In-3D – No Glasses Needed – 1985

This is the first of two albums from IN 3D. If I had to describe the style of this album I would say it’s the Police with a little heavier guitar presence. That said, this band definitely had their own style. Really this band should have had more success than they did as the lyrics and music are extremely well done. David Lowman on his comprehensive website “CCM’s 500 Best Albums Of All Time” ranks this album as #219 and says that In-3D might be the only band that only recorded 2 albums and both were included in his list. I probably would have ranked it a little higher but not everyone has exactly the same taste and #219 is a very respectable showing. If you only have time to listen to one song from this album I would suggest “Under My Umbrella”. Point of trivia about this album is that Glen Kaiser (of Rez Band) contributed some of the guitar tracks and you can pick it out on some tracks.

Track Listing:
1 – Livin’ In The Real World – 3:47
2 – Neurotica – 0:24
3 – Just One Question – 3:03
4 – Can’t Stop – 3:13
5 – Please No – 4:25
6 – Lookin’ To You – 3:40
7 – Under My Umbrella – 3:54
8 – It’s Up To You – 2:37
9 – Memories Of A Man (Playin’ The Game) – 3:19
10 – Never Again – 3:56
11 – Goin’ On (Separate Planes) – 4:01
12 – Exit 47 – 1:00

Credits:
Jon de Fincher – Songwriter, Guitar, Vocals
Larry Duttmer – Drums
Glenn Kaiser – Guitar
Mike Kroell – Drums
Todd Moriarty – Drums
Nail – Songwriter, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
James Neave – Songwriter, Bass, Lead Vocals
Jeff Pollard – Background Vocals

Steve Camp – It’s A Dying World – 1984

This was Steve’s final album with Myrrh records. Strangely Myrrh chose to release it after he had already released a new album with his new label. There has to be a story there somewhere. Also strangely the track “Light Your Candle” is both on this album and the “Fire and Ice” album. The versions are slightly different but this is the first version he recorded. Also very strange about this album is that it did not have a single on the CCM charts. I really feel that behind the scenes there’s a real story behind this album. The album actually has a bit of a dark feeling to me. Several of the songs have a negative feel about Steve’s opinion of the world at this time of his life. Now that said this album is also said to have some of his best songwriting which I guess makes sense as he was actually writing about serious issues. Norman Barratt supplied lead guitar work on the album and his work stands out as usual. All in all a pretty good album from Steve but not one of my personal favourites.

Tracklist
1 – Holding On To You – 3:43
2 – Don’t Wanna Be Friends – 3:18
3 – It’s A Dying World – 3:49
4 – You Comfort Me – 3:20
5 – You Know What’s Right – 3:19
6 – Light Your Candle – 3:19
7 – I Don’t Live By Chance – 3:25
8 – Tongue Is A Fire – 5:04
9 – Can You Sleep Tonight – 3:53
10 – Man Does Not Live – 3:27

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Steve Camp
Arranged By – Barratt Band, Steve Camp
Art Direction [Production] – Dlorah L. Abdi
Artwork [Special Airbrush Effects] – Roy Harwood
Backing Vocals – Diane Thiel, Joan Anderson, Steve Camp
Bass – Larry Tomaso
Design, Design Concept [Cover And Sleeve Design And Concept] – Camille Brown
Drums – Russell Caldwell
Electric Guitar – Norman Barratt
Executive-Producer – Steven C. Wyer
Keyboards, Piano – Dave Morris
Mixed By – Hank Neuberger, Steve Camp
Mixed By [Mix-down Engineer] – Hank Neuberger
Photography By [Cover Background And Sleeve Photos] – Steve G.S. Morgan
Photography By [Cover People Photos] – Phillip Radcliffe
Producer – Steve Camp

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Pressed By – Monarch Record Mfg. Co.
Recorded At – Chapel Lane Studios
Mixed At – Chicago Recording Company

Sweet Comfort Band – The Waiting Is Over – 2013

In 2010 Sweet Comfort Band headed into the studio for the first time since 1983. It was the original lineup with the exception of Kevin Thomson who was ill and unfortunately passed away in May of 2010. Stepping of for Kevin was his son, Elijah Thomson. It took 3 years for this album to come together and the name “The Waiting Is Over” was not only appropriate for the fans but the band also. I’ll be honest that most of the time I don’t really care for reunion albums as often they feel rushed and thrown together. This album does not fall in that trap. It is very well done, the songs are well written and showcase the bands longtime skills. My only hesitation about the album is that I feel like I am listening to a Bryan Duncan album rather than a SCB album. I admit however that this might be because we listened to so many of Bryan’s albums after SCB disbanded. All in all a very very good album and one that will go into my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Lay It All On The Line – 4:55
2 – Something Else Is Going On Here – 4:08
3 – Nothing Can Separate Us – 4:24
4 – Do You Love Me – 4:48
5 – Rock Steady – 3:43
6 – Then I Remember – 4:37
7 – All In God’s Hands – 4:11
8 – The Waiting Is Over – 3:54
9 – All Stand Together – 3:42
10 – Where Do We Go From Here – 4:21
11 – In The Light Of Heaven – 4:57

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Game Flash DM
Band [Sweet Comfort Band], Drums, Vocals – Rick Thomson
Band [Sweet Comfort Band], Guitar [Guitars], Vocals – Randy Thomas
Band [Sweet Comfort Band], Lead Vocals, Keyboards – Bryan Duncan
Coordinator [Album Cover Coordinator] – Alice Thomson
Coordinator [Album/Business Coordinator] – Alice Thomson
Engineer [Additional Engineers] – Alice Thomson, Anthony Thomas, David Lopez
Executive-Producer – Rick Thomson
Mastered By – Reuben Choen
Musician [Musicians], Backing Vocals – Alice Thomson, Bob Carlisle, Bryan Duncan, Randy Thomas, Rick Thomson
Musician [Musicians], Bass [Additional Bass] – Matt Bissonette (tracks: 9)
Musician [Musicians], Bass Guitar – Elijah Thomson
Musician [Musicians], Choir – Chrystal Holly Matthews, LaNiece McKay, Linda Pringle, Michael Washington, Rickey Grundy, Shervonne Wells
Musician [Musicians], Guitar [Additional Guitars] – Bob Soma, David Lopez, Joshua Thomson
Musician [Musicians], Horns, Alto Saxophone – Greg Vail
Musician [Musicians], Horns, Saxophone – Scott Martin
Musician [Musicians], Horns, Trombone – Wendell Kelly
Musician [Musicians], Horns, Trumpet – Lee Thornburg
Musician [Musicians], Keyboards – James Q. Wright, James Raymond, Kenneth Crouch, Rob Rinderer, Tim Bullock
Musician [Musicians], Percussion – Dio Saucedo
Photography By – Mark Jordan

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Shelter Sound Music, Inc
Copyright (c) – Shelter Sound Music, Inc
Distributed By – Shelter Sound Music, Inc
Manufactured By – Shelter Sound Music, Inc
Recorded At – Shelter Sound Studios
Mixed At – Shelter Sound Studios
Mastered At – Lurssen Mastering
Published By – Slam Duncan Music
Published By – I Love Lori Music
Published By – Shelter Sound Publishing
Published By – We Fly Music
Published By – Dogs In Space Music
Published By – Robster Music
Published By – Franklin Industries Publishing
Pressed By – Digital Flex Media

Amy Grant – Lead Me On – 1988

This was the 7th studio album from Amy and at this point I’m pretty sure this was just mechanical for her. Someone writes music, Amy came up with a lyric idea and a songwriter would put it all together. Fade out to next song. I’m not saying it’s a bad album but there was just no standout here for me. The lead track 1974 does have a bit of personality but the rest of the album is filler aimed straight at the CCM charts. In respect to the Amy Grant fans out there this album was very well received by her Christian fans but it did poorly on the secular music charts which I am guessing was a bit of a surprise to A&M Records. Strangely the CD version of the album had 2 extra tracks but this was the age where record companies were doing some very odd things in relation to CD releases. The album had 6 charting singles on the CCM charts including three #1’s. So even given my criticism the reality is that this album continued her recipe of success and that can not be argued even by me.

Tracklist
1 – 1974 – 4:22
2 – Lead Me On – 5:35
3 – Shadows – 5:24
4 – Saved By Love – 4:38
5 – Faithless Heart – 5:10
6 – What About The Love – 5:23
7 – If These Walls Could Speak – 5:42
8 – All Right – 4:23
9 – Wait For The Healing – 5:36
10 – Sure Enough – 4:00
11 – If You Have To Go Away – 4:01
12 – Say Once More – 4:54

Credits
Backing Vocals – Bill Champlin, Carmen Twillie, Chris Eaton, Chris Harris (2), Chris Rodriguez, Dave Perkins, Donna McElroy, Gary Chapman, Randy Stonehill, Russ Taff, Wayne Kirkpatrick
Bass – Mike Brignardello
Drums – Paul Leim
Engineer – Jeff Balding
Executive-Producer – David Enderle, Gary Chapman, Michael Blanton
Guitar – Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson
Keyboards – Shane Keister
Mixed By – Marc DeSisto, Shelly Yakus
Photography By – Eika Aoshima
Producer – Brown Bannister
Synthesizer [B-3] – Benmont Tench
Written-By – Amy Grant (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 9, 11, 12)

Richie Furay – Dance a Little Light – 1978

This was Richie’s first album on David Geffen Asylum Records. Richie told David that the album would not be obviously Christian and more mainstream. So this album gets filed as an album by a Christian as apposed to a Christian album. The album was very reminiscent of his Buffalo Springfield and Poco days. It has a great 70’s sound and there’s even a few tracks where you might hear an Eagles sound. In a bit of foreshadowing bassist Timothy B. Schmit would go on to play with the Eagles. There is an interesting cover of “This Magic Moment”. It doesn’t really work for me but it’s well done. The album was well received and many considered it to be his best solo work.

Tracklist
1 – It’s Your Love – 3:50
2 – Your Friends – 2:45
3 – Ooh Dreamer – 5:06
4 – Yesterday’s Gone – 3:13
5 – Someone Who Cares – 3:50
6 – Dance A Little Light – 2:55
7 – This Magic Moment – 3:06
8 – Bittersweet Love – 3:45
9 – You Better Believe It – 2:55
10 – Stand Your Guard – 8:10

Credits
Arranged By [Strings and Horns], Conductor – David Diggs
Backing Vocals – Chris Hillman (tracks: B3), David Cassidy (tracks: A2, A4, B5), Ed Cobb (tracks: B2), George Grantham (tracks: B3), Richie Furay (tracks: A1 to B2, B4, B5), Timothy B. Schmit (tracks: A1 to A4, B3 to B5), Virgil Beckham (tracks: A1 to B1, B5)
Bass – Billy Batstone*
Concertmaster – George Poole
Congas – Victor Feldman (tracks: A1, A2)
Design – Johnny Lee (4)
Drums – John Mehler
Engineer – Eric Prestidge
Engineer [Assistant] – Chris Desmond, Nighttime Dave Ruffo, Eric Drew Feldman, Leonard Kovner, Lon Neumann, Ralph Osborn, Skip Cottrell Handclaps – Jim Mason (tracks: A2) Keyboards – Gabriel Katona Lead Guitar, Harmony Vocals – Virgil Beckham Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic], Rhythm Guitar [Electric], Harmony Vocals – Richie Furay Mastered By – Doug Sax Mixed By, Engineer – Eric Prestidge Mixed By, Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Gazecki, Dave LaBarre, Rick Hart Photography [Liner] – Scott Lockwood Photography By [Front/Back Cover] – Henry Diltz Producer – Jim Mason Saxophone – Jim Coile, Jim Horn Shaker – Alex MacDougall (tracks: B2) Trombone – Jack Redman
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Chuck Findlay*, Steve Madaio
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Victor Feldman (tracks: B3)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Elektra/Asylum Records
Copyright (c) – Elektra/Asylum Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Asylum Records
Manufactured By – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Produced For – Free Flow Productions
Recorded At – Davlen Sound Studios
Recorded At – Producers Workshop
Recorded At – Wally Heider Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Recorded At – A&M Studios
Mixed At – Producers Workshop
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Compton, CA
Copyright (c) – Song Mountain Music Publishers
Copyright (c) – Richie Furay Music
Copyright (c) – Fort Knox Music Co.
Copyright (c) – Instant Joy Music
Copyright (c) – New Harmony Music
Copyright (c) – Rumbalero Music, Inc.
Published By – Song Mountain Music Publishers
Published By – Richie Furay Music
Published By – Fort Knox Music Co.
Published By – Instant Joy Music
Published By – New Harmony Music
Published By – Belinda Music

Simon Adahl – I’m In Touch – 1985

We usual associate Simon Adahl with the band Edin-Ådahl but in 1985 he took some time to release his own album. He was joined by his brother Frank Ådahl (also in Edin-Ådahl) and brother Dan Adahl. The brothers actually had an album together back in 1977 only available in Swedish. This album had the same basic new wave sound as Edin-Ådahl but actually done better and I really think he was stronger on this album. The vocals are much better and his accent gives the English version of this album a little more of an exotic sound. This album was also available in Swedish which unfortunately at the time of this writing I can not find. The inclusion of a song called “MTV” pretty well insured that there was no point in doing a video, it would never get played anyway. So if you remember liking Howard Jones in the 80’s you might want to give this album a listen, I suspect you’ll enjoy it.

Tracklist
1 – (You’re An) Unknown Identity – 2:58
2 – Shadows – 3:18
3 – Carousel – 4:21
4 – Too Many Wise Men – 4:38
5 – MTV – 2:57
6 – I’m In Touch – 3:58
7 – No Words On Earth – 2:31
8 – I Feel Good – 3:26
9 – Hello Operator – 3:20
10 – And You My Friend – 3:09

Credits
Dan Adahl – Grand Piano
Frank Adahl – Keyboards
Simon Adahl – Producer, Songwriter, Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals
Sven Eric Dahl – Lyrics
Gary Dingott – Lyrics, Background Vocals
Mats Ericson – Saxophone
Dan Gansmoe – Drums
Tommy Kasa – Guitar, Guitar-Synthesizer
Patrick Lindberg – Percussion, Background Vocals
Bernard Lohr – Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Background Vocals
Anders Mossberg – Bass
Jokka Palonen – Hammond Organ, DX-7
Ken Wennerholm – Trumpet, Background Vocals

David and The Giants – Under Control – 1985

Under Control is David and The Giants 9th album since becoming Christians and their second on Myrrh/Word Records. It was an upbeat album which needs to be said as they had several albums that could only be described as an Easy Listening/asleep style. This album was well received and sold well in Christian circles. The tracks “Almost Midnight”, and “Borrowed Time” were both from the album “Almost Midnight” however both were re-recorded with a more current Rock & Roll feel for this release. The album had one CCM charting song, “His Love Lifted Me Up” made it to #17 and was on the charts for 13 weeks.

Tracklist
1 – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – 2:39
2 – He’s Got It Under Control – 3:11
3 – Taking It To The World – 3:40
4 – Rockin’ For The Rock – 3:28
5 – Borrowed Time – 5:06
6 – It’s Just A Matter Of Time – 3:46
7 – Sweet Inspiration – 4:14
8 – His Love Lifted Me Up – 3:23
9 – You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me – 3:22
10 – Almost Midnight – 3:30

Credits
Art Direction – Kent Hunter
Backing Vocals – Clayborn Huff, Keith Thibodeaux, Rayborn Huff
Bass – Clayborn Huff
Design – Thomas Ryan Design
Drums – Keith Thibodeaux
Engineer – David Huff, David Schober, Rayborn Huff
Guitar – David Huff
Keyboards – Rayborn Huff
Lead Vocals – David Huff
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Performer [David & The Giants Is] – Clayborn Huff, David Huff, Keith Thibodeaux, Rayborn Huff
Photography – Ron Keith, Scott Bonner
Producer – David & The Giants
Remix [Engineer] – David Schober

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word
Recorded At – Huff Recording Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – Electrosound Los Angeles

Tim Miner – Tim Miner – 1984

Tim Miner grew up in a music family touring with his Mom and Sisters across the U.S. Unfortunately his father passed away when Tim was only 2 years old. At 16 years old Tim signed a deal two album deal with Sparrow records. This is the first of those two albums. It should be noted that Tim actually has two self titled albums. Apparently he hit the reset button in 1992 when he signed and recorded an album for Motown records. When I picked up this album from a kind lender I have to admit I wasn’t too optimistic. The cover screamed easy listening to me. But I was pleasantly surprised that this was more of an upbeat pop album. It’s not Rock & Roll by any stretch of the imagination but it is a good pop album. Tim was rewarded for his good work by getting a #5 single “Always” on the CCM charts. By the way that’s probably the most boring track on the album but hey what can I say, I never did understand the process of picking a single. The bright spot of the track is that it is a duet with Cindy Crus and it’s actually a good song but just not even vaguely my style of music. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Don Rogers but Tim retained co-writing credits on all but 2 tracks.

Tracklist
1 – Love All The Hurt Away – 3:53
2 – Young One – 3:24
3 – Always – 4:22
4 – 21st Century – 4:49
5 – Don’t Try To Give Me That – 2:09
6 – Fight On – 4:28
7 – How Long Lord – 3:47
8 – Now I’m Alive – 3:41
9 – Endangered Species – 4:49
10 – Lone Survivor – 4:35

Credits
Arranged By [Track Arrangements] – John Rosasco, Smitty Price
Arranged By [Vocal Arrangements] – John Rosasco
Backing Vocals – Tom Kelly, Tommy Funderburk
Bass – Hadley Hockensmith, Leon Gaer
Drum Programming [Simmons Programming] – Art Woods
Drums – John Ferraro
Electronic Drums [Lynn Drums] – Jack Kelly
Engineer – Robert Cotton, Michael Ross, Peter Haden, Wally Grant
Engineer [Assistant] – Michael Ross, Tim Robertstad
Executive-Producer – Robert Cotton
Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith, Marty Walsh
Keyboards – John Rosasco, Smitty Price
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Robert Cotton
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Producer, Arranged By – John Rosasco
Saxophone – Brandon Fields
Synthesizer [Programming] – Rhett Lawrence

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Nissi Records
Copyright (c) – Nissi Records
Recorded At – Weddington Studios
Recorded At – Paramount Recording Studios
Mixed At – Weddington Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

Mad Max – Rollin’ Thunder – 1984

Mad Max was a great Metal band from Germany and this was their first album on a label. They did have an off label release in 1982 that did have some limited distribution with Roof Music in Germany. The lineup here was different than the demo and most reviewers consider this the best makeup of the band. The album had a much more U.S. commercial metal sound than their previous effort. The band has continued putting out albums up until 2018. The lineup has changed fairly steadily but you have to respect the effort to stay rockin.

Tracklist
1 – Fly, Fly Away – 4:18
2 – Evil Message – 3:46
3 – Losing You – 4:08
4 – Stranger – 4:41
5 – Yours Sincerely – 2:22
6 – Shout And Cry – 5:12
7 – Rollin’ Thunder – 4:20
8 – Riding Through The Night – 4:13
9 – Thoughts Of A Dying Man – 6:07

Credits
Bass – Jürgen Sander
Drums – Uwe Starck
Engineer [Assisted] – Otto Rasche
Engineer, Mixed By – Karl Trapp
Guitar – Jürgen Breforth, Wilfried Schneider
Producer – Karl Trapp, Mad Max
Vocals, Guitar – Michael Voss

Companies, etc.
Published By – Roadster Music
Copyright (c) – Roadrunner Productions B.V.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Roadrunner Productions B.V.
Distributed By – CNR
Distributed By – Indisc
Distributed By – SPV GmbH
Distributed By – Disctrade
Distributed By – Madrigal
Distributed By – Music For Nations
Recorded At – Karo Musikstudio, Münster
Mixed At – Karo Musikstudio, Münster

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt – 1980

This was Keith’s 3rd studio album and the first on his own label however Sparrow Records still handed international distribution. Keith was determined to get his music to the people at an affordable price or even free at his concerts. Yes he gave away free copies of this album for people who couldn’t afford the retail price. I was unable to find the retail price but it would be interesting to see as Keith heavily subsidized the album himself. A rather lengthy booklet was included with the record with song explanations, scripture discussion, and just general testimony from Keith. As for the album it is decidedly easy listening and Keith’s real skill was his song writing in my opinion. Notable people joining him on this album was Matthew Ward and Bob Dylan. It is reported that Keith was good friends with Dylan.

Tracklist
1 – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt – 4:36
2 – Pledge My Head To Heaven – 3:53
3 – If You Love The Lord – 4:05
4 – Romans VII – 3:24
5 – Lies – 3:42
6 – I Want To Be More Like Jesus – 4:20
7 – Unless The Lord Builds The House – 3:56
8 – Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful – 4:17
9 – You Love The World – 2:36
10 – Grace By Which I Stand – 4:49

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Stan Evenson Design Inc.
Backing Vocals – Keith Green, Kelly Willard, Matthew Ward
Bass – Hadley Hockensmith
Drums – Bill Maxwell
Engineer – Bob Cotton, Gordon Shryock
Engineer [Second] – Billy Taylor, Peter Haden, Wally Duguid
Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith
Harmonica – Bob Dylan
Lead Vocals – Keith Green
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Organ – Harlan Rogers
Percussion, Congas – Alex Acuña
Piano – Keith Green
Producer – Bill Maxwell, Keith Green
Written-By – Keith Green, Kelly Willard (tracks: B1), Melody Green (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2)