Category: Albums

Prophecy – Take It To The Streets – 1982 – Full Album

There was a huge Gospel soul music scene in LA in the 80’s that is not often spoken of by the mainstream CCM movement. Several LA groups released self produced albums and they sold well in the soul music community. This is one of those oddball albums. It was self produced but appears to have been well known at the time. Most of the musicians on this album were/are accomplished studio musicians so there’s no shortage of talent here. Unfortunately any more information on this group has been lost to time. This was the only full length album we would get from Prophecy but they did have a 3 track single released in 1984 which is even more obscure. Anyway this is a great soul album and if that’s your style of music this is one to listen to.

Tracklist
1 – Never Be Ashamed – 4:38
2 – He’s My God – 4:07
3 – Do You Keep His Commandments – 4:04
4 – The Race Of Life – 4:38
5 – Oh How I Love That Name – 5:12
6 – Take It To The Streets – 2:58
7 – He Died For You And I – 5:15
8 – Somebody’s Watching You – 4:31

Credits
Drums – George Bell
Electric Piano – Rodney Friend
Engineer – Tony Modster
Engineer, Mixed By – Monty Seward
Executive-Producer, Design [Cover] – David Moch
Guitar – Ernie Jefferson
Horns – Arthur Manley, Reggie Young, Rodney Taylor
Mixed By – Phillip Nicholas
Percussion – Nathan Alford
Piano – Beverly Calvin
Producer – Karvin Johnson
Producer, Written-By, Bass, Mixed By – J.R. Edmonds
Strings – Gail Winn, John Sims, Joseph Taylor, Yvette Devereaux
Vocals [Extra] – Brenda “Halloway” Davis, “Nicholas”

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Creative Gospel Inc.
Published By – Mojeco
Published By – Cojemo
Recorded At – C.B.A. Recording Studios
Lacquer Cut At – K Disc Mastering

Trade Secret – Trade Secret – 1987

I’m going to preface this by saying I can not find anything about this group so I’m only pulling information essentially from the album sleeve. The band first came to my attention when I found one of their tracks on The Strait Tapes – Volume III. I subsequently discovered they had a demo in 1986 and an album in 1987. This is that 1987 album. The band appears to be a group of studio musicians that came together. They all have a pretty good appearance record performing on some great U.K. CCM classics. As for the album it is a strong Pop performance with very strong vocals from Julie Moon (Costello). This is another one that was only released in the U.K. but is easily good enough to have had a worldwide release but it was not on an international label. Edge Records never really had proper U.S. distribution which I find odd considering they were a Sub-label of Kingsway Music which we’re a pretty big label. Chances are most of you have never heard this one so take the time to give it a listen.

Tracklist
1 – Tragedy – 3:06
2 – Say – 3:23
3 – You’re Here – 4:37
4 – With or Without You – 3:43
5 – What Y’Gonna Do – 3:33
6 – Don’t Take No (For An Answer) – 3:52
7 – This Time – 3:55
8 – Stand By Me – 3:54
9 – Searching For Heaven – 5:00
10 – If I Don’t Have You – 4:20

Credits
Backing Vocals – Belinda Moon, Julie Moon, Mal Pope
Bass – Les Moir
Design – James Kessell
Drums – Bobby Clarke
Guitar – Neil Costello
Keyboards – Mal Pope
Mixed By – Les Moir, Neil Costello
Percussion – Karlos Edwards
Photography By – Branka Jukić
Producer – Mal Pope, Neil Costello
Saxophone – Dave Fitzgerald*
Voice – Julie Moon

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Kingsway Publications Ltd.
Copyright © – Kingsway Publications Ltd.
Recorded At – ICC Studios
Distributed By – Kingsway Music, Nye Toner, Finngospel, Sephora Diffusion, La Sorgente Music, GMI Records, Master Music, Master-Vision-S.A., Kir Music, Premier Music, Viva Music

Dieter Falk – Instrumental Journey – 1987

I recently listened to Falk’s second album and really liked it. This is his first album but I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much. I’m a little confused at this album because it appears it was first released in 1985 in Germany with the title “This Time” on Pila Records. It appears it was re-released in 1987 with this title on Myrrh. I was originally thinking that the 1985 release was a German release and this was the English release. One problem with that is that it’s an instrumental album so there wouldn’t be a need for releases in different language. Anyway let’s discuss the album quickly. It is another synth album with a lot of great synth instrumental tracks. I don’t think it’s as good as his second release but it is good but nothing here is going in my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Now Thank We All Our God – 3:00
2 – Jesus, Priceless Treasure – 5:17
3 – You And Me – 2:39
4 – Praise To The Lord Thee Almighty – 3:27
5 – Exalt Thy Name My Soul – 1:36
6 – Come Holy Ghost – 3:07
7 – Nobody Knows – 3:34
8 – Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying – 2:37
9 – Don’t Run Away – 3:52
10 – Angelika’s Song – 3:30

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Werner Hucks
Arranged By – Dieter Falk
Bass – Hemi Jost
Drums – Martin Stoeck
Engineer [Assistant] – Andreas Claus
Flugelhorn – Chuck Findley, Jerry Hey
Flute – Arnd Schuler
Guitar – Lothar Kosse
Keyboards, Producer – Dieter Falk
Percussion – Thomas Adam
Photography By – Volker Rittinghaus
Programmed By – Thomas Adam
Recorded By – Michael Obst
Recorder – Conny Ende
Remix – John Guess
Trumpet – Chuck Findley
Trumpet [Piccolo Trumpet] – Jerry Hey

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Pila Music
Copyright © – Pila Music

Lloyd Bustard – Private Soul – 1991

I don’t really know too much about Bustard, but it appears he had been writing for David & The Giants for a few years in the late 80s. As this album was put out on their label I’m assuming David Huff was behind the project. All the musicians on the album are Huffs, and David produced the album. Other than that I can’t tell you much about Bustard. This is his only album of the era, though he did self-produce a couple albums in the 2000s. As for the album, it’s a pretty good pop album that leans a little more to the mellow side, but I really liked it. This is one of those albums that everyone probably missed, but it’s pretty good and deserves a listen.

Tracklist
1 – God Came Near – 4:31
2 – I Know The Feeling – 4:03
3 – When The Son Comes Down – 4:21
4 – You’re My Only Hope – 4:17
5 – Lose The Battle Win The War – 3:31
6 – Praise Is The Answer – 4:02
7 – Man After God’s Own Heart – 3:40
8 – Everything To Me – 3:47
9 – Amen Hallelujah – 3:51
10 – Praise Him Face To Face – 4:25

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Nate Sabin
Art Direction, Design – Scott Elia
Backing Vocals – David Huff, James Bolton, Kellye Huff, Lloyd Bustard, Tim Pedigo, Vicky Yohe
Bass Guitar – Clayborn Huff
Drums – Lance Huff
Engineer – David Huff, Rayborn Huff, Scott Carter
Guitar – David Huff
Keyboards – Nate Sabin, Rayborn Huff
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Musical Assistance – Scott Carter
Photography By – Harold Head
Producer – David Huff
Remix – David Huff
Saxophone – David Huff

Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Mastermix
Recorded At – Huff Recording Studios
Published By – Huff, Huff And Huff Publishing
Glass Mastered At – DADC – DIDX-010834

White Ray – The First Sin – 1989

White Ray was the name for Killed By Cain before they were signed to their first record deal. They had a few demo’s and this is their second one. I don’t really know much about the history of the band but the guys over at Christian Tape Underground say they had connections with Bride and yes you can hear it here. I’ll be honest I far prefer this work to their Killed By Cain work. This has a throaty sound and is close to arena rock in some places. As I always say, this genre of music wasn’t for me but these guys were tight and knew what they were doing. There was so much talent in the Christian Metal genre it still surprises me as I never listened to it in the day. Matthew Hunt over at Retroactive Records released all of the White Ray demo’s on CD in 2019 so this recording is around in the used market. Anyway here’s some raw metal done right.

Images courtesy of – Christian Tape Underground

Tracklist
1 – The First Sin – 5:05
2 – Blood On My Hands – 4:38
3 – Charades Behind the Glass – 5:10
4 – To Die Is To Gain – 4:53

Credits
John Warren – Vocals
Anthony Bowling – Guitar
Steve Curtsinger – Bass
Shaun Hansbrough – Drums

Connie Scott – Live To Tell – 1992

This was the final studio album we would get from Connie. In Christmas of 1992 Connie was touring again with David Meece and she decided that it was time to come off the road and settled into married life just outside of Vancouver with her husband Grant and two boys Kellen and Linden. In October of 2007 the Gospel Music Association of Canada honored Connie’s pioneering efforts in Christian music by presenting her with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. This album followed the successful recipe that Producer Roy Salmond had applied on her previous 5 albums. It’s another great pop album with strong vocals and great songwriting. Connie was one of the greatest female Christian vocalists of the era but unfortunately she never got the recognition she should have as she was always overshadowed by larger U.S. artists even if she was a far better vocalist.

Tracklist
1 – Walk To The Well – 4:20
2 – Healing Waters – 5:04
3 – Little Joey Run – 4:21
4 – Angels – 4:22
5 – Play This Game – 5:16
6 – Starting Now – 4:30
7 – Inside My Piano – 4:25
8 – You Were Falling In Love With Me – 4:05
9 – Waiting In Cars – 4:21
10 – Don’t Ever Stop Believin’ – 3:34
11 – I Lift Up My Voice – 5:05

Credits
Arranged By – Roy Salmond
Arranged By [Vocals] – Connie Scott, Roy Salmond
Art Direction, Sleeve – Nancy S Yeasting
Executive-Producer – Grant Saip
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Photography By – Jane Weitzel Studios
Producer – Roy Salmond
Recorded By, Mixed By – David R H Slagter

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Image 7 Music Inc.
Copyright © – Image 7 Music Inc.
Manufactured By – Image 7 Music Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Made By – Disque Americ
Produced For – Whitewater Productions, Richmond, B.C.
Recorded At – Whitewater Studio
Mixed At – Whitewater Studio
Mastered At – Future Disc

The Maranatha Singers – The Praise Album – 1974

This is not the type of album we would normally upload as it is more Worship oriented. That said The Maranatha Singers are part of CCM history. If you don’t know The Maranatha! Singers were the in-house choir of praise & worship label Maranatha! Music and featured many artists that we would know better for their future Rock oriented releases. On this album alone are Chuck Girard, Erick Nelson, John Mehler, and many more. This album turned into a series of 20 albums but this one is rather famous for the Karen Lafferty song “Seek Ye First”. So while this may not be what we usually listen to it’s still an important piece of CCM history.

Tracklist
1 – Heavenly Father – 3:39
2 – Father I Adore You – 2:31
3 – Praise The Lord – 4:50
4 – Praise The Lord Together – 1:15
5 – Thy Loving Kindness – 2:12
6 – Set My Spirit Free – 3:43
7 – Bring My Body Closer – 3:28
8 – Love (One Another) – 3:02
9 – Seek Ye First/Matt 6:33 – 2:45
10 – Cause Me To Come 2:36
11 – Holy, Thou Art Holy – 2:36
12 – Peace Give I To Thee – 3:03

Credits
Arranged By [String And Horn Arrangements] – Pete Jacobs
Design [Album Design], Artwork By – Kernie Erickson, Neal Buchanan
Horns – Bob Lund, Brooks Grier, John McIntyre, Kris Holmes, Ron Minor
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Musician – Bill Bradford, Bill Sprouse, Bruce Herring, Chuck Girard, Dana Angle, Dave Rios, Denny Stahl, Erick Nelson, Ernie Rettino, Gary Arthur, Jan Luxumbourg, Jay Truax, John Mehler, John Wickham, Karen Lafferty, Linda Broadbent, Marsha Stevens, Mike Fickling, Nancy Hawthorne, Pete Jacobs, Russ Stevens, Terrye Coelho, Tom Stipe, Tom Coomes, Wendy Carter
Photography By [Cover Photo] – David Burgin
Producer – Tom Coomes
Strings – Al Barr, Bobby Bruce, George Poole, John Santulio, Mark Kovacs, Nate Gershman, Walt Wiemeyer

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Maranatha! Music
Recorded At – Buddy King Studios, Huntington Beach, CA
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Nia – Carry Me – 1989

Here we go with another European artist I never heard of. This is actually her third album, but she has several more, making her an artist I should have heard of. I have not listened to her first 2 albums yet, but this one is great. It’s a solid female pop album that leans a little more easy listening. No, it’s not a bunch of number one hits, but it is good. Nia is a great singer, and these are some great songs here. I have no idea who wrote them because there are no credits on the album, and information about this album is pretty sparse. This, however, was her last album until 1997, as the industry became difficult for her. She was hit with a plethora of rumours that we will not repeat, but Nia says they were all untrue, but they tarnished her view of the industry. She did overcome this nonsense and released another album in 1997 and several after that.

Tracklist
1 – Christian – 3:58
2 – Seek – 4:02
3 – Don’t Look Down – 3:19
4 – Rumours – 2:45
5 – The Way Ahead – 2:42
6 – Covered – 3:36
7 – Tears That Fall – 2:56
8 – Carry Me – 3:47
9 – Pray For Me – 3:37
10 – We Will Love You – 3:17

Credits
Bass – Tim Harries
Drum Programming – Martin Neil
Drums – Carl McGregor
Guitar – Ian Price
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Nia
Producer, Arranged By – Steve Thompson

Companies, etc.
Licensed To – Mega Production – MPCD 202
Distributed By – Grand Slam Europe

Bruce Cockburn – In The Falling Dark – 1976

In the falling Dark was Bruce Cockburn’s seventh album and, at the time, also his best work. There are few songwriters that compare to Cockburn and he was it his finest on this project. Cockburn’s songwriting mystique is so legendary that when I have ever mentioned to a singer-songwriter that their work reminds me of Cockburn there is uniform rejection of the comparison as though no one feels the right to be mentioned in the same breath. It is the songwriting that set this album apart from those that preceded and many that followed its release. Cockburn’s faith also becomes a central focus on several of the songs including the album’s lead track, Lord of the Starfields. The song would actually be covered later by The Imperials! There is also a great sense of balance on the project, both lyrically and musically. Many Cockburn albums can be consumed with either dark and provocative content or light and joyful reprises. Here there is a wonderful balance of both and the album is better for it. The latter is represented by the wonderful “Little Seahorse” and the majestic and unforgettable, “I’m Gonna Fly Someday.” The latter remains one of Cockburn’s finest works to this day. “Silver Wheels” is an example of one of the great Cockburn trademarks. He has, through the years, created a lyrical rhythm where there appears to be too many words for the melody and must quickly, like double time, squeeze in every word before losing his breath and the refrain ends. The technique would show up over and over throughout the years. The song would also become a hit for Cockburn. Finally the album contains a true Cockburn classic in “Gavin’s Woodpile.” The over 8 minute quietly acoustic tune id just a staggering work in songwriting. the ability to captivate and mesmerize the listener with limited instrumentation for over 8 minutes is a tribute to the amazing artist Cockburn was and has remained.

Contributor David Lowman – https://legacyccmsgreatestalbums.wordpress.com/

Tracklist
1 – Lord Of The Starfields – 3:22
2 – Vagabondage – 4:17
3 – In The Falling Dark – 4:50
4 – Little Sea Horse – 4:30
5 – Water Into Wine – 5:30
6 – Silver Wheels – 4:41
7 – Giftbearer – 4:39
8 – Gavin’s Woodpile – 8:00
9 – I’m Gonna Fly Some Day – 4:02
10 – Festival Of Friends – 4:38

Credits
Acoustic Bass – Michel Donato
Art Direction – Bart Schoales
Drums – Bob Disalle
Engineer – Ken Friesen
Guitar – Bruce Cockburn
Management [Direction] – B. Finkelstein
Percussion – Bill Usher
Photography By [Back Cover Photo] – Ted Grant
Photography By [Front Cover Photo] – Arnaud Maggs
Producer – Gene Martynec
Translated By [Traduction Par] – Marcel Moussette
Voice – Bruce Cockburn
Words By – Bruce Cockburn
Written-By [All Songs], Music By – Bruce Cockburn

Companies, etc.
Published By – Golden Mountain Music Corp.
Recorded At – Eastern Sound
Manufactured By – CBS Records Canada Ltd.
Distributed By – CBS Records Canada Ltd.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – High Romance Music Ltd.
Mastered At – Masterdisk

Plankeye – Spill – 1994

This is a difficult album for me to review as I actually hate the grunge genre and this is a grunge band and album. That said let’s get into it. The band came out of Orange County CA. Their name was derived from Matthew 7:3 and I like that they brought attention to that verse. The band self released this album but almost immediately Tooth & Nail Records picked it up as their first release. While this album wasn’t huge it wouldn’t take too many more releases for these guys to get some real recognition. Now my thoughts on the album. Absolutely great song writing and I hear a ton of talent. These guys understood the mission and really knew the grunge style. The problem I have with this album is the production. Doug Doyle, Mark Rodriguez, and Gene Eugene all had a hand in engineering this album and quite frankly they are all great engineers but something went wrong on this project. It has to be one of the dullest mixes I’ve heard. Grunge doesn’t need to be monotone and have boring mixes guys. The strangest part of the album is the use of stereo exploitation on so many tracks. Come on guys, it was 1994 not the late 60’s. It just comes off as silly on track after track. One track, sure but they did it on several intro’s and it sounds stupid. ANYWAY it’s still a good album and the band deserves to be heard. While I don’t care for grunge these guys did it right.

Tracklist
1 – Goodnews – 2:27
2 – Revolution – 2:18
3 – Power – 2:23
4 – Open Eyes – 2:42
5 – Scared – 3:36
6 – Bold – 3:17
7 – Step Away – 4:02
8 – Free Me – 4:08
9 – Know Way – 2:54
10 – Forever – 4:43

Credits
Art Direction, Design [Imaging] – Jason Pickersgill
Art Direction, Executive Producer – Brandon Ebel
Bass – Luis Garcia (2)
Design [Cover Art], Design Concept – Kari Kroll
Design [Handwritten Lyrics] – Lisa Proven
Drums – Adam Ferry
Guitar – Eric Balmer
Guitar, Vocals – Scott A Silletta
Lyrics By – A. Ferry, L. Larson, Luis Garcia, S. Silletta
Mastered By – Dog Doyl*
Mixed By, Recorded By – Gene Eugene, Mark Rodriguez
Photography By [Spine] – St. James
Photography By, Design Concept [Brilliant Spine Conception] – Matt Wignall
Producer – Pino Squillace, Plank Eye
Vocals – Scott A Silletta

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – A & B Studios
Mixed At – A & B Studios
Mastered At – Digital Brothers
Glass Mastered At – Disctronics USA – 123155