Category: Albums

Imperials – Live – 1978

This Live album features the most recent hits (in 1978) from the Imperials. Some of the versions were spruced up for the concert and some of them tamed down. The selection of songs and styles didn’t really work well in my opinion but I wasn’t at the concert so maybe it worked better in person. There’s one thing on the album that annoyed me. They introduce the song “Your First Day In Heaven” as being how they sounded in 1964. The song however is not from 1964 and appears to have been released the same year at this album (feel free to correct me). Why do a song in the old style when you could just pick and old song and do it the way it was originally done. This moment was just sort of strange to me. All that said if you love the early Imperials this live album is for you. The production quality is excellent and the song choices were overall good choices.

Tracklist
1 – Sonshine Day – 2:34
2 – Bread Upon The Water – 3:16
3 – Bread Upon The Water (Reprise) – 0:52
4 – New Creation – 5:47
5 – Your First Day In Heaven – 1:39
6 – Lead Me Gently Home Father – 3:17
7 – I Love The Way You Love – 4:09
8 – He Touched Me – 3:53
9 – Sail On – 5:03
10 – How Great Thou Art – 2:40
11 – The Old Gospel Ship – 3:07
12 – The Old Gospel Ship (Reprise) – 1:42

Credits
Bass, Electric Guitar – Dave Hollihand, John Lutz
Drums – Mike Kinard
Engineer – Gaston Nichols, Max Moseley
Piano, Electric Piano – Bill George
Producer – Armond Morales, Buddy Huey, Chris Christian
Trumpet – John Lutz
Recorded Live: First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas The Kingsland Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri.

Return Ticket – Return Ticket – 1978

I’ve found another band that I don’t know anything about. This is a strange one in that apparently this is a German band but the album has a soul sound. Not saying there wasn’t soul music in Germany but I never heard of it. Anyway as I said this is a soul band out of Germany and that’s all I know. The album is pretty good and was a little ahead of it’s 1978 time period. Album would have fit in nicely in the early 80’s. This was their only release I can find so if you know anything about this band feel free to let me know about it.

Tracklist
1 – Return Ticket – 3:44
2 – Heaven Bound – 4:22
3 – A Song for R & B – 5:15
4 – Feelin’ Down – 2:20
5 – To My Brother – 5:18
6 – Sorrow Begins With Joy – 4:05
7 – Direct Line – 3:46
8 – J. B.’s Song – 5:10
9 – Hallelujah Jive – 3:20
10 – God Gave So Much – 4:23

Credits
Produced and arranged by Mike Weller
Associate Producer: Gerd Rautenbach
Engineered by Gerd Rautenbach
Mixed by Gerd Rautenbach and Berthold Kraus
Recorded and Mixed at DIERKX Studios, Cologne October an november 1978
Cover design and painting by Lucky Hettler
Photography by Margot Knappe

Covenant – Traps – 1985

Covenant is another band I know nothing about. Usually I try to avoid releasing bands I don’t know until I know something about them but in this case I wanted to get this album out there. I love this album. It has that early 80’s raw feel like a Servant or Barnabas. The album is well produced but the raw sound comes through and I love it. I’m sure this description will be updated once someone tells me about the band. Do you know them?

Tracklist
1 – Ending Of Time
2 – Traps
3 – Don’t Give Up
4 – He’s There
5 – Out From The Dark
6 – Hustler
7 – A Special Friend
8 – Tough Guy
9 – Give Your Life To The Lord
10 – It’s All Gonna Burn

Walk On Water – Walk On Water – 1989

The story of this album is somewhat interesting. The band won a Swedish national music contest with their song “What’s The Noise?”. In the process of recording the support album for the song. While recording the album the band became Christians and the album took on a while new light. Several songs were rewritten to have Christian lyrics and the original record deal died. Luckily the brand new label “Alarma Records” (a division of Frontline records picked up the album and released it. The album has a strong keyboard based New Wave feel with a few tracks having a heavier guitar track. “What’s the Noise” continues on as the single and is still the stand out song on the album. The CD had a rather odd aditional track that is 17 minutes long and is just chriping bird nature sounds. That one leaves me rather confused.

Tracklist
1 – To Walk On Water – 3:42
2 – What’s The Noise? – 4:07
3 – Call My Name – 4:05
4 – Prayer – 5:00
5 – Yeah Yeah Yeah – 3:51
6 – North Sea Town – 4:35
7 – Time – 3:25
8 – Someone – 3:35
9 – When The Serpent Rules – 4:00
10 – There Is A Morning – 4:27
11 – Bird-Song – 17:48

Credits
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Band [Walk On Water], Bass – Magnus Wahl
Band [Walk On Water], Guitar [Guitars] – Flord
Band [Walk On Water], Keyboards – Erik Strömblad
Band [Walk On Water], Vocals – Tot
Guest, Acoustic Guitar – Kaj Erixon (tracks: 8)
Guest, Backing Vocals – Sollentuna Gospel (tracks: 10), Titiyo Jah (tracks: 1, 7)
Guest, Dhol – Lambodhar Kalindi (tracks: 2)
Guest, Drums [Additional Drums] – Magnus Frykberg (tracks: 1, 7), Magnus Persson (7) (tracks: 2, 6)
Guest, Musician [Nagra] – Ananta Mahato (tracks: 2)
Guest, Musician [Sanax] – Dharani Kalindi (tracks: 2)
Guest, Sounds [Birds] – Ingemar Persson
Guest, Synthesizer [Mini Moog] – Kaj Erixon (tracks: 9)
Photography By [Clouds Photographed By] – Kent Nyberg
Photography By [WOW Photographed By] – Ewa-Marie Wernersson
Producer [Produced By], Arranged By – Kaj Erixon, Walk On Water
Sleeve – Kent Nyberg
Words By, Music By – Erik Strömblad*, Flord, Magnus Wahl, Tot

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Alarma World Music
Copyright (c) – Alarma World Music
Record Company – Frontline Music Group
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – B3B Studios
Mixed At – B3B Studios
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Published By – Broken Songs

Fireworks – Sightseeing At Night – 1982

This was the final album from Fireworks and they went out with a bang. Dare I say this is a Rock & Roll album. Well it’s a lot more Rock & Roll than their previous releases. The lead track is definitely a Rock & Roll tune and sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album. Admittedly however after the first track it is more pop than rock but it is definitely a good album. Other than the lead track think Sweet Comfort Bands later works. Future Petra drummer Louie Weaver joined the band for this album and you hear his far superior drum skills. All in all they went out with a bang but part of me wonders if there was a dispute over the direction of the band and this may have caused the subsequent breakup.

Tracklist
1 – I Got News For You – 3:04
2 – Because I Care – 3:19
3 – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down – 3:52
4 – Back In Business – 3:18
5 – Sightseeing At Night – 4:13
6 – Honorable Man – 2:43
7 – Confrontation – 3:42
8 – Broadway Mary – 3:17
9 – No Strings – 2:43
10 – Incognito – 5:29

Credits
Art Direction – George Osaki
Bass Guitar – David Kurfman
Co-producer, Engineer – Mark Richardson
Design – Georgopoulos/Imada Design, Inc.
Drums – Louie Weaver
Engineer [Assistant] – Greg Webster
Illustration [Cover] – Marilyn Montgomery
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Jerry Gaston
Management [Artist Representation] – Tom Willett, J. Wesley Yoder
Mastered By – Randy Kling
Photography By [Liner Photo] – Norman Benson
Producer – Jerry Gaston, Marty McCall
Product Manager – Tom Willett, Wes Yoder
Vocals, Piano [Acoustic], Keyboards [Profit V] – Marty McCall

Various – California Metal – 1987

This 1987 Regency Records sampler featured some of the best California Metal bands of the time and some very exclusive tunes. I have listed below where you can find the albums with the songs.

Tracklist
1 – Barren Cross – Deadlock – On 1988 album “Atomic Arena
2 – Guardian – Marching On – Unreleased until 2009 on “First Watch” re-release as a bonus track
3 – Neon Cross – I Need Your Love – Unreleased until 2001 on “Neon Cross” re-release as a bonus track
4 – Hero – I Surrender – Unreleased Band
5 – Deliverance – A Space Called You – Unreleased until 2008 on “Deliverance” re-release as a bonus track
6 – Mastedon – Wasn’t It Love – Unreleased until 2009 on “It’s A Jungle Out There” re-release as a bonus track
7 – Guardian – Spiritual Warfare – Unreleased until 2009 on “First Watch” re-release as a bonus track
8 – Deliverance – Attack – Unreleased until 2008 on “Deliverance” re-release as a bonus track
9 – Hero – Sing It Out – Unreleased Band
10 – Neon Cross – Son Of God – Unreleased until 2001 on “Neon Cross” re-release as a bonus track

Tracklist
1 – Barren Cross – Deadlock – 4:33
2 – Guardian – Marching On – 3:38
3 – Neon Cross – I Need Your Love – 3:08
4 – Hero – I Surrender – 3:47
5 – Deliverance – A Space Called You – 3:51
6 – Mastedon – Wasn’t It Love – 4:42
7 – Guardian – Spiritual Warfare – 4:13
8 – Deliverance – Attack – 3:44
9 – Hero – Sing It Out – 3:02
10 – Neon Cross – Son Of God – 4:15

Amy Grant – My Father’s Eyes – 1979

Amy’s second album showed her maturing as a singer. She wrote or co-wrote eight of the tracks making this album a learning opportunity for her. Of course the production and high quality studio musicians gives it a strong polished fresh album sound. I believe at this point everyone, but possibly Amy, could see where she was headed. A&M records couldn’t jump on the bandwagon quick enough with dollar signs in their eyes. The album was pretty straight forward and really the only thing that garnered any extra attention was a cover of Jesse Winchester’s song “Lay Down”. It was a secular song but someone changed the line “Let your daddy kiss it” to “Let your Daddy lift it” and POOF you have a worship song. Pretty lame in my opinion. The album was a huge success garnering the #1 spot on the Billboard Inspirational Albums chart as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary. Of course it blew up the CCM charts but at this point she could have sung the alphabet and charted. That said it is a good album and I won’t take that away from her.

Tracklist
1 – Father’s Eyes – 4:03
2 – Faith Walkin’ People – 3:26
3 – Always The Winner – 2:28
4 – Never Give You Up – 3:20
5 – Bridegroom – 2:48
6 – Lay Down (The Burden Of Your Heart) – 2:44
7 – You Were There – 2:29
8 – O Sacred Head – 2:04
9 – All That I Need Is You – 3:30
10 – Fairytale – 3:11
11 – Giggle – 2:49
12 – There Will Never Be Another – 3:37
13 – Keep It On Going – 1:04

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Jon Goin (tracks: 1, 4, 12), Larry Byrom (tracks: 6, 10), Ron Elder (tracks: 3)
Banjo – Larry Byrom (tracks: 11)
Bass – Bob Sinkovic (tracks: 5), Bob Wray (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11), Jack Williams (tracks: 4, 10), Steve Schaffer (tracks: 1)
Drums – Roger Clark
Electric Guitar – Jon Goin (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 9, 10), Larry Byrom (tracks: 2 to 4,)
Flute – Denis Solee (tracks: 1, 5, 11)
Keyboards – Bobby Ogdin (tracks: 1 to 3, 7, 9), Marty McCall (tracks: 5), Randy Goodrum (tracks: 4)
Organ – Shane Keister (tracks: 2, 6, 10)
Percussion – Farrell Morris (tracks: 2, 7, 9)
Producer – Chris Christian
Xylophone – Farrell Morris (tracks: 11)

Pete Carlson – Hideaway – 1977

This is Pete’s second album and his first with small label Chrism. There’s not really much to say about this album. It is the standard easy listening/AOR album of the time but I’m not denigrating Pete at all. He does what he does well but with most albums of this style it’s hard to make them stand out. One stand out though is the song Up And Down. It was well ahead of it’s time and I would have loved to hear someone cover it in the 80’s. Imagine a DA version, would have loved that.

Tracklist
1 – Loving The Lonely Nights
2 – Praise Song
3 – Heavenly Places
4 – I’m So Glad That You Waited
5 – Did You Ever Want To Fly
6 – Up And Down
7 – It Took Only Once
8 – The Call
9 – Someday Soon
10 – I’m Gonna Live Forever

Mad at the World – Flowers In The Rain – 1988

Mike Pendleton joins the Rose brothers for the second album from Mad at the World. This album picks up where their first one left off. On this album their sound did evolve however and on some tracks we can here a tint of The Cult and/or The Cure. The Depeche Mode sound is still the mainstay of the album and you can’t help but hear it. The album reached number 38 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Christian Chart.

Tracklist
1 – Fearfully And Wonderfully – 3:50
2 – Flowers In The Rain – 4:15
3 – Why – 4:36
4 – Puppet Strings – 4:17
5 – No Mistakes – 3:18
6 – Wait – 3:29
7 – I Don’t Wanna Go There – 3:17
8 – Faith Is A Perfect Road – 3:36
9 – In My Dream – 3:51
10 – Lovelight In The Midnight – 5:08
11 – This Lie – 3:30
12 – Dancing On Your Grave – 5:58

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Ed McTaggart
Band [Mad At The World Is], Keyboards – Mike Pendleton
Band [Mad At The World Is], Vocals, Drum Programming – Randy Rose
Band [Mad At The World Is], Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar [Guitars], Drum Programming – Roger Rose
Design Concept [Cover Concept By] – Brian Kay, Ed McTaggart
Graphics [Logo Colorization By] – Brent Gordon
Illustration [Rose By] – Roger*
Photography By, Illustration [Cover Illustration By] – Bob Rowe
Producer [Produced By] – Roger Rose
Screen Printing [Litho-Prep By] – Orbis
Songwriter [All Songs Written By], Arranged By – Roger Rose

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Frontline Records
Copyright (c) – Frontline Records
Distributed By – The Benson Company
Recorded At – MATW Studios
Mixed At – MATW Studios
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus
Published By – Broken Songs

Darrell Mansfield Band – Revelation [Expanded Edition] 1985 / 2012

This 1985 release from Darrell is probably one of if not his best album. This album definitely had a hard rock feel that made it stand out from his previous albums. While it is difficult to name singles on any christian album this album had plenty. Darrell brought in some outside talent for this album. Guitarist Paul Gilbert joins the band for two tracks, “After The Storm” and “Jesus Will Reign”. Harmonica player Rod Piazza joins in on “Don’t Let Them Stand In Your Way”. I always found it interesting that one of the greatest harmonica players in the world would invite another harmonica player to work on his album. The album was re-released in 1987 on CD but does not appear to have been remastered as I found a noise that is both on the vinyl and CD release. As it is on a silent section it would have been removed in a remaster. The album was yet again re-released in 2012 but this time as an Expanded Edition. It includes 7 bonus live tracks recorded at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa California in 1988. These tracks appear all be from Darrell’s 1988 “Live” release which is an album I’ve never even seen for sale.

Tracklist
1 – Thunder ‘N Lightning – 4:46
2 – After The Storm – 4:42
3 – Runnin’ – 2:57
4 – Give It Up – 3:41
5 – Bible Study – 4:21
6 – Jesus Will Reign – 4:29
7 – Tokyo – 3:46
8 – Don’t Let Them Stand In Your Way – 3:46
9 – Waiting – 6:02
Expanded Edition Bonus Tracks
10 – Lay Down This World – 3:31
11 – No More Blues – 4:08
12 – Runnin’ – 2:45
13 – Thunder ‘N Lightning – 5:22
14 – Heaven Southwestern – 9:14
15 – Jesus Will Reign – 4:31
16 – Bible Study – 8:41

Credits
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Kenny Samuels*
Bass – Darrel Cooke*
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jeff Nicholson (4)
Drums, Backing Vocals – Greg Eckler
Drums, Percussion – Terl Bryant
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Bob Anglin, Eric Turner (2)
Harmonica – Rod Piazza (tracks: B3)
Lead Guitar – Paul Gilbert (tracks: A2, B1)
Lead Vocals, Harmonica – Darrell Mansfield
Mastered By [Runout Etching] – JM*
Painting – Rick Griffin (2)
Producer – Darrell Mansfield, Doug Doyle, Eric Turner (2)
Producer, Engineer – Wally Grant

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mixed At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mastered At – Motown Recording Studios