Tag: 1985

Dion – Kingdom In The Streets – 1985

This was Dion’s 5th Christian album and is actually my personal favourite. While Put Away My Idols was his big Christian album I actually think this is a better album. The Pop tracks are simple and fun which was actually Dion’s strength. It’s what made him big in 60’s and I’m glad he carried it through to most of his Christian albums. The album did have 2 CCM charting singles, “Still In The Spirit” made it to #5 and “He’s In You” made it to #24 so it was moderately successful but I think it should have done better. I am going to be a bit critical of Dion now however. I can’t see one artist on this album that was from the Christian music industry. All of the studio musicians are mainstream musicians. I’m not saying none of them were Christian because I never judge who is or isn’t a Christian but none of them were ever involved in the Christian music scene. Many people argue that Dion was jumping on the Christian bandwagon while it was hot, and he was not. I do understand their opinion because Dion just didn’t seem to be a part of the community. Strange bit of trivia about the album. Track 5 is called “Only God Can Change A Heart” an the jacket but is called “Only God Can Make A Change” on the label. Proofreading was a optional thing in the record industry. Anyway that aside I really enjoy this album and you should give it a listen if you enjoy the pop style.

Tracklist
1 – Still In The Spirit – 3:35
2 – Crazy Too (Fallen In Love) – 3:32
3 – He Hears Them All – 3:48
4 – He’s In You – 3:40
5 – Only God Can Change A Heart – 2:55
6 – Daddy Says – 2:50
7 – Come To The Cross – 3:43
8 – You Can Do All Things (Through Christ) – 4:23
9 – I’ve Come Too Far – 3:21
10 – You Only Go ‘Round Once – 4:02

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Dion DiMucci
Art Direction, Design – Jeffery Fey
Backing Vocals – Chuck Kirkpatrick, Doug Shawe, Johnny Sambataro, Kitty Woodson, Pamela Sessody, Paul Pettitt
Bass – Phil Chen
Electric Guitar – John Sambataro, Leslie West, Rick Hitchcock
Engineer [Assistant] – Jim Sessody, Stan Lambert, Ted Stein, Teresa Verplanck
Management [Artist Direction] – Zachary Glickman Artist Management
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Percussion – Joe Galdo
Photography By – Bill Tuohy
Producer – Dion DiMucci
Producer, Engineer – Eric Schilling
Producer, Keyboards, Organ, Synthesizer – Paul Harris
Saxophone, Soloist – Ed Calle
Synthesizer – Larry Dermer

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Produced For – Salt Productions, Inc.
Designed At – Art Hotel
Recorded At – Criteria Recording Studios
Mixed At – New River Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Pressed By – Electrosound Los Angeles – Δ26746

Leviticus – I Shall Conquer – 1985

This was the first album from Swedish Metal band Leviticus. It was originally released in Sweden in Swedish in 1983. The band redid the album in English for a European and North American Release. Leviticus played the Greenbelt festival in England in 1984, and 1985 in support of this album. This album has a bit of a symphonic feel that disappeared in the bands later releases. The engineering on this album was not the best in my opinion as it appeared the producer/engineer were going for the “wall of sound” feel which never works well on a Metal album again in my opinion. The album was re-released in 2000 on CD with bonus material.

Tracklist
1 – I Shall Conquer
2 – Let Me Fight
3 – He’s My Life
4 – Doubt
5 – Action More Than Words
6 – All Is Calm
7 – Day By Day
8 – Strive Forwards
9 – Psalm 23

Credits
Bass – Håkan Andersson
Drums – Kjell Andersson
Guitar – Björn Stigsson
Lead Vocals – Håkan Andersson
Percussion – Kjell Andersson
Vocals – Björn Stigsson

Departure – Last Plane To The Mainland – 1985

This is going to be a real short review. Departure were a band out of Nashville. They had a one album deal on Morada Records. I can not find anything else the band or any members ever recorded. This is fantastic pop rock album that really deserved to be more recognized than it was. In fact I can’t even find anyone in my circle that ever even heard of it. What a pity because this is a fantastic album. And that’s it, that’s all I got. If you heard this album in the day comment wherever you are reading this.

Tracklist
1 – I Just Wanna Love You Forever – 3:37
2 – Cry of the Lost – 4:25
3 – I Need You – 3:31
4 – Raise Your Hands – 3:07
5 – Run and Hide – 4:43
6 – God Bless America – 4:57
7 – Let Him Love You – 3:23
8 – Suicide – 5:53
9 – He’s Comin’ – 3:00

Credits
Bass Guitar – Jed Morehouse
Drums, Percussion – Tony Huff
Guitar, Vocals – Doug Stanfield
Lead Vocals, Keyboards – Jeff Booth

Philadelphia – Search And Destroy – 1985/2000

Philadelphia were one of the early Christian metal acts starting out in 1982 though they had been together previously as a secular band called Survivor. This is their second album and was about as poorly as their first which wasn’t good. That reception was not due to the quality of the music, it was due to the early fear of heavy metal music in the Christian genre. Personally I think the album was perfect for the era and I’m surprised it wasn’t better accepted. The original vinyl and cassette are very rare but no numbers were published. Lucky for Philadelphia fans the album was re-released for the first time in 2000 by Millenium Eight Records. This release was limited to only 1500 copies and included 5 new tracks. “Please My Love” and “Kids in America” were recorded during a reunion in 1999, while the 3 live songs, “Warlord”, “Razor’s Edge”, and “One Way Out” were recorded at the Cornerstone Christian music festival in 1986. This playlist includes those tracks. The album was again re-released in 2019 on Roxx Records. This release had reworked album art which is a huge improvement over the original poor art.

Tracklist
1 – Search And Destroy – 6:02
2 – Bobby’s Song – 3:51
3 – Oh My Boy – 5:10
4 – Judgement Day – 3:51
5 – Mirror Man – 3:08
6 – Fastrack – 4:32
7 – Showdown – 4:27
8 – Decision Time – 5:56

2000 CD Release Bonus Tracks
9 – Please My Love – 5:22
10 – Kids In America – 3:55
11 – Warlord – 7:26
12 – Razor’s Edge – 5:57
13 – One Way Out – 5:06

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Brian Clark
Drums – Brian Martini
Executive Producer – Bill Bafford
Guitar – Paul Scholling, Ronn Flowers
Layout, Design – Scott Waters
Mastered By – Rob Colwell

Debbie McClendon – I Can Hardly Wait – 1985

Considering how relatively famous this lady is I can’t find anything about how ro where she got into music. Unfortunately it seems like every bio on her starts out when she met and subsequently married writer producer Scott V. Smith. Many of her bio’s don’t even mention this 1985 album. As this isn’t my genre of choice maybe this album was unknown and I just don’t know about it. That said I have listened to this album and it is fantastic for this style of soul. Strangely I keep hearing her style referred to as urban contemporary gospel. I’m not too sure what that is but I guess this is an example of it. To me it’s just a great soul R&B album. Like I say most people don’t even mention this album so maybe you haven’t heard it so here it is. If this is your genre, this is your kind of album. I guarantee it.

Tracklist
1 – Keeper Of My Heart – 4:18
2 – I Can Hardly Wait – 3:04
3 – When I Get In His Presence – 5:44
4 – Hiding In His Love – 4:09
5 – Worship The King – 4:02
6 – No No Doubts – 3:18
7 – I’m Free – 5:07
8 – I’d Rather Be Walking With You – 5:18
9 – When You’ve Got Nothing Left But Love – 6:08

Credits
Arrangments – Harvey Lyon, Scott V. Smith, Howard McCrary
Backing Vocals – Debbie McClendon, Howard Smith, Marietta Waters, Edythe Lyon, Gene Miller, Harvey Lyon
Bass – Leon Gaer
Choir – Bart Smith, Debbie McClendon, Edythe Lyon, Gene Miller, Harvey Lyon, Howard Smith, Julie DeSilva, Marietta Waters, Myrna Rochelle, Rene McClendon, Rod McNeil, Wilma Gibbs
Drums – Bill Maxwell
Drum Programming – Scott V. Smith
Engineer – Chris Desmond, Christomer Banninger, Todd Van Etten, Win Kutz
Executive-Producer – Mike Murdock
Flugelhorn – Charles Davis, Larry Hall
Graphic Design – Rhonda Jesson
Guest Vocals – Howard Smith
Guitar – Dean Parks, James Harrah, Jonathan DuBose
Keyboards – Harlan Rogers
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Mixed By – Christopher Banninger
Percussion – Willie Ornelas, Bill Maxwell
Photography By – Harry Langdon
Producer – Scott V. Smith
Synthesizer – Michael Ruff, Scott V. Smith
Synthesizer Programming – Bill Pearson, Scott V. Smith, Rhett Lawrence, Harvey Lyon
Technician – Mike Wanbsgans
Trombone – Andy Martin
Trumpet – Charles Davis, Larry Hall
Woodwind – Kim Hutchcroft
Written-By – Debbie McClendon, Harvey Lyon, Scott V. Smith, Howard McCrary, Mike Murdock

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Win-Way Productions, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Win-Way Productions, Inc.
Copyright © – Lexicon Music, Inc.
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s

Mark Heard – Acoustic: The Best Of Mark Heard – 1985

I’ll be honest I’m a little confused by this compilation album. It’s a collection of songs from Mark’s 5 albums on the Home Sweet Home label. I am confused because generally one doesn’t put out a compilation album in the same year as one releases one of the albums featured. I am wondering if this album was a legal matter as it was released as he was completed his deal with Home Sweet Home and actually moved on to create his own record label. Another thing that confuses me is why include “Acoustic” in the title. It’s not an acoustic album it’s just regular cuts from his albums. Personally I think it was a little disingenuous to use the word acoustic in the title as it could have fooled people into thinking they were getting new acoustic versions of these songs. The album does feature one new track, “Family Name”, which is a new song written by Bill Batstone and is really good but it’s inclusion on the album makes me even a little more suspect to the whole thing. Anyway all that aside I am positive this had nothing to do with Mark and we have a great compilation album here.

Tracklist
1 – Family Name – 4:06
2 – Eye Of The Storm – 3:00
3 – Castaway – 3:16
4 – In The Gaze Of The Spotlight’s Eye – 3:57
5 – Call Me The Fool – 3:12
6 – To See Your Face – 3:35
7 – I’m Crying Again – 3:29
8 – Some Folks’ World – 4:35
9 – Can’t See Light – 4:58
10 – True Confessions – 3:30
11 – Well-Worn Pages – 2:44
12 – In Spite Of Himself – 3:09

Michael W. Smith & Kathy Troccoli – The Friends Medley – 1985

This is some sort of promotional EP released by Reunion Records to promote Michael W. Smith & Kathy Troccoli. Side A features an eight minute medley of tracks from both artists pieced together. This is actually pretty well done because Michael came back into the studio to write and perform the bridges. Many of these medley tracks from other companies are just faded together but in this case there are actual bridges from one track to the next. Side B has a track from each of their most recent albums at the time.

Tracklist
1 – Medley:
Michael W. Smith – Friends Intro
Kathy Troccoli – Stubborn Love
Michael W. Smith – I’m Up
Kathy Troccoli – Long Distance Letter
Michael W. Smith – You Need A Saviour
Kathy Troccoli – Once In A Lifetime Love
Michael W. Smith – Be Strong And Courageous
Kathy Troccoli – Holy Holy
Michael W. Smith – I Am Sure
Michael W. Smith – Friends
2 – Michael W. Smith – A Way
3 – Kathy Troccoli – Long Distance Letter

The Nelons – In One Accord – 1985

This is the first album after Rex changed the name of the band from The Rex Nelon Singers to The Nelons. This was a pretty good idea as the band was struggling to attract younger fans with their previous name but this name made it “okay” for the younger fans to buy their albums. That said the album cover was a bad choice. While the font and design has hip and new the picture of the members on the front screamed 1977. Anyway that aside let’s talk about the album. This one is pretty good, probably the best one I’ve heard from the though I haven’t listened to them all yet. It touches on the southern gospel style without over doing it. I’d actually say they quite nailed the right balance. The opening track could have made it on a mixed tape for me. Pretty good album.

Tracklist
1 – God’s Way Up – 2:38
2 – Alleluia To The Lamb – 4:42
3 – We Shall Overcome – 2:25
4 – There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down – 4:07
5 – What In The World (Are You Waiting For?) – 2:35
6 – God Bless The U.S.A. – 3:12
7 – The Sweetest Song – 3:36
8 – If Jesus Is There – 2:09
9 – I Love Him – 3:03
10 – Don’t Give Up – 2:45

Credits
Arranged By [Vocals] – Bergen White, Lari Goss
Art Direction – Jackson Design
Bass – Jack Williams, Mike Brignardello
Drums – Clay Caire, Clyde Brooks, Hayward Bishop, James Stroud
Engineer [Additional] – Joe Funderburk, Joe Scaife, Lee Peterzell
Engineer, Mixed By [Digitally] – Rick McCollister
Guitar – Brent Rowan, Joe Huffman, Pete Bordonali
Harmonica – Terry McMillan
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Photography By – Dean Dixon
Piano – Bobby Ogdin, Dave Huntsinger, Gary Prim, Shane Keister
Producer – Ken Harding
Steel Guitar – Sonny Garrish
Strings – The A Strings
Vocals – Karen Peck, Kelly Nelon Clark, Jerry Thompson, Todd Nelon, Rex Nelon

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Published By – Word Music
Recorded At – Woodland Studios
Recorded At – Creative Workshop
Recorded At – The Music Mill, Nashville, TN
Recorded At – Soundshop Recording Studios
Recorded At – Knob Hill Studio
Mixed At – Mastermix
Pressed By – Electrosound Los Angeles – △26891

The David Coate Group – State Of The Heart – 1985

I’ve had this album sitting around for awhile (5 years) and not listened to it. For some reason I had visions of this being an easy listening album. Yes it does lean easy listening but there are some great tracks on this album. “Walking in the Light” is a great little rock & roll track that deserves a second listen. Also “Wait Just a Minute” is definitely a radio ready 80’s pop tune. This was the second self released album for David and now I’m looking forward to the first one. This album would be his last 80’s album but he went on to record 8 more albums over the years including as recently as 2023.

1 – Star of the East – 4:28
2 – The Battle – 4:20
3 – Standing Together – 3:24
4 – Don’t Lose Heart – 3:14
5 – Walking in the Light – 4:19
6 – Wait Just a Minute – 5:36
7 – I Believe – 2:54
8 – Wanderer – 4:43
9 – Breaking Away – 5:48

Eternity Express – The Way Out – 1985

This was the final album from the band using the name Eternity Express. They definitely put together a new look for this album but the sound was still Eternity Express. This is essentially the same lineup that would form Illustrator and under that name they would complete the new look and sound. While this may be a more subdued album I still quite like it. For some reason even though Eternity Express is essentially a easy listening band I have always has a soft spot for their work. Back in the 80’s this is definitely not the style of music my friends and I were listening to but we always had time on the mixed tape of the day for an Eternity Express track. These guys were actually underappreciated in my opinion but with so many albums obviously the record companies saw their talent.

Tracklist
1 – Better This Time – 3:34
2 – How Long – 4:11
3 – Wait On The Lord – 4:10
4 – Re-Ignited – 3:36
5 – Feels Like I’ve Never Been Loved – 3:43
6 – All You Need – 3:57
7 – One On One – 4:23
8 – Open Up Your Heart – 4:14
9 – I Surrender – 3:47

Credits
Drums – Daryl Sutherland
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals – Dan Gaub
Bass, Sax, Vocals – Mark Matthews
Vocals, Keyboards – Dawndee Gaub
Vocals, Keyboards – Nathan Gaub
Lacquer Cut By – Phil Austin
Photography – Peter Eisele

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Marock, Inc.
Manufactured By – Marock, Inc.
Copyright © – Marock Records
Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Richmond, IN
Published By – Stainless Music Co.
Lacquer Cut At – Trutone Mastering Labs