Category: Albums

Amy Grant – Lead Me On – 1988

This was the 7th studio album from Amy and at this point I’m pretty sure this was just mechanical for her. Someone writes music, Amy came up with a lyric idea and a songwriter would put it all together. Fade out to next song. I’m not saying it’s a bad album but there was just no standout here for me. The lead track 1974 does have a bit of personality but the rest of the album is filler aimed straight at the CCM charts. In respect to the Amy Grant fans out there this album was very well received by her Christian fans but it did poorly on the secular music charts which I am guessing was a bit of a surprise to A&M Records. Strangely the CD version of the album had 2 extra tracks but this was the age where record companies were doing some very odd things in relation to CD releases. The album had 6 charting singles on the CCM charts including three #1’s. So even given my criticism the reality is that this album continued her recipe of success and that can not be argued even by me.

Tracklist
1 – 1974 – 4:22
2 – Lead Me On – 5:35
3 – Shadows – 5:24
4 – Saved By Love – 4:38
5 – Faithless Heart – 5:10
6 – What About The Love – 5:23
7 – If These Walls Could Speak – 5:42
8 – All Right – 4:23
9 – Wait For The Healing – 5:36
10 – Sure Enough – 4:00
11 – If You Have To Go Away – 4:01
12 – Say Once More – 4:54

Credits
Backing Vocals – Bill Champlin, Carmen Twillie, Chris Eaton, Chris Harris (2), Chris Rodriguez, Dave Perkins, Donna McElroy, Gary Chapman, Randy Stonehill, Russ Taff, Wayne Kirkpatrick
Bass – Mike Brignardello
Drums – Paul Leim
Engineer – Jeff Balding
Executive-Producer – David Enderle, Gary Chapman, Michael Blanton
Guitar – Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson
Keyboards – Shane Keister
Mixed By – Marc DeSisto, Shelly Yakus
Photography By – Eika Aoshima
Producer – Brown Bannister
Synthesizer [B-3] – Benmont Tench
Written-By – Amy Grant (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 9, 11, 12)

Richie Furay – Dance a Little Light – 1978

This was Richie’s first album on David Geffen Asylum Records. Richie told David that the album would not be obviously Christian and more mainstream. So this album gets filed as an album by a Christian as apposed to a Christian album. The album was very reminiscent of his Buffalo Springfield and Poco days. It has a great 70’s sound and there’s even a few tracks where you might hear an Eagles sound. In a bit of foreshadowing bassist Timothy B. Schmit would go on to play with the Eagles. There is an interesting cover of “This Magic Moment”. It doesn’t really work for me but it’s well done. The album was well received and many considered it to be his best solo work.

Tracklist
1 – It’s Your Love – 3:50
2 – Your Friends – 2:45
3 – Ooh Dreamer – 5:06
4 – Yesterday’s Gone – 3:13
5 – Someone Who Cares – 3:50
6 – Dance A Little Light – 2:55
7 – This Magic Moment – 3:06
8 – Bittersweet Love – 3:45
9 – You Better Believe It – 2:55
10 – Stand Your Guard – 8:10

Credits
Arranged By [Strings and Horns], Conductor – David Diggs
Backing Vocals – Chris Hillman (tracks: B3), David Cassidy (tracks: A2, A4, B5), Ed Cobb (tracks: B2), George Grantham (tracks: B3), Richie Furay (tracks: A1 to B2, B4, B5), Timothy B. Schmit (tracks: A1 to A4, B3 to B5), Virgil Beckham (tracks: A1 to B1, B5)
Bass – Billy Batstone*
Concertmaster – George Poole
Congas – Victor Feldman (tracks: A1, A2)
Design – Johnny Lee (4)
Drums – John Mehler
Engineer – Eric Prestidge
Engineer [Assistant] – Chris Desmond, Nighttime Dave Ruffo, Eric Drew Feldman, Leonard Kovner, Lon Neumann, Ralph Osborn, Skip Cottrell Handclaps – Jim Mason (tracks: A2) Keyboards – Gabriel Katona Lead Guitar, Harmony Vocals – Virgil Beckham Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic], Rhythm Guitar [Electric], Harmony Vocals – Richie Furay Mastered By – Doug Sax Mixed By, Engineer – Eric Prestidge Mixed By, Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Gazecki, Dave LaBarre, Rick Hart Photography [Liner] – Scott Lockwood Photography By [Front/Back Cover] – Henry Diltz Producer – Jim Mason Saxophone – Jim Coile, Jim Horn Shaker – Alex MacDougall (tracks: B2) Trombone – Jack Redman
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Chuck Findlay*, Steve Madaio
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Victor Feldman (tracks: B3)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Elektra/Asylum Records
Copyright (c) – Elektra/Asylum Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Asylum Records
Manufactured By – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Produced For – Free Flow Productions
Recorded At – Davlen Sound Studios
Recorded At – Producers Workshop
Recorded At – Wally Heider Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Recorded At – A&M Studios
Mixed At – Producers Workshop
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Compton, CA
Copyright (c) – Song Mountain Music Publishers
Copyright (c) – Richie Furay Music
Copyright (c) – Fort Knox Music Co.
Copyright (c) – Instant Joy Music
Copyright (c) – New Harmony Music
Copyright (c) – Rumbalero Music, Inc.
Published By – Song Mountain Music Publishers
Published By – Richie Furay Music
Published By – Fort Knox Music Co.
Published By – Instant Joy Music
Published By – New Harmony Music
Published By – Belinda Music

Simon Adahl – I’m In Touch – 1985

We usual associate Simon Adahl with the band Edin-Ådahl but in 1985 he took some time to release his own album. He was joined by his brother Frank Ådahl (also in Edin-Ådahl) and brother Dan Adahl. The brothers actually had an album together back in 1977 only available in Swedish. This album had the same basic new wave sound as Edin-Ådahl but actually done better and I really think he was stronger on this album. The vocals are much better and his accent gives the English version of this album a little more of an exotic sound. This album was also available in Swedish which unfortunately at the time of this writing I can not find. The inclusion of a song called “MTV” pretty well insured that there was no point in doing a video, it would never get played anyway. So if you remember liking Howard Jones in the 80’s you might want to give this album a listen, I suspect you’ll enjoy it.

Tracklist
1 – (You’re An) Unknown Identity – 2:58
2 – Shadows – 3:18
3 – Carousel – 4:21
4 – Too Many Wise Men – 4:38
5 – MTV – 2:57
6 – I’m In Touch – 3:58
7 – No Words On Earth – 2:31
8 – I Feel Good – 3:26
9 – Hello Operator – 3:20
10 – And You My Friend – 3:09

Credits
Dan Adahl – Grand Piano
Frank Adahl – Keyboards
Simon Adahl – Producer, Songwriter, Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals
Sven Eric Dahl – Lyrics
Gary Dingott – Lyrics, Background Vocals
Mats Ericson – Saxophone
Dan Gansmoe – Drums
Tommy Kasa – Guitar, Guitar-Synthesizer
Patrick Lindberg – Percussion, Background Vocals
Bernard Lohr – Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Background Vocals
Anders Mossberg – Bass
Jokka Palonen – Hammond Organ, DX-7
Ken Wennerholm – Trumpet, Background Vocals

David and The Giants – Under Control – 1985

Under Control is David and The Giants 9th album since becoming Christians and their second on Myrrh/Word Records. It was an upbeat album which needs to be said as they had several albums that could only be described as an Easy Listening/asleep style. This album was well received and sold well in Christian circles. The tracks “Almost Midnight”, and “Borrowed Time” were both from the album “Almost Midnight” however both were re-recorded with a more current Rock & Roll feel for this release. The album had one CCM charting song, “His Love Lifted Me Up” made it to #17 and was on the charts for 13 weeks.

Tracklist
1 – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – 2:39
2 – He’s Got It Under Control – 3:11
3 – Taking It To The World – 3:40
4 – Rockin’ For The Rock – 3:28
5 – Borrowed Time – 5:06
6 – It’s Just A Matter Of Time – 3:46
7 – Sweet Inspiration – 4:14
8 – His Love Lifted Me Up – 3:23
9 – You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me – 3:22
10 – Almost Midnight – 3:30

Credits
Art Direction – Kent Hunter
Backing Vocals – Clayborn Huff, Keith Thibodeaux, Rayborn Huff
Bass – Clayborn Huff
Design – Thomas Ryan Design
Drums – Keith Thibodeaux
Engineer – David Huff, David Schober, Rayborn Huff
Guitar – David Huff
Keyboards – Rayborn Huff
Lead Vocals – David Huff
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Performer [David & The Giants Is] – Clayborn Huff, David Huff, Keith Thibodeaux, Rayborn Huff
Photography – Ron Keith, Scott Bonner
Producer – David & The Giants
Remix [Engineer] – David Schober

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word
Recorded At – Huff Recording Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – Electrosound Los Angeles

Tim Miner – Tim Miner – 1984

Tim Miner grew up in a music family touring with his Mom and Sisters across the U.S. Unfortunately his father passed away when Tim was only 2 years old. At 16 years old Tim signed a deal two album deal with Sparrow records. This is the first of those two albums. It should be noted that Tim actually has two self titled albums. Apparently he hit the reset button in 1992 when he signed and recorded an album for Motown records. When I picked up this album from a kind lender I have to admit I wasn’t too optimistic. The cover screamed easy listening to me. But I was pleasantly surprised that this was more of an upbeat pop album. It’s not Rock & Roll by any stretch of the imagination but it is a good pop album. Tim was rewarded for his good work by getting a #5 single “Always” on the CCM charts. By the way that’s probably the most boring track on the album but hey what can I say, I never did understand the process of picking a single. The bright spot of the track is that it is a duet with Cindy Crus and it’s actually a good song but just not even vaguely my style of music. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Don Rogers but Tim retained co-writing credits on all but 2 tracks.

Tracklist
1 – Love All The Hurt Away – 3:53
2 – Young One – 3:24
3 – Always – 4:22
4 – 21st Century – 4:49
5 – Don’t Try To Give Me That – 2:09
6 – Fight On – 4:28
7 – How Long Lord – 3:47
8 – Now I’m Alive – 3:41
9 – Endangered Species – 4:49
10 – Lone Survivor – 4:35

Credits
Arranged By [Track Arrangements] – John Rosasco, Smitty Price
Arranged By [Vocal Arrangements] – John Rosasco
Backing Vocals – Tom Kelly, Tommy Funderburk
Bass – Hadley Hockensmith, Leon Gaer
Drum Programming [Simmons Programming] – Art Woods
Drums – John Ferraro
Electronic Drums [Lynn Drums] – Jack Kelly
Engineer – Robert Cotton, Michael Ross, Peter Haden, Wally Grant
Engineer [Assistant] – Michael Ross, Tim Robertstad
Executive-Producer – Robert Cotton
Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith, Marty Walsh
Keyboards – John Rosasco, Smitty Price
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Robert Cotton
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Producer, Arranged By – John Rosasco
Saxophone – Brandon Fields
Synthesizer [Programming] – Rhett Lawrence

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Nissi Records
Copyright (c) – Nissi Records
Recorded At – Weddington Studios
Recorded At – Paramount Recording Studios
Mixed At – Weddington Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

Mad Max – Rollin’ Thunder – 1984

Mad Max was a great Metal band from Germany and this was their first album on a label. They did have an off label release in 1982 that did have some limited distribution with Roof Music in Germany. The lineup here was different than the demo and most reviewers consider this the best makeup of the band. The album had a much more U.S. commercial metal sound than their previous effort. The band has continued putting out albums up until 2018. The lineup has changed fairly steadily but you have to respect the effort to stay rockin.

Tracklist
1 – Fly, Fly Away – 4:18
2 – Evil Message – 3:46
3 – Losing You – 4:08
4 – Stranger – 4:41
5 – Yours Sincerely – 2:22
6 – Shout And Cry – 5:12
7 – Rollin’ Thunder – 4:20
8 – Riding Through The Night – 4:13
9 – Thoughts Of A Dying Man – 6:07

Credits
Bass – Jürgen Sander
Drums – Uwe Starck
Engineer [Assisted] – Otto Rasche
Engineer, Mixed By – Karl Trapp
Guitar – Jürgen Breforth, Wilfried Schneider
Producer – Karl Trapp, Mad Max
Vocals, Guitar – Michael Voss

Companies, etc.
Published By – Roadster Music
Copyright (c) – Roadrunner Productions B.V.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Roadrunner Productions B.V.
Distributed By – CNR
Distributed By – Indisc
Distributed By – SPV GmbH
Distributed By – Disctrade
Distributed By – Madrigal
Distributed By – Music For Nations
Recorded At – Karo Musikstudio, Münster
Mixed At – Karo Musikstudio, Münster

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt – 1980

This was Keith’s 3rd studio album and the first on his own label however Sparrow Records still handed international distribution. Keith was determined to get his music to the people at an affordable price or even free at his concerts. Yes he gave away free copies of this album for people who couldn’t afford the retail price. I was unable to find the retail price but it would be interesting to see as Keith heavily subsidized the album himself. A rather lengthy booklet was included with the record with song explanations, scripture discussion, and just general testimony from Keith. As for the album it is decidedly easy listening and Keith’s real skill was his song writing in my opinion. Notable people joining him on this album was Matthew Ward and Bob Dylan. It is reported that Keith was good friends with Dylan.

Tracklist
1 – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt – 4:36
2 – Pledge My Head To Heaven – 3:53
3 – If You Love The Lord – 4:05
4 – Romans VII – 3:24
5 – Lies – 3:42
6 – I Want To Be More Like Jesus – 4:20
7 – Unless The Lord Builds The House – 3:56
8 – Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful – 4:17
9 – You Love The World – 2:36
10 – Grace By Which I Stand – 4:49

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Stan Evenson Design Inc.
Backing Vocals – Keith Green, Kelly Willard, Matthew Ward
Bass – Hadley Hockensmith
Drums – Bill Maxwell
Engineer – Bob Cotton, Gordon Shryock
Engineer [Second] – Billy Taylor, Peter Haden, Wally Duguid
Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith
Harmonica – Bob Dylan
Lead Vocals – Keith Green
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Organ – Harlan Rogers
Percussion, Congas – Alex Acuña
Piano – Keith Green
Producer – Bill Maxwell, Keith Green
Written-By – Keith Green, Kelly Willard (tracks: B1), Melody Green (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2)

Rockland Road – Planet Time – 1977

OK lets see if I can get the story of where these guys came from right. Follow along now. It all starts with the Oakridge Boys in the early 70’s. In 1974 the backing band for the Oak Ridge Boys put out an album using the moniker “The Oakes Band”. It was on the label “Rockland Road” (foreshadowing alert) which appears to be a tiny label owned by The Oak Ridge Boys”. Then in 1977 Skip Mitchell, Don Breland, and Mark Ellerbee from The Oakes Band did this project. Joining them was Garland Craft and vocalist Christine Lakeland. Now if you made it through that let’s talk about the music. The album was first released in Sweden with 11 tracks and was then released in the United States a few months later with 10 tracks. This is odd as they were an American band and most of the album was recorded in Nashville but I’m sure there’s a good backstory to it. The United States version omitted the #11 Track “Did You?”. That track is included in the playlist as we have uploaded the Swedish version.

The album is great and in fact I would say it is probably a notch up from most of the Jesus Music albums of the day. “For Crying Out Loud” is a pretty good 70’s rocking song but my favourite track is a blues/southern gospel song entitled “The Shelter”. That style will always be timeless. As you can see there’s a few different styles on this album which really was typical of the period. That said they do a great job with all the styles and this will go down as one my favourite 70’s albums.

Tracklist
1 – Planet Time – 5:30
2 – Jesus Wasn’t In It For The Dollar – 2:14
3 – The Shelter – 4:35
4 – I Could Be Forever – 3:04
5 – Somebody Lead Me – 3:38
6 – Alpha And Omega – 1:35
7 – For Crying Out Loud – 3:52
8 – Children – 4:10
9 – All His Love – 3:12
10 – Heaven Is A High Place – 3:12
11 – Did You? – 3:52 (Swedish Version Only)

Credits
Skip Mitchell – Guitar
Don Breland – Bass
Mark Ellerbee – Drums
Garland – Keyboards
Christine Lakeland – Voclas

Steve Camp – Shake Me To Wake Me – 1985

This is Steve’s 7th studio album and his second with Sparrow Records. Sparrow was a good move for Steve as they let him turn up the volume and fun. This is a great pop album and was a pleasant surprise at the time as many of us were afraid of Steve going straight worship. The album spawned 3 singles with “Stranger to Holiness” doing the best climbing to #5 on the charts. “Surrender Your Heart” made it to #33 and “Even Now” Made it to #31. As usual most of the tracks were far to poppy for CCM to allow them on the charts. I would be interested to see how the real singles did on California Christian radio. As usual Steve’s album had all sorts of special appearances including Marty McCall (Fireworks), Dann Huff (Whiteheart), Rob Frazier (who also helped with some writing and producing), and Dave Perkins.

Tracklist
1 – Help Is On The Way – 4:08
2 – Lazy Jane – 3:20
3 – Surrender Your Heart – 4:44
4 – Bad News For Modern Man – 4:57
5 – Stranger To Holiness – 4:24
6 – On The Edge – 3:52
7 – Asleep In The Light – 4:01
8 – Shake Me To Wake Me – 4:32
9 – Going Through The Motions – 4:07
10 – Even Now – 3:59

Credits
Backing Vocals – Carol Buckley, Gary Pigg, Marty McCall, Susie Allenson
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Drums, Drum Programming [Linn] – Paul Leim
Engineer [Assistant @ Bill Schnee] – Dan Garcia
Engineer [Assistant @ Bullet] – Alan Henry, Bill Heath, Chris Hammond, Dan Mundhenk, Randy Holland, Willie Pevear
Engineer [Assistant @ Sunset] – Peggy Mac, Stephen Shelton
Engineer, Mixed By – Terry Christian
Executive-Producer, Management – Steve Wyer
Guitar – Dann Huff
Guitar, Soloist [Lead Guitar] – Michael Landau
Keyboards – Alan Pasqua
Mastered By – Herb Melton, Steve Hall
Photography By – Raul Vega
Producer [Lead Vocals], Backing Vocals, Arranged By [Backing Vocals] – Rob Frazier
Producer [Lead Vocals], Synthesizer, Arranged By [Synthesizer] – John Rosasco
Producer, Mixed By, Backing Vocals, Arranged By [Backing Vocals] – Steve Camp
Saxophone – Jim Horn
Soloist [Lead Guitar] – Dave Perkins
Synthesizer – James Newton Howard, Smitty Price
Synthesizer, Programmed By [Fairlight] – Rhett Lawrence

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Mixed At – Sunset Sound
Recorded At – Sunset Sound
Overdubbed At – Sunset Sound
Overdubbed At – Bill Schnee Studios
Overdubbed At – Weddington Studios
Overdubbed At – The Sound Factory
Overdubbed At – Bullet Recording
Mastered At – Future Disc
Pressed By – KM Records Inc.

First Strike – Rock of Offence – 1984

This is another album that leaves me stranded on the intersection confused whether to pick the Hard Rock road or the Metal road. To me it’s in the style of Def Leopard and other very commercial Heavy Metal. However you want to catalog it they did it well and this is an album that would easily be in my top 200. Rock Of Offense was the first and only full-length release from First Strike who were a band out of Sacramento, California and formed in 1979. I personally can’t stand the album cover and I’ve read that the band was of this opinion also. Point of trivia about this album is that it was produced by Michael Roe who is a member of the 77’s.

Track Listing:
1 – Out of Control – 3:03
2 – Hurt by Love – 3:00
3 – I Want You – 3:52
4 – Loneliness Kills – 3:41
5 – Hard Times – 3:21
6 – Slow Poison – 5:31
7 – Your Love – 4:06
8 – Dirty Loving – 3:25
9 – Prisoner – 3:24
10 – Money – 3:35

Credits:
Pat Boylan – Songwriter, Guitars, Background Vocals
Johnnie Delaney – Songwriter, Drums
John Golden – Mastered
Steve Griffith – Assistant Producer, Engineer, Background Vocals
Tony Gunn – Vocals
Tim Larkin – Songwriter, Guitars, Background Vocals
Mary Neely – Executive Producer
Michael Roe – Producer, Background Vocals
Chris Salmon – Songwriter, Bass
Eric Volz – Executive Coordinator, Background Vocals
Daryl Zachman – Engineer