Category: Albums

Jerusalem – Krigsman – 1981

This is the Swedish version of Jerusalem’s 3rd album. It was very well received and Jerusalem subsequently toured in support of it opening for Resurrection Band and Larry Norman. Many including myself feel that this was their best album and it toped the sales charts for the year. The singles were “Man of the World” and “Constantly Changing” and music videos were produced for both and apparently played on MTV. The stand out song on the album is the 12 minute long “Sodom” was very well received but obviously at that length could not be a single. HM Magazine voted the album #65 in the Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All-Time though for me it would be a little higher. Strangely Anders Mossberg is credited as Bass player on the English version and Peter Carlsohn is credited on the Swedish version. Their history states that Peter Carlsohn replaced Anders Mossberg for this album. Also Michael Ulvsgärd replacing Klas Anderhell on drums for the supporting tour. The album (English) was re-released in 2018 by Retroactive Records and is an excellent reproduction.

Tracklist
1 – Ständig Förändring – 5:48
2 – Krigsman – 6:17
3 – Du Är – 4:14
4 – It’s Mad – 5:36
5 – Moderne Man – 4:26
6 – Sodom – 12:10
7 – Domedagsprofeter – 4:36
8 – Farväl – 6:08

Credits
Bass – Peter Carlsson
Design [Grafisk Formgivning] – Gullan Martinsson
Drums – Klas Anderhell
Keyboards – Dan Tibell
Photography By – Margareta Boman
Producer, Engineer – Andy Kidd
Vocals, Guitar – Ulf Christiansson
Words By, Music By, Arranged By – Ulf Christiansson

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Ulf Christiansson
Recorded At – Supreme Studio
Printed By – General Printing AB

Trytan – Sylentiger – 1990

Trytan were often referred to as the Christian Rush. This was their second album and it had a very similar sound to their first album. While the vocals are very “Rush” like the music actually stands alone. It showcases the excellent guitar work of Lary Dean as well as the outstanding drumming of Scotty Blackman very well. It was the final studio album from the band that split about the same time this album came out. The album was re-released in 2002 by Millenium Eight Records with a bonus track which is an interview with the band. That track is included with this playlist. Point of trivia is that Trytan was apparently an acronym for “To Reach Youth Through the Almighty Nazarene”.

Tracklist
1 – Take Cover – 5:51
2 – Deadly Masquerade – 4:43
3 – Beyond The Night – 6:46
4 – Star Bound – 5:23
5 – Make Your Move – 5:27
6 – Sylentiger – 4:32
7 – Here To Stay – 6:48
8 – Playing With Fire – 6:40
9 – Life Goes On – 4:32
10 – Waking The Giant – 4:03
11 – By My Spirit – 3:32
12 – Bonus Track: Interview – 18:18

Credits
Bass, Keyboards – Steve Robinson
Drums – Jim Dobbs
Engineer – Jerry Mikulich, Joe Bader
Executive-Producer – Doug Mann
Guitar, Vocals – Lary Dean
Illustration, Design – Jeff Spencer, Sudden Images
Music By – Lary Dean (tracks: 1 to 10), Leslie Phillips (tracks: 11), Steve Robinson (tracks: 2, 3, 9, 10)
Other [Hair, Make-Up] – Rohnda Dean
Photography By – Lenny Tyler
Producer – Jerry Mikulich, Joe Bader, Trytan
Words By – Lary Dean (tracks: 1 to 10), Leslie Phillips (tracks: 11)

Imperials – Stand By The Power – 1982

Album #29 from the Imperials is a little more uptempo at times than their previous work. I attribute this to producer Bill Schnee stepping in for this album. This was the first album without Russ Taff and instead we got to hear Paul Smith who stepped in to the group starting on this album. The album spawned 3 singles with “Lord Of The Harvest” peaking at #3 with 28 weeks on the charts. “Somebody New” also did well peaking at #9. and “Because Of Who You Are” peaking at just #37. For a change they did not win their usual Dove award for this album being beaten out by Amy Grant’s “Age to Age”.

Tracklist
1 – Stand By The Power – 3:33
2 – Somebody New – 3:52
3 – Part Time Servant – 3:44
4 – This Heart – 4:26
5 – Lord Of The Harvest – 4:37
6 – Under His Reign – 3:26
7 – I Never Get Enough Of Your Love – 4:07
8 – How Can You Live – 3:46
9 – All For The Asking – 3:49
10 – Because Of Who You Are – 3:31

Credits
Arranged By [Horns Arranged By] – Bob Wilson (tracks: B4)
Arranged By [Strings Arranged By], Piano, Synthesizer – James Newton Howard
Bass – Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus
Drums – Carlos Vega, Jeff Porcaro
Engineer [Assisted By] – David Schober, Scott Hendricks, Skip Moon
Engineer [Engineered By], Producer [Produced By] – Bill Schnee
Guitar – Carlos Rios (2), Dann Huff, Hadley Hockensmith, Steve Lukather
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Photography By [Album Back Photo] – Allan Messer
Photography By [Album Front Photo] – Michael Borum
Production Manager [Production Coordinator] – Susan Pyron

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At – Bullet Recording
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Candle – On The Street – 1979

Candle were better known for their children’s albums than their adult ones but I think this adult one is pretty good. I can’t really figure out what the origin of Candle is but they did include 3 members of Seawind and were producing music at the same time as Seawind. This is a little strange as they were on 2 different labels at the time. Seawind was on A&M’s Christian label “Horizon” and Candle were on “Sparrow”. Anyway whatever the story I think this is a pretty good album, it has a nice 70’s funk sound and probably would have fit in a little better in 76 or 77 but it’s a good album and deserves a listen.

Tracklist
1 – All Your Love – 2:32
2 – In Due Time – 2:44
3 – Call On Him – 2:22
4 – Sunshine And Rain – 2:08
5 – The Rest Of My Life – 2:58
6 – Feels So Right – 2:56
7 – Runnin’ – 2:35
8 – I Need To Tell You – 3:25
9 – Won’t Take Long – 2:44
10 – The Martyr’s Song – 3:09

Credits
Arranged By [Horns], Saxophone, Flute – Jim Horn
Arranged By [Strings] – David Diggs
Bass – Abraham Laboriel, Kenny Wild
Co-producer, Guitar – Mike Deasy
Design – Lynn Robb, Stan Evenson
Drums – Bill Maxwell, Bob Wilson
Engineer – Wally Duguid
Guitar – Bud Nuanez
Lead Guitar, Electric Guitar, Guitar, Mandolin – Hadley Hockensmith
Lead Vocals – Frank Hernandez, Georgian Banov, Mark Pendergrass, Ron Krueger
Organ, Piano – Harlan Rogers
Percussion – Fred Petry
Photography By – Dave Pavol
Piano – Peter Hallin
Producer – Billy Ray Hearn
Synthesizer, Piano – Larry Williams

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Published By – Candle Co. Music
Published By – Sparrow Song
Recorded At – Buckskin Studio
Recorded At – January Sound Studios
Recorded At – Sunset Sound
Recorded At – Peace In The Valley Recording

Joe English – Press On – 1983

This album from Joe follows in the footsteps of his previous albums. There really isn’t anything of interest on this album as it’s just more of Joe. This is not a derogatory comment but let’s face it Joe’s sound didn’t change much and it wasn’t exactly captivating after awhile. That said this is a good AOR album as that’s what Joe did well, in fact better than most. The album spawned one single “Stop” which peaked at #18.

Tracklist
1 – Stop – 3:30
2 – Echoes Of The Spirit – 3:10
3 – Royal Priesthood – 3:59
4 – The Harvest – 3:47
5 – Press On – 3:52
6 – Power Of Prayer – 3:55
7 – All My Heart – 3:29
8 – Let Me Praise You Again – 3:37
9 – Roll Of Life – 3:29
10 – To Know The Heart Of Jesus – 3:18

Credits
Arranged By [Horn And String Arrangements] – Tim Smith
Arranged By [Track Arrangements] – The Joe English Band
Artwork By [Art Direction/design] – Bill Brunt
Backing Vocals – Joe English, Tommy Funderburk
Bass – Tim Smith
Choir – Brenda Nenow, Christy Betts, Dayle English, Debbie Halverson, Grammy Grandall, James Isaac Elliott, John Lawry, Phil Elliott, Tim Smith, Tom Douglas
Engineer [Tracks And Overdub Engineering] – Joe Wilson
Engineer [Vocal Overdub Engineering] – Jim Baird
Executive Producer – Ray Nenow
Guitar – George Cocchini, Paul Brannon
Keyboards – John Lawry
Mastered By – Glenn Meadows
Mixed By – Scott Hendricks
Photography – Mark Tucker
Producer [Assistance] – The Joe English Band
Producer, Drums, Lead Vocals – Joe English
Saxophone [Alto & Tenor] – Doug Moffet
Saxophone [Tenor & Baritone] – Sam Levine
Trumpet – Jay Cobble, John Harbaugh

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Published By – Raybren Music
Published By – Joe English Music
Published By – Quietlane Music
Published By – Snellsong Music
Published By – Rainy Roley Music

Ishmael United – If You Can’t Shout Saved – 1979

Ishmael United was headed by Ian Smale who refers to himself as Ishmael. This is the album that most people are familiar when you hear his name but it’s not his only album. He only had one album as Ishmael United but has others as Ishmael, Ishmael And Andy (Andy Piercy from ATF), and Rev Counta & The Speedoze. This album is very difficult to categorize but the recipe for this album is one part punk, one part new wave, one part pop, and 3 parts fun. This album was very well received and is popular to this day. There are many differing styles on this album but they mostly all share a common theme of fun. It’s impossible to pick a “single” for the album but for me Don’t Rock De Boat is my favourite track. Quick piece of trivia, Ishmael has gone on to produce several very successful children’s albums.

Tracklist
1 – Song Of The Last Generation – 3:26
2 – Star On Sunday – 2:14
3 – Bartimaeus – 3:31
4 – If You Can’t Shout Saved, You’ll Have To Face The Penalty – 3:13
5 – Jesus Trip – 2:07
6 – Don’t Rock De Boat – 3:23
7 – Crowd Trouble – 3:52
8 – Christian Schizophrenic – 2:43
9 – Now It’s All Gone Wrong – 3:13
10 – Caroline Robbins – 2:51
11 – Jesus Is Making A Comeback – 2:42
12 – The Glories – 4:21

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Ishmael
Bass – Laura Mellor
Drums – Pedro Wills
Electric Guitar – Dale Evans
Engineer – Dave Aston, Les Moir
Keyboards – Dale Evans
Lead Vocals – Ishmael
Percussion – Pedro Wills
Photography – Photoflair
Producer – Andy Piercy
Vocals – Dale Evans, Laura Mellor, Pedro Wills

Jerome Olds – No Disguise – 1989

Jerome is often said to be the Christian answer to Bruce Hornsby. Indeed his style strongly resembles Bruce Hornsby and this was probably in part his relative success. Actually he had been involved in the CCM scene since 1985 writing several #1 songs for Mylon & Broken Heart. He struck out on his own with this album in 1989 though he did have a self release in 1980. It’s a little disappointing that he is constantly compared to Bruce Hornsby as I think it detracts from his true talent as a singer songwriter. The first single for the album was “Is It Right?” which peaked at #4. “His Love Flows” and “Rejoice” also singled at #12 and #15 respectively. The piano pop sound of this album will likely site well with most people. The surprise track on the album is “Sing Out” which has a more traditional African sound.

Tracklist
1 – Rejoice – 3:06
2 – Is It Right? – 4:22
3 – His Love Flows – 4:25
4 – Dying To See Jesus In Me – 4:18
5 – No Disguise – 2:06
6 – Sing Out – 3:00
7 – God Will Find A Way – 4:10
8 – Bethlehem – 3:32
9 – “The Barn” Video Sequence – 3:08
10 – Keeper Of The Fire – 5:40

Credits
Scott Allen – Composer
Gary Bennett – Vocals
Pat Buchanan – Guitar (Electric), Vocal Arrangement, Vocals
Charles Bullock – Choir/Chorus
Brenda Carter – Choir/Chorus
Russ Fowler – Engineer, Mixing
Gloria Gaither – Composer
Frank Gibson – Preparation
Bill Hatcher – Guitar (Acoustic), Harp
Tim Holbrook – Composer
Adrion Jones – Choir/Chorus
Ricky Keller – Arranger, Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Electric), Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Synthesizer
Sonny Lallerstedt – Guitar (Acoustic)
Jim Lloyd – Mastering
Donna Maddox – Choir/Chorus
Scott Meeder – Drums, Percussion, Producer
Jerome Olds – Arranger, Composer, Percussion, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals
Solomon Olds – Composer
Cheryl Rogers – Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals
Terry Simpson – Vocals
Angel Smith – Choir/Chorus
Vance Taylor – Synthesizer
Toni Thigpen – Photo Editing
Oliver Wells – Arranger, Keyboards, Producer

Companies, etc.
Printed By – Sleeveprint Ltd
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Mixed At – Southern Tracks
Recorded At – Southern Living At Its Finest

Valor – Fight for your Life – 1988

Valor is one of the early speed metal bands that appeared on the CCM scene. They were from San Leandro and actually were a new version of the band Golgatha. I’m not very familiar with Speed Metal so there’s not much I can say about this album. It’s fast and it’s loud, that’s my review. This album was re-released in 2004 with 9 demo tracks from Golgatha.

Tracklist
1 – Valor – 4:46
2 – The Flesh Is Weak – 4:02
3 – Fight For Your Life – 2:37
4 – Empty Tomb – 4:54
5 – Didn’t I – 4:10
6 – It’s Not Too Late – 5:32
7 – Accept Him – 1:05
8 – Masquerade – 4:06
9 – Burn – 5:37

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Adam Alvarez
Cover, Illustration, Art Direction – Thomas Reason
Drums – Jim Maxwell
Executive-Producer – Alan Maxwell
Guitar – Chris Price
Mastered By – George Horn
Photography By – Peter Laurence
Producer – Mike Hersh, Valor
Vocals – Michael Brueck

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Dragon Studios
Recorded At – Mastertracks Hayward, CA
Mastered At – Fantasy Studios
Manufactured By – Rainbo Records
Copyright (c) – White Stone Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Mighty Man Music

2nd Chapter of Acts – Hymns II – 1988

Hymns II was a follow up to Hymns. It featured the band doing an assortment of traditional Hymns. There is one original on the album, “Purify Me” was written by Annie. There’s nothing particularly interesting about this album other than this was their last studio album. Even though Hymns I & II Instrumental was released after this it was recorded as part of this studio session. The album was released in 1993 on CD with a Bonus Track, “O Worship The King”, which is included in this playlist. Not my style of music but even I have to respect what 2nd Chapter of Acts achieved in their time.

Tracklist
1 – Medley (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus/Praise To The Lord, The Almighty/All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name/Doxology
2 – It Is Well With My Soul
3 – This Is My Father’s World
4 – O For A Thousand Tongues
5 – Morning Has Broken
6 – Be Still, My Soul
7 – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
8 – Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
9 – O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
10 – Purify Me
11 – O Worship The King (CD Bonus Track)

Credits
Arranged By [Instrumental Arrangements] – John Andrew Schreiner
Arranged By [Vocal Arrangements] – 2nd Chapter Of Acts
Art Direction, Design, Illustration – Bradley Grose
Bass – Lee Jones
Cover [Cover Concept] – Buddy Owens
Drums – Dennis Holt
Engineer – Dan Willard, Greg Hunt
Guitar – Michael Thompson
Keyboards, Piano – John Schreiner
Mixed By – Buck Herring, Dan Willard, Greg Hunt
Photography By – Michael Going
Producer – Buck Herring
Producer [Vocal Production] – Dan Willard
Typography [Calligraphy] – Vern Fisher

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Alliance Music
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Copyright (c) – The Sparrow Corporation
Recorded At – Easter Song Studios

Love Song – Love Song – 1971

In February 1970 four hippies entered the Calvary Chapel Church in Costa Mesa, California and asked Pastor Chuck Smith if they could perform their music at the Monday Bible Study. That Pastor listened to them perform “Welcome Back” and this is where it started for one of the most important Jesus Music bands of the era. This is considered by many to be one of the most important Jesus Music/CCM albums of the 70’s. It is said they shaped the sound of the mid Seventies. I don’t think I would go quite that far but they were ahead of the curve in the early 70’s. Of course it was the members of Love Song that made the band what it was. The vocals were headed by Chuck Girard who had a long storied CCM career. Also on Vocals was Jay Truax who would go on to be in the The Richie Furay Band. Most of the other members went on to have solo smaller yet notable solo careers.

Tracklist
1 – A Love Song – 1:46
2 – Changes – 1:47
3 – Two Hands – 3:37
4 – Little Country Church – 2:39
5 – Freedom – 3:47
6 – Welcome Back – 4:38
7 – Front Seat, Back Seat – 3:00
8 – Let Us Be One – 3:13
9 – And The Wind Was Low – 3:25
10 – A Brand New Song – 2:33
11 – Feel The Love – 5:08
12 – A Love Song (Reprise) – 0:47

Credits
Artwork By [Design] – Kernie Erickson
Bass, Vocals – Jay Truax
Drums – John Raines
Engineer – Stan Ross
Engineer [Remix] – Eirik Wangberg
Guitar, Vocals – Bob Wall, Tom Coomes
Keyboards, Vocals – Chuck Girard
Music By – Chuck Girard, Jesse Johnston
Photography – Rolland Baker

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Myrrh Records
Published By – Dunamis Music