Category: Albums

Twila Paris – A Heart That Knows You – 1992

This is Twila’s 1992 compilation album. I really think she might hold the record for her amount of compilation albums. The album did contain two new tracks including the title track that was a charting single. I have indicated the original album for all the tracks below.

1 – A Heart That Knows You – New Track
2 – Destiny – New Track
3 – How Beautiful – Cry For The Desert – 1990
4 – I See You Standing – Cry For The Desert – 1990
5 – Every Heart That Is Breaking – For Every Heart – 1988
6 – Prince Of Peace – Same Girl – 1987
7 – Wandering Pilgrim – It’s The Thought… – 1989
8 – Runner – Kingdom Seekers – 1986
9 – The Warrior Is A Child – The Warrior Is A Child – 1984
10 – Holy Is The Lamb – From Dick Tunney album Twila Paris Piano Classics
11 – Sweet Victory – For Every Heart – 1988
12 – True Friend – For Every Heart – 1988
13 – Bonded Together – Same Girl – 1987
14 – Release Of The Spirit/He Is Exalted – Kingdom Seekers – 1985
15 – Lamb Of God – Kingdom Seekers – 1985
16 – Do I Trust You Medley – The Warrior Is A Child – 1984

Tracklist
1 – A Heart That Knows You – 4:41
2 – Destiny – 5:12
3 – How Beautiful – 4:42
4 – I See You Standing – 4:05
5 – Every Heart That Is Breaking – 4:12
6 – Prince Of Peace – 4:37
7 – Wandering Pilgrim – 4:06
8 – Runner – 4:04
9 – The Warrior Is A Child – 4:09
10 – Holy Is The Lamb – 3:26
11 – Sweet Victory – 4:29
12 – True Friend – 3:00
13 – Bonded Together – 4:59
14 – Release Of The Spirit/He Is Exalted – 5:59
15 – Lamb Of God – 4:11
16 – Do I Trust You Medley – 5:50

Credits
Art Direction – Buddy Jackson, Toni Thigpen
Design – S.Combs
Executive-Producer – Darrell A. Harris, Jack Wright
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Photography By – Mark Tucker

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Star Song
Copyright © – Star Song
Record Company – Star Song Communications
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Designed At – Jackson Design
Recorded At – RTC Studio
Recorded At – Quad Studios
Engineered At – Bill Schnee Studios
Engineered At – The Bunny Hop
Engineered At – Javelina Recording Studios
Engineered At – Woodland Studios
Engineered At – Recording Arts
Mixed At – Woodland Digital
Mixed At – RTC Studio
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Iva Twydell – Duel – 1982

If you were like me and was yearning for more from After The Fire then this album could be one for you. Iva Twydell is actually Ivor Twidell, the drummer of After The Fire. He was joined by fellow ATF member Nick Battle who played bass and produced the album. The album was financed by Redsky music who released it in The UK and New Zealand. It was also released in Canada on license by Tunesmith Records. The album is very Synth heavy and those duties were handeled by Anthony Phillips who was actually the original guitarist for Geneses. This is rather odd as I can’t find that Anthony was ever involved in any other Christian project. Anyway this is a great album and if you like ATF then you will likely enjoy this album even if it doesn’t have Peter Banks on vocals.

Tracklist
1 – The Man Inside – 3:37
2 – The Warning – 3:20
3 – Teaching Me The Hard Way – 3:43
4 – See No, Hear No, Speak No Evil – 3:58
5 – Final Fuse – 4:27
6 – Decline And Fall – 4:17
7 – Hear Me – 3:36
8 – Addicted – 3:03
9 – Get It Right – 2:58
10 – Abdication Day – 4:06

Credits
Backing Vocals – Annie McCaig, Colin Blunstone, Mo Turner
Drum Machine Programming – Richard Scott
Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar – Nick Battle
Synthesiser, Keyboards, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bass Guitar – Anthony Phillips
Vocals, Synthesiser, Electric Guitar, Percussion – Iva Twydell

David Edwards – David Edwards – 1981

From the outset it should be duly noted that this is my all time favorite album…ever! And now that the disclaimer has been provided let’s get on with the review. Before DA sounded the Alarma. Before Taylor built a Clone. Before the Choir, Lifesavers, Altar Boys or Undercover. There always has to be a first. And most often, the first is either soon forgotten or remains unknown for decades. This happens more often in Christian music because an artist is not only breaking down musical barriers, but spiritual and self-righteous one as well. If there was a Top 50 “Albums You Should Own, But Probably Don’t” this one would top the list. David Edwards’ self-title debut topped Campus Life Magazine as one of the best releases of the year at a time when Christian music was dominated by Amy Grant, Evie and the Sweet Comfort Band. Then along comes this little album on Myrrh Records with a pink rising sun backdrop and a guy wearing a loosened thin tie, looking either quite tired or possibly stoned. I was a Freshman in High school when the album came out and it was life changing. I wasn’t familiar with David Edwards’ history in Christian music at the time as I later discovered he played bass for J.C. Power Outlet and was friends with Keith Green, Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill. All i knew was that he looked pretty cool on the cover and Campus Life Magazine compared him to Elvis Costello. I bought the album as soon as I found a Christian Bookstore that was willing to carry it. I ended working at that same store a couple of years later. After listening to the first song I lifted the needle of the record and put in a tape to record it as I knew right away I would want to listen to this album everywhere I went. Three years later after the release of his follow-up album, “Get the Picture” I wrote a letter to him and told what an impact his first album had on me and that his lyrics had encouraged me to start publishing my poems and I sent a few of them along in the letter. Not only did he respond but began an occasional correspondence that continued for some time. Later that same year he performed at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa during one of their famous Saturday Night Concerts. I went up afterward and introduced myself and he in turned introduced me to the rest of his band who he had mentioned my letters to. I was overwhelmed. My wife and I even went to visit him in upper state New York several years ago on his farm and introduced me to a great recipe for scrambled eggs that remains a favorite in our household.

Contributor – David Lowman https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/

Tracklist
1 – Best Friend – 2:13
2 – Rather Be Wrong – 2:26
3 – Commercial Suicide – 4:26
4 – Nagging Optimism – 2:39
5 – Hollywood High – 2:54
6 – The Getaway – 3:36
7 – Kicks – 2:44
8 – Disposable Love – 2:25
9 – The Tongue Is A Fire – 3:25
10 – Don’t Ever Say – 3:18
11 – Not Going To Fall Away – 3:11
12 – Song Of Wholeness – 3:24

Credits
Art Direction – Art Hotel, Leo McIntire
Drums – Craig Krampf
Electric Bass – Eric Nelson
Electric Guitar – Dan Jacob
Electric Guitar, Sitar [Electric] – Ira Ingber
Layout [Inner Sleeve], Design – Dennis Hill
Organ [Hammond & Vox] – Dave Garland
Piano, Synthesizer, Arranged By – Barry Kaye
Producer – Buddy King
Recorded By, Mixed By – Bill Bottrell, David Marquette, Mitch Gibson
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Arranged By – David Edwards

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Produced For – Pure Joy Productions
Recorded At – Soundcastle
Mixed At – Soundcastle

Fresh Claim – Odd One Out – 1987

After the demise of his two previous bands (Sea Stone and Intransit) Simon Law started up Fresh Claim and this is their first album. The name of the band came from a counter at the local unemployment office with the designation “Fresh Claims”. Simon has also established Plankton records which was originally just his own label to release his first band Sea Stone but developed into a full fledged record label. The album is often labelled as alternative but personally I find it to be more New Wave. At times I get a “The Keep” feel from a few tracks but I’m pretty sure this is coincidental as The Keep were only released in Canada and Fresh Claim were from the UK. This is another one I missed in the 80’s and really wish I had heard back then because I absolutely love it.

Tracklist
1 – Strong Enough To See – 3:06
2 – There’s Someone Loving You – 2:54
3 – Sunday Morning Dawn – 4:50
4 – Yesterday’s Hero (Is Tomorrow’s Fool) – 2:51
5 – Enough Is Enough – 3:31
6 – Visions Never Sleep – 3:50

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Derek Llewellyn
Composed By – Derek Llewellyn, Simon Law
Design, Keyboards – Mags Law
Drums – Ali Byworth
Engineer, Producer – Nigel “Chopper” Palmer
Guitar, Vocals – Simon Law

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Scarf Studios
Duplicated By – Selecta Sound

Rushing Wind – Rushing Wind – 1985

We actually don’t know very much about Rushing Wind. I was able to see that member Dave Hodel did have a solo album in 1983 which we are currently hunting for. Other than that I don’t have much info so lets talk about the album. It has a pretty good mid 80’s pop sound. In fact I’m kind of surprised the band didn’t do better. The album was produced by Paul Clark who did an excellent job in my opinion. As near as I can tell the album was self released and distributed. The band did tour in support of the album and here was even a slight scandal involving Dave’s father you was actually the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. It was a nothing burger however so don’t I don’t hold anything against the band. So this is one you should give a listen to in my opinion, it deserves some attention.

Tracklist
1 – Don’t Be Like The World – 3:13
2 – Distinctions – 3:22
3 – Shadow of Your Doubt – 3:01
4 – Giver Of A Bad Report – 3:11
5 – You’re The One – 3:14
6 – Just This Once – 4:12
7 – Give It Away – 3:22
8 – True Love – 3:45
9 – We Wait In Hope – 3:22
10 – Praise – 2:38
11 – Take My Heart – 4:16

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – John F Shaw
Drums, Percussion, Electric Piano, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Dean Baskerville
Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Joel F Shaw
Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Dave Hodel
Engineer – Wally Grant
Engineer [Second] – Terry Lang
Producer, Engineer – Paul Clark
Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Backing Vocals – Rob Farley
Woodwind – Rod Martin

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Weddington Studios
Mixed At – Weddington Studios

Phil & John – Count Me Out – 1983

This was the introductory album from Phil & John. It is probably one of the oddest choices for an premier album in CCM. The entire side 2 of the album is a live recording. Now this may sound like a very strange thing to do but in this case I think it was brilliant. Phil & John really did shine in their live work as they were essentially a comedy team that played music and it really set them apart frm the rest of the industry at the time. I personally love their style which on this album can be best described as 70’s Beatles. Unfortunately I did not give them the the amount of listening time they deserved in the 80’s. If you’ve never heard Phil & John live you should at least listen to side 2 of this album as it’s live where they really shine.

Tracklist
1 – Wasted Years – 2:57
2 – Teenage Millionaire – 3:13
3 – Saturday Night And Sunday Morning – 3:35
4 – You Wouldn’t Let Me Go – 3:25
5 – I Remember – 2:49
6 – Holding On – 4:16
7 – What Do You Do? – 3:10
8 – The Gnome Song – 7:06
9 – Factory Blues – 4:43
10 – Times I Find – 3:45
11 – Watch And Pray – 3:16

Dallas Holm – His Last Days – 1979

This album is actually the sound track to a film/movie about Christ hosted by Dallas. I know absolutely nothing about the film and never saw it or even heard of it until I was researching this album. Obviously it wasn’t much of a success as I would have heard or seen this in 1979. Anyway the album is billed as a Dallas Holm album as opposed to Dallas Holm & Praise though Tim Johnson did join him on the album. The album is pretty standard fare for Dallas with nothing that really stood out to me. Not saying it’s a bad album. In fact for this style it’s excellent.

Tracklist
1 – What Will You Do? – 3:06
2 – Hosanna – 3:54
3 – Do You Believe In Me – 3:28
4 – Father – 5:49
5 – Betrayal Scene (Spoken) – 2:00
6 – Calvary – 3:26
7 – Mary’s Song – 3:40
8 – What Kind Of Man Is This? – 3:52
9 – Rise Again / Hosanna (Reprise) – 6:15
10 – What Will You Do? (Reprise) – 2:15

Credits
Terry Blackwood – Vocals
Bob Clark – Engineer
Jackie Cusic – Vocals
Jon Goin – Guitars
Dallas Holm – Songwriter, Vocals
Ladonna Johnson – Vocals
Phil Johnson – Producer
Tim Johnson – Vocals
Shane Keister – Keyboards
Larrie Londin – Drums
Norman Neeley – Engineer
Steve Schaeffer – Bass
Jack Williams – Orchestra and Choral Arranger

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Greentree Records
Copyright © – Greentree Records
Copyright © – Dimension Music
Published By – John T. Benson Pub. Co.
Recorded At – Great Circle Sound
Remixed At – Great Circle Sound

Artie Dison – Forgiving Eyes – 1989

Awhile ago I reviewed an album by a band called Freeway that had a limited release in Canada. I remember us listening to the album in the 80’s but it wasn’t really our style. Then recently Artie Dison from the band contacted me to let me know he actually had 2 solo albums in 1989 and 1997. This is the 1989 album. Now I’ll be honest, I was not very excited going into this album as his previous work wasn’t my style. Wow was I surprised as this is a fantastic Rock album. This was several years after his Freeway work and boy did he mature. The album almost has a Kansas feel in places but I hate pigeon holing albums. Listen, it’s just a great Rock & Roll album that deserves to be heard. The best track on the album in undoubtedly “What About Home” which has a great message. That said my favourite track is “I Feel Love” which has an excellent commercial radio sound. If you missed this one in the 80’s don’t miss it now.

Tracklist
1 – Lonely Heart – 3:25
2 – Don’t Run – 4:42
3 – What About Home – 6:01
4 – Crying In The Night – 3:48
5 – Conquest Of Love – 2:45
6 – I’ll Show You The Way – 3:42
7 – Forgiving Eyes – 4:31
8 – Mysteries Of The Sky – 3:43
9 – I Feel Love – 3:06

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Pete Claproth
Bass [Additional] – Darrell Cook
Drums [Additional] – Jim Ripley
Drums, Backing Vocals – Donny Henderson
Engineer [Assistant] – Brian Davis, Josh West, Steve Vaughan
Executive-Producer – Lewis McVay
Guitar – Bob Somma
Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Artie Dison
Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Yabo Obien
Photography By – Dave rigg
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By, Backing Vocals – Tim Jaquette
Synthesizer, Programmed By – Dave Spurr

Companies, etc.
Made By – PDO, USA
Copyright © – Asaph Records
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Asaph Records
Recorded At – Asaph Recording Studio
Mixed At – Asaph Recording Studio

Rick Cua – Midnight Sun – 1989

This was Rick’s last real Rock & Roll album. Subsequent albums to this one too a far more easy listening sound. This however is a pretty good Rock & Roll album and personally is one of my favourite album from him. Rick was joined by his usual studio musicians including Keith Thomas whose keyboard work I always enjoy. I really hate to just classify this as “another Rick Cua” album because it’s quite good but there’s just not a lot to say about this album. Rick had making an album down to an art at this point so you knew you were going to get a great album if you bought one of his albums from this era. Probably the highlight of the album for me is Young Boy Young Girl on which he is joined by Rebecca Sparks wife of Greg Sparks on vocals.

Tracklist
1 – Streetwise – 3:45
2 – I Can I Will – 4:09
3 – Young Boy Young Girl – 4:13
4 – I’ll Be Satisfied – 4:26
5 – Dedicated – 3:33
6 – Somethin’ You Got – 3:35
7 – No Man Will Know – 3:43
8 – Plenty Of Love – 4:11
9 – Tear Down The Walls – 3:17
10 – The Lost Can Still Be Found – 3:30

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Drum Programming, Percussion, Keyboards [Additional] – Tom Hemby
Arranged By – Tom Hemby
Backing Vocals – Bob Halligan Jr., Jimmy Lee, Kim Fleming, Michael Mishaw, Ron Hemby, Vickie Hampton
Drums, Percussion – Mike Mead
Engineer – Bill Deaton
Guitar – Dave Perkins
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Keith Thomas
Producer – Tom Hemby
Vocals, Bass – Rick Cua
Vocals – Rebecca Ed Sparks

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Reunion Records

David Payton – I Got Wise – 1991

After Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart called it quits most of the band seemed to disappear. Guitarist David Payton however did release one solo album. It looks like this was a from scratch project as not one of his previous bandmates seemed to be involved. The album is a little scattered with pop, rock, blues, and even a country oriented song. Annoyingly all of these styles are very well done and I think David could have done a whole album in any of these styles. Unfortunately because of all the differing styles the album really doesn’t flow which is an absolute pity because there is some real talent here. Anyway this was all we got from David but it’s well worth listening to, I for one would have liked to hear some more from him.

Tracklist
1 – He Can – 3:36
2 – I Got Wise – 3:41
3 – Preacherman – 3:21
4 – Oh Where Is The Love – 3:52
5 – Where Do I Go From Here – 4:48
6 – For All That You’ve Done – 3:26
7 – Heaven Is Where I’ll Go – 2:58
8 – Great To Be Alive (Feeling) – 4:14
9 – Gospel Light – 4:40
10 – Fire And Brimstone Blues – 5:12