1985 – Page 6 – Real 80s CCM

Tom Howard & Bill Batstone – One By One – 1985

Some of the old gang from Solid Rock got together for this one minus Larry of course. Bill Batstone had helped out as a studio musician on several early Solid Rock projects and someone had the vision of him and Tom Howard doing an album. Excellent vision. This album works just perfect. Tom and Bill take turns on lead vocals and it works. The album has an excellent flow and their vocals compliment each other. The album was mixed by Mark Heard at his studio and the mix is perfect, but we came to expect that of Mark. The album is a mix of easy listening and light rock but their is something here for everyone. It’s a great rounded album and it definitely deserves a listen.

Tracklist
1 – When The Curtain Falls – 3:42
2 – Storm Moving On – 3:23
3 – Night And Day – 4:04
4 – Think On These Things – 3:53
5 – Heart of a Fool (Psalm 4) – 3:40
6 – Your Constant Love – 3:27
7 – He Took The Form Of Man – 3:23
8 – The Best Thing – 3:33
9 – Show Me The Shepherd – 4:43
10 – And He Heard Them Sing – 4:47

Credits
Arranged By – Bill Batstone, Tom Howard
Art Direction – Tim Alderson
Drums [Drum Overdubs] – David Raven
Engineer – Mark Heard
Guitar, Bass, Drum Programming [DMX] – Bill Batstone
Keyboards – Tom Howard
Mixed By – Mark Heard
Percussion – Harry Stinson
Photography By – Stewart Ivester
Producer – Bill Batstone, Tom Howard
Vocals – Bill Batstone, Tom Howard

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – A&S Records
Copyright © – A&S Records
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Pressed By – Monarch Record Mfg. Co.
Recorded At – Fingerprint Recorders
Mixed At – Fingerprint Recorders

Glen Allen Green – A Living Fire – 1985

This was the first of 2 albums from Glen Allen Green. I can’t really find much information on Glen but I do know that this album was pretty popular. The album was released on Chris Christian’s Home Sweet Home Records and Chris took the title of executive producer though the album was produced by Keith Thomas. The album is your typical 80’s pop album but it is well done and I’m sure it was one of those albums that could bridge the gap between teens and middle aged music lovers. Give it a listen, it deserves it.

Tracklist
1 – A Living Fire – 4:17
2 – The Dance – 4:00
3 – Mirror Of My Heart – 4:24
4 – Forevermore – 4:19
5 – Beyond The Door – 4:48
6 – Run – 3:59
7 – Blessed Be The Lord – 4:32
8 – Jezebel – 3:58
9 – The Beauty Of His Love – 4:07
10 – Jesus Shall Reign – 3:20

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Kent Hunter
Backing Vocals – Denny Henson, Glen Allen Green, Keith Thomas
Bass – Mike Brignardello
Bass [Moog Bass] – Keith Thomas
Choir – Bonnie Keen, Brett Perry, Celeste Hammond, David Martin, David Pierce, David Ramsey, Dawn Rogers, Jim Foster, Keith Thomas, Lee Ann Ramsey, Lori Lee Loving, McLauren Pearman, Mel Tunney, Pam Mark Hall, Pete Calson, Richard Headen, Rick Cua, Teri Headen
Directed By – Bruce Koblish
Drums – Dennis Holt
Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Glen Allen Green
Engineer [Assistant] – Brett Perry
Executive-Producer – Chris Christian
Guitar – Gregg Jennings
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Percussion – Lisa Crates
Photography By – Ron Keith, Scott Bonner
Piano – Keith Thomas
Producer, Arranged By, Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Keith Thomas
Programmed By [DMX Programming] – Keith Thomas
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jeff Balding
Synthesizer – Glen Allen Green, Keith Thomas
Synthesizer [Synclavier] – Keith Thomas

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Published By – Bug & Bear Music
Recorded At – Goldmine East, Brentwood, TN
Recorded At – Master’s Touch
Mixed At – Goldmine East, Brentwood, TN
Mastered At – Mastermix

Hank Laake Band – How Laake Can You Get! – 1985

This was our final offering from Hank and it followed very closely with his previous work. The hard Rock style he was known for continued. Over his 3 albums the band didn’t seem to mature but for me this is a positive as I loved their sound and still love it today. Apparently Hank got disillusioned with Tunesmith records so this is the end. Not many artists even lasted 3 albums with Tunesmith so he should be commended for trying to make it work. It is probably a testament to how bad he wanted people to hear his music as it’s doubtful he was getting paid what was coming to him.

Tracklist
1 – Dying to Love You – 5:25
2 – Don’t Give Up – 3:30
3 – Plenty of Time – 3:53
4 – Change Your Life – 3:53
5 – Directions – 3:52
6 – Be a Shining Light – 5:31
7 – A Time for Anger – 4:02
8 – Till We Had Jesus – 4:34
9 – Keep Livin’ – 3:57
10 – Family of God – 4:30

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Joe Burriola
Cover Art – Dave Nadler
Cover Photo – Tom Gaskill
Drums, Lead Vocals – Hank Laake
Engineer – Dennis Dyer, Tom Tucker
Guitar – Dan Brown
Guitar, Vocals – Terry Fitzsimmons
Piano – Melody Dyer
Producer – Hank Laake
Synthesizer – Todd Toulouse, Joseph Dunn, Melody Dyer, Josef Laake

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Praise Industries Corp.
Record Company – Tunesmith

Battlecry – Red White And Blue – 1985

This is a fun little EP by a band out of Hawaii and I think they may be the only CCM band I have heard of as being from Hawaii. Anyway it’s a self produced effort and it’s pretty good. Their pop sound is strong and aside from some weak lyrics on a few tracks I really think one of the labels should have picked them up for at least a one album deal. I really like Mariko Martinez’s keyboard work and for that reason alone it should have got a deal. Anyway, they didn’t and this is all we would get from them. So many good bands in the 80’s just never got the chance they deserved. Apparently the cassette version has 4 bonus live tracks but I have read that they are pretty poorly recorded so perhaps it’s best we don’t have that version. Give them a listen, you might be pleasantly surprised at this self produced effort.

Tracklist
1 – Red White And Blue – 4:44
2 – When The Lord Comes Back – 4:04
3 – Not Tough Enough – 4:08
4 – Life With The Lord – 5:04
5 – Power And Might – 3:12
6 – You’ve Got To Know – 5:56

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Ronald P. Simmons
Drums, Percussion – Bret Kik Keys
Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals – Mariko Martinez
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Robert Giverink
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Doug Morris
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards – Dave Chumchal
Engineer, Producer – Randy Bluer

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Songwriters Dream Studios
Manufactured By – Greenworld Distribution
Marketed By – Greenworld Distribution

Sheila Walsh – Don’t Hide Your Heart – 1985

This was Sheila’s 6th studio album and by this time she knew what she was doing. This album has a very pop sound and her vocals are very strong. One of my favorite things about Walsh’s work was that she did not try to sound like Amy Grant. I won’t go into any names but so many female artists in this time were just trying to sound like Amy in a reach for her success. In all fairness this was probably pushed by the record companies too. But not Sheila, you could never mistake her vocals for anyone else. The CCM magazine single was “Jesus Call Your Lambs” which is actually a duet with Cliff Richards. It reached #9 on their charts but the real single was “We’re All One” which did very well on the radio charts. It is actually a cover of a 1978 Bryn Haworth song and it was also released on Steve Taylor’s Transatlantic Remixes project. For that release it was heavily remixed by Michael Omartian and that version remains one of my favourite songs of the 80’s. This probably comes in as my favorite Walsh album but most fans don’t rank it that high.

Tracklist
1 – Don’t Hide Your Heart – 4:04
2 – Under The Gun – 3:58
3 – Jesus Call Your Lambs – 4:05
4 – Alpha Omega – 3:20
5 – You’ll Never Be The Same – 4:22
6 – Light Across The World – 3:27
7 – We’re All One – 3:28
8 – It’s All For You – 4:44
9 – Not Guilty – 4:55
10 – Thief In The Night – 4:19

Credits
Backing Vocals – Annie McCaig, Chris Eaton, Cliff Richard, Joe Chemay, Kin Bassey, London Community Gospel Choir, Mark Williamson, Mo Turner, Sheila Walsh, Terry Williams
Bass – Abraham Laboriel, Andy Pask
Brass, Percussion – Craig Pruess
Drums – Graham Jarvis, Paul Leim
Guitar – Michael Landau, Phil Manzanera, Rick Fenn
Keyboards – Craig Pruess
Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Michael Omartian
Percussion – Dave Mattacks
Saxophone – Gary Herbig, Mel Collins
Strings – Trevor Smith

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Recorded At – Gallery Studios
Recorded At – Lion Share Recording Studios
Mixed At – Gallery Studios
Mixed At – Lion Share Recording Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

Justo Almario – Forever Friends – 1985

This is Justo Almario’s 3rd album. It is part of the ongoing Meadowlark Records series of easy listening albums. This is a strong Jazz album that may have slipped by you in the 80’s if you are a Jazz fan as these Meadowlark albums weren’t very well promoted. This one however must have had some success as it has been re-released 3 times. I’m not a fan of Jazz or easy listening but I’ll admit there is a couple tracks on here I quite liked. Perusing the credits I noticed that most of Koinonia was on the album at some point. Good work guys.

Tracklist
1 – Sharing – 6:08
2 – Song For Lea – 6:11
3 – Forever Friends – 5:05
4 – Siciliano – 3:13
5 – Beautiful – 5:05
6 – Skipping Pebbles – 4:14
7 – To The Praise – 3:50
8 – My Love – 3:50

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith
Arranged By, Conductor – Abraham Laboriel (tracks: B4), Jimmy Tanaka (tracks: A1 to B2), Justo Almario (tracks: B3)
Bass – Abraham Laboriel, Larry Klein
Bass [Melody Bass] – Abraham Laboriel
Design – Buddy Jackson
Drum [Log Drum] – Jimmy Tanaka
Drum Programming [Rhythm Programming] – Alex Acuna
Drums – Alex Acuna, Bill Maxwell
Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Jimmy Tanaka, Russell Ferrante
Engineer – Win Kutz
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Matthew Warnick
Flute – Justo Almario
Flute [Pan Flute] – Alex Acuna
Guitar – Abraham Laboriel, Hadley Hockensmith
Lyricon – Justo Almario
Percussion – Alex Acuna, Bill Maxwell
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Piano [Acoustic Piano] – Jimmy Tanaka, Russell Ferrante
Producer – Bill Maxwell
Producer [Associate Producer] – Jimmy Tanaka, Justo Almario
Soprano Saxophone – Justo Almario
Synthesizer – Russell Ferrante
Synthesizer [DX-7] – Jimmy Tanaka
Tenor Saxophone – Justo Almario
Vocals – Bill Maxwell, Jimmy Tanaka, Justo Almario

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – The Sparrow Corporation
Marketed By – The Sparrow Corporation
Distributed By – The Sparrow Corporation
Designed At – Jackson Design
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Recorded At – Monterey Sound Studios
Mixed At – Monterey Sound Studios

Lone Justice – Lone Justice – 1985

Is their a more powerful or intense female vocalist in the world than Lone Justice’s Maria McKee. If there is I have never heard her. Once the opening question, “Should I go North?” is belted out at full velocity this amazing record never loses ferocity and passion. All this is wrapped up in cowpunk like country rock the defies comparison. The first single “Ways to Be Wicked” penned by Tom Petty was sorely misunderstood by many in Christian market that ventured out and bought the project based on reviews in many Christian Music publications. But one cut from the album, the finale, “You Are the Light” found its way onto many Christian Rock radio shows as well as Orange County’s famous KYMS. The beautiful country tinged ballad is a stunning and memorable tune reminiscent of Patsy Cline. Stark, stunning and instantly emotional and authentic. They would follow this with the more commercial and “Christian” sounding album, “Shelter,” that will be discussed later.

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

Tracklist
1 – East Of Eden – 2:36
2 – After The Flood – 3:38
3 – Ways To Be Wicked – 3:26
4 – Don’t Toss Us Away – 4:19
5 – Working Late – 2:44
6 – Sweet, Sweet Baby (I’m Falling) – 4:10
7 – Pass It On – 3:38
8 – Wait ‘Til We Get Home – 3:17
9 – Soap, Soup And Salvation – 4:01
10 – You Are The Light – 3:59

Credits
Art Direction – Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff, Paula Greif
Bass – Marvin Etzioni
Design – Jeri McManus
Drums – Don Heffington
Engineer – Shelly Yakus
Guitar – Ryan Hedgecock
Management – Carlyne Majer
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Mixed By – David Thoener (tracks: B4), Don Smith (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B2, B3), Greg Edward (tracks: A4, B1, B5), Shelly Yakus (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B2, B3)
Photography By – Deborah Turbeville
Piano, Organ – Benmont Tench
Producer – Jimmy Iovine
Production Manager [Coordinator] – Janet Weber
Recorded By – Greg Edward (tracks: A4, B1, B2), Joe Chiccarelli (tracks: A3, B3), Shelly Yakus (tracks: A1, A2, A5, B5), Thom Panunzio (tracks: B4)
Vocals – Maria McKee

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – WEA Music Of Canada, Ltd.
Manufactured By – WEA Music Of Canada, Ltd.
Recorded At – Power Station
Recorded At – Sunset Sound
Recorded At – Amigo Studios
Recorded At – Rumbo Recorders
Overdubbed At – Sunset Sound
Overdubbed At – The Village Recorder
Overdubbed At – Amigo Studios
Overdubbed At – Rumbo Recorders
Overdubbed At – Studio 55, Los Angeles
Mastered At – Precision Lacquer
Mixed At – The Village Recorder
Mixed At – Rumbo Recorders
Mixed At – Sound City Studios

The Lead – The Lead – 1985

This self released 7″ with 4 tracks is the initial release from “The Lead”. By keeping the songs short they actually fit 4 tracks on it. # of the tracks are good quality punk tracks and 1 track leans towards the thrash metal that they would be better known for. In my opinion their punk is much better than their Thrash but they decided they wanted to go the Thrash route. I also think Nina Llopis vocals were better than Julio Rey’s but in the end we would hear more of Julio than Nina. I really don’t care for their later work but I will admit I really liked this 7″ release.

Tracklist
1 – It’s Thru You – 1:40
2 – Better Off – 2:02
3 – Get Out Of My Face – 1:42
4 – Question What Authority? – 2:04

Credits
Drums, Percussion – Robbie Christie
Guitar, Vocals – Julio Rey
Mastered By – Mike Fuller
Producer, Engineer – Mike McNamee
Producer, Graphics – The Lead
Vocals, Bass – Nina Llopis

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Sync Studios
Mastered At – Criteria Recording Studios

Paul Janz – High Strung – 1985

A lot of 70’s fans of Deliverance don’t even know that Paul Janz went on to have a successful solo career after Deliverance dissolved. They might further be surprised that he went on to release 4 albums in the secular market. This is the first of those 4 albums. This album was released in Canada (Paul’s home country), the U.K., Greece, and Japan. It was not released in the United States. It did very well in the Canadian market with the first single making it to #29 on the Canadian Charts. “Don’t Cry Tonight”, “High Strung”, and “Close My Eyes” were also released as singles but did not do better than #85. Now a quick warning that if you are expecting a Deliverance sound you won’t get it and no one from Deliverance appears anywhere on this album other than Paul. Instead this is a straight up 80’s pop album. I will be honest that I remember it playing on Canadian radio and I honestly never made the connection to Deliverance until many years later. It should be noted that Paul did not turn on his faith but instead just changed himself to the category of a Christian artist as opposed to an artist doing Christian music.

Tracklist
1 – High Strung – 3:40
2 – Don’t Cry Tonight – 5:32
3 – Close My Eyes – 4:16
4 – Solid Ground – 3:38
5 – All I Have – 4:25
6 – Go To Pieces – 3:21
7 – Suggestions Of Love – 4:17
8 – Cover To Cover – 3:55
9 – Right From The Start – 3:47
10 – Waiting – 4:00

Credits
Bass – Doug Edwards, Peter Clark (tracks: B1)
Drums – Chris Taylor (tracks: B1), Darryl Burgess, Jim Vallance (tracks: A3,A4,B3)
Guitar – David Sinclair, Harris Van Berkel
Keyboards [Main] – Dave Pickell
Organ – Robbie King (tracks: A4)
Percussion – Jim McGillveray (tracks: A1, B2), Ken Chalmers (tracks: B1, B3)
Saxophone – Tom Colclough (tracks: A3)
Vocals, Percussion, Keyboards, Effects – Paul Janz

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – A&M Records Of Canada Limited
Distributed By – A&M Records Of Canada Limited

Vision – Vision – 1985

Though promoted heavily as a band featuring two members of the classic Southern Rock band, Lynard Skynard, Vision was really driven by the guitar and vocals of Rocco Marshall. Lynard Skynard pianist Billy Powell lends both credibility and chops as the piano is a central force and Powell delivers. The comparisons to Skynard are not quite as accurate as is something more akin to 38 Special and even Kansas as there are some very progressive moments included. More pop infused than Skynard Southern funk, Vision was unfortunately short lived. Heartland records did not survive very long and seemed unable to introduce the band to the CCM world at large. This should not keep the reader from doing whatever possible to track down a copy of the CD which has been recently released. This is another AYSO!

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

Tracklist
1 – Dynamos – 4:10
2 – Lord Is My Joy – 3:45
3 – Old Man – 3:19
4 – Dedicated – 3:40
5 – Soldiers Song – 3:40
6 – Standing On The Rock – 4:25
7 – Don’t Say It’s Over – 3:54
8 – Psalm 23 – 3:52
9 – You Are My Only Lord – 3:24
10 – You’re The One – 3:17

Credits
Bass – Greg McNeily (tracks: A5, B3), Martin Tomlinson
Design – Stephen Wells
Drums, Vocals – Mike Maple
Engineer [Assistant] – Andy Deganahl, Chuck Kjergaard, Shawn Hurley
Mastered By – Mike Fuller
Photography By – John Petrey
Piano – Billy Powell
Producer, Engineer – Greg McNeily
Saxophone – Keith Holmes
Synthesizer – David Jinright
Synthesizer [Additional] – George Atwell
Vocals, Guitar – Rocco Marshall
Vocals, Guitar, Violin – Leonard Jones

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – New Covenant Ministries
Overdubbed At – Starke Lake Studios
Mastered At – Criteria Recording Studios
Mixed At – The Full Sail Dream Machine