Tag: 1985

Morningstar – Heart Of A Servant – 1985

Here’s another rarity from the 80’s. It’s a great AOR album but was released on tiny label Straight Ahead Records and I can’t see if it had a distribution deal. As such it isn’t very well known. I find this quite odd because John Andrew Schreiner is in the lineup and he was legendary. You may not recognize the name but he wrote many of the hits you know from CCM and worked in the studio with many many bands you are familiar with. I would have figured with a name like that on the album some larger label would have wanted this release but nope. Furthermore it was co-produced by Tim Archer. It’s actually the second album from Morningstar and by the way don’t confuse them with Morning Star who were a different band. Anyway you probably missed this one in the 80 so you should give it a listen if you like your music a little mellower.

Tracklist
1 – Where Could I Go – 4:07
2 – You’ve Got To Love Somebody – 4:01
3 – Read It For Yourself – 2:32
4 – Time’s A Wastin’ – 4:22
5 – In The World – 2:48
6 – Heart Of A Servant – 3:26
7 – Friend Of A Friend – 3:40
8 – Angel Of Light – 3:00
9 – Move On Up The Mountain – 3:34
10 – Serving You – 3:07

Credits
Backing Vocals – Denise Graves, Gary Floyd, Gene Miller, Steve Archer
Backing Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer – Tim Archer
Bass – Keith Nelson, Tim Jaquette
Drums, Percussion – Dave Spurr
Guitar – Prince Robinson
Guitar, Percussion – Bob Somma
Keyboards – John Andrew Schreiner
Performer – Al Ray Hebert, Chris Springer, Jeff Meador, Jesse Conte, Juddy Harris, Lee Matthews, Rickey Baxley
Producer – Dan Cutrona

Semaja – Semaja Live – 1985

This is the last stuff we would get from Semaja as they unfortunately split up even before this album was released. If you were a fan of theirs then this was certainly a nice way for them to go out as many artists in this genre never even put out live albums. As for the band, Markus Egger has become leader of a missions society in Germany called Inter-mission, Claus Feldmann has got an recording studio, and Ulrich Plinke is working in the addictions field. The other members have moved on with normal jobs and from what I understand most of the members are involved in a church called Koinonia Calvary Chapel in Hannover.

Tracklist
1 – Dawning – 4:40
2 – Pilo – 5:03
3 – Wilderness – 6:00
4 – Baby Huey – 4:45
5 – Jesaja 53 – 6:00
6 – Come To Jesus – 4:50
7 – Big Noise – 10:50

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Wilfried Herrmann
Drums – Harald Nagel
Guitar, Vocals – Ulrich Plinke
Keyboards – Claus Feldmann
Lead Vocals – Markus Egger

Michael W. Smith – Friends Tour Concert – 1985

Recorded live at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA for Michael W. Smith’s 1985 Friends Tour featuring Gary Chapman, Amy Grant and Kathy Triccoli

Tracklist
0:00 – Intro
2:23 – I’m Up
5:32 – Restless Heart
10:13 – Nothin’ But The Blood
13:11 – Could He Be The Messiah
18:25 – Love In The Light
25:27 – A Way with Gary Chapman
29:54 – Wings Of The Wind
35:12 – Psalm 139
38:55 – Thy Word
41:57 – Friends with Amy Grant
45:58 – Find A Way with Amy Grant and Gary Chapman
50:21 – I Know
55:09 – Musical Instruments
57:33 – Sonata in D Major
58:09 – Emmanuel
1:01:50 – Be Strong And Courageous
1:05:30 – You Need A Saviour
1:10:29 – The Race Is On

Credits
Cameraman – Danny Ross, Larry Boothby, Mark Sedgwick, Mark Van Loon, Peter Petro, Ron Kirk
Coordinator [Production] – Debbie Pfaelzer
Crew [Driver] – Dan Dalton, David Alvey, Dennis Mallatt, Glenn Morris
Crew [Maintenance] – Kevin Ossenfort
Crew [Production Assistant] – Denise Smith
Crew [Road Manager] – Jeff Durham
Directed By [Technical Director] – Joe Askins
Directed By [Tour Director] – Malcom Greenwood
Engineer [Audio Assistant] – Michael Figlio, Jr., Mike Copeland
Engineer [In-Charge] – Mike Arnold
Engineer [Remote], Crew [Remote Supervisor] – Dan Crouch
Engineer [Videotape] – Elaine Eliah, Gary Conn, Mike Copeland
Executive-Producer – Dan Harrell, Kitty Moon, Michael Blanton
Film Director – Marc W. Ball
Film Director [Assistant] – Ralph Walker, Jr.
Film Editor – Joe Askins, Larry Boothby, Ralph Walker, Jr., Terry Dull
Film Producer – Kitty Moon
Grip – Melissa Tolle, Melvin Glaize, Michael Moore
Grip [Key] – Steve Beeson
Lighting – Eric Shafferman, Ken Rumgay
Management – Blanton/Harrell, Inc., Dan Harrell, Michael Blanton
Mixed By [Monitor] – Stan Horne
Mixed By [Tour Sound Mix] – Bob Weibel
Performer – Chris Harris, Chris Rodrigues, David Huff, Ed Smartt, Mark Heimerman, Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick
Production Manager [Assistant] – Nyle Wood
Production Manager, Stage Manager – James Taylor
Recorded By, Mixed By – Nick Palladino
Technician [Instrument] – Chris Boland

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Reunion Records
Copyright © – Scene Three, Inc.

Tom Howard – The Harvest – 1985

This album caught me way off guard. I honestly had no idea that Tom put out an instrumental piano album. I was not expecting this from him at all. That said it’s a very good album if you like Instrumental piano albums. Personally this is not my kind of album but we have uploaded it as Tom is one of our favourite artists.

Tracklist
1 – Humble Yourself (In The Sight Of The Lord) – 6:08
2 – For The Beauty Of The Earth – 5:06
3 – On Wings As Eagles – 5:10
4 – Gethsemane – 5:22
5 – A Shield About Me – 4:17
6 – Horizon Storm – 3:54
7 – Katie’s Rainbow – 3:45
8 – Morning – 6:19
9 – Seek Ye First – 4:41
10 – The Harvest: Prayer; Dance – 5:53

Credits
Art Direction – Alex MacDougall
Artwork – Kevin Short
Design, Typography – Gary De Lacy
Engineer – Wally Grant
Executive-Producer – Tom Coomes
Liner Notes – D. Ellen Harris
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Photography By – Harriet Burger
Piano, Soloist – Tom Howard
Producer – Tom Howard

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Mad Hatter Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc
Mastered At – Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc.
Pressed By – Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc.
Manufactured By – Maranatha! Music
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Published By – Tom Howard Music
Published By – Maranatha! Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Maranatha! Music
Copyright © – Maranatha! Music

Per-Erik Hallin – Morgonluft – 1985

This was Per-Erik’s second album and as near as I can tell it was only released in Sweden. His first album had been released in Sweden, Europe, and the United States on Refuge Records. I don’t know why Refuge didn’t pick up this album because I think it’s even better than his first. It might have been because it had 3 tracks in Swedish but that’s only a guess. Anyway as I said this album is even better than his first. In fact the lead track “S O S” is as good if not better than anything on the radio at the time. It is a fantastic song that will be going into my regular rotation. The most interesting track is “The Glorious Outfit” in that he actually takes a stab at rap. While the rap is questionable the chorus is fantastic. To tell the truth I can’t decide if I hate or love the track, it’s one of the other.

Tracklist
1 – S O S – 4:32
2 – Morgonluft – 2:53
3 – Movin’ On – 3:54
4 – Cabbage Patch Kids – 3:32
5 – Att Vänta – 3:57
6 – Labyrint – 2:56
7 – Forgiven – 5:19
8 – Fågelsång – 3:45
9 – The Glorious Outfit – 5:27
10 – Open Up Your Heart – 3:11

Credits
Arranged By [Horns] – Anders Neglin, Glen Myerscough, Lars Brandström
Arranged By [Synthesizer], Arranged By [Cello] – Anders Neglin
Engineer – Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg, Lennart Ström, Niklas Flyckt, Thomas Gertz
Engineer, Mixed By – Peter In De Betou
Graphics, Design – Camilla B. Tryck
Other [Craving] – Peter Strindberg
Painting [Oil] – Janeric Johansson
Photography By – Lennart Dannstedt
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Per-Erik Hallin

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Royal Music Productions
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Royal Music Productions
Recorded At – Studio Bastun
Recorded At – Arco Studios
Recorded At – OAL Studio
Recorded At – Park Studio
Recorded At – KMH Studios
Lacquer Cut At – Cutting Room
Printed By – SIB-Tryck AB, Norsborg
Pressed By – Skandinaviska Grammophon AB

Jerry Proppe – Two Feet Deep – 1985

This is another album from Praise records out of Vancouver BC Canada. Because of this it is almost impossible to find out anything about it. Also as usual this is a fantastic artist that didn’t get the exposure he deserved. This is a frequent problem with Praise as they were able to put albums out but had no promotional skills or abilities at all. They were also very bad at paying artists which is anther story for another day. Just to be clear I have no idea if Jerry ever got paid, I’m basing that comment on MANY conversations with other Praise records clients. Anyway, what we have here is a pretty good album. It leans easy listening but there’s a couple pretty good pop tracks. With some proper promotion I can see this album having had a CCM single. While I was not able to find out much about Jerry at the time I am happy to let you know he is still making music and has a web page with some of it. While not my style of music it’s very well done and I admit to tapping my toes to a couple of tracks. If you ever read this Jerry keep it up.

Tracklist
1 – Give It Up – 3:46
2 – Why Do I Feel This Way – 3:36
3 – Livin’ Without A Reason – 3:00
4 – With My Music – 3:42
5 – Hold Fast – 3:42
6 – It’s You I Love – 3:22
7 – The Only Thing That Matters – 2:45
8 – Just A Really – 3:47
9 – Close Friends – 2:59
10 – Got To Tell You – 4:45

Credits
Arranged By – Gerhart Von Delden
Engineer – Nigel Blagborne
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Doug Wong
Mixed By – Jerry Proppe, Nigel Blagborne
Producer – Lorbi

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Sundae Sound

Imperials – Let The Wind Blow – 1985

The previous Imperials album to this one, “Side By Side”, was one of the Imperials least popular albums as it was just a little too Worship oriented. The Imperials returned with this album of far more pop oriented songs. Obviously they were going after a more youthful audience. The album succeeds relatively well in that regard with a few songs I would almost classify as pop, especially the first three tracks. After that the album dissolves into a normal Imperials album. Two of those first three tracks actually singled. “Let The Wind Blow” made it to #1 and “In The Promised Land” peaked at #3 on the charts. Also charting were “Jericho” at #12 and “Taking the Time” at #27. The people in charge should have noticed the success of this pop sound but alas on most albums we were only treated to one of two songs that had that sound. My final thoughts on this release is that it is probably one of their best albums from a youthful perspective. That said it never made it’s way into our collections at the time so maybe I’m completely wrong.

Tracklist
1 – In The Promised Land – 4:18
2 – Bread Of Life – 3:53
3 – Let The Wind Blow – 5:03
4 – Jericho – 4:54
5 – The Deeper Meaning – 4:08
6 – Sing For Joy – 3:31
7 – Today – 3:43
8 – Taking The Time – 3:56
9 – Miracles – 4:17
10 – Not To Us, O Lord – 4:18

Credits
Arranged By – Brown Bannister, Imperials
Arranged By [Horns] – Jerry Hey
Art Direction – Kent Hunter, Thomas Ryan Design
Bass – Mike Brignardello, Nathan East
CGI Artist – Daniel Buehler
Design – Kent Hunter, Thomas Ryan Design
Drums – Paul Leim
Electric Piano, Synthesizer – John Schriner, Michael W. Smith, Robbie Buchanan, Shane Keister Engineer, Mixed By – Jack Joseph Puig Executive-Producer – Dan Harrel, Michael Blanton
Guitar – Dann Huff
Horns – Berwyn Linton, William F. Reichenbach, Charles B. Findley, Doug Dana, Gary E. Grant, Jerry Hey, Lawrence L. Williams
Keyboards, Piano – Bill Purse, Keith Thomas, Michael W. Smith
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Photography By – Mark Tucker (7)
Producer – Brown Bannister
Programmed By [Fairlight] – Rhett Lawrence

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Santa Barbara Sound Design
Recorded At – Bullet Recording
Recorded At – The Bennett House
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.

Pieces – Face 2 Face – 1985

So a friend of ours stumbled on the fact that a Danger Zone track on their 1985 album is actually a cover from this band. Let’s be clear that neither band is very well known but both should have been better known. This is a German band and as near as I can tell this album was only released in Germany and was their only album. It’s on Pila Music which is/was a German CCM label that was fairly well known in the European market. Strangely it’s a live album and I can only think that the band was pretty well known as the audience is well aware of the tracks. I saw in a conversation about them that they did open for Larry Norman on one of his European tours. For that reason alone we should have heard of this band. Anyway, it’s a great pop album and I really wish I had heard of it back in the 80’s as I certainly would have pushed it in the Canadian market.

Tracklist
1 – Winners – 3:52
2 – Spiritual Masquerade – 3:49
3 – Dancing In The Summer Rain – 3:25
4 – Fantasize – 4:07
5 – For You – 4:38
6 – Robot System – 4:18
7 – Keep On Rocking – 4:17
8 – Fighting – 2:34
9 – Thanx For Friends – 3:50
10 – Roter Mond – 4:16

Credits
Arranged By, Producer – Pieces
Bass, Vocals – Gerhard Barth
Crew [Roadcrew], Engineer [Sound] – Thorsten Herdejost
Crew [Roadcrew], Lighting [Lights] – Christoph Hahnl
Design – Zquare
Drums – Matt Staiger
Guitar – Tommy Schmieder
Keyboards, Vocals – Andy Staiger
Lead Vocals – Heike Barth
Management – Mike Raven
Mixed By – Gerhard Barth, Helmut Ruloffs
Other [Clothing] – Pash
Photography By – Fritz Schöttner

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Pieces
Copyright © – Pieces
Distributed By – Pila Music
Published By – Manuskript

Fierce Heart – Fierce Heart – 1985

Fierce Heart was Rex Carroll’s first published band. Rex was already 24 years old by the time this album came out and while he says he was a late bloomer I think that extra time until being recorded allowed his guitar playing to bloom. The whole idea of Fierce Heart was courtesy of Atlantic records though Rex did have a strong hand in picking the band. Jim Delehant & Chris Lord-Alge produced the album and they knew what they were doing which makes this a very well produced album. The album didn’t really catch which I find surprising considering how good it is but I suspect that there were probably rumours of Rex’s faith and we all know that in main stream music that is the kiss of death. Personally I think “Never Gonna Make Me Cry” is as good as anything else in this genre for the era and it should have singled on secular radio but I suspect it was never sent to the radio stations for consideration. Rex actually said both the band and the record company they knew the album cover was garbage but in typical music industry ways of the day it never got changed and it really is horrible. Rex authorized a re-release of the album and this jumped the band back into existence and Rex cut a new album using the band name, though with all new members, in 2020.

Tracklist
1 – Echoes – 1:34
2 – Fierce Heart – 3:45
3 – Out For Blood – 4:04
4 – Lion’s Share – 3:30
5 – Search And Destroy – 4:30
6 – Heroes – 3:55
7 – Never Gonna Make Me Cry – 4:05
8 – Bad Maureen – 4:15
9 – Loose Lips – 4:15

Credits
Choir, Engineer [Production Assistant] – Tom Lord-Alge
Cover – Marshall Arisman
Drums, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Producer, Engineer, Choir – Chris Lord-Alge
Engineer [Assistant] – Cathy Gazzo
Guitar, Choir – Rex Carroll
Management – John Doumanian
Mastered By – Dennis King
Producer, Choir – Jim Delehant
Vocals, Bass, Choir – Larry Elkins

Companies, etc.
Published By – Fierce Heart Music
Published By – Girder Music
Published By – Robbin Rae Music
Published By – Green Mirage Music
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Pressed By – Allied Record Company

A.D. – Art Of The State – 1985

This was Kerry Livgren’s first album calling his band just AD. This album bumped up against the mainstream record label and rumour has it that the legalities of Kerry getting this album out was a nightmare. Kerry stated that the complete name change to AD was because he wanted to credit the whole band but behind the scenes it is fairly well known that his contract with CBS records meant he couldn’t even use his name. This release was on Kerygma Records and distributed by Sparrow. The album itself has a bit of a Kansas feel but not as much as you might think. Kerry’s songwriting skills are strong on this album and that helps the album stand out from his work with Kansas.

Tracklist
1 – All Creation Sings – 4:22
2 – We Are The Men – 4:41
3 – Lead Me To Reason – 3:56
4 – The Only Way To Have A Friend – 4:16
5 – Games Of Chance And Circumstance – 4:18
6 – The Fury – 5:34
7 – Progress – 4:39
8 – Heartland – 3:42
9 – Zion – 3:26
10 – Up From The Wastland – 4:25

Credits
Bass Guitar – Dave Hope
Design Concept, Executive Producer, Management – Ken Marcellino
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Dennis Holt
Engineer [Additional Assistance] – Gary Westman
Executive Producer, Management – Mark Ferjulian
Guitar, Keyboards – Kerry Livgren
Illustration [Front Cover Illustration] – Tim Wild
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Design Concept, Engineer – Michael Gleason
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Woodwind, Harmonica – Warren Ham
Management – FM Management
Mastered By – Glenn Meadows
Producer, Engineer – Kerry Livgren
Written-By – Kerry Livgren, Michael Gleason, Warren Ham

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Sparrow Records
Produced For – GrandyZine Productions Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Kerygma Records
Copyright © – Kerygma Records
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Pitman
Published By – Don Kirshner Music
Published By – Blackwood Music Publishing
Published By – Kerygmatic Music
Published By – Warren Ham Music
Recorded At – Camp Dunwoody Studios
Mixed At – Camp Dunwoody Studios