Category: Albums

In The Silence – Things To Come – 1988

Things To Come is the debut album from Sydney band In The Silence. It was the first Australian album in a long time to be released by Word Australia. When asked what the band name means, John Dickson replied: ‘In The Silence was a little phrase we worked out because we’re really into the Second Coming….It’s a theme we’re really excited about. A lot of our songs are about the times we are in. While we never get up on stage and say He will be coming back on the third of March, we do believe it is biblical to preach Christ in the light of His return. We see the times we are in as the calm before the storm. We are in the silence.’ (p. 36, On Being, July 1988)
The band got their break at Australian Christian music festival JAM ’88. Winners of the JAM ’88 talent quest, the band were recipients of the first prize – recording time at Melbourne’s Timbertop Studio. Things To Come was the result of this recording time. The band’s musical style has been described as ‘guitar-based urban rock, a la U2’. Music reviewer Kirsten Hill states: ‘There is a passionate intensity to all their music. John’s vocals are emotional, breathy pleas, vaguely reminiscent of Bono. In fact, the band at times can sound like a very young U2…But they refuse to join the ranks of the U2 clones – they do cite other influences and do have a sound uniquely their own.’ (p. 36, On Being, July 1988) Music reviewer, promoter and musician Martin Fawkes mentions these ‘other influences’ as ‘bands like Echo and The Bunnymen, The Cure and other ‘alternative’ musics.’ (p.37, On being, April 1988) The album opens with the explosive ‘City Walk’. The band even dabbles in some blues on the track ‘Steamboat’. The album’s final track ‘Why’d You Never Tell Me?’ appeared on the band’s previous 7-track cassette-only release ‘It’s Only Time’. (Does anyone have this? Would LOVE to hear it!) Kirsten Hill says the song ‘echoes the thoughts of non-Christians as they meet up with their Christian friends on Judgment Day. It is a sober reminder of responsibility.’ (p. 36, On Being, July 1988)

Contributor – Frank Axel Rasenberger

Tracklist
1 – City Walk – 3:55
2 – Waiting Here – 4:17
3 – If Only You – 3:34
4 – Like I’m Home – 4:45
5 – Easter Song – 5:27
6 – In The Silence – 2:22
7 – Storm Inside – 3:09
8 – Steam Boat – 3:35
9 – Help Help – 3:39
10 – Very Long Time – 2:47
11 – Why’d You Never Tell Me – 5:31

Credits
Bass – Angus McLeay
Drums – Jacques Zeelie
Engineer – Peter Maclean
Engineer, Mixed By – Jeff Todd
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Ben Shaw
Lead Vocals – John Dickson
Mixed By – In The Silence, Phil Lake
Producer – David Gilmour, In The Silence

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Word Australia
Distributed By – Word Australia
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – June Corp. Pty. Ltd.
Copyright © – June Corp. Pty. Ltd.
Recorded At – Timbertop Studios
Mixed At – Rich Studios

Michael Omartian – White Horse – 1974

A good friend, Micheal Anderson, whose album will appear later on this list was having a birthday party for his wife at a wonderful gourmet Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. I was seated at a table with my wife and the wonderful Hal Fishman, the late famed local news anchor in Southern California. Seated to my right, though, was a man I had admired my entire music listening life. I have met countless “famous” people over the years and seldom found my self starstruck. That night I was as I was seated next to Michael Omartian. Michael Omartian is easily the most renowned, decorated and successful individual in Christian music. Most of that as a producer in mainstream music for everyone from Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross to Donna Summer and Rod Stewart. Grammys, Doves and Billboard awards cover the portions of the wall not occupied Gold and Platinum albums. He, along with Quincy Jones, produced the most successful single in history, We are the World. In 1974 Omartian released his first solo album on ABC/Dunhill and later that year on Word’s Myrrh label. I was easily the finest produced album the Christian music world had seen at the time. Leaps and bounds above its contemporaries, White Horse is a majestic and stellar album that easily has earned its “classic” status. The album was also one of the most progressive musically any artist had released. Fusing jazz, funk gospel and progressive rock sounds very “current” for the time with some of the finest musicians in the world, White Horse was a revelation and a game changer like nothing the industry had ever seen. Am added plus is that the album is also filled with wonderful songs, both lyrically creative and musically stunning. Omartian collected a line-up of supporting musicians second to none. Larry Carlton, David Hungate, David Kemper, Dean Parks and a host of others lent their talents to this amazing project, Omartian’s voice has touches of Peter Gabriel and Neil Young and he weaves through musical genres as diverse as those he has produced. Touched of Genesis, Yes, Kansas combine with pop, gospel and jazz fusion. Lyrically the album did not reflect the simplistic evangelical approach which was the norm for the time. perhaps the mainstream release did not limit Omartian’s content and his wife, Stormie, provided the bulk of the lyrics. The lead track, Jeremiah, walks through the themes of the minor prophets and relates them both to the historical setting and modern application. The Steely Dan like groove of “Fat City” shows off Omartians stellar keyboard work and an amazing brass section. The title track is a seven minute epic masterpiece. Starting slow and building into an amazing instrumental section driven by Omartian’s keyboard work and Larry Carlton and Dean Park guitar work. The industry had never seen anything like it and it would be quite some time for the rest of the industry to catch up.

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

Tracklist
1 – Jeremiah – 4:37
2 – Fat City – 3:09
3 – The Orphan – 2:01
4 – Silver Fish – 2:34
5 – Add Up The Wonders – 5:19
6 – Take Me Down – 3:39
7 – Right From The Start – 2:30
8 – The Rest Is Up To You – 2:47
9 – White Horse – 7:06

Credits
Backing Vocals – Ann White, Carolyn Willis, Patti Henderson, Stormie Omartian
Cover [Album Cover Artwork By], Artwork [Album Cover Artwork By] – Dave Jarvis
Cover [Album Cover Concept By] – James Fitzgerald
Guitar – Dean Parks, Larry Carlton
Lyrics By – Stormie Omartian
Management [Personal Management] – James Fitzgerald Enterprises, Inc.
Music By – Michael Omartian
Photography By – Harry Langdon
Producer, Arranged By – Michael Omartian
Tenor Saxophone – Don Menza, Jackie Kelso
Trumpet, French Horn – Paul Hubinon
Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion – Michael Omartian

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – ABC Records, Inc.
Copyright © – ABC Records, Inc.
Copyright © – American Broadcasting Music, Inc.
Copyright © – Holicanthus Music
Lacquer Cut At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Pitman
Published By – American Broadcasting Music, Inc.
Published By – Holicanthus Music
Recorded At – Sound Labs, Hollywood
Recorded At – Hollywood Sound Recorders
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Good News – Good News II – 1977

This is the second album from Good News. Their first album was ranked # 364 on David Lowman’s CCM’s 500 Best Albums Of All Time but this album seems to have sort of been forgotten about. This in part is because it simply isn’t as good as their first album. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just not as good. Sometimes an album just meshes and that would describe their first album. The band essentially stayed the same except for Erick Nelson who was doing a solo project at the time. The album basically picks up where the last one left off but is just missing a little something. It was re-released in 2011 on CD but strangely it was not remastered instead it was just a copy of the album put on the CD, crackles, pops and all.

Tracklist
1 – Wait For The Day – 3:06
2 – Run To The End Of The Highway – 2:48
3 – Lord, We Feel Your Presence – 2:07
4 – Ride Along Rider – 3:00
5 – Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Love – 2:50
6 – Singing Our Song – 2:48
7 – The Catch – 4:38
8 – You Sure Have Been Good To Me – 3:37
9 – Beside You – 2:57

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Bob Carlisle, David Diggs
Bass – Bill Batstone, Dave Coy
Drums – Art Rodriguez, David Diggs
Electric Guitar, Arranged By, Orchestrated By, Engineer – David Diggs
Engineer – Billy Taylor, Jim Neil
Keyboards – Dave Siebels, Dave Wallace, David Diggs, Keith Green
Percussion – Alex MacDougall
Producer – David Diggs
Saxophone – David Luell, Tom Saviano
Strings – Glenn Grab Section
Synthesizer – Dave Siebels, Dave White
Trumpet – Ron King
Vocals – Bill Batstone, Bob Carlisle, David Diggs, Diane Diggs, Kathy Segal, Yvonne Lewis
Woodwind – Al Peña, Leo W. Potts

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Instant Joy Productions
Published By – Sonrise Mercantile Company
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Recorded At – Instant Joy Productions

Imperials – Let The Wind Blow – 1985

The previous Imperials album to this one, “Side By Side”, was one of the Imperials least popular albums as it was just a little too Worship oriented. The Imperials returned with this album of far more pop oriented songs. Obviously they were going after a more youthful audience. The album succeeds relatively well in that regard with a few songs I would almost classify as pop, especially the first three tracks. After that the album dissolves into a normal Imperials album. Two of those first three tracks actually singled. “Let The Wind Blow” made it to #1 and “In The Promised Land” peaked at #3 on the charts. Also charting were “Jericho” at #12 and “Taking the Time” at #27. The people in charge should have noticed the success of this pop sound but alas on most albums we were only treated to one of two songs that had that sound. My final thoughts on this release is that it is probably one of their best albums from a youthful perspective. That said it never made it’s way into our collections at the time so maybe I’m completely wrong.

Tracklist
1 – In The Promised Land – 4:18
2 – Bread Of Life – 3:53
3 – Let The Wind Blow – 5:03
4 – Jericho – 4:54
5 – The Deeper Meaning – 4:08
6 – Sing For Joy – 3:31
7 – Today – 3:43
8 – Taking The Time – 3:56
9 – Miracles – 4:17
10 – Not To Us, O Lord – 4:18

Credits
Arranged By – Brown Bannister, Imperials
Arranged By [Horns] – Jerry Hey
Art Direction – Kent Hunter, Thomas Ryan Design
Bass – Mike Brignardello, Nathan East
CGI Artist – Daniel Buehler
Design – Kent Hunter, Thomas Ryan Design
Drums – Paul Leim
Electric Piano, Synthesizer – John Schriner, Michael W. Smith, Robbie Buchanan, Shane Keister
Engineer, Mixed By – Jack Joseph Puig
Executive-Producer – Dan Harrel, Michael Blanton
Guitar – Dann Huff
Horns – Berwyn Linton, William F. Reichenbach, Charles B. Findley, Doug Dana, Gary E. Grant, Jerry Hey, Lawrence L. Williams
Keyboards, Piano – Bill Purse, Keith Thomas, Michael W. Smith
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Photography By – Mark Tucker (7)
Producer – Brown Bannister
Programmed By [Fairlight] – Rhett Lawrence
Vocals Lead – Paul Smith
Vocals Tenor – Jim Murray
Vocals Baritone – David Will
Vocals Bass – Armond Morales

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Santa Barbara Sound Design
Recorded At – Bullet Recording
Recorded At – The Bennett House
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.

Malcolm & Alwyn – Fool’s Wisdom – 1973

This is the first album from Malcolm & Alwyn but they were actually in a band called The Zodiacs before their conversion to Christianity. This album actually had some of the top session musicians of the time. John Wetton of King Crimson on bass, Rod Edwards and Roger Hand of Edwards Hand on keyboards and percussion, veteran drummer Clem Cattini, and guitarist Mickey Keen of Hudson Ford. Pretty good for a Jesus album from 2 guys that hadn’t even been recorded before. The album is excellent if listened to from an early 70’s ear. For that genre and time period this is probably one of the best Jesus music albums of the period.

Tracklist
1 – Say It Like It Is – 3:30
2 – Fool’s Wisdom – 3:04
3 – Tomorrow’s News – 3:30
4 – Growing Old – 3:53
5 – Things Are Getting Better – 3:24
6 – Heaven Or Hell – 3:46
7 – Seed Of Corn – 2:57
8 – The World Needs Jesus – 3:38
9 – Always On My Mind – 2:05
10 – It’s Here The Answer Lies – 4:46

Credits
Arranged By [String And Woodwind Arrangements] – Chris Gunning
Autoharp, Lead Vocals – Malcolm Wild
Bass – John Wetton
Drums – Clem Cattini
Electric Guitar – Mickey Keen
Engineer – Denny Bridges, Jack Clegg
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Alwyn Wall
Keyboards, Percussion – Rod Edwards, Roger Hand
Producer – John Miller*, Rod Edwards, Roger Hand
Written-By, Liner Notes – Alwyn Wall, Malcolm Wild

Companies, etc.
Printed By – Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd.
Produced For – Key Records

David Zaffiro – Surrender Absolute – 1992

This is David’s third solo album and he is still mellowing out at this point but not in a bad way. Yes I generally lean towards liking harder Rock album but this is a great album. It’s a solid Pop album that some say is AOR but it leans Pop for me. The album has 3 acoustic tracks which I think are really well done. While they aren’t really my style they are very well done and we can really appreciate David’s vocals on these tracks. Interestingly Aussie Randall Waller stepped in and assisted David with the production on the album.

Tracklist
1 – Find My Way – 4:03
2 – To The Heavens – 4:15
3 – Carousel – 4:14
4 – Silas And Serai – 5:15
5 – In A Box – 4:05
6 – Attitude – 3:56
7 – Calling Out To Me – 4:47
8 – Surrender Absolute – 3:56
9 – Every Little Thing – 4:17
10 – No Long Goodbyes – 4:58

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Brian Godawa
Co-producer [Production Assistance], Engineer [Assistant] – Randall Waller
Engineer – David Zaffiro
Executive-Producer, A&R – Matthew Duffy
Mastered By – Ron McMaster
Photography By – Joe Potter, Mark Wilkins, Susan Waller
Producer – David Zaffiro

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Glasshouse
Mixed At – Glasshouse
Mastered At – Tower Mastering
Mastered At – Capitol Studios
Produced For – Zaffiro Productions
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Frontline Records
Copyright © – Frontline Records
Distributed By – FMG Distribution
Copyright © – Broken Songs
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Pieces – Face 2 Face – 1985

So a friend of ours stumbled on the fact that a Danger Zone track on their 1985 album is actually a cover from this band. Let’s be clear that neither band is very well known but both should have been better known. This is a German band and as near as I can tell this album was only released in Germany and was their only album. It’s on Pila Music which is/was a German CCM label that was fairly well known in the European market. Strangely it’s a live album and I can only think that the band was pretty well known as the audience is well aware of the tracks. I saw in a conversation about them that they did open for Larry Norman on one of his European tours. For that reason alone we should have heard of this band. Anyway, it’s a great pop album and I really wish I had heard of it back in the 80’s as I certainly would have pushed it in the Canadian market.

Tracklist
1 – Winners – 3:52
2 – Spiritual Masquerade – 3:49
3 – Dancing In The Summer Rain – 3:25
4 – Fantasize – 4:07
5 – For You – 4:38
6 – Robot System – 4:18
7 – Keep On Rocking – 4:17
8 – Fighting – 2:34
9 – Thanx For Friends – 3:50
10 – Roter Mond – 4:16

Credits
Arranged By, Producer – Pieces
Bass, Vocals – Gerhard Barth
Crew [Roadcrew], Engineer [Sound] – Thorsten Herdejost
Crew [Roadcrew], Lighting [Lights] – Christoph Hahnl
Design – Zquare
Drums – Matt Staiger
Guitar – Tommy Schmieder
Keyboards, Vocals – Andy Staiger
Lead Vocals – Heike Barth
Management – Mike Raven
Mixed By – Gerhard Barth, Helmut Ruloffs
Other [Clothing] – Pash
Photography By – Fritz Schöttner

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Pieces
Copyright © – Pieces
Distributed By – Pila Music
Published By – Manuskript

Mustard Seed Faith – Limited Edition – 1980

I am going to be perfectly honest here and tell you I have never listened to a Mustard Seed Faith album before today. Quite frankly due to their appearances on various Maranatha albums quite frankly I didn’t want to. This is a little odd as I loved Oden Fong’s work after the band. Boy was I surprised when I listened to this album. It is really really good. It has a solid 70’s sound and while it’s no Rez band album there stuff here close to Rock & Roll. This is a solid seventies album and it’s a pity I never listened to it before. This is actually a reunion album of sorts as the band had split but came back together to release this album and I am very glad they did. Doing research I discovered that these guys never had a CCM charting single. How Bizarre.

Tracklist
1 – Might Come Tonite – 2:27
2 – Miracle – 4:06
3 – Sidney The Pirate – 5:03
4 – All I Know – 3:20
5 – Whatever Happened? – 4:12
6 – Lost Inside Your Love – 3:23
7 – He’s Always There – 3:48
8 – Fault Line – 2:59
9 – Dual Pathways – 3:19

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Don Gerber
Acoustic Guitar, Producer – Oden Fong
Artwork [Logo] – Neal Buchanan
Backing Vocals – MSF
Bass – Darrel Cook
Design – Gary DeLacy
Drums – John Mehler, Keith Edwards
Engineer, Mixed By – Dan Willard
Flute – Pedro Buford
Harmonium – Jonathan Brown
Keyboards – Harlan Rogers, Phil Kristianson
Lacquer Cut By [SH in runouts] – Steve Hall
Lead Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith, Oden
Producer – Harlan Rogers, Jonathan Brown, Tom Stipe
Rhythm Guitar – Lewis McVay, Oden Fong
Saxophone – Brandon Rey Fields

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Mustard Seed Faith
Copyright © – Mustard Seed Faith
Published By – McVay Publishing
Published By – Maranatha Music
Published By – MSF Publishing
Recorded At – Whitefield Studios
Mastered At – MCA Whitney Recording Studios

Fierce Heart – Fierce Heart – 1985

Fierce Heart was Rex Carroll’s first published band. Rex was already 24 years old by the time this album came out and while he says he was a late bloomer I think that extra time until being recorded allowed his guitar playing to bloom. The whole idea of Fierce Heart was courtesy of Atlantic records though Rex did have a strong hand in picking the band. Jim Delehant & Chris Lord-Alge produced the album and they knew what they were doing which makes this a very well produced album. The album didn’t really catch which I find surprising considering how good it is but I suspect that there were probably rumours of Rex’s faith and we all know that in main stream music that is the kiss of death. Personally I think “Never Gonna Make Me Cry” is as good as anything else in this genre for the era and it should have singled on secular radio but I suspect it was never sent to the radio stations for consideration. Rex actually said both the band and the record company they knew the album cover was garbage but in typical music industry ways of the day it never got changed and it really is horrible. Rex authorized a re-release of the album and this jumped the band back into existence and Rex cut a new album using the band name, though with all new members, in 2020.

Tracklist
1 – Echoes – 1:34
2 – Fierce Heart – 3:45
3 – Out For Blood – 4:04
4 – Lion’s Share – 3:30
5 – Search And Destroy – 4:30
6 – Heroes – 3:55
7 – Never Gonna Make Me Cry – 4:05
8 – Bad Maureen – 4:15
9 – Loose Lips – 4:15

Credits
Choir, Engineer [Production Assistant] – Tom Lord-Alge
Cover – Marshall Arisman
Drums, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Producer, Engineer, Choir – Chris Lord-Alge
Engineer [Assistant] – Cathy Gazzo
Guitar, Choir – Rex Carroll
Management – John Doumanian
Mastered By – Dennis King
Producer, Choir – Jim Delehant
Vocals, Bass, Choir – Larry Elkins

Companies, etc.
Published By – Fierce Heart Music
Published By – Girder Music
Published By – Robbin Rae Music
Published By – Green Mirage Music
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Pressed By – Allied Record Company

DeGarmo & Key – Heat.It.Up. – 1993

This was D&K’s second last album and it really seems to have just been ignored. I really couldn’t find many reviews for it. As a result of this I sat down and listened to the album over again and I decided I love it. But that’s probably where the problem lies. I loved D&K thorough the 80’s but this album was in 1993. I now realize that D&K really hadn’t changed their sound much over the years. While this isn’t a problem for me it probably caused an issue getting new listeners in 1993. That said “Talk To Me” still made it to #6 on the charts and there were 2 tracks to make it into the 30’s on the charts. These would be the final charting singles for D&K. So my suggestion is if you enjoyed that D&K 80’s sound you will like this album but of you are more a fan of late 80’s early 90’s rock this album may not be for you. That said give it a listen anyway, it may surprise you.

Tracklist
1 – Voices – 0:40
2 – God Good/Devil Bad – 4:31
3 – Selective Amnesia – 3:12
4 – Never Look Back – 4:06
5 – Heat.It.Up. – 3:17
6 – It’s My Business – 4:28
7 – Dare 2B Different – 4:54
8 – Talk To Me – 4:29
9 – Armed And Dangerous – 4:27
10 – I Use The J Word – 3:56
11 – Soldiers Of The Cross – 4:24
12 – Divine Embrace – 3:34
13 – Fight Back – 5:37

Credits
Art Direction – Connie Harrington
Backing Vocals – Jim Jamison
Bass, Backing Vocals – Tommy Cathey
Design – The Riordon Design Group Inc.
Drums, Percussion – Greg Morrow
Engineer [2nd] – Jeff Powell, Jeffrey Reed, Skid Mills
Executive-Producer – Ken Pennell
Mastered By – Ken Love
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Producer, Engineer – John Hampton
Producer, Lead Vocals, Guitar – Dana Key
Producer, Organ [B3], Piano [Wurlitzer], Synthesizer, Vocals – Eddie DeGarmo

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Copyright © – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Benson Music Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Christian Marketing
Recorded At – Ardent Studios
Mixed At – Ardent Studios
Mastered At – Mastermix