
Copyright (c) – Cantio Records
Copyright (c) – Gilmour Records
Copyright (c) – Alarma Records
Recorded At – Sandkvie Studio
Mixed At – Supreme Studio

Ellen B – Prince Of Peace – 1988

Tracklist
1 – Don’t End The Night – 4:39
2 – Real Man – 3:10
3 – As Long As She’s Living – 6:31
4 – The Rainbow – 3:21
5 – Time’s Running Away – 4:48
6 – Prince Of Peace – 4:27
7 – Man With Many Names – 4:10
8 – Water Into Wine – 4:02
9 – No Forgetting You – 5:27
10 – Peace Of Mind – 4:49

Michael W Smith – I 2 (Eye) – 1988

Michael W. Smith is back with his 5th album and wow what an album it was. Full disclaimer, I do not like AOR BUT even I think this is a fantastic album. It sold Platinum and was #1 on the Top Contemporary Christian charts. It actually had 7 top 10 singles including 2 #1’s and 2 #2’s. Here is all of them;

Pray For Me #1
The Throne #1
On The Other Side #2
Hand Of Providence #2
I Miss The Way #4
Live And Learn #7
I Hear Leesha #7

This album had a much younger feel than earlier albums but it was approaching the end of the 80’s and that was acceptable at this point in Christian AOR music. I’m not really going to get too deep into the album as I am guessing most of you either had it or listened to it. If not I do suggest you take the time to listen to it. Reading through the credits I noticed Dann Huff (White Heart) played guitar and here’s the real surprise, Michael Sweet & Oz Fox did some background vocals. I’m not really too sure what track they appeared on but I was pretty surprised to find them here.

Tracklist
1 – Hand Of Providence – 4:33
2 – Secret Ambition – 6:26
3 – On The Other Side – 3:40
4 – All You’re Missin’ Is A Heartache – 5:39
5 – I Miss The Way – 4:35
6 – Live And Learn – 6:17
7 – I Hear Leesha – 5:26
8 – Help You Find Your Way – 5:28
9 – Ashton – 3:17
10 – The Throne – 6:49
11 – Pray For Me – 3:52

Credits
Michael W. Smith – keyboards, lead vocals, background vocals (2, 3, 6, 7, 10), horn arrangement (6), drum programming (9)
Dann Huff – guitars (1–8)
Chris Rodriguez – guitars (1, 3, 5, 6, 8), background vocals (4, 6, 8, 11)
Jerry McPherson – guitars (2, 4, 9, 10), acoustic guitar (7)
Billy Sprague – acoustic guitar (11)
Tom Hemby – guitars (6, 8, 10, 11), bass guitar (9, 11)
Mike Brignardello – bass guitar (1–5, 7, 8)
Tommy Sims – bass guitar (6)
Gary Lunn – bass guitar (10)
Paul Leim – drums (1–4, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Terry McMillan – percussion (1, 3, 5, 7, 8), harmonica (1)
Mark Hammond – drum programming (11)
Ronn Huff – string arrangements (5)
Mark O’Connor – fiddles and mandolins (9)
Wayne Kirkpatrick – background vocals (1–8, 10), acoustic guitar (3), drum programming (9)
Chris Harris – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10), recitation (6)
Mark Heimmerman – background vocals (2, 5)
Billy Simon – background vocals (4)
Michael Sweet – background vocals (4)
Oz Fox – background vocals (4)

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – MCA Distributing Corporation
Copyright (c) – Reunion Records, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Reunion Records, Inc.
Recorded At – The Bennett House
Recorded At – Deer Valley Studio, Franklin, TN
Recorded At – The Castle Recording Studios
Recorded At – OmniSound Studios
Recorded At – Sixteenth Avenue Sound
Mixed At – Sixteenth Avenue Sound
Mixed At – Masterfonics
Mastered At – Mastermix
Published By – O’Ryan Music, Inc.
Published By – Emily Boothe, Inc.
Published By – Riverstone Music, Inc.
Published By – Whitney Katherine Music, Inc.