This was the second release from Priority Paid who were from Sydney Australia. I can’t really find much info on the band but I do know that their first album was very well received in Australia. This album appears to have been self released but was picked up by Round Music Group in the USA and was distributed in the US and Canada. That said the US and Canadian version included several tracks from their first release “Image” that I don’t believe was ever released in North America. This EP has that great late 80’s sound that came out of Australia. I really enjoyed this album and I’m sorry i missed it back in 1990.
Tracklist 1 – Back To The River – 3:29 2 – All Guns Blazing – 3:34 3 – Madame Trousseau – 3:11 4 – Counting The Gains – 5:03 5 – Footsteps In The Sand – 3:21 6 – Shine – 3:39
This was the first studio album from Philadelphia thrash metal band Sacrament. Their demo came out earlier in the year so I am guessing that after hearing the demo R.E.X. Music couldn’t sign them fast enough. Sacrament was one of the earlier Christian thrash bands and developed a large following. Apparently the lyrics are very good but personally I can’t understand them so I don’t know. The album has been reissued several times over the years by Retroactive Records which must be a testament to it’s lasting popularity.
Tracklist 1 – Testimony Of Apocalypse – 4:06 2 – Slave To Sin – 3:32 3 – Hellfire Denied – 3:04 4 – Repentance – 3:10 5 – Valley Of Dry Bones – 3:12 6 – Mortal Agony – 3:12 7 – Conquer Death – 3:10 8 – Absence Of Fear – 4:01 9 – The Risen – 3:58 10 – Blood Bath – 4:07
Credits Bass – Erik Ney Drums – Paul Graham Engineer – Paul Krueger Guitar – Brian Toy, Mike Didonato Mixed By – Doug Mann, Paul Krueger Producer – Doug Mann Producer [Assistant Pre-producer] – Joe Daub, Kurt Bachman Vocals – Mike Torone Written-By – Brian Toy, Erik Ney, Mike Didonato, Mike Torone, Paul Graham
Greg and Kraig Wall are back with their second album. I haven’t heard the first one but have read that this one is huge improvement over their first album. Like many seventies act much of the history of the Wall brothers has been lost to time. They appear to have been quite popular at the time and even had a couple charting CCM singles but not off this album. Anyway what we have here is a mainly easy listening seventies style album. It’s quite well done and the brothers dabbled with a bit of Rock & Roll on the track “Since The Day I Was Born” which has a 70’s funk feel and I find myself wishing there were more tracks like this.
Tracklist 1 – Song Of Joy – 1:47 2 – Little Children – 3:01 3 – I Can Depend On You – 3:56 4 – Since The Day I Was Born – 3:49 5 – Can’t You See – 3:47 6 – Sons Of God – 6:30 7 – Isn’t It A Miracle – 2:48 8 – I Never Knew – 2:58 9 – You And I Are One – 3:01 10 – Now We’re Gone – 4:57
Credits Acoustic Guitar – Greg Wall Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Joe Huffman Art Direction – Dill Beaty Backing Vocals – Greg Wall, Kraig Wall, Mitch Humphries, Roni Goss Bass – Roni Goss Drums – Buster PhillipsElectric Electric Guitar – Randy Nelson Engineer – James Goss, Stan Dacus Guitar – Joe Huffman Percussion – Farrell Morris Photography By – Dill Beaty Piano – Kraig Wall, Lari Goss Producer – James W. Goss Remix – Bob Clark Rhythm Guitar – James Goss Steel Guitar – Tommy Dodd
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Greentree Records Copyright (c) – Greentree Records Recorded At – Mark Five Studios Mastered At – Masterfonics Remixed At – Great Circle Sound
This is the eighth studio album by Bryn Haworth. It follows up to where “Pass It On” left off with a very similar sound and feel. During the release of this album Bryn was actually touring with Cliff Richard and also supplied some tracks for a Gerry Rafferty album. He actually appeared on 5 of Rafferty’s albums. There’s really not that much info out there on this album so this is going to be pretty short. Personally this is probably my Favorite album by him and it’s a must listen to if you’ve liked any of his other work. While researching this album I discovered that Bryn never had a single on the CCM charts. Considering he was pretty popular I sure find this odd.
Tracklist 1 – Mountain Mover – 5:15 2 – Forever In Love – 5:13 3 – Reeling And Rocking – 6:01 4 – Slipping And Falling – 4:29 5 – Land Of The Living – 2:52 6 – Teach Me Your Way – 4:01 7 – Victory Song – 3:31 8 – Making The Most Of What You’ve Got – 3:57 9 – Saturday Morning – 4:16 10 – Nature Of The Man – 7:35
Credits Bass – Dave Markee Drums – Henry Spinetti Engineer – Laurence Burrage Horns – Mel Collins Piano, Keyboards – Chris Stainton Photography – Nigel Skelsey Saxophone – Mel Collins Synthesizer – Jeff Hammer Vocals, Guitar, Producer – Bryn Haworth Written-By – Bryn Haworth, M. Aikens
Companies, etc. Manufactured By – Word Records Limited Recorded At – Chapel Lane Studios
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is the first studio album by Breakfast with Amy and was first released in 1990. I’m a little confused at the release of this album. The band claims it was an Independent release but I see it was released on Narrowpath Records which was a small but established label. Also strangely it was reissued in 1995 on Gray Dot Records which was a new label that year. Furthermore the original version was distributed by Refuge and had a Refuge catalog number assigned to it. Oh and by the way the 1995 version had 3 bonus tracks which are demo’s from their previous sessions. We have included those tracks. Breakfast with Amy is/was an alternative/punk band out of La Habra California. It’s said that the band formed as “Friends Of Amy” as an emergency fill in for a cancelled act for a church in California. You certainly wouldn’t have heard anything like this is my Church which makes me wish I grew up in these California Churches. Apparently this album sold very well and this was the reason for a reissue but the fact that the reissue is on a different label leaves me to believe there was probably more to the story.
Credits Drums – Paul Pelligrin Electric Bass – Bob Wholer, Tennesee Beans Engineer [Engineered By] – Dan Bush Guitar – Christopher Colbert Guitar, Vocals – Caryn Colbert Photography By [Cover Photo] – Jack A. Smith Producer [Produced By] – Amy Recorded By – Chaz Ramirez Vocals, Guitar – David Koval Written-By [All Songs] – Breakfast With Amy
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Narrowpath Records Phonographic Copyright (p) – Gray Dot Records Copyright (c) – Gray Dot Records Distributed By – GDR Distribution Distributed By – Refuge Records Recorded At – Casbah Studio Recorded At – Half Moon Studio Published By – Doll Light Music, Inc. Pressed By – American Multimedia, Inc.
The first of several Michael Knott (Lifesavers, LSU, Aunt Betty’s) related projects to find its way onto this list, and like the previously discussed “Weber and the Buzztones,” the placement of this album suffers from EP bias. By that I mean if it was a full length release, rather than just six songs, it most likely would have found its way into the upper half of the countdown. Even with that the album is worthy of consideration. It is also quite possibly the rarest of Michael Knott releases. Though listed as a “Blonde Vinyl” release, the limited nature and no national distribution makes the EP a sought after vinyl. Idle Lovell was a segue between different incarnation of the Lifesavers and LSU. The band, despite a limited run, went through a few incarnations itself with multiple musicians making up the band, though along with Knott, members included Vince Pangrazio on bass and Bradford J. Salamon on drums. Longtime friend and collaborator Brian Doidge, who also performed with Knott in multiple incarnations of the Lifesavers, LSU and the Aunt Betty’s. For me, “One Sided Love Affair” is the most Lifesavers sounding song on the album, and would not have been out of place on Dream Life. This one of many attempts by Knott to reach the mainstream market. It also ended up being the first release on Knott’s Blond Vinyl record label. The ultimate irony was that it was also the only Blond Vinyl release to be released on vinyl. Apparently the band wrote and worked on several more songs, but soon disbanded and those songs would find their way onto other Michael Knott related Lifesavers projects. The first real stand out for me is the opening track, “Touch Me in the Wind.” A very “current” tune for the times that would and maybe should have been a hit on mainstream alternative radio stations like LA’s famous KROQ. All six songs are very, very strong tunes with a darker, more dance-like goth feel. Great for fans of The Cure, The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Psychedelic Furs. Two songs would later show up on Lifesaver and LSU projects. In fact, the feel and sound would play a heavy role in the future LSU incarnation with its darker edge. LSU and Lifesaver guitarist Brian Doidge would be a key band member for the live shows. One song of note is “I Can’t Wait,” which would appear on the following Lifesavers “Kiss of Life” project. I have always found it a bit ironic that the Idle Lovell version is much more pop and upbeat sounding to my ear than the version that appears on the much more pop and upbeat “Kiss of Life” album. Idle Lovell serves as a record keeper for the times and the progression Knott was making as a songwriter and performer. Always ahead and on the edge, Knott consistently made memorable music that was much more palatable than his reputation as some sort of avante garde artist would suggest. Hard to find, but worth the effort.
Contributor David Lowman – https://legacyccmsgreatestalbums.wordpress.com/
Tracklist 1 – Touch Me In The Wind – 5:02 2 – Shallow – 3:55 3 – I Can’t Wait – 3:55 4 – Only – 4:05 5 – One Sided Love Affair – 3:52 6 – Drone – 5:20
Credits Artwork [Charcoal Drawings], Layout [Cover & Insert] – Bradford J. Salamon Backing Vocals – Bridget Knott Bass – Vince Pangrazio Drums – Bradford J. Salamon Keyboards – Jim Richards Keyboards [Additional] – John Gloudeman Mastered By – Bernie Grundman Photography By [Insert] – Colleen Knott Producer, Engineer – Thom Roy Vocals, Guitar – Michael Knott Written-By – Michael Knott
This live album was recorded at the Dominion Theatre In London on Dec 26th 1980. According to Larry, Cliff Richard, The Vapors, Vic Coppersmith, and several members of Eric Clapton’s band were in attendance. Alwyn Wall and the Barratt Band opened for Larry and stayed on to back Larry’s set. Larry released the album with side 1 having 5 tracks from the opening set and 4 tracks on Side 2 from Larry. Well actually the first pressing had 4 tracks but subsequent pressings actually had 6 tracks. In typical Larry form he did not redo the jacket to represent these extra tracks but instead put an insert in the album to explain. In his defense though redoing the Jacket would have cost a lot of money so I don’t fault him. I do fault his however for some of his editing choices. Some tracks are chopped off and the sound quality varies greatly from track to track. However this is all part of listening to a Larry production. The electronic release of the album includes 5 bonus tracks recorded at the Bremen Germany stop of the same tour. We have included those tracks for your listening pleasure.
Tracklist 1 – Barratt Band – The Only One – 3:43 2 – Barratt Band – Not The Way – 3:41 3 – Alwyn Wall – I’m Alright Jack (The Greed Song) – 3:55 4 – Alwyn Wall – Hold On – 3:46 5 – Alwyn Wall – Dreams On Sand – 6:05 6 – Larry Norman – I Feel Like Dying – 2:48 7 – Larry Norman – Leaving The Past Behind – 1:39 8 – Larry Norman – Why Can’t You Be Good – 4:31 9 – Larry Norman – A Note From Mr God – 3:46 10 – Larry Norman – Put Your Life Into His Hands – 3:19 11 – Larry Norman – I Wish We’d All Been Ready – 5:48 Bonus Tracks 12 – Larry Norman & Friends – Swing Low Sweet Chariot – 5:01 13 – Larry Norman – Watch What You’re Doing – 7:02 14 – Larry Norman – Feeling So Bad – 4:26 15 – Larry Norman – Sweet Sweet Song Of Salvation – 5:26 16 – Barratt Band – My Father’s House – 10:01
Darrell is joined in the studio by members of The Kentucky Headhunters and Taildragger for yet another great Blues album. I’m a little confused why Greg Martin get’s billing on the jacket and not anyone else but perhaps it’s because it highlights his guitar work. Darrell is on spot this day in the studio and his harmonica was howling. There’s not a bad track on the album but in my opinion “Hello Goodbye Boogie” is the best track. It has a great Booker T. & the M.G.’s sound and feel.
Tracklist 1 – Respect Yourself – 5:30 2 – Ain’t No Room In This House For Hell – 3:13 3 – I’m Ready – 3:07 4 – Tell The Truth – 2:54 5 – Key To The Highway – 3:11 6 – That’s How Strong My Love Is – 3:28 7 – Hello Goodbye Boogie – 4:32
Credits Backing Vocals – Doug Phelps Bass – Mark Hendricks Drums, Backing Vocals – Jon McGee Guitar, Backing Vocals – Greg Martin Vocals, Backing Vocals – Richard Young Vocals, Harmonica – Darrell Mansfield
Companies, etc. Recorded At – Barrick Recording Studio
Martyr were a metal thrash band out of Van Nuys, California. They had released three demos in the 80’s but subsequently released all their material on this CD released in 1993. This is slightly confusing as they changed their name in 1988 to Betrayal and released 4 albums using that name. The members of the band over time is somewhat confusing but if I read correctly these 3 demos were all with the credited members. This album was released on a somewhat obscure Christian label in Germany called Pleitegeier Records who seemed to specialize in Heavy Metal artists. Anyway onto the album it’s a thrash metal album, I was a little surprised at the quality of the music because they did not have a record deal in the late 80’s but quite frankly they are better than many acts who did. Chances are you missed this one in the 80’s so if your a thrasher it definitely deserves a listen now.
Tracklist 1 – War Circus – 8:53 2 – Flesh Scenes – 2:27 3 – Get Drunk – 5:07 4 – H.M. Wickenstraut – 5:29 5 – Fall On Your Face – 3:58 6 – In The Family – 6:49 7 – Golgotha – 4:14 8 – Abdomination – 2:42 9 – If You Like This – 5:04 10 – Plead The Blood – 5:56 11 – Imminent Warfare – 2:43 12 – Impiously Deranged – 3:08 13 – True Love – 1:40 14 – K.K.K. – 2:21 15 – Bad P.R. – 1:12 16 – False Prophets – 1:38 17 – K.D.A. – 2:02 18 – No Goats – 1″11
Credits Bass – David L. Prado Jr. Drums, Percussion – Jeff Edwards Lead Guitar – Eric Clausen Rhythm Guitar – Noah Vollmer Vocals – Tyger Falmo
Companies, etc. Distributed By – Tisch & Christo Underground Recordings Distributed By – Pleitegeier Records
The Latinos started out as The Four Latinos with four members of the Velasquez family. They released 2 albums in the 60’s using that name before settling on The Latinos. This is their 6th album with all but 1 of those albums being released on their own label including this one. The band’s first album was in 1964 and the continued putting out albums well into the 80’s. Strangely they never had a CCM charting single. I suspect this is because they mainly self released their work and CCM magazine basically ignored anything not on one of the “accepted” labels. Anyway, this is a great worship oriented album from a band that really should have been as popular as The Imperials. If you are unaware of this band they certainly should be listened to.
Tracklist 1 – His Song – 4:20 2 – What A Wonderful Life – 2:03 3 – Shine My Light – 2:52 4 – Love Is Just A Passing Thing – 2:43 5 – Let’s Take A Stand For Jesus – 2:10 6 – My Tribute (To God Be The Glory) – 4:00 7 – Since I’ve Met Christ – 3:35 8 – Somebody Told Me – 2:41 9 – If God Ruled Your Heart – 3:32 10 – Give Me More Of Jesus – 3:55
Credits Arranged By – Fred Crane Bass – Harold Velasquez Congas – Leroy Velasquez Drums – Chuck Kenyon Engineer – Phil York Keyboards – Judy Romero Lead Guitar – Mike Velasquez Management – Eddie Velasquez Producer – Eddie Velasquez Timbales – Leroy Velasquez
