Category: Albums

The Lifters – The Lifters – 1983

This EP came out in 1983 from another great group of guys from the MRC group over at the Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. Their Rockabilly style was like nothing else in CCM at the time. In an era where the Stray Cats were popular this album filled a gap in Christian music. These 6 short fun tracks will leave you tapping your foot and even singing along. I have a love of the rockabilly style so I have to admit I was pretty excited when I saw this album. I knew from the cover it was something I was gonna like. The EP must have been popular as the Band came out with a full album (also great) in 1985. Point of trivia is that Darrell Mansfield supplied the harmonica track for “Bucket of Blues”. Also trivia worthy is Ojo Taylor also played some piano and assisted with song writing.

Tracklist
1 – Living Water – 1:51
2 – Baby Left Me – 2:20
3 – Bucket of Blues – 3:10
4 – Eternity Bop – 1:41
5 – I’m Yours – 2:52
6 – He’s My Lord – 2:07

Credits
Antwan Adams – Horns
Chris Brigandi – Songwriter, Guitars, Lead Vocals
Eddie Espinosa – Songwriter, Guitars
Dave Hackbarth – Horns
Kass – Bass Fiddle, Electric Bass, Background Vocals
Mark Kirschak – Songwriter
Michael Knott – Songwriter
Darrell Mansfield – Harmonica
Brian Ray – Songwriter, Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
Ojo Taylor – Songwriter, Piano
Bill Walden – Horns
Dan Willard – Producer

REZ – Innocent Blood – 1989

REZ band finished off the 80’s with this excellent album. The album showed the blues side that Glenn would head down for future recordings. The album also contains some of their heaviest material in quiet awhile. Wendy’s vocals are strong as usual and I would personally say that this album may be her best vocal performance. The album is very well produced but that’s what we had come to expect from Rez. If you like the 48 second track “Rooster Crow” be sure to pick up Glenn’s 2001 album, Carolina Moon where there’s a full length version of the song. Strangely “Bargain” is actually a cover of a “The Who” tune from 1971. Bit of trivia and I quote Wikipedia here “Innocent Blood’s cover photograph is of an eight-year-old girl named Tricia who lived close to the Jesus People USA community in urban Chicago. She was tragically abducted by an unknown person(s) around the Chase Park area. Most disturbingly, Tricia was never seen again. In her memory, the band addressed this subject on the album as well.”

Tracklist
1 – Rooster Crow – 0:48
2 – Altar Of Pain – 3:15
3 – The House Is On Fire – 3:25
4 – 80,000 Underground – 3:14
5 – Fiend Or Foul – 4:41
6 – Where Roses Grow – 7:20
7 – Right On Time – 5:46
8 – Child Of The Blues – 3:40
9 – Laughing Man – 3:31
10 – Bargain – 5:31
11 – Great God In Heaven – 2:56

Credits
Band [REZ Is], Bass, Keyboards – Roy Montroy
Band [REZ Is], Drums – John Herrin
Band [REZ Is], Guitar, Vocals – Glenn Kaiser
Band [REZ Is], Lead Guitar, Keyboards – Stu Heiss
Band [REZ Is], Vocals – Wendi Kaiser
Design [Cover Design], Photography By – Cornerstone Graphics, Janet Cameron
Engineer [Engineered By] – Ed Bialach, Roger Heiss, Roy Montroy
Producer [Produced By] – Rez*, Tom Cameron

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Grrr Records
Copyright (c) – Grrr Records
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Engineered At – Tone Zone Recording
Published By – Rez Band Music
Published By – Suolubaf Music
Published By – ABKCO Music
Published By – Towser Tunes, Inc.
Made By – JVC

Mike Warnke – Jester In The King’s Court – 1977

Mike Warnke is a great preacher and a funny guy. This is his early stuff, from 1977, before his wife Rose joined him in the performance. He had a serious knack for using funny messages to make strong spiritual truths. Speaking of truth, it is well known that Mike recanted much of his testimony about witchcraft. Despite that, these records are packed with truths. Communicating truth is the main point of fiction, after all. One thing that is noteworthy listening to his body of work is that even when he comes up to the edge of socially acceptable comedy, he knew how to stay within boundaries. Just like George Carlin and others of his era, Mike could tell jokes that made fun of situations without making fun of people. In doing so, the message is never lost.

It should be noted that Warnke was revealed as a liar and fraudster in 1991 by Cornerstone magazine. This recording is offered as a historic record of what was being listened to in the Christian community in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Credits
Design [Cover] – Charles Wallis Inc., Roger Sanders
Narrator – Mike Warnke
Other [Make-up] – Joyce Ward
Photography By – John Guider Studios
Producer – Mike Blanton*, Wes Yoder

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Warbird Publishing Company
Copyright (c) – Warbird Publishing Company
Mixed At – Sumet-Bernet Sound Studios, Inc.
Remixed At – Sumet-Bernet Sound Studios, Inc.

Jerusalem – Dancing on the Head of the Serpent – 1987

This was the 5th studio album from Jerusalem and was the first studio album they put out into only English. From mid 85 until this album Jerusalem had taken a break as it is reported they were pretty well exhausted form touring. This album had a change in lineup as Reidar Paulsen stepped in on keyboards to replace Dan Tibell. Dan did return in the 90’s. This album was somewhat controversial or at least the cover was. The image of someone stomping the head of a demonic image was apparently shunned by many music stores who either hid it under the counter or refused to carry it entirely. How did we ever survive these things. Thanks goodness they were there to look out for us. Yes that was said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. The US version of the album was a remix from the Swedish version but essentially you’re here for hard rock with some keyboards and Jerusalem serves it up excellently as usual.

Tracklist
1 – Dancing On The Head Of The Serpent – 4:07
2 – Plunder Hell And Populate Heaven – 4:07
3 – Rebels Of Jesus Christ – 3:18
4 – Listen To Me – 4:30
5 – Woe, Woe…The Great Fall – 3:25
6 – We’re Gonna Take Europe – 3:39
7 – Come Higher – 3:59
8 – Catch The Devil, Catch The Thief – 4:40
9 – The Night When Revelation Came Into My Life – 4:46
10 – Still – 4:05

Credits
Arranged By – Jerusalem
Band [Jerusalem Is], Bass, Backing Vocals – Peter Carlsohn
Band [Jerusalem Is], Drums, Backing Vocals – Michael Ulvsgärd
Band [Jerusalem Is], Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Reidar I Paulsen
Band [Jerusalem Is], Vocals, Guitar – Ulf Christiansson
Cover – Rolf Jansson
Engineer [Engineered By] – Göran Buller
Photography By – Ulf Nilsson
Producer [Produced By] – Ulf Christiansson
Written-By [All Songs By] – Ulf Christiansson

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Refuge Records
Copyright (c) – Refuge Records
Distributed By – Spectra Distribution
Recorded At – Jerusalem Studio
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Published By – Ulf Christiansson
Published By – Place Of Refuge

2nd Chapter Of Acts – Mansion Builder – 1978

This was the 3rd studio album from 2nd Chapter of Acts and it is generally regarded as the album that really broke the band onto the CCM scene. This was also their first album with Sparrow and I will say that I think the success of the album was partly due to that. At the time I believe Sparrow was much better at promoting albums than Myrrh. By this time the band had perfected their easy listening sound so he album is very well done. The title track made it to #2 on the CCM charts and “Rod And Staff” made it to #19. The musicians on this album are basically “A Band Called David” who were some of the best of this genre.

Tracklist
1 – Rod And Staff – 2:55
2 – Mansion Builder – 3:02
3 – Ps. 93 – 2:32
4 – Gold In The Clouds – 2:18
5 – I’ll Give My Life Away – 2:20
6 – Rainbow – 2:34
7 – Well, Haven’t You Heard – 3:50
8 – Lightning Flash – 2:45
9 – Starlight, Starbright – 2:00
10 – Make My Life A Prayer To You – 3:02
11 – Daydreamer – 3:26

Credits
Arranged By [String, Horn] – Michael Omartian
Bass – Abraham Laboriel (tracks: A4, A6, B1, B3), Herb Melton (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B2, B4, B5)
Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer [Mini-moog] – Richard Souther
Drums – Bill Maxwell (tracks: A4, A6, B1, B3), Gene Gunnels (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B2, B4, B5)
Engineer – Buck Herring
Guitar – Jay Graydon (tracks: A4, A6, B1, B3), Peter York (tracks: A4, A6, B1, B3)
Percussion – Michael Omartian
Performer – “The Band Called David” (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B2, B4, B5)
Photography – Johanna Van Zant Wyk
Piano – Anne Herring (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B2, B5), Michael Omartian (tracks: A4, A6, B1, B3), Richard Souther (tracks: A3, B4)
Producer – Buck Herring
Synthesizer [Aarpvart] – Michael Omartian
Written-By – Anne Herring (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B3, B5)

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Buckskin Studio
Mixed At – Buckskin Studio

David Meece – David – 1976

David Meece was a child prodigy piano player. He started touring at the age of 10 and at 14 he played with the Houston Chamber Orchestra. At sixteen he was a soloist with the Houston Symphony and was touring the world and received a full scholarship for the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. Word records discovered David in 1976 and released this his first album. They may have discovered him but I don’t think they really understood what they had found. They gave David a group of no name studio musicians and a first time producer. Lucky for them the support band was excellent and David’s piano was unstoppable. Word got lucky on this one and has a storied relationship with David who without a doubt is one of the biggest CCM artists of all time.

Tracklist
1 – I’ll Sing This Song For You – 3:38
2 – Come Home America – 2:46
3 – Jesus – 3:16
4 – I Love The Way He Smiles At Me – 4:11
5 – I Love You, Lord – 3:26
6 – Touch My Hand – 3:30
7 – Take Me Together – 4:53
8 – Got To Know You’re There (Dave’s Prayer) – 3:41
9 – Imagine What It’d Be Like – 3:28
10 – I’ll Sing This Song For You (Reprise) (Instrumental) – 2:36

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Bob Thomas, Mack Dougherty
Arranged By – Bob Piper
Bass – Lou Fischer
Conductor – Bob Piper
Drums – Paul Leim
Engineer – Dan Peterson
Guitar – Mack Dougherty
Photography – George J. Sevra Jr
Piano – David Meece
Producer – Paul Baker
Vocals – David Meece
Written-By – David Meece

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word Music, Inc.

Bryn Haworth – Pass It On – 1983

Pass It On was the follow up to The Gap. I loved The Gap and it is in my top 50 albums. For some reason however this album just didn’t have the same feel to me. The style is the same and the songs are good but for some reason it just didn’t resonate with me. That said if you’re a Haworth fan you’ll probably enjoy this album.

Tracklist
1 – Pass It On – 4:54
2 – Never Give Up On Love – 3:35
3 – Come Away – 4:10
4 – Think For Yourself – 5:09
5 – Perfect Love – 2:45
6 – The Cure – 4:01
7 – Peace And Understanding – 5:34
8 – Looking Through Different Ages – 3:34
9 – Come Over To My Place – 2:58
10 – Fear God – 3:28

Credits
Fran Byrne – Drums
Dave Charles – Drums
Terry “Tex” Comer – Bass
Steve Gregory – Flute, Saxophone
Bryn Haworth – Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals
Alan “Bam” King – Guitar
Dave Markee – Bass
Henry Spinetti – Drums
Peter Thoms – Horn
Pete Wingfield – Keyboards

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Chapel Lane Studios
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Chapel Lane Productions
Copyright (c) – Chapel Lane Productions
Published By – Signalgrade Ltd.

Elim Hall – Things Break – 1986

Elim Hall was a Canadian band that was a bit of a surprise in 1986.

There debut and only commercial release album. Things Break, was more in tune with secular music at the time.

Most compared their sound to the Police and I can definitely hear the similarities. I don’t believe they were a Police wannabe band however. I believe the style of guitar playing was similar, leading to the similarities.

They did self produce a second album, but as far as I can tell it never had a retail release. All in all this is without a doubt one of the best mid 80’s CCM releases. Oh and the cut Things Break is supposed to end like that.

Tracklist
1 – Hypothermia – 3:15
2 – Erosion – 3:12
3 – The Park In Spring – 3:00
4 – At The Falls – 3:55
5 – Things Break – 3:27
6 – Inside Out – 3:26
7 – Let’s Play Science Says – 3:00
8 – Moved – 3:31
9 – Testimony – 4:15
10 – My Flag Always Fades – 3:47

Credits
Backing Vocals – Glenn Teeple, Steve Marsh
Bass – Ross Teeple
Drums – Steve Marsh
Guitar – Glenn Teeple
Keyboards – Glenn Teeple
Lead Vocals – Ross Teeple
Performer [Elim Hall Is] – Glenn Teeple, Ross Teeple, Steve Marsh
Producer – Gary Chapman, Tim Marsh

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Word
Distributed By – Word

Geoff Moore – The Distance – 1987

This was Geoff’s last solo album before putting together a band and being Geoff Moore and the Distance. There must be some correlation between this album being call The Distance and his subsequent band being named The Distance but I don’t know what it was. The band for this album consisted of Dan Huff, Gary Lunn and Mark Gersmehl all from Whiteheart along with Bill Smiley doing some backup vocals and producing the album. This album has an excellent pop/rock sound and it was another album I missed in the 80’s but love it now. The CD version of this album had a bonus track Duet with Larry Norman doing a rocking version of Larry’s “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music”.

This was Geoff’s last solo album before putting together a band and being Geoff Moore and the Distance. There must be some correlation between this album being call The Distance and his subsequent band being named The Distance but I don’t know what it was. The band for this album consisted of Dan Huff, Gary Lunn and Mark Gersmehl all from Whteheart along with Bill Smiley doing some backup vocals and producing the album. This album has an excellent pop/rock sound and it was another album I missed in the 80’s but love it now. The CD version of this album had a bonus track Duet with Larry Norman doing a rocking version of Larry’s “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music”. There is actually a music video for that track also and we have it here;

Tracklist
1 – Winning Back The Rock – 3:19
2 – Never Wanna Go Back – 3:44
3 – Familiar Stranger – 3:17
4 – Tomorrow – 4:00
5 – Didn’t He – 5:47
6 – Face The Music – 4:31
7 – Trouble Tonight – 3:46
8 – Sooner Or Later – 3:27
9 – Obey – 4:42
10 – Inside Out – 3:55
CD Bonus Track
11 – Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music – 4:03

Credits
Steven Curtis Chapman – Composer
Tommy Dorsey – Horn, Keyboards
Ric Florian – Vocals
Mark Gersmehl – Composer
Pam Mark Hall – Composer
Dann Huff – Guitar
Gordon Kennedy – Composer, Guitar
Brent King – Percussion
Gary Lunn – Bass
Randy Matthews – Composer
Marty McCall – Vocals
Chris McHugh – Drums
Geoff Moore – Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals
Farrell Morris – Percussion
Phil Naish – Keyboards
Dale Oliver – Composer, Slide Guitar
Gary Pigg – Vocals
John Slick – Organ
Billy Smiley – Composer, Producer, Vocals
James Stroud – Drums
Arlin Troyer – Composer
Mark Tucker – Photography

Stryper – Second Coming – 2013

In 2012 the original studio version of the band came back into the studio to re-record some of their greatest hits from 1984 to 1986 as well as a few new tracks. The recording and production quality is very high and it is obvious the band put in a real effort. Often these reunion albums smell of “please buy this” but I didn’t get that feeling from this album. It really sounds like a great effort was put in to release a quality product. There were a few versions of this CD released in different countries. This is the Japanese version with a bonus track (Together As One).

Tracklist
1 – Loud N’ Clear – 3:46
2 – Loving You – 4:27
3 – Soldiers Under Command – 5:08
4 – Makes Me Wanna Sing – 2:50
5 – First Love – 5:22
6 – The Rock That Makes Me Roll – 4:53
7 – Reach Out – 5:24
8 – Surrender – 4:19
9 – To Hell With The Devil – 4:06
10 – Calling On You – 3:41
11 – Free – 3:41
12 – The Way – 3:37
13 – Sing Along Song – 4:23
14 – More Than A Man – 4:43
15 – Bleeding From Inside Out – 3:44
16 – Blackened – 3:08
17 – Together As One – 4:45

Credits
Artwork, Layout – Stan-W D
Bass, Vocals – Timothy Gaines
Drums – Robert Sweet
Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By – Danny Bernini
Keyboards, Vocals – Charles Foley
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Oz Fox
Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Producer – Michael Sweet
Photography By – Tina Enos
Photography By [Assistant] – Marilyn Becrelis
Piano, Keyboards – Paul McNamara
Recorded By, Edited By – Kenny Lewis

Companies, etc.
Licensed From – Frontiers Records
Manufactured By – Marquee Inc.
Produced For – Michael Sweet Productions, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Frontiers Records
Copyright (c) – Frontiers Records
Published By – Songs Acquisitions Co. LLC
Published By – Songs MP
Published By – Bug Music
Published By – Sweet Milena Music
Recorded At – Spirit House
Recorded At – Mixed Emotions
Recorded At – Mixed Emotions
Mastered At – Spirit House