Ray Mansfield – Page 73

In Reach – Waterline – 1992

Brett Williams formed The Reach in 1984 and yo have to respect his dedication as the band didn’t get a record deal until 1992. In 1989 they had an independent release, “Under The Same Sky” using the band name The Reach. I haven’t had a chance to hear it yet but I’m looking forward to it. One of my compliments for the band is that even though they formed in the 80’s this is a purely 90’s album. It’s always great to see a band that even though they were unsigned they continued to evolve and move their music forward. David Zaffiro (Bloodgood) stepped in to produce the album and even played guitar on a few tracks. The album is very well produced and quite frankly is as good as anything that was being released in the secular market at the time. The album is a guitar oriented Pop album that is very easy to listen to and if you missed this one it’s worth a listen. The title track is good enough that it’s going in my personal regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Waterline – 4:33
2 – Faded Love – 3:58
3 – My Heart – 3:14
4 – The Other Fall Of Cambrai – 3:24
5 – God You Are – 4:00
6 – River – 4:08
7 – Giving Me Reasons – 3:33
8 – In The In Between – 3:32
9 – Manner Of Man – 3:05
10 – Not So Easy – 3:41

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Dale Wéhlacz
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Marlene Cochran
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Scott Burell
Creative Director – Tony Thigpen
Drums – Vince Grant
Engineer – David Dysart
Executive-Producer – Dez Dickerson
Guitar – Charles Mesrole, David Zaffiro
Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Brett Williams
Keyboards – Mike Bell
Mastered By – Denny Purcell
Mixed By – Charles Mesrole, Chris Fuhrman, David Zaffiro
Mixed By [Mix Assistent] – David Raneses, Eric Janko
Photography – Karen Moskowitz
Producer, Engineer – Charles Mesrole, David Zaffiro
Sequenced By – Scott Weiss

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Star Song
Copyright (c) – Star Song
Recorded At – Triad Studios
Overdubbed At – Extra Sensory Productions
Mastered At – Georgetown Masters
Mixed At – Klub Key’s

Kainos – Tolvte Time – 1980

I have no idea how I found this band. They were a Christian band out of Norway that released 3 albums. I couldn’t really find much info on them but my Norwegian is a little rusty so If I actually spoke it there’s probably lots of info out there on them. The album has a progressive sound especially for 1980. In my opinion they were ahead of their time and there are tracks on here that could have been released in the mid 80’s. A few tracks have nice rock riffs while others lean more techno keyboard. There is one track in English which I easily would have listened to in 1980. It probably would have been on my regular rotation back then. I also love the voice of the female vocalist and feel she could have been quite successful in the English market. So if you don’t mind listening to Norwegian give this one a listen and if you don’t like music in other languages at least listen to track #8.

Tracklist
1 – Alpha – 3:21
2 – Fundament – 2:30
3 – Mannen I Gata – 4:06
4 – Det Du Har Gjort – 1:58
5 – Selvransakelse – 4:26
6 – Tømmermann – 3:55
7 – Reell Frelse – 3:36
8 – Now That I’ve Found (Your Love) – 3:31
9 – Du Er – 3:19
10 – Veibok – 3:22
11 – Gråt Maria – 4:45
12 – Omega – 2:40

Credits
Arranged By, Producer, Engineer – Andy Kidd
Composed By, Arranged By – Kainos
Drums, Percussion, Other [Laserkanoner] – Jari Sempill
Electric Bass, Vocals – Karl Brunvoll
Flute, Saxophone, Vocals, Artwork [Cover Reprodusert Etter Malerier Av] – Arne Nøst
Guitar – Øystein Eikeland
Keyboards, Vocals – Petter Mortensen
Lyrics By – Andy Kidd, Hilde Bergfjord, Jo Nesbø, Karl Brunvoll, Odd Kjetil Rangnes
Vocals – Ingunn Kanestrøm, Marit Nøst

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Cross Studio
Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Records A/S
Copyright (c) – CBS Records A/S

David Zaffiro – In Scarlet Storm – 1990

Ex Bloodgood guitarist David Zaffiro is back wit his second solo album. I think he and Frontline were able to build on the first album and I feel this album is even better produced. Though David is best known for being a Metal guitarist this album leans more Rock than Metal though there is always a hint of David’s Metal past. Some do classify this album as Metal but it leans more Rock to me. What really surprised me about this album was David’s keyboard skills. Several tracks have a opening keyboard riff that set the feel for the track and that said there is strong keyboards on this album but it works with it’s Rock sound. This album is an excellent display of David’s musical skills and how diverse they are.

Tracklist
1 – Through His Eyes – 4:23
2 – Holding Fast – 4:07
3 – He’s Lying To Ya – 3:45
4 – In Scarlet Storm – 4:14
5 – I Wait Alone – 3:55
6 – Let It Go – 4:38
7 – Blue Ice – 4:22
8 – The Song – 3:40
9 – I Give This Life To You – 4:12

Credits
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Backing Vocals [Background Singers] – Eric Beaver
Backing Vocals [Background Singers], Drums – Joe Pollastrini
Engineer – Charles Meserole, Dave Van Liew
Illustration – Jeff Foster
Layout – Joe Potter
Lead Vocals – Eric Beaver, Joe Pollastrini
Mastered By – John Matousek
Mixed By – Dave Jahnsen
Producer [Additional Vocal Production], Engineer, Backing Vocals [Background Singers] – Doug Beiden
Producer, Engineer, Backing Vocals [Background Singers], Bass, Keyboards – Maverick Gibson
Producer, Guitar, Lead Vocals, Engineer, Bass, Keyboards – David Zaffiro
Vocals [Argument Singers] – Eric Beaver, Lary Melby
Written-By – Charles Meserole, David Zaffiro, Maverick Gibson

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Intense Records
Copyright (c) – Intense Records
Produced For – Zaffiro Productions
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Recorded At – Full Voice Audio
Recorded At – Neverland Studios
Mixed At – Mixing Lab A
Mastered At – Soundworks West
Published By – Broken Songs

Michele Pillar – Michele Pillar – 1982

Michelle came to prominence with her duet album with Erick Nelson “The Misfit” in 1979. It was well received and is considered a classic to this day. This is her debut album as a solo artist. This album was very well received and had 2 CCM chart singles including “Walk Across Heaven” which made it to #4, and More Than Just A Man that made it to #11. The album is solidly Easy Listening and on a couple tracks eases into AOR but for the main part it’s a nice comfortable listen. If you missed it in the 80’s give it a listen now.

Tracklist
1 – Walk Across Heaven – 4:03
2 – You Were There All Along – 3:30
3 – More Than Just A Man – 3:30
4 – You’ve Known Me All My Life – 3:15
5 – Free From The Night – 3:20
6 – Rock Of Love – 3:15
7 – The Things I Hope For You – 3:17
8 – In Nazareth There’s A Carpenter – 4:18
9 – You – 3:37
10 – I Can Do It All By Myself – 4:20

Credits
12-String Acoustic Guitar – Jerry Wallce
Acoustic Guitar – Jerry Wallce, Will McFarlane
Arranged By [Horns] – Harrison Calloway
Arranged By [Strings] – Jerry Wallace
Art Direction – Stan Evenson
Backing Vocals – Cindy Richardson, Jerry Wallace, Lenny Le Blanc, Michele Pillar, Robert Byrne, Will McFarlane
Bass – Butch Ledford
Bells – Jerry Wallace
Concertmaster [Strings] – Earl Spielman
Coordinator [Cover Coordinator] – B. Charlyne Hinesley
Drums – Owen Hale
Electric Guitar – Will McFarlane
Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Jerry Wallce
Engineer – Steve Moore
Engineer [Assistant] – Keith Compton
Executive-Producer – Billy Ray Hearn
Guitar – Jerry Wallce, Will McFarlane
Guitar, Soloist – Will McFarlane
Harmony Vocals – Jerry Wallace, Lenny LeBlanc
Horns [The Muscle Shoals Horns] – Charles Rose, Harrison Calloway, Harvey Thompson, Ronnie Eade
Keyboards – Jerry Wallce
Oboe – Beth Smith
Organ – Clayton Ivey
Percussion – Mickey Buckins
Photography By [Cover] – Mark Hanauer
Piano – Jerry Wallce, Lenny Le Blanc, Steve Nathan
Piano [Acoustic] – Steve Nathan
Producer – J.L. Wallace, Lonnie Ledford
Saxophone, Soloist – Harvey Thompson
Strings – Earl Spielman, Jo Ann Cruthirds, Kristin Wilkinson, Martha Wiggins, Paul Tobias, Pauli Ewing
Synthesizer – Jerry Wallace
Synthesizer [Prophet] – Steve Nathan
Vocoder – Michele Pillar

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – East Avalon Recorders
Mixed At – East Avalon Recorders
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Published By – Hall-Clement Publications
Published By – Muscle Shoals Sounds Publishing Co., Inc.
Published By – Birdwing Music
Published By – Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company Inc.

Daniel Band – Rise Up – 1986

Canada’s Daniel Band continue their Hard Rock sound on this 1986 release. One thing I like about Daniel Band is their consistency. There is a flow from album to album without any of them getting boring. That’s not an easy thing to do but I think they mastered it. This album is another Rock & Roll masterpiece. It dances on the edge of Heavy Metal but stay’s on the Hard Rock side. As I understand it this album did not sell that well which quite surprises me as to me it feels like one of their better albums but I guess other saw and heard it differently. Luckily this album was rereleased in 2012 by Retroactive Records and they included a fantastic bonus track. It’s a cover of Darrell Mansfield’s “That’s All Right” and it is done right. I have no idea when it was recorded as I can’t find any info on it but it’s there and it’s great and we have included it here. So as I so often say, if you missed this one in the 80’s give it a chance now, you won’t be disappointed.

Tracklist
1 – Bethel – 3:06
2 – Rise Up – 3:51
3 – Don’t Walk Away – 3:49
4 – Paradise – 4:05
5 – Fight Back – 4:34
6 – Call His Name – 3:37
7 – Rock You – 4:08
8 – My Children – 5:32
9 – Right Heart – 3:50
10 – That’s Alright – 3:19

Credits
Matt DelDuca – Drums
Bill Findlay – Songwriter, Rhythm Guitar, Strings, Synthesizer, Background Vocals
Raymond Howell – Songwriter
Dan McCabe – Songwriter, Bass and Fretless Bass, Vocal Harmonies, Lead Vocals
Tony Rossi – Songwriter, String Arranger, Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Electric 12 String, Acoustic Guitar, Lead and Background Vocals

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Refuge Music Group
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Refuge Records
Copyright (c) – Refuge Records

David Eastman – The Hands of God – 1985

Here’s another one I found while rooting around through the Refuge Records library. I have never heard of Eastman and really can’t find much info on him. This appears to have been his only album. I do know that he is a keyboard player and that he has appeared on a few (very few) albums as a studio musician. So lets talk about the album. It’s actually a really good album. It is keyboard heavy but good keyboards. some of the tracks have a bit of a funk feel to them but essentially this is a Pop album. It’s actually really good production and I’m somewhat surprised it didn’t do better. Give a listen for a fun 45 min’s of Pop.

Tracklist
1 – The Hands Of God – 3:35
2 – Remember I’m Coming Back Soon – 5:11
3 – Something To Believe In – 5:55
4 – Let All Israel Rejoice – 3:41
5 – The Power Of Love – 3:49
6 – Don’t Stop Don’t Give Up – 4:19
7 – Time Steals By – 3:13
8 – Resurrection Day – 4:11
9 – You Came Along – 3:25
10 – I’m Forgiven – 5:15
11 – The Hands Of God (Reprise) – 1:10

Credits
Artwork – Specs Art Agency
Engineer – Dave Aston, Derek Murray, Neil Costello
Engineer [Assistant] – Peter ‘Masher’ Morgan
Engineer [Mixdown] – Andy Kidd
Executive-Producer, Artwork [Sleeve Concept] – John Paculabo
Illustration – Peter Geissler
Producer – Les Moir
Producer, Artwork [Sleeve Concept] – David Eastman
Written-By, Arranged By – David Eastman

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Window Records
Copyright (c) – Window Records
Recorded At – ICC Studios
Recorded At – Chapel Lane Studios
Mixed At – Secret Studios, Belfast
Designed At – Specs Art Agency

Lust Control – This Is A Condom Nation – 1988

Lust Control was formed by Doug Van Pelt. He brought together Maury Millican, Philip Owens, and Paul Q-Pek into the project. Strangely Owens and Q’Pek are from One Bad Pig. Lust Control were doing something different in singing (I use that term loosely) about very controversial topics. They maintained an anonymous identity by using pseudonyms on the albums and even more strangely wearing ski masks while performing. This was their demo and was also put on cassette and CD for sale. They quickly developed a cult following however their controversial (read bizarre) nature pretty well terrified most the record companies so no record deal was gong to happen obviously. As for my opinion? I hate thrash, not just dislike, I actually hate it. That said I found the album humorous and fun and I really don’t think they were taking themselves too serious which isn’t a bad thing. I understand why they do have fans though because no one was doing anything this controversial.

Tracklist
1 – Grace – 1:43
2 – Rude Awakening – 0:43
3 – Madolyn Murray O’Hair – 2:07
4 – Wretched – 0:14
5 – Apocalyptic Nightmare – 2:56
6 – I Want To Die – 1:22
7 – Mad At The Girls – 1:54
8 – The Big ‘M’ – 3:49
9 – You Make Me Puke – 1:37
10 – There Is A Fountain/Grace Reprise – 2:42

Credits
Doug Van Pelt – Vocals
Maury Millican – Bass
Philip Owens – Drums
Paul Q-Pek – Guitar
Steve Allen – Producer, Engineer
Paul Lamond – Engineer

Malachia – Red Sunrise – 1987

While Malachia had a very limited short run no label release in 1986 this is essentially their first release. The California band came together in 1984 when Bassist Wade Little put it together. They played the usual California Christian circuit and went into the studio in 1986 to cut a demo. This album featured several tracks from that demo but of course rerecorded. If you want to see where ths album is headed just listen to the horrible clicheic title track “In Christ We Rock” While ther song may be a cliche the band were not. There was some real talent here and I thik Ken Pike’s vocals are very high quality in the Christin metal scene. The band changed their name to Vision sometime in 1988 and had a track on the California Metal Volume II release.

Tracklist
1 – In Christ We Rock – 3:59
2 – Red Sunrise – 3:51
3 – Lonely Is The Night – 4:45
4 – Let It Go – 3:08
5 – Sightless Eyes – 3:07
6 – Heaven Or Hell – 3:20
7 – Mark Of The Beast – 3:37
8 – Master’s Call – 4:50

Credits
Ken Pike – Vocals, guitar
Jeffery James – Lead guitar
Wade A. Little – Bass
Chima Ayola – Keyboards
Dave Devaughn – Drums

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – The Music Box, New York, NY
Mastered At – K Disc Mastering

Imperials – Free The Fire – 1988

This was the Imperials album for 1988. They didn’t put out an album every year but almost. They toured so heavy that they missed the occasional year. After the shock of their previous album, “This Year’s Model”, this one wasn’t quite as rock and leaned back to Pop. Not that that album was rock but it was Rock for them. This is a solid Pop album and the vocals are even better than “This Years Model” in my opinion. This album is probably my second most liked from them and it’s a solid Pop effort. The album had an awesome 2 #2 singles, “Free The Fire”, and “The Boss”. “You” also made it to #24. I really like Dann Huff’s guitar work on the intro to “Higher Things” though that’s where I end liking the song. The intro doesn’t fit the song and they did one of those stupid abrupt ends. Not a producing masterpiece that one. That said this is a pretty good album and one of their best in my opinion.

Tracklist
1 – Free The Fire – 5:11
2 – Wild Geese – 4:08
3 – City In The Sky – 4:56
4 – You – 4:55
5 – The Boss – 5:17
6 – Higher Things – 5:11
7 – Rest In Your Arms – 4:16
8 – Let It Go – 4:15
9 – Better Than I Know Myself – 4:08
10 – Touchin’ Me – 4:03
11 – I Just Came To Praise The Lord – 1:59

Credits
A&R – Lynn Nichols, Mark Maxwell
Art Direction, Design – Roland Young
Band [The Imperials Are] – Armond Morales, David Will, Jimmie Lee, Ron Hemby
Engineer – Bart Stevens, Wade Jaynes
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Bass – Jimmie Lee Sloas
Drums – Paul Leim
Guitar – Dann Huff
Keyboards – Robbie Buchanan
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Piano, Synthesizer – Michael Omartian
Photography By – Howard Rosenberg
Producer, Engineer – Bill Schnee
Producer – Deborah Klein

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Pressed By – Discovery Systems
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At – The Bunny Hop
Recorded At – 41B Studios
Recorded At – O’Henry Sound Studios
Mixed At – Bill Schnee Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Published By – See This House Music
Published By – Swot Patch Music
Published By – Marquis III
Published By – Word Music
Published By – Martin Noyes Publishing
Published By – Todah Music
Published By – Nanacub Music
Published By – California Phase Music
Published By – Whitney Katherine Music, Inc.
Published By – Birdwing Music
Published By – Waif Productions Ltd.
Published By – ATV Music Ltd.
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.

D.O.X. – Through The Fire – 1989

This is the second and last album from D.O.X. For this album they moved over to Nikolai Pankratz’s Pan-Trax Records. This also marked the departure of the involvement of Rob Watson, Terry Taylor, and Tim Chandler. I have no idea what the story behind the first album was but it appears the band were doing their own thing for this album. They also changed drummers with Dave Fiorazo replacing Robert Foster. This album was produced by Bill Baumgart who I usually really like but I don’t think he did a great job with this album. It’s not the quality of the music that I have an issue with as the album is very well done. My small criticism is the varying styles on the album. There’s Pop, Rock, and even a metal tune (R U Runnin’). The album just doesn’t flow but it is a great album. The songs are great and the band is defiantly good. Too bad they came to an end after this album, there was a lot of talent here.

Tracklist
1 – Cutting Edge – 3:34
2 – I See A Day – 3:34
3 – Through The Fire – 4:36
4 – Don’t Look Back – 4:45
5 – Can’t You See – 3:50
6 – R U Runnin’ – 3:16
7 – Hearts On Fire – 3:16
8 – The Love That I Needed – 3:11
9 – Faces In The Wall – 3:40

Credits
Art Direction, Illustration [Cover Illustration & Logo] – Jeff Foster
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Allison Beech, Bill Baumgart, Bob Carlisle
Bass Guitar, Chapman Stick – Jeff Foster
Booking – Frontrunner Agency, Stan Gill
Drums, Percussion – Dave Fiorazo
Engineer – Dan Abernathy, Dave Jahnsen
Engineer [Mastering Engineer] – John Matousek
Keyboards – Tim Heintz
Lead Guitar – Dennis Verner, Rick Lane
Lead Vocals, Words By – Mark de la Bretonne
Music By – Mark de la Bretonne, Rick Lane
Photography By – Bridgewater Photography
Producer – Bill Baumgart
Rhythm Guitar – Rick Lane
Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Sound Designer [Live Sound], Tour Manager [Road Support] – Dave Wagner

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Pan-Trax Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Pan-Trax Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Pan-Trax Records
Copyright (c) – Pan-Trax Records, Inc.
Manufactured By – Pan-Trax Records, Inc.
Pressed By – Discovery Systems
Recorded At – Asylomar Studios
Recorded At – Studio West, San Diego
Mastered At – Hitsville