This was the first album from Twenty Twenty before they changed their name to 20 Twenty.
Not much is written about Twenty Twenty so I know nothing about their background. The album is a well produced 80’s sound with good synth and guitar riffs. It’s a pleasant listen that will get some Classic Christian radio play.
Track Listing:
1 – You Are So True
2 – Security Code
3 – War Games
4 – His Fame
5 – Second Mile
6 – Love To Go
7 – He’s Still There
8 – Danger Zone
9 – You Can Know Them All
10 – World Premiere
Credits:
Backing Vocals – Marty McCall
Design, Art Direction – Paul Proctor
Drum Programming [Linn Drum Programming] – Gary Lunn
Drums – Greg Herrington
Drums [Simmons Drums] – Dennis Holt
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Allen Brown
Executive-Producer – Mary Lynn Robbins
Guitar – Roscoe Meek
Guitar [Additional] – Greg Jennings (tracks: A5, B3, B4)
Keyboards – Earnie Chaney
Keyboards [Additional] – Billy Smiley (tracks: B1, B3)
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Photography By – Dean D. Dixon
Producer, Backing Vocals, Mixed By – Billy Smiley
Programmed By [Synclavier Programming] – Richard Head
Recorded By, Mixed By – Brent King
Soloist [2nd Keyboard Solo] – Mark Gersmehl (tracks: A1)
Synthesizer [Additional] – John Slick (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B1, B2), Mark Gersmehl (tracks: B3, B4)
Synthesizer [Synthesizer Bass] – Billy Smiley (tracks: B1)
Synthesizer [Synthesizer Tracs], Programmed By [Programming] – Shane Keister (tracks: A3, A5)
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Ron Collins (6)
Vocoder – Shane Keister (tracks: A3, A2, B3)
This was the second and last studio album from German Band Semaja. It was released in late 1983 in Germany and early 1984 in North America.
Apparently there was also a UK release but I can’t find any info on it. The German release only has 3 songs in German, the rest were the same version as released in the U.S.A. & Canada. I have included the 3 German versions in the playlist.
The album has a decidedly pop sound and is well engineered and produced. I love the opening track “Hey Friend” and declare it the single.
Track Listing (English):
1 – Hey Friend – 4:14
2 – Green Land – 3:08
3 – He’s Real – 4:33
4 – Not Too Late – 4:28
5 – Flip-Flop – 2:24
6 – No Burning Out – 3:40
7 – No, No – 3:27
8 – Karen – 4:25
9 – Behind The Curtain – 4:28
Track Listing (German):
1 – Hey Friend – 4:14
2 – Grünes Land – 3:08
3 – He’s Real – 4:33
4 – Not Too Late – 4:28
5 – Flip-Flop – 2:24
6 – No Burning Out – 3:40
7 – Nein – 3:27
8 – Karin – 4:25
9 – Behind The Curtain – 4:28
Credits:
Artwork By [Cover Painting] – Klaus Oelmann
Bass, Vocals – Wilfried Herrmann
Design – Peter Klüger
Drums – Harald Nagel
Guitar [Guitars], Vocals – Ulrich Plinke
Keyboards – Claus Feldmann
Lead Vocals – Markus Egger
Management – Rainer Kierstein
Mastered By – SNB
Percussion – Klaus Herrmann
Producer, Engineer – Jan Nemec
Words By, Music By – Semaja
This 6 song EP from Katharsis was all that was ever released from this band.
It is a rather odd combination of Jazz, Funk, and straight out Rock & Roll. The varying styles might have been its commercial downfall but that said I believe it’s a great EP.
The different styles compliment each other and I think it was very well produced. Looking for the single? My suggestions are the title track, Drivin Too Fast!, and/or, Wrong Band. Nice gem from the 80’s here.
Track Listing:
1 – Drivin’ Too Fast
2 – Not A Chance In Hell (JC Funk)
3 – Wrong Band
4 – The Easiest Answer
5 – Within The Wild
6 – Clear Deception
Credits:
Bass [Bass Response], Vocals – Jerome Reeves
Design [Album], Graphics – Paul I. Pettys
Drums, Percussion – Eric Dean (2)
Engineer – Roger Fortner, Steve Easter (4)
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Steve Helm (2)
Photography By – Bill Littell, Dan Wilson (21), Kevin Crafton
Producer – Katharsis (15)
Typography [Typesetting By] – Peggy Dunnagan
Vocals – Jim McLeod (4)
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Dwight Huthwaite
Written-By – Huthwaite*, McLeod* (tracks: A2, B1, B3)
This was the one and only album from Christian Heavy Metal band Avalanche.
Like many bands named after natural disasters their career was short lived. The album really isn’t that bad and is your typical 8 track session rock album. Nothing really stands out but then again, nothing sounds horrible either.
If you’re a metal head this is an album for you. The European release of this album had When The Thunder Roars as the 9th track instead of Battle Axe. Both songs are included.
Track Listing:
1 – They Won’t Take Me – 3:44
2 – We Will Fight – 3:59
3 – Tortured Defender – 4:41
4 – This Love I Feel – 3:26
5 – Sorceror – 4:32
6 – Pray For The Sinner – 4:03
7 – Child Of Damnation – 3:09
8 – Devils Door – 5:07
9 – Battle Axe – 3:52
9 – (alternate track) When The Thunder Roars – 4:33
10 – Rock Hard And Heavy – 4:13
Credits:
Arranged By – Nikki Van Welden
Bass, Vocals – Nikki Van Welden
Drums – Barry Nicholson
Executive-Producer – Eric ”Griffy” Greif*
Guitar – Michael Cloe
Management – Titan Productions
Mastered By – Eddie Schreyer*
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Mike Frazier
Written-By – Michael Cloe (tracks: A4), Nikki Van Welden (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B1 to B5)
For a church-goin’ teenager in the 80s, Amy Grant’s albums were almost required listening. Along with musicians like Michael W Smith and David Meece, she helped fill out the actual ‘pop’ corner of CCM.
Amy’s music had a broad appeal. Parents liked the positive lyrics sung by a friendly, wholesome girl-next-door; youth choir directors liked both the lyrics and the quality of the music. And teens, I think, appreciated that her music sounded different than any easy listening Christian music they’d heard before. Here was a Christian pop singer with just enough of an edge to make a sheltered teen feel a tiny bit rebellious. (Okay. Maybe that was just me.)
On to the album itself. For the most part, the songs of Straight Ahead have aged well. There are some recognizably 80s synth settings and electric guitar stylings, and the fade-to-black endings stuck out a little, but nothing sounded as dated as I thought it might. And whatever you think of the style, the production values are fantastic. This is a well-engineered recording of a tight band. Amy’s vocals are always good, with clarity of enunciation and sound, and lyric-appropriate colour and shading.
Track Listing:
1 – Where Do You Hide Your Heart 3:56
2 – Jehovah 5:56
3 – Angels Watching Over Me 4:10
4 – Straight Ahead 3:47
5 – Thy Word 3:21
6 – It’s Not A Song 3:27
7 – Open Arms 3:23
8 – Doubly Good To You 3:13
9 – Tomorrow 3:23
10 – The Now And The Not Yet 3:37
Credits:
Arranged By [Strings] – Alan Moore (3)
Art Direction – Dennis Hill (6)
Engineer – Jack Joseph Puig
Engineer [Additional] – Daniel Garcia*, Gene Eichelberger, Jim Baird*, Jerry Mahler, Kevin Burns, Steve Ford
Executive-Producer – Dan Harrell, Gary Chapman, Michael Blanton
Photography By [Amy’s photos] – Aaron Rapoport
Photography By [Traffic light] – Michael Borum*
Producer – Brown Bannister
Shotgun Angel is Daniel Amos’ second album, following their 1976 debut with this classic in 1977.
How many times did I have to explain to the record store staff that Daniel Amos is not a person? It’s the prophet Daniel and the prophet Amos. Maybe I didn’t have to explain it at all, but I felt like I did.
Had DA stuck with this format, they would have been one of the most progressive “Southern Rock” bands around. It sounds country, but it clearly has a different edge. It’s nowhere near top 40 country, and nowhere near Hank, but still has the right harmonies and the right instrumentation to make you think about it.
Upbeat songs like “Black Gold Fever” and “Meal” sound southern, Texan, and progressive all at once.
“Praise Song” has quite a dirge feeling to it rather than the upbeat feeling we usually expect from modern praise. It really is a praise song, but contemptlative, with the sort of thoughtful lyrics that DA became known for.
“Father’s Arms” has a soothing vocal track and a strong rock feel to it. A medley of violins and bold guitar sounds make this a compelling song that almost defies genre.
The title track “Shotgun Angel” is a good old trucker tune, which was a subgenre in the 70s. Anything that could be played alongside CW McCall’s Convoy would do just fine. This one is a good storytelling song that has a nice country twang to it, steel guitar, diesel sounds, CB radio and all.
“Bereshith Overture” is an orchestral interlude that fits right in, but it’s hard to explain why. By the time we get to “Better” we have already had some apocalyptic scenes and been introduced to what’s almost a Pink Floyd sound. The idea that they can play with the music and the story all along the way like this certainly is consistent with Pink Floyd’s contemporary work.
“Sail Me Away” and “Posse In The Sky” round this album out with more soothing sounds. It’s top quality stuff, but hard to believe that this was the setup for one of the best CCM punk/new wave bands of the 80s.
Track Listing:
1 – Days And Nights – 2:20
2 – Black Gold Fever – 3:01
3 – Praise Song – 3:51
4 – Father’s Arms – 4:26
5 – Meal – 2:07
6 – Shotgun Angel – 3:41
7 – Finale: Bereshith Overture – 2:19
8 – Lady Goodbye – 2:29
9 – The Whistler – 2:57
10 – He’s Gonna Do A Number On You – 1:57
11 – Better – 2:24
12 – Sail Me Away – 5:04
13 – Posse In The Sky – 4:35
Credits:
Backing Vocals – Ed McTaggart, Jerry Chamberlain, Mark Cook (2), Marty Dieckmeyer, Terry Taylor
Bass Guitar – Marty Dieckmeyer
Drums – Ed McTaggart
Guitar – Jerry Chamberlain, Terry Taylor
Keyboards – Mark Cook (2)
Lead Vocals – Jerry Chamberlain, Mark Cook (2), Terry Taylor
Percussion – Ed McTaggart
Producer – Jonathan David Brown
The “Lost Dogs” are a CCM supergroup that started in 1992. They are a collection of experienced musicians that have all been in multiple successful CCM bands. The name fits when things start out, but they went on to make a dozen or so studio albums.
Scenic Routes is the debut album from this group and on the cover it states “Lost Dogs are Terry Taylor, Mike Roe, Derri Daugherty.” That’s an impressive lineup to begin with.
That’s Terry Taylor (DA, Swirling Eddies), Mike Roe (77s), Derri Daugherty (The Choir, Swirling Eddies). They are also joined by Gene Eugene (Swirling Eddies, Adam Again) on this album. Of course these guys were all in other bands besides the ones I’ve listed, but this is an impressive group resume already.
Considering these guys are all from various CCM punk bands, this is an unexpected but excellent change of pace. The songs range from blues to folk to country to traditional, all with excellent arrangements that work well with the voices of all three singers. “Built For Glory, Made To Last” is a great example of hearing them all sing together, sharing both lead and backing vocals.
The Stephen Foster classic “Hard Times Come Again No More” is a 19th century standard that they have fit perfectly into this set. (Trivia: re-watch the barroom scene with the piano player in the movie Tombstone.)
“I Am A Pilgrim” was made famous by The Birds but is listed here as a traditional. Once again, the Dogs deliver on this one with a great country folk feel and strong harmony.
“Lord Protect My Child” is a Bob Dylan cover done well, which can be an extremely tricky thing to pull off. They stay true to the feel of a Dylan song, but don’t try to imitate too closely. That seems to be what makes it work.
There are some excellent original tunes with lyrics that range from serious and biting to funny and biting. The album moves along at a good pace, and although it goes through some dark places (“Why Is The Devil Red” and “The Last Testament Of Angus Shane” among others), at the end leaves you with a breath of fresh air.
Even the original songs on this album sound like traditionals and classics. It’s the hallmark of excellent writing.
Track Listing:
1 – Scenic Routes – 2:29
2 – You Gotta Move – 3:54
3 – Built For Glory, Made To Last – 5:29
4 – Bullet Train – 5:24
5 – The Fortunate Sons – 4:37
6 – The New Physics – 4:06
7 – I Am A Pilgrim – 3:41
8 – Lord, Protect My Child – 4:53
9 – Amber Waves Goodbye – 3:53
10 – Bush League – 1:53
11 – Old And Lonesome – 4:53
12 – I Can’t Say Goodbye – 5:00
13 – Why Is The Devil Red? – 2:52
14 – Smokescreen – 2:27
15 – The Last Testament Of Angus Shane – 4:09
16 – Hard Times Come Again No More – 2:13
17 – Breathe Deep – 3:34
Credits:
Art Direction, Photography By [All Photography] – Anna Cardenas
Band [Lost Dogs Are], Guitar, Piano, Vocals – Gene Eugene
Band [Lost Dogs Are], Guitar, Vocals – Derri Daugherty, Mike Roe*, Terry Taylor
Engineer [Engineered By] – Gene*
Engineer [Engineered With] – Derri*, Rob Watson, Terry*
Guest [With], Dobro, Banjo, Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg Kellogg
Guest [With], Drums, Percussion – Burleigh Drummond
Guest [With], Violin – James Sitterly
Producer [Produced By] – Derri Daugherty, Gene Eugene, Mike Roe*, Terry Taylor
Sometime in 1985 we were surprised to find this record in our local shop, arriving with no fanfare, but clearly a rock’n’roll album by the cover.
The military look doesn’t translate into the themes in the lyrics or the music too much. There’s no “Onward Christian Soldiers” here, just some straight-up radio rock something along the lines of Journey or Foreigner. Just enough synthesizer and guitar mix to remind you what decade this is, and some strong vocals make this a solid sound.
The Allies log is a capital A with (almost) a circle around it. It’s not the punk rock A for Anarchy, but it’s close, just not very punk. There is no punk connection on this album at all. It seems like the marketing approach was a shotgun approach rather than just selling the great musicianship that is on this album.
Track Listing:
1 – Surrender – 4:36
2 – Second Chance – 3:54
3 – Don’t Run Away – 3:28
4 – Send Me – 4:27
5 – Don’t Keep Him Waiting – 3:57
6 – Don’t You Worry – 5:07
7 – Morningstar – 5:03
8 – I’ll Be Your Brother – 3:56
9 – Pardon Me – 4:22
Credits:
Bass – Matthew Chapman
Design [Allies Emblem] – Coen Van De Poll
Design, Art Direction, Artwork By [Illustration] – Kurt Triffet
Drums – Jim Erickson
Engineer [Second] – Mike Mierau
Guitar, Guitar [Solo], Bass, Vocals – Randy Thomas
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Bob Carlisle
Keyboards [Acoustic Keyboards& Electric], Vocals – Sam Scott
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Photography By – Ken Reece
Producer – Randy Thomas
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dino Elefante
Sequenced By [Syntheizer] – Tim Heintz
Vocals – John Elefante
This is the 10th release from Steve Camp and by this point in his career Camp had music mastered.
The quality of this album is excellent and the song writing spot on. While he is usually classed as easy listening I would argue this album really isn’t. I found it to be upbeat and edgier than previous releases.
The highlight of the album for me is Camp’s cover of the Larry Norman song “Great American Novel”. He covers it with a Springsteen feel that is perfect for the song. All in all a great release in my opinion.
Track Listing:
1 – Justice – 4:35
2 – Playing Marbles With Diamonds – 5:03
3 – Don’t Tell Them Jesus Loves Them – 5:19
4 – Living Dangerously In The Hands Of God – 5:04
5 – Do You Feel Their Pain? – 6:18
6 – Hell Is Burning While The Church Sleeps – 4:28
7 – Great American Novel – 4:57
8 – Servants Without Scars – 4:04
9 – Love That Will Not Let You Go – 5:09
10 – I Believe In You – 4:25
Credits:
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Artwork By, Design – Peter Nomura
Engineer [Assistant] – Carry Summers, Howard Steel*, Kevin Twit, Wade Jennings
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Bill Schnee (tracks: A1, A3, A5, B4), David Schober (tracks: B1, B3), Jeff Balding (tracks: A2, A4, B2, B5)
Photography By [Collage] – Mark Tucker (7)
Photography By [Portrait] – Victoria Pearson (2)
Producer, Arranged By – Steve Camp
Recorded By – David Schober
Recorded in January 1980 and released on MRC in 1983, this live album features mainly songs from Darrell’s Get Ready album. The concert was recorded on a 2 track system at Calvary Chapel in California. The Get Ready album was released in 1980, so these songs were probably completely unknown to the audience at the time.
This band knows how to entertain. The live versions of these songs give them plenty of life. Darrell always has had a great stage presence, and he brings it out here.
MRC was not Darrell’s regular record label, and in fact this is the only album of his released by them. Darrell was signed to Polydor at the time and appears courtesy of Polydor.
The Amazing Grace guitar intro to “Mr. Rock and Roll” is the perfect setup for this song. As often happens, this fast paced tune is even faster live and the band just hums through it.
The band does an extremely polished version of “That’s Alright” from Darrell’s 1979 debut solo album. They catch the power of this song perfectly, and Darrell’s harmonica playing abilities are really let loose.
Track Listing:
1 – LIfesaver
2 – Mr. Rock And Roll
3 – That’s All Right
4 – Heaven Southwestern
5 – Power Of Love
6 – Get Ready
Credits:
Arranged By – The DMB
Artwork – Rick Griffin
Bass Guitar – Jimmy Perez
Drums – Donny Vosburgh
Electric Guitar – Tony Dean
Electric Guitar [Rhythm] – Dennis Carothers
Keyboards – Jeff Lams
Lead Vocals, Harmonica – Darrell Mansfield
Photography By – Chuck Schmid
