Category: Albums

Larnelle Harris – I’ve Just Seen Jesus – 1985

Larnelle has been doing solo albums since 1975 and is still releasing them as of 2018. This is perhaps one of his most liked album. Considering how many albums he has I can’t confirm that of course. It was successful. It had two charting CCM singles, “How Excellent Is Thy Name” made it to #7 and his duet with Sandi Patty, “I’ve Just Seen Jesus” made it to #13. He also won the Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Male based on this album. However quite frankly he shouldn’t have. Russ Taff was also nominated in the category based on his album “Medals” and I think most would agree that Medals was a far better album, in fact not even close. But the Grammy’s are a funny beast, lot’s of record industry politics involved. As for the album it is the epidemy of a worship album and I have no doubt some of these tracks are begin sung in churches these days.

Tracklist
1 – How Excellent Is Thy Name – 2:04
2 – Amen – 3:07
3 – Road In The Wilderness – 3:25
4 – For Unto Us – 1:48
5 – His Grace Is Greater – 4:55
6 – I’ve Just Seen Jesus – 5:42
7 – God’s Kingdom Is What I’ve Got – 2:19
8 – Desert Of My Days – 4:15
9 – Let Freedom Ring – 5:45

Credits
Arranged By, Orchestrated By, Conductor – David T. Clydesdale
Backing Vocals – Beverly Darnall, Bonnie Keen, Dave Durham, Gary Pigg, John Darnall, Jon Mohr, Judy Clydesdale, Karla Worley, Kristi Cleary, Marty McCall, Melodie Tunney*, Rick Gibson, Sherry Paige
Bass – Craig Nelson, Gary Lunn
Drums – Mark Hammond
Guitar – Jon Goin
Harp – Mary Alice Hoepfinger
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Piano – David Huntsinger
Strings – The Nashville String Machine
Synthesizer – Mark Gersmehl, Shane Keister

T-Bone Burnett – T-Bone Burnett – 1986

T-Bone changes it up a bit for this album. It’s essentially an acoustic guitar country album. That said T-Bone is one of those artists that it is difficult to squeeze into a particular style category. I categorize all music flowing through the studio here but in the end I have given up on categorizing T-Bone. Instead I have just categorized all his work as T-Bone. I had to do a similar thing with Larry Norman. So far that’s the only 2 artists I have done this with. The album has a bit of an odd label lineage. It was first rereleased on Dot Records which is a pretty oddball label but just the nest year it ended up on MCA Records. Finally it showed up on Universal which is just odd. Anyway if You’re a T-Bone fan you will like this one but if this is the first T-Bone album you have listened to I suspect you won’t enjoy it much and quite frankly it’s not really representative of his work so give a different album a listen before deciding if you like him or not.

Tracklist
1 – River Of Love – 3:30
2 – Poison Love – 2:33
3 – Shake Yourself Loose – 3:00
4 – No Love At All – 2:54
5 – Annabelle Lee – 5:01
6 – I Remember (Instrumental) – 2:21
7 – I Remember – 3:39
8 – Little Daughter – 3:29
9 – Oh No Darling – 3:49
10 – Time – 4:59
11 – Little Daughter (Instrumental) – 3:23
12 – Song To A Dead Man – 3:34
13 – Bird That I Held In My Hand – 3:04

Credits
Dobro, Lap Steel Guitar – Jerry Douglas
Double Bass [String Bass] – Jerry Scheff
Fiddle – Byron Berline
Guitar, Accordion, Vocals – David Hidalgo
Producer – David Miner
Recorded By – Rik Pekkonen
Snare – Steve Duncan
Vocals – Billy Swan

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – MCA Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – MCA Records, Inc.
Manufactured By – MCA Records Canada
Distributed By – MCA Records Canada

Russ Taff – Walls of Glass – 1983

This was Russ’s first album after leaving the Imperials and I’m pretty sure it’s success confirmed to him that he had made the right decision by going solo. The lead single “We Will Stand” sat at #1 on the CCM charts for 15 weeks. That’s a pretty respectable first album single. He also won the 1983 Grammy award for Best Male Gospel Performance. As for the album I’m pretty sure Myrrh records pulled out all the stops as the production quality and over all quality of the album is very high. If your a fan of Russ’s albums after this one you might be surprised a bit at how mellow this one is. It is definitely a transition of styles from the Imperials to his more rock style on subsequent albums. We did get a hint of what was to come with “Inside Look” which is actually a pretty darn good Rock track. While this album doesn’t make many “Best of the 80’s” lists I think it probably deserves a spot.

Tracklist
1 – Tell Them – 4:23
2 – Walls Of Glass – 3:57
3 – I Want To Change – 5:05
4 – Pure In Heart – 3:59
5 – We Will Stand – 4:37
6 – Jeremiah – 4:02
7 – Inside Look – 4:01
8 – Just Believe – 4:26
9 – Kathryn’s Song – 4:24
10 – Unto The Lamb – 2:42

Credits
Mike Baird – Drums
Laury Boone Browning – Choir, Background Vocals
Bonnie Bramlett – Background Vocals
Raymond Brown – Songwriter
Harry Browning – Choir
Robbie Buchanan – Songwriter, Synthesizer Bass, Rhodes, Synthesizer
Don Cason – Choir
Lenny Castro – Percussion
Bill Champlin – Background Vocals
Tamara Champlin – Background Vocals
Cynthia Clawson – Choir
Ragan Courtney – Choir
Charlotte Crossley – Background Vocals
Nathan East – Bass
Daniel Garcia – Assistant Engineer
Bill George – Songwriter, Rhodes
Gary Grant – Horns
John Hammond – Drums
Joann Harris – Background Vocals
Susan Pyron Heard – Choir
Jerry Hey – Horn Arrangements, Horns
James Hollihan – Songwriter, Guitar
Richard Hopkins – Bass
Abraham Laboriel – Bass
Michael Landau – Guitar
David Lasley – Background Vocals, Choir
Charlie Loper – Horns
Arnold McCuller – Choir, Background Vocals
Dony McGuire – Background Vocals
Bobby Messano – Choir
James Newton Howard – Songwriter, Piano, Synthesizer
Michael Omartian – Songwriter, Piano, Rhodes, Synthesizer
Stormie Omartian – Songwriter
Jeff Porcaro – Drums
Frank Previte – Choir, Background Vocals
Jack Joseph Puig – Vocal Production, Engineer
Reba Rambo – Background Vocals
Patti Roberts – Songwriter
Doug Sax – Mastered
Bill Schnee – Producer, Engineer
David Schober – Assistant Engineer
Russ Taff – Songwriter, Vocals
Tori Taff – Songwriter, Choir
Keith Thomas – Songwriter
Carmen Twillie – Background Vocals
Marty Walsh – Guitar
Ernie Watts – Horns, Sax Solo
Gary Whitlock – Choir

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – Monarch Record Mfg. Co. – △26106

Jimmy Hotz – Beyond The Crystal Sea – 1980

The definitive and original Christian progressive rock album, Beyond the Crystal Sea is the masterpiece of an artist that may be one of the most important people in the history of all of rock music that very few may even be aware of.Musicians around the world have been indebted to Hotz’s work and may not even realize it. He is the inventor of the Hotz Box, Midi Vest, Atari Hotz Box, MIDI Translator and host of other commonly used and creatively important electronic advances. In fact, Hotz is also responsible for integrating 3D Graphics and manipulating their movement through computer technology. Hidden amongst his technological achievements is also a brilliant composer, arranger, instrumentalist and songwriter. his musical vision met his technological genius ion 1980’s brilliant Gospel themed “Beyond the crystal Sea.” Like much or progressive rock Hotz borrows from fantasy literature and themes and infuses them into clear Biblical messages. This album is “Art Rock” at its finest. Fans of early Genesis and experimental rock fans of Yes, King Crimson and Pink Floyd will love what Hotz creates here. Songs are complex, with intricate changes and musical instrumental breaks interspersed with more commercial rock vocal influences. But one great joy is Hotz ability to remain accessible with this album and not alienate those outside of the limited “art rock” fan base. There are layers of vocals, keyboards and guitars creating a much larger than life wall of sound. There is no doubt that modern Progressive Rock legends like Dream Theatre and Neal Morse were heavily influenced and inspired by Hotz’s work. It should also be noted that Hotz also had a hand in producing the classic Ark Angel album to be discussed later.

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

Tracklist
1 – Observations Of A Larger Reality – 8:32
2 – Night Passage – 2:12
3 – Vision Ship – 5:35
4 – Teton – 3:18
5 – Beyond The Blues – 4:53
6 – Alpine Magic – 1:42
7 – From Love Life Did Begin – 4:37
8 – Long, Long Ago – 5:47
9 – The Gates Of Time – 3:45

Credits
Artwork By [Front Cover Art By] – Bruce Eagle
Backing Vocals [Vocals (Backup)] – Bob Farrell, Carol Chambers
Bass – Brian Tankersley, Wayne Six
Concept By [Cover Concept By] – Jimmy Hotz
Drums – Gary Ingram, Rocky Mountain, Russell Dunlap
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Brian Tankersley
Keyboards – Paul Mills, Phil Huston
Layout – Lex Zachary
Producer, Engineer – Jimmy Hotz
Recorder – Kemper Crabb
Remastered By – J. Powell
Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards – Jimmy Hotz

Companies, etc.
Remastered At – Steinhaus
Recorded At – Rivendell Sound Recorders
Mixed At – Rivendell Sound Recorders

Larry Norman – Live at the Mac – 1998

Larry apparently released this album almost grudgingly because he did not have many decent live recordings from this era of his touring and there were bootlegs making the rounds that he didn’t like. Larry stopped distributing Roll Away The Stone (although he continued to encourage people to buy it if they could find it), and he considered Live At The Mac a better version of that. The combination of bad recordings and bad timing haunted Larry’s late 70s work. He was touring but never did get good recordings done with a full band. Later works like the Live At Flevo recordings made up for it in a way, but they are not the same as Larry in this era. To hear it as it was, all we have are some bootlegs and some primitive recordings. This concert was August 18, 1979 in Eugene, Oregon. This CD was released in 1998 through Solid Rock Records and apparently only 200 were made, although some later versions were evidently sold by Solid Rock that were done up as CD-R with the same packaging.

Tracklist
1 – Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus – 4:58
2 – I’ve Searched All Around The World – 5:33
3 – Soul On Fire – 6:48
4 – Watch What You’re Doing – 8:36
5 – Let The Tape Keep Rolling – 5:00
6 – UFO – 10:16
7 – The Outlaw / If God Is My Father – 8:26
8 – Song For A Small Circle Of Friends – 3:37
9 – Shot Down – 2:41
10 – Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music – 2:44
11 – The Rock That Doesn’t Roll / Exit – 3:25
12 – Lonely By Myself – 6:15

John Schlitt – Unfit For Swine – 1996

This is the second solo album from John Schlitt who was the Lead singer of Petra from 1986 forward. John really turned it up for this one and it is a great Rock & Roll album. It was partly produced by the Huff brothers (Giant/Whiteheart) and partly by Mark Heimermann. You can really hear the Huff influence with some tracks having killer guitar riffs and those guitar riffs were supplied by George Cocchini from the Joe English Band. This album was certain to be a success with this killer lineup. While it can certainly be said That John did some great work with Petra in my opinion he really shines with his solo work. John summed up this album by saying “This is not a safe record for me, but I like it”

Tracklist
1 – Save Me – 3:37
2 – God Is Too Big – 3:42
3 – Can’t Get Away – 4:18
4 – We Worship You – 4:12
5 – Need I Remind You – 4:15
6 – Take You On – 3:53
7 – Helping Hand – 4:49
8 – There Is Someone – 3:45
9 – I Killed A Man – 3:57
10 – Don’t Have To Take It – 3:48

Credits
A&R – Bubba Smith, Lynn Keesecker
Art Direction – Christy Coxe
Bass Guitar – Jackie Street
Design – Astrid Herbold
Drums, Percussion, Overdubbed By – David Huff
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – George Cocchini
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Overdubbed By – Dann Huff
Engineer [Assistant] – Mike Wrucke
Engineer [Assistant], Overdubbed By – Eric Elwell
Engineer, Mixed By – Joe Baldridge
Keyboards – Mark Heimermann
Management – Mike Keil And Associates
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Overdubbed By – The Dobbs, Todd Robbins
Photography By – Matthew Barnes
Producer – Dann Huff, David Huff (tracks: 1, 7, 8, 10), Mark Heimermann (tracks: 2 to 6, 9)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Epic
Distributed By – Epic
Recorded At – Dark Horse Recording
Overdubbed At – Fun Attic Studio
Overdubbed At – Dobb’s Palace
Mixed At – Sixteenth Avenue Sound
Mastered At – Mastermix

Kreyson – Angel On The Run – 1990

Kreyson is a Czechoslovakia metal band started 1989 by Ladislav Křížek after he left Citron. The album was not released in North America so I have no idea how it became so popular here. Kreyson was popular in the Nordic countries as well as Czechoslovakia and actually went on to record 3 more albums in the 90’s They also reformed in the mid 2000’s and released 3 more albums. It is obvious they were very popular in their home country and I admit I had no idea there even was Christian music in Czechoslovakia. The album itself is a great metal album and I was really impressed with the quality of their work. The album has very good production but that’s not surprising as the producer is probably the top producer there was in Czechoslovakia. Eventually this album was released in more markets and today is available digitally. Thank goodness for that as this album deserves to be heard by everyone that likes this style of music.

Tracklist
1 – Kreyson – 4:05
2 – Skalp – 3:11
3 – Deep In The Night – 4:29
4 – No Blue Skies – 4:15
5 – Faraway – 4:22
6 – Angel On The Run – 3:07
7 – Dreamin’ – 3:59
8 – Golden Ark – 3:34
9 – Need You – 5:48
10 – Fade Out – 3:14

Credits
Arranged By – Jan Němec, Kreyson
Bass Guitar – Karel Adam
Co-producer – Rolf “Rock ‘N’ Rolf”
Drums – Robert Vondrovic
Engineer – Jan Němec
Guitar – Daniel Krob, Jaroslav Bartoň
Lead Vocals – Ladislav Křížek
Lyrics By – A. Winter
Lyrics By [Original Czech Lyrics] – J. Krůta (tracks: A5), L. Křížek
Music By – J. Bartoň (tracks: A5, B8, B10), L. Křížek
Performer – Kreyson
Producer – Jan Němec

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Tommü Records
Recorded At – Studio M
Mixed At – Studio M

Love Song – Feel The Love – 1976

This album was actually recorded in 1976 after the band split up but I am going to guess that the split was amicable. I say this because this concert was very tight. The band worked together well and didn’t miss a beat the whole concert. This indicates to me that they were well rehearsed. Bands that get back together for a concert that have hard feelings generally don’t rehearse much and often this is reflected in the concert. Generally I categorize Love Song as a worship band but this album does have a few pretty good 70’s rock tunes. Considering several members of the band went on to do Rock & Roll this shouldn’t be as much of a surprise as I found it to be. The album also included several Devotional moments which are all relevant to this day. I have chopped up this album a little different than the record company. I think it flows a little better my way.

Tracklist
1 – Intro/Front Seat, Back Seat 4:08
2 – Little Country Church 2:58
3 – The Cossack Song 4:14
4 – Manila Story (Devotional) 1:58
5 – A Love Song 2:49
6 – Two Hands 3:54
7 – Feel The Love 5:49
8 – So Thankful 3:28
9 – Since I Opened Up The Door 3:59
10 – Our Journey (Devotional) 5:00
11 – Freedom 4:15
12 – Let Us Be One 5:12
13 – Psalm 150 (Devotional) 1:19
14 – Drum Solo 8:46
15 – Jesus Puts The Song In Our Hearts 4:20
16 – Little Pilgrim 5:29
17 – The Path and the Prayer (Devotional)4:45
18 – Sometimes Alleluia 6:57
19 – Psalm 5 3:37

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Chuck Girard
Bass – Jay Truax
Drums – John Mehler
Electric Guitar – Bob Wall, Tom Coomes
Engineer – Bill Schnee
Keyboards – Chuck Girard
Lead Vocals – Chuck Girard, Tom Coomes
Mixed By – Joe Bellamy
Producer – Chuck Girard, Freddie Piro, Love Song
Vocals – Bob Wall, Jay Truax, John Mehler

Companies, etc.
Printed By – Garrod & Lofthouse
Recorded At – Paramount Northwest Theatre
Recorded At – San Jose Civic Auditorium
Recorded At – Warnors Theatre
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Distributed By – Word
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Good News Records
Copyright (c) – Good News Records

Lone Justice – BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert – 1993

Though this album wasn’t released until 1993 it was recorded in 1986 shortly after the release of their album “Shelter”. I’m a little mystified as to why it took so long to release but perhaps it was just originally for airing on radio. But really that’s just a guess as I don’t know the history of these BBC radio concerts. I also found it odd the release was in 93 after the band had already slipped from the public eye. That said they had dedicated fans who must have been thrilled to see this album released. The album has live versions of 5 tracks from their first album, 2 tracks from Shelter, and most excitingly 4 previously unreleased tracks. Lone Justice were an excellent live band and I’m sure most of their dedicated fans hold this album as one of their favorites.

Tracklist
1 – Wait – 4:37
2 – Sweet, Sweet Baby – 5:24
3 – I Ain’t Got No Home In This World – 2:32
4 – The Gift – 4:19
5 – Wheels – 6:28
6 – Shelter – 5:07
7 – Belfry – 6:04
8 – I Found Love – 4:19
9 – Heaven – 6:28
10 – Inspiration – 3:52
11 – Sweet Jane – 9:03

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Gregg Sutton
Compiled By, Coordinator – Jo Bourhill
Drums – Rudy Richman
Guitar – Shane Fontaine
Keyboards – Bruce Brody
Liner Notes – Alan Gardiner
Producer – Pete Dauncey
Sleeve – Coles McConnell Design
Vocals, Guitar – Maria McKee

Companies, etc.
Record Company – BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – BBC
Copyright (c) – Windsong International
Published By – Warner/Chappell
Published By – MCA
Published By – BMG
Published By – Tro Essex Music Ltd.
Published By – Copyright Control
Published By – Screen Gems-EMI
Recorded At – The Town And Country Club, London
Glass Mastered At – Mayking Records

The Hope – Which Side Are You On – 1980

I read that “The Hope” were a new and improved version of “Hope Of Glory” who had recorded throughout the 70’s. The problem is that none of the band members are the same and it’s even on a new label. It is reasonable to assume a new label might have wanted a new more hip name but I’m a bit confused by a completely new lineup. Because of this I feel this might be an entirely different band but feel free to correct me. The band is/was made up of some great studio musicians who had many appearances throughout the 70’s & 80’s. The quality of their work makes this an excellent album. The sound is heavily 70’s and as such may have been a little late to the market. It’s not a heavy rock album but does have a few 70’s rock tracks. I am guessing many people missed this one in 1980 so give it a listen now if you like your music with a 70’s vibe.

Tracklist
1 – Tender Love – 4:38
2 – Standing On The Rock – 3:27
3 – Sunshine In My Life – 2:45
4 – Stand On What You Believe – 3:09
5 – Hills Of Morning – 4:33
6 – Which Side? – 4:28
7 – What Have You Got To Lose? – 4:12
8 – Anticipation – 3:18
9 – You Got Love – 3:43
10 – Walk In The Light – 3:11

Credits
Backing Vocals – Bubba Chambers
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Rick Thigpen
Drums – Gary Ingram
Electric Guitar – Rick Crawford
Electric Guitar – Melvin Mar
Keyboards – Paul Mills
Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Mike Barnes
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Brian Tankersley
Saxophone – Kenny Dimick