This is not Servant (Oregon/Vancouver) nor is it Servant (Chicago). This is Servant Band from Asheville, North Carolina. This was their only release and I struggles to find out anything about the band. It is a 1980 release but doesn’t have that left over Jesus Music band sound. It has a heavy edge on several tracks and an easy listening sound on some. It’s actually a very good album and it’s a pity this was it from them. I can’t help but to wonder if they went on to produce other music using a different name due to the Servant name conflict. If you know anything more about them feel free to let me know.
Tracklist
1 – Sound of Praises – 5:45
2 – On the Horizon – 3:48
3 – The Mime – 5:09
4 – What A Difference Mercy Makes – 3:03
5 – Household of Fear – 3:18
6 – Strength to My Soul – 5:28
7 – Turn Back – 6:18
8 – The Visitation – 4:19
9 – Just Praise His Name – 1:17
Silverwind’s self-titled debut album in 1980 was sometimes billed as “the Christian Abba” due to the sound they put out on the lead track “Taking The Narrow Street” and several of the others. The distinctive sound of two female lead singers in harmony is what makes it for Silverwind. John Rosasco helped ensure success for this album by producing the band’s debut. John also made records with City Limits, Rick Cua, Joe English, Stormie Omartian, Steve Camp and others.
Tracklist
1 – Taking The Narrow Street – 2:35
2 – When I Looked Into Your Eyes – 3:42
3 – Your Love – 2:43
4 – Give Him Your Heart, Child – 3:11
5 – I Don’t Worry – 2:20
6 – I Am In Love – 2:42
7 – Ode To A Lost Innocence – 4:02
8 – Never Had A Reason – 3:08
9 – Walking This Road – 2:58
10 – I Will Bless The Lord – 4:24
Credits
Bass – Leon Gaer
Drums – Paul Leim
Guitar – Bill Walker, Hadley Hockensmith
Keyboards, Synthesizer – John Rosasco, Larry Muhoberac
Percussion, Steel Drums – Vince Charles
Piano – Larry Muhoberac
Producer – John Rosasco, Tony Salerno
This was Bruce’s second album and perhaps his most popular. It has that West Coast Easy Listening sound that was/is referred to as Adult Oriented Rock (AOR). It has a jazz/funk feel and the vocals are excellent with Bryan Duncan and Randy Thomas from Sweet Comfort Band providing harmonies. The single was “Never Turnin’ Back” which peaked at #14 with 25 weeks on the CCM charts. That said the real single should have been “Straight And Narrow” which had apparently played well on Christian Radio but was way to uptempo for the CCM charts in 1980.
Tracklist
1 – Never Turnin’ Back – 3:14
2 – Calling – 4:21
3 – You’ll Never Let Me Go – 4:17
4 – It’s A Shame – 3:18
5 – You’re So Good To Me – 4:36
6 – Forgiven – 3:07
7 – Straight And Narrow – 3:15
8 – All Of Me – 3:44
9 – Love Will Always Make A Way – 4:13
10 – We Are All His Children – 4:34
Credits
Backing Vocals – Bryan Duncan, Judy Cotton, Kelly Willard, Randy Thomas
Backing Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Producer – Hadley Hockensmith
Bass – Chuck Fiore
Drums – Bill Maxwell, Keith Edwards
Guitar – Dean Charts
Keyboards – Harlan Rogers
Lead Vocals – Bruce Hibbard
Percussion – Alex MacDougall
Saxophone – Glen Myerscough
John Michael is joined by his brother Terry on this album along with The London Chamber Orchestra. It is in the usual Talbot style but with some great harmonies between the brothers. It has a Gothic feel at time which fits with art on the Jacket. If you’re a usual fan of John Michael this album won’t disappoint, you’ll find it to be excellent.
Tracklist
1 – Greeting – 1:44
2 – Wonderful Counselor – 2:37
3 – Advent Suite – Part 1 – 3:00
4 – Advent Suite – Part 2 – 2:22
5 – Behold Now The Kingdom – 3:55
6 – Create In Me A Clean Heart – 2:32
7 – Paint My Life – 1:51
8 – The Mystery – 2:24
9 – Jesus Has Come – 4:15
10 – The Empty Canvas – 3:50
Credits
Arranged By, Conductor – Lee Holdridge
Bass – Leland Sklar
Composed By – John Michael Talbot (tracks: A1-A5, B2-B5), Terry Talbot (tracks: B1)
Design – Stan Evenson Design Inc.
Engineer [@ CTS] – John Richards
Engineer [@ Monterey], Remix [@ Buckskin] – Wally Duguid
Engineer [@ TRC] – Mark Clevenger
Guitar – John Michael Talbot
Lacquer Cut By – Sh*
Photography By – Gary Heery
Producer – Dan Collins, Irving Martin, The Talbot Brothers*
Vocals – The Talbot Brothers*
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sparrow Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Cherry Lane Music Co.
Copyright (c) – Birdwing Music
Recorded At – TRC Studios
Recorded At – Monterey Sound Studios
Recorded At – CTS Studios
Remixed At – Buckskin Studio
Remixed At – Smoketree Ranch
Mastered At – MCA Recording Studios
Chuck Girard says about this album, “Most of the songs from this album were written and recorded during my downslide into the depths of the final stage of my alcohol addiction.” The album has a bit of a dark feel due to this and was not as well received as his previous work. His previous albums had sold around 100,000 copies but this album only fared 30,000. Part of those poor sales though was because of Word records (the distributor) tanked the album because Stan Moser (Word CEO) hated it. Quite frankly I think the album is pretty good especially for Chuck Girard. While known for this easy listening style this album was much more upbeat. The lyrics were a little deeper and thought provoking which of course was a recipe for disaster in Christian music at the time.
Tracklist
1 – Soldier – 4:34
2 – Home For Good – 3:20
3 – Busy Day – 5:01
4 – Border Town – 3:22
5 – Witness – 2:39
6 – The Fold – 3:56
7 – The Stand – 3:26
8 – Racin’ Like The Wind – 4:22
9 – Child Come Home – 2:53
Credits
Bass – Joe Puerta (tracks: A1, B4), Skipper Wise (tracks: A2 to B3, B5)
Coordinator [Production Coordinator] – Teri Piro
Design, Layout – Art Hotel
Drums – Burleigh Drummond
Engineer [Engineered By], Co-producer [Associate Producer], Mixed By – Bill Taylor
Guitar – Chuck Girard (tracks: B5)
Guitar [Guitar Solo] – Gary Falcone (tracks: A4)
Guitar [Guitars] – Daryl Caraco
Photography By [Photographer] – Ron Slenzak
Producer, Arranged By – Bob Rose (4)
Rhythm Guitar [Additional Rhythm Guitar] – Gary Falcone (tracks: A1)
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Good News Records
Copyright (c) – Good News Records
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Soundcastle
Recorded At – Salty Dog Recording
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Copyright (c) – Dunamis Music
Published By – Dunamis Music
This album has a bit of an odd history. I was produced by Larry Norman for his label, Phydeaux Records. It was recorded at Emmaus Sound Studio in New Jersey. As the story goes it was then mixed by Larry back in California. Then for some reason 3 songs, What Are You Doing, I Remember, and Sometimes I Run were later remixed by Mark Heard. The distribution for the album is also strange. It was supposed to be a mail order only record from Solid Rock records yet several people have stated that they bought it in a record store so I don’t know what’s correct. Anyway on to the album. This is a 50’s album with tons of doo-wop with Christian lyrics. At times this combination sounds a little odd but for the main part it works well.
Tracklist
1 – Malt Shop In The Sky – 1:36
2 – Oh Jesus – 1:59
3 – You – 2:06
4 – I Remember – 2:13
5 – Sometimes I Run – 2:14
6 – Doreen – 2:25
7 – We’re Gonna Rock – 1:30
8 – I’m So Thankful – 1:55
9 – If God Didn’t Care – 2:18
10 – I Love You – 2:19
11 – The Lord – 2:39
12 – What Are You Doing – 2:07
13 – I Saw You – 3:29
Credits
Vocals – Bobby Emmons, Fred Pope, Terri DeLorenzo, Mary Grace Shar, Josh Shar
Musicians – Terri DeLorenzo, Bobby Emmons, Janet Pope, Fred Pope, Tom Pope, Mike Nicolose, Peggy Andreev, Richie Malfitano.
Executive-Producer – Larry Norman
Producer, Arranged By – Fred Pope, Bob Emmons
This is the first album from the Mark Williamson Band who you may also know as LYRIX. Several tracks from this album were released in the United States on Larry Norman’s record label using the name LYRIX and the album name “Songs From The Earth”. That said this album is a much better mix as apparently Larry remixed the album for his own release and most people agree that this is a much better mix. Larry wasn’t exactly known for his production prowess. Back to the album, this is a great Rock and Roll album that still has a flavour of the 70’s on it. It’s definitely one of my favourite 70’s to 80’s transition album.
Tracklist
1 – Midnight Diamond – 4:08
2 – All Very Well – 4:56
3 – Junior – 2:55
4 – Somebody Told Me – 5:00
5 – So Far So Good – 3:46
6 – Dance – 3:23
7 – Don’t Turn Your Back On – 3:21
8 – Feelin’ Alright – 3:58
9 – Rising – 4:00
10 – I Would Have Listened – 5:46
This second effort from pioneering Swedish CCM rockers Jerusalem is just as good as the first, which is not an easy feat in the music biz. The style and tracks and tenacity are all consistent here from the first album.
Once again there were parallel version in Swedish and English for this album. The English translations were still struggling a bit on this record, which is a problem that seemed to be solved in later albums.
Similar to expressions from volume 1 like “Jesus, He is the most fantastic / that happened to my life” convey the right meaning but leave the listener with the knowledge that this is something different. It’s Swedish rock. No meaning is lost, and when you let go, it’s even a lot of fun just to run with it. Volume 2’s “Dialogue (between one person)” would probably have been titled “Soliloquy” if it were written in England, but this is some good rock’n’roll so we don’t really care.
Scroll down for the Swedish Release
Tracklist
1 – Wake Up – 5:35
2 – Rock-N-Roll! – 4:19
3 – Love Song – 3:38
4 – Gethsemane – 3:45
5 – I Depend On You, Jesus – 4:41
6 – Introduction – 8:04
7 – Dialogue (Between One Person) – 4:30
8 – By By World – 5:30
9 – A Flower – 4:11
Credits
Artwork By – Anders Buhlund
Bass – Anders Mossberg
Drums, Percussion – Klas Anderhell
Engineer – Boje Lundberg
Music By – Dan Tibell (tracks: B2)
Photography – Labe Alwlwin
Photography [Front] – Lennart Dannstedt
Piano, Organ, Synthesizer [Moog] – Dan Tibell
Producer – Swante Bengtsson
Vocals, Guitar, Written-By – Ulf Christiansson
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Prim Records
Copyright (c) – Prim Records
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Engineered At – Supreme Studio
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Printed By – General Printing AB
Swedish Release
Tracklist
1 – Pass På – 5:35
2 – Bara Rock ‘N’ Roll – 4:19
3 – Kärlekssång – 3:38
4 – Getsemane – 3:45
5 – Jag Behöver Dej – 4:41
6 – Introduktion – 8:04
7 – Dialog – 4:30
8 – Ajöss Med Dej Värld – 5:30
9 – Jag Vill Ge Dej En Blomma – 4:15
This was the third album from Resurrection Band and the first on Light Records. The move to Light Records shocked a lot of people as the label was known for easy listening and worship music. This release changed that up in a rather abrupt manner. This was the only release from Resurrection Band that did not have any keyboards so many consider it a true Rock & Roll album. Resurrection Band continued their social conscience writing on this album especially with “N.Y.C.”, “Beggar in the Alleyway”, and “American Dream”. The album was very well received and many count this as their favourite Resurrection Band album. It is unknown why they chose the European spelling for the title “Colours”
Tracklist
1 – Autograph – 4:02
2 – Colours – 4:59
3 – N.Y.C. 3:23
4 – Hidden Man – 2:49
5 – Amazing – 2:22
6 – American Dream – 3:21
7 – Benny And Sue – 3:54
8 – City Streets – 3:23
9 – Beggar In The Alleyway – 3:57
10 – The Struggle – 3:47
Credits
Bass – Jim Benton
Cover [Album Cover Concept] – JPUSA Graphics
Cover [Outside Cover Art] – Dick Randall
Drums – John Herrin
Engineer – Tom Hanson
Engineer [Assistant] – Mike Szarzynski, Roger Heiss0
Engineer, Mixed By [Mix-Down] – Phil Bonanno
Guitar [Solos] – Glenn Kaiser (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 8)
Guitar, Guitar [Solos] – Stu Heiss
Photography – Tom Fjelstad
Producer, Mixed By [Mix-Down] – Resurrection Band
Vocals – Wendi Kaiser
Vocals, Guitar – Glenn Kaiser
Ph’lip Side generally doesn’t get a lot of mention by fans but it honestly deserves to.
The set up of the album is novel in that one side is acoustic guitar and the other electric. The album jacket represents this by having an acoustic guitar on one side and an electric on the other. A novel approach and idea for an album which I like.
Keaggy’s guitar work is flawless as usual and this album gives us examples of his varying styles. The original album was released in 1980 and then re-released in 1982 with a substitute song as well as the order being changed. The 1982 release has stickers on the jacket to represent the changes. Piece of trivia – Greg X. Volz and Matthew Ward both do some backing vocals on this album.
Playlist Includes “Send Out Your Light” courtesy of Elisha Belcher
Track Listing:
1 – Just A Moment Away – 4:00
2 – Sunday School – 4:32
3 – A Royal Commandment – 5:46
4 – Pulling Down – 5:28
5 – A Child (In Everyone’s Heart) – 3:55
6 – Little Ones – 4:27
7 – Spend My Life With You – 4:13
8 – I Belong To You – 4:10
9 – In Your Keep – 3:28
Credits:
Backing Vocals – Dan Collins, Greg X. Volz, Jamie Owens-Collins, Matthew Ward (2)
Bass [Electric Synthisized] – Leon Gaer
Coordinator [Production] – B. Charlyne Hinesley
Drums – Paul Leim
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Phil Keaggy
Engineer – Jack Joseph Puig
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Piano, Piano [Rhodes], Synthesizer – Richard Souther
Producer – Dan Collins, Phil Keaggy
