Charles McPheeters was better known for starting the Holy Ghost Repair Service Street Ministry in Hollywood than he was his music. He did have an album in 1971 that was a little more serious but this one is just a fun album. This album is a collection of different style ranging from Lounge to fifties but mostly it’s just fun. Unfortunately Charles left this world in the early 80’s but it’s nice we have this collection to remember him by. Randy Matthews is thanked in the liner notes but I have no idea if he was involved in the album. This is the CD copy of the album with the Bonus Track “Eagles Fly”
Tracklist
1 – I Tried To Tell You – 2:26
2 – Practice What You Preach – 2:31
3 – Greasy Truth – 3:14
4 – More Than The Music – 3:06
5 – We Need Each Other (Love Song For The Church) – 3:42
6 – Ain’t Got No Time – 2:59
7 – Where Is The Love – 3:21
8 – There Ain’t Nobody – 2:48
9 – No More Tears At Night – 3:49
10 – First Church Of The Frigid-Air – 4:48
11- Eagles Fly – 4:29
I don’t know much about 180 but I do know they came from Castro Valley, CA. They have this EP and a full length album. There is also a Demo I am hoping to get our hands on. The EP is a nice progressive sound that fit’s perfectly with 1986. Keyboardist Ralph Otteson continues making music to this day currently with a group called Time Horizon.
Tracklist
1 – Hold On – 3:48
2 – Search – 3:48
3 – When You Believe – 4:34
4 – It’s All I Need – 3:27
Credits
Rich Reif – vocals, keyboards
Ralph Otteson – keyboards, backing vocals
Todd Peterson – guitars, backing vocals
Allen White – bass, guitars
Don Walker – drums
This was the final album from the Imperials with Russ Taff leading the group. A lot of fans believe he was the best the Imperials had to offer and among those people this album is generally thought to be his best. This album was actually fairly uptempo for the Imperials and personally I hadn’t listened to this album in 30 years so I was pleasantly surprised how good it actually was. It’s not my style but this is a good album. Most of the songs were written by the Omartians and Taff. Strangely the track “Into My Life” was written by Beeb Birtles (Little River Band) and appeared on his album released the same year.
Tracklist
1 – The Trumpet Of Jesus – 3:46
2 – Finish What You Started – 4:05
3 – I’d Rather Believe In You – 3:37
4 – Any Good Time At All – 4:02
5 – Be Still My Soul – 3:51
6 – There’s No Time Till You Take It – 4:09
7 – Pieces – 4:06
8 – Into My Life – 4:42
9 – Seek Ye First – 5:00
Credits
Artwork By [Layout] – Bob Anderson
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Marti McCall, Myrna Matthews, Stormie Omartian
Bass – Abraham Laboriel
Congas – Alex Acuña
Drums – Paul Leim
Engineer, Remix – John Guess
Guitar – Martin K. Walsh
Keyboards – Michael Omartian
Leader [Concertmaster] – Assa Drori
Mastered By [Mastering Engineer] – Ken Perry
Other [Production Coordinator] – Yvonne Garcia
Photography – Bob Anderson
Producer, Arranged By – Michael Omartian
Saxophone – Jackie Kelso, Kim Hutchcroft
Trombone – Dick Hyde, Lew McCreary
Trumpet – Chuck Findley, Steve Madaio
Vocals – Russ Taff
Written By [Lyrics] – Stormie Omartian (tracks: A1 to A4, B1, B2, B4)
Written By [Music] – Michael Omartian (tracks: A1 to A4, B1, B2, B4)
This is the second album from Fireworks. What strikes me as odd with this album is that the title is subtitled with “Featuring Marty McCall”. Marty was with the band for their previous album and all subsequent albums so I have no idea why for this album he got such special billing. He hadn’t really done anything before Fireworks so he wasn’t some well known singer from another band or anything either. Very strange. Sound wise this album is a nice progression from their previous album which was painfully easy listening and their next album which was quite upbeat. This album settles into the middle nicely so no matter which version of Fireworks you like you should like this album.
Tracklist
1 – Change My Heart – 2:59
2 – Beautiful Woman – 4:17
3 – After The Rain – 2:07
4 – Calling My Name – 3:55
5 – Rock Band – 3:24
6 – Like Children – 3:11
7 – I Know Power – 2:39
8 – Love You Tonight – 3:37
9 – Shatter The Darkness – 5:05
10 – The World – 3:50
Credits
Bass – Bob Sinkovic, Chris Harris
Drums – Lanny Avery
Guitar – Jerry Gaston, Mark Christian
Keyboards, Vocals – Marty McCall
Producer – Chris Christian
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Mastered At – Masterfonics
This is the second album from Geoff Moore and it’s a great Rock/Pop album with some excellent songs. The treat of the album is a rocking cover of Larry Norman’s “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music”. The album is a collection of great CCM musicians including, Billy Smiley, Gary Lunn, Mark Gersmehl, and Dann Huff from Whiteheart. Dan Huff’s guitar work is easily recognizable and I think his influence is what makes the album lean more Rock than Pop.
Tracklist
1 – Tear Down The Walls – 3:55
2 – Marianne – 4:08
3 – Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music – 4:03
4 – Lost Or Found – 4:15
5 – Over The Edge – 3:52
6 – Make Up Your Mind – 4:18
7 – Love The One You Live In – 4:28
8 – Rock Steady Believers – 3:50
9 – Tough Love – 4:16
10 – Nothing But Holy – 3:34
Credits
Chuck Bentley – Songwriter
Thomas Dorsey – Keyboards
James Isaac Elliott – Songwriter
Mark Gersmehl – Songwriter, Keyboards
Dann Huff – Guitars
Gary Janney – Background Vocals
Phil Johnson – Songwriter
Bryan Kennedy – Background Vocals
Gordon Kennedy – Songwriter, Guitars, Background Vocals
Shelby Kennedy – Background Vocals
Brent King – Recorded, Mixed, Background Vocals
Gary Lunn – Bass
Marty McCall – Background Vocals
Chris McHugh – Drums
Terry McMillan – Percussion
Geoff Moore – Songwriter, Vocals
Phil Naish – Songwriter
Larry Norman – Songwriter
David Pierce – 2nd Engineer
Gary Pigg – Background Vocals
Mary Lynn Robbins – Recorded
Tom Roudy – Percussion
John Slick – Keyboards
Billy Smiley – Producer, Songwriter, Arranger, Keyboards, Background Vocals
James Stroud – Drums, Tamborine
Arlin Troyer – Background Vocals
Hank Williams – Mastered
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Power Discs
Copyright (c) – Power Discs
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – Center Stage Studio
Mixed At – Center Stage Studio
Mastered At – Mastermix
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.
Published By – Word Music (2)
Published By – Glenwood Music Corp.
Published By – Straw Bed Music
Published By – Lifesong Music Press
Published By – Hall-Clement Publications
Published By – Yellow Jacket Music, Inc.
Published By – Laurel Press
Published By – Pamela Kay Music
Published By – Justin Time Music
Jimmy Abegg and Steve Griffith return for the 3rd offering from Vector. This was another great album with a strong New Wave sound. I really wish Charlie Peacock had still been with the band for this album as his vocal support would have put this album over the top. That said there is nothing wrong with Steve Griffith’s vocals. This album was actually on a smaller label, Spark Music which was a division of GMI Music Partners.
Tracklist
1 – I Want To Know – 4:01
2 – Fine Line – 4:07
3 – Be Undone – 6:28
4 – Where Are You Now – 4:47
5 – I Burn Myself Away – 3:54
6 – I Wait For You – 5:29
7 – Have Mercy – 4:23
8 – Sometimes – 5:02
9 – Simple Experience – 6:39
Credits
Artwork – Craig C. Martinez, Joe Sogge
Bass – Steve Griffith
Coordinator [Project Coordinator] – Bruce Brown
Drums – Aaron Smith, Mike Urbano
Engineer – Steve Griffith
Executive-Producer – Steve Griffith
Guitar – Jim Abegg
Photography By – Craig C. Martinez
Producer – Jim Abegg, Steve Griffith
Vocals – Steve Griffith
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Gaga Records (5)
Copyright (c) – Gaga Records (5)
Distributed By – Gaga Records (5)
Distributed By – Spark Music
Distributed By – GMI
Recorded At – Double Vision, Sacramento, CA
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Published By – Steven Michael Griffith Music
This was Richie’s only release in the 80’s, though he re-released I’ve Got A Reason in 1981. It’s my opinion that this album was his best yet. It’s the only album he did produced by David Diggs and you can tell it sounds a little different. At the time of recording this album Richie had just become or was just about to become the Pastor at Calvary Chapel of Boulder CO. Strange that he would do such a Rock & Roll oriented album at this stage of his life. If you were put off by his easy listening sound in the 70’s give this one a listen. It’s not a heavy duty Rock & Roll album but it definitely leans more that way than his previous releases.
Tracklist
1 – Hallelujah – 3:32
2 – Endless Flight – 3:36
3 – Yellow Moon Rising – 6:15
4 – Seasons Of Change – 3:43
5 – My Lord And My God – 4:34
6 – Rise Up – 2:35
7 – Promise Of Love – 4:14
8 – Home To My Lord – 4:20
9 – For The Prize – 3:05
10 – Through It All – 5:38
Credits
Arranged By, Conductor [Conducted By] – David Diggs
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Edie Lehmann, Marti McCall, Mary Ella Meek, Myrna Matthews, Richie Furay, Virgil Beckham
Bass – Dennis Belfield
Concertmaster [String Concertmaster] – Doug Cameron
Cover [Cover Design] – Chris Whorf
Drums – Ed Greene, Jim Keltner
Engineer [Second Engineer] – Gene Meros
Engineer, Mixed By – Jack Joseph Puig
Guitar – Dan Ferguson, Hadley Hockensmith, Paul Jackson Jr., Richie Furay
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Synthesizers] – David Diggs
Lead Vocals [All Lead Vocals] – Richie Furay
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Musical Assistance [Music Preparation] – Doug Dana
Pedal Steel Guitar – Al Perkins
Percussion – David Diggs, Steve Forman
Photography By – Dan Fong
Producer [Produced By] – David Diggs, Richie Furay
Producer [Production Assistance] – Jack Joseph Puig
Sleeve Notes – Rich Furay
Tenor Saxophone – Jim Coile
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Engineered At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Mastered At – MCA Whitney Recording Studios
Axia was another great Swedish Metal/Hard Rock Christian Band. Their music however was geared at a secular audience their core audience was Christian. This was their only full length album in the 80’s. They also released an EP and a single in the 80’s. There is a 2000 album but I don’t know if it was old or new material. The only noteworthy member of the band was Peo Pettersson who went on to record with Leviticus. That is not to diminish the other members as I believe this was a good tight band who deserve recognition. The album was essentially a self release on Pettersson’s label “Pop Productions”. The album was re-released in 2004 on a German label (MTM Music) with 4 bonus tracks. That is the version we have uploaded here.
Tracklist
1 – Intro (Instrumental) – 1:10
2 – It Ain’t Love – 3:34
3 – Loser – 5:17
4 – In For Rock ‘N Roll – 3:27
5 – Falling Apart – 4:55
6 – On My Way – 2:33
7 – Angela – 3:13
8 – Get Down – 3:49
9 – Confession Of Love – 3:57
10 – Fire – 3:15
Bonus Tracks
11 – Increasing Action – 2:29
12 – Forced Into Darkness – 4:38
13 – Never Ending Love – 3:12
14 – The Savage Ramblers – 3:32
Credits
Artwork, Design [Logo] – Ulrika.A.
Bass, Backing Vocals – Peter Andersson (30)
Crew – Björn Andersson (9), Patrik Süttenbach, Peter Pettersson (3), Stefan Bister
Drums, Backing Vocals – Michael Pethrus
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Morgan Blomquist
Lacquer Cut By – HCB*
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Robert Jacobsson
Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Peo Pettersson
Producer, Arranged By, Engineer – Axia (2)
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Studio Vanäs
Lacquer Cut At – Holland Cutting Room
The introductory album has a background story we’ve all dreamed about of we were musicians. At 15 years old she recorded a demo tape for her parents. The studio owner overheard the recording and played it for someone at Word records and thus her career began. It was recorded in 1977 and released in late 1977 (Wikipedia is wrong) and a year later she performed her first public appearance. There are a few strange things about this album. First of all Word released it on their Myrrh label. Seeing the popularity of the album A&M was approached for a wider audience release. The original cover from Word was absolutely horrible. It had a Jesus Music feel portrait of Amy on the cover which looks horrendous. Thankfully A&M put a stop to the horrible jacket before it got too widely distributed. (It is a collectors item now). They replaced it with a youthful happy picture of Amy that was a huge improvement. Myrrh also released a version of the album that included a second disk that was a sampler of other artists.
Tracklist
1 – Beautiful Music – 3:10
2 – Mountain Top – 3:39
3 – Psalm 104 – 3:27
4 – Old Man’s Rubble – 2:57
5 – Brand New Start – 2:53
6 – Grape, Grape Joy – 1:11
7 – Walking In The Light – 1:38
8 – What A Difference You’ve Made – 3:26
9 – Father – 3:26
10 – I Know Better Now – 2:49
11 – The Lord Has A Will – 2:38
12 – On & On – 3:20
13 – He Gave Me A New Song – 1:22
Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Ron Elder, Steve Chapman
Acoustic Guitar, Bells – Brown Bannister
Backing Vocals – Chris Harris, Cindy Lipford, Gary Pigg, Gwen Moore, Marty McCall, The Grapeland Vocal Band
Bass – Joe Osborn, Stephen Schaffer
Drums – Jerry Carrigan, Kenny Malone, Lanny Avery, Larri Londin
Electric Guitar – Joe Wilson, Peter Bordonali, Reggie Young
Engineer – Brown Bannister
Horns – Dennis Good, Don Sheffield, George Cunningham, Roger Bissell
Keyboards – Randy Goodrum, Shane Keister
Oboe – Robert Taylor
Producer – Chris Christian
Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Dennis Solee
Strings – Sheldon Kurland Strings
Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – A&M Records, Inc.
Distributed By – A&M Records, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
This was Oden’s first album after the dissolution of Mustard Seed. The album has hints of the 60’s and the 80’s but is really a solid 70’s album with Rock overtures. The album was well received but didn’t chart, but that’s not unusual for the time it came out. According to the liner notes there were some very well known appearances on the album including John Mehler, Alex MacDougall, Michelle Pillar, Bob Bennett and it was produced by the legendary Jonathan David Brown.
Tracklist
1 – The Mask – 3:15
2 – Natural Man – 4:29
3 – Crazy Voices – 3:40
4 – White Eagle – 4:46
5 – Selfish Man – 4:09
6 – Again And Again – 4:31
7 – Ready To Fly – 3:26
8 – Come For The Children – 7:19
9 – She Begins To Sing – 3:16
Credits
Cover, Illustration – Rick Griffin (2)
Layout – Neal Buchanan
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Jonathan David Brown
Sleeve Notes [Lettered By] – Tim Barela
Written-By, Arranged By – Preston Fong
Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Asaph Records
Copyright (c) – Asaph Records
Published By – Maranatha! Music
Recorded At – Maranatha! Studio
Mixed At – Maranatha! Studio
Mastered At – A&M Studios
