Tag: 1985

David Martin – Stronger Than The Weight – 1985

David Martin was am aspiring lyricist it the early 80’s and was having some success. In 1985 it was decided it was time for him to release his first album. Growing up in Atlanta he grew up listening to Southern Rock, Soul, and Gospel. That said this album is decidedly AOR and it will come as no surprise that Chris Christian produced the album. The musicians were mainly session musicians but were some of the best Nashville had to offer at the time. The album had 3 singles, Stronger Than The Weight made it to #5, Take Him To Heart made it to #13, and Adonai made it to #34. Not too shabby for a first album. There is a follow up album to this one which is a little more upbeat but we’ll get to it in due time.

Tracklist
1 – Take Him To Heart – 3:22
2 – Stronger Than The Weight – 3:54
3 – Adonai – 3:12
4 – Lookin’ For The Light – 4:16
5 – Miracle Man – 3:46
6 – Let The Wind Blow – 4:05
7 – How Can I Repay? – 3:20
8 – The Carpenter – 3:44
9 – Heart Of The Shepherd – 3:33
10 – He Holds Tomorrow – 3:32

Credits
Arranged By [Rhythm Track] – Jeff Balding, Phil Naish
Art Direction [Direction], Design – Kent Hunter
Backing Vocals – Denny Henson (tracks: 4, 8), Greg Guidry (tracks: 4, 8)
Bass – Mike Brignardello
Drum Programming [Overdubs] – Dennis Holt
Engineer [Recording], Mixed By – Jeff Balding
Engineer [Second] – David Pierce
Executive Producer – Chris Christian
Guitar – Jon Goin
Keyboards – Phil Naish
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Photography By – Scott Bonner
Producer, Written-By – Phil Naish (tracks: 6, 8)
Programmed By [Linn, Dmx And Simmons] – David Martin*, Phil Naish
Saxophone – Sam Levine (tracks: 2, 3)
Vocals, Written-By – David Martin

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – LCS Music Group, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Home Sweet Home Records
Copyright (c) – Home Sweet Home Records
Recorded At – Gold Mine Studio East

Messiah – Going Insane – 1985

Some say that Messiah were the first Christian metal band. I can’t decide this argument as I just don’t have the knowledge of the genre to be sure but they have to be one of the first as they put out their first Demo in 1979. Their first release “Final Waning” in 1984 was a very short run release and this 1985 EP was also a very limited run release. Lucky for us Retroactive Records stepped up in 2010 and re-released this EP so that we could all enjoy it. They also included 3 tracks from the infamous 1979 demo. I have included them here. Too bad these guys are relatively unknown as there is some real quality metal here.

Tracklist
1 – Going Insane – 6:30
2 – We Will Rock – 3:57
3 – Heavenly Metal – 5:27
4 – Where Are You – 4:09
5 – Evil Lies – 5:00
6 – Lucifer (Demo) – 6:34
7 – Final Warning (Demo) – 7:07
8 – You’d Better Say A Prayer (Demo) – 6:03

Credits
Bass Guitar – Dave Johnson
Cover, Artwork – P. Schmoltz
Drums – Keith Behnke
Guitar – J. S. Wood
Keyboards, Harmony Vocals – Dan Knowles
Lead Vocals – Chuck Gugel

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – IHM Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – IHM Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Viniculum Music Publishing Inc.
Record Company – Shepard Productions
Recorded At – The Disc Ltd.

Steve Taylor & Sheila Walsh – Transatlantic Remixes – 1985

This is/was a fascinating little surprise that appeared in 1985. I’m not really too sure what transpired for this little gem to be recorded/mixed but it’s one of my favourite EP’s from the 80’s. It only has three tracks. The first track is a duet with Steve Taylor & Sheila Walsh covering the David Edwards song “Not Going To Fall Away”. Full disclaimer this is one of my all time favourite songs and this version is fantastic. If I had to make a list of my favourite songs from the 80’s this would be in the top 10. In fact it would probably be #1 or #2. It would have to fight it out with Dylan’s “Saved”. The second track is a remix of Sheila Walsh’s “We’re All One”. Michael Omartian did the remix and did a darn good job. This came off of what I think was Sheila’s best album “Don’t Hide Your Heart” and this remix of “We’re All One” is just excellent. Finally we get a remix of the Steve Taylor favourite “This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral)”. Another great tune and an excellent remix. This EP was a real treat and I still remember the first time we dropped the needle on it many years ago.

Tracklist
1 – Not Going To Fall Away – 8:05
2 – We’re All One (Extended Version) – 5:48
3 – This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral) (Extended Version) – 5:15

Imitators – Once and for All – 1985

Back in the days of working for KYMS I used to run the board for a pre-recorded “rock” show called The Ground Floor. The show changed names to “The Edge” and was hosted by Gord Driver who was an engineer and music producer. At some point Driver decide to start a record company. The label was short lived but did preoduce a few really good releases. There was a great jazz band called Razz, a powerful alternative/punk band called Modern Mission and the most successful, a new wave keyboard driven band called The Imitators. There only full length album, Once and For All, showed a great deal of promise but was never followed up as the band moved to New Jersey, fell into financial hardship and disbanded. Driven by a keyboard centered similar to the Psychedelic Furs, Flock of Seagulls and a touch of Duran Duran type vocals. Fans of the Christian Band 4-4-1 would find something to like here as well. Nothing too heavy, though some controversy was stirred up over the lyrics to one song that discussed Christian Youth caught in sexual sin. Realizing early on that they were “preaching to the choir” they placed the lyrical focus on encouraging a Godly lifestyle amongst the Christian Youth they were performing for on a regular basis. So lyrical content swirled around issues youth group kids could relate to.

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

Tracklist
1 – The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Within You – 3:27
2 – Idols – 3:57
3 – Got To Feel The Fire – 3:17
4 – I’ll Keep Holding On – 3:13
5 – Children Of The Lie – 4:21
6 – Sometimes (I Think I’m Never Gonna Make It) – 3:27
7 – Get A Little Bit Closer – 3:57
8 – The Writing’s On The Wall – 3:17
9 – Once And For All – 3:13

Credits
Bass – Robert Villegas
Design [Cover Design], Layout – Ed McTaggart
Design Concept [Cover Concept] – The Imitators
Drum Programming [Linn Drum] – Dave Spurr (tracks: B3)
Drums – Richard Cabrera
Engineer, Mixed By – Gord Driver
Guitar – David Price
Keyboards, Vocals – Philip Mason
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Performer [Imitators Is] – Barry Edge, David Price, Philip Mason, Richard Cabrera, Robert Villegas
Photography By – Alex MacDougall
Producer – Gord Driver, The Imitators
Vocals, Guitar – Barry Edge

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Lexicon
Mixed At – Asaph Recording
Mastered At – Future Disc
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Exile Records
Copyright (c) – Exile Records

WhiteHeart – HotLine – 1985

This was the 3rd studio album from WhiteHeart and there were a few firsts and lasts as far as band members went. It was the last for Scott Douglas & David Huff, and the first for Gordon Kennedy. This was also the first album for them on Home Sweet Home Records, a label owned by Chris Christian. The same year as this album came out Douglas was charged with aggravated sexual battery and was sentenced to prison in early 1986. In my opinion this would have killed any Christian Band but somehow they survived this. I can not imagine the horror in the band when they found out about Douglas’s actions. How they worked though this is absolutely beyond me and the fact they soldiered on is really a testament to the fortitude of the band members. The album had 2 CCM singles with “Jerusalem” making it to #3, and “In His Name” making it to #19.

Tracklist
1 – Hotline – 4:14
2 – Gotta Be A Believer – 4:21
3 – Jerusalem – 3:50
4 – Turn The Page – 4:55
5 – She’s A Runaway – 3:40
6 – Heroes – 4:36
7 – In His Name – 4:14
8 – The Victory – 4:22
9 – Walls – 2:35
10 – Keep Fighting The Fight – 3:08

Credits
Art Direction – Bill Brunt
Bass – Gary Lunn
Drums – David Huff
Engineer – Bob Graves (tracks: B4)
Engineer [Second On Tracks] – Clarke Schleicher
Engineer [Second] – David Pierce, Sam Bailey
Executive Producer – Chris Christian
Guitar, Producer, Keyboards – Billy Smiley
Lead Guitar – Gordon Kennedy
Mastered By – Hank Williams
Music By, Words By – Mark Gersmehl (tracks: A2 to B5)
Percussion – David Huff
Photography By – Mark Tucker, Ron Keith, Scott Bonner
Producer, Vocals, Keyboards – Mark Gersmehl
Recorded By, Mixed By – Brent King
Vocals – Billy Smiley, Gordon Kennedy, Scott Douglas
Words By – Billy Smiley (tracks: A1 to B1, B3, B4), Mark Gersmehl (tracks: A2, A3, A5 to B5)
Words By, Music By – Dana Key (tracks: A3), Eddie DeGarmo (tracks: A3), Gordon Kennedy (tracks: B3), Larry W. Stewart (tracks: B3), Scott Douglas (tracks: A1)

Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Mastermix
Recorded At – The Bennett House
Mixed At – Gold Mine Studio
Overdubbed At – Gold Mine Studio
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Pressed By – Electrosound Los Angeles – Δ26727
Published By – Paragon Music
Published By – Bug & Bear Music
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.
Published By – Hall-Clement Publications
Published By – Yellow Jacket Music, Inc.
Published By – Welk Music Group
Published By – Chris Christian Music

In-3D – No Glasses Needed – 1985

This is the first of two albums from IN 3D. If I had to describe the style of this album I would say it’s the Police with a little heavier guitar presence. That said, this band definitely had their own style. Really this band should have had more success than they did as the lyrics and music are extremely well done. David Lowman on his comprehensive website “CCM’s 500 Best Albums Of All Time” ranks this album as #219 and says that In-3D might be the only band that only recorded 2 albums and both were included in his list. I probably would have ranked it a little higher but not everyone has exactly the same taste and #219 is a very respectable showing. If you only have time to listen to one song from this album I would suggest “Under My Umbrella”. Point of trivia about this album is that Glen Kaiser (of Rez Band) contributed some of the guitar tracks and you can pick it out on some tracks.

Track Listing:
1 – Livin’ In The Real World – 3:47
2 – Neurotica – 0:24
3 – Just One Question – 3:03
4 – Can’t Stop – 3:13
5 – Please No – 4:25
6 – Lookin’ To You – 3:40
7 – Under My Umbrella – 3:54
8 – It’s Up To You – 2:37
9 – Memories Of A Man (Playin’ The Game) – 3:19
10 – Never Again – 3:56
11 – Goin’ On (Separate Planes) – 4:01
12 – Exit 47 – 1:00

Credits:
Jon de Fincher – Songwriter, Guitar, Vocals
Larry Duttmer – Drums
Glenn Kaiser – Guitar
Mike Kroell – Drums
Todd Moriarty – Drums
Nail – Songwriter, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
James Neave – Songwriter, Bass, Lead Vocals
Jeff Pollard – Background Vocals

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

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.

The Keep – Never Surrender – 1985

The Keep were a Winnipeg Manitoba Canada Band that self recorded and produced this album. It was picked up by Tunesmith records who were well known for finding unknown bands back then. They did achieve some success in the Canadian market but should have been far wider known in Christian music. A full U.S. release would have probably made these guys a youth group name. Excellent guitar riffs and above normal lyric quality are all over this album. While it leans to Rock it’s actually a difficult album to categorize. Not because of different track styles, but because of the very style itself being difficult to categorize. Trivia is that the bands original name was Scepter but had to be changed due to a name conflict with another Christian band. Full disclaimer these guys are a hometown band for me so I do have some bias, but it’s a deserved bias.

 

Tracklist
1 – Discovering Allies – 4:05
2 – Forgiven Again – 4:10
3 – If Your Heart Isn’t In It – 3:12
4 – Pilgrims Progress – 3:00
5 – The Star – 5:20
6 – Good Guys – 3:45
7 – Hang On – 3:30
8 – Nero – 4:25
9 – The Lord Is My Shepherd – 2:08
10 – Eye In The Sky – 4:40

Credits
Joseph Madden – Lead Guitar, Rythym Guitar, Vocals, “Radio Show Host”, Producer
Wendell Koop – Vocals, Rythym Guitar, “Radio Show Guest”, Producer
Gilbert Vielfaure – Drums
Darrell Reimer – Bass Guitar
Gord Kidder – Harp solos on “Allies”and “Shepherd”
Tamera Barkman – “Caller on line 3”
Dave Zeglinski – telephone, wind, all backwards messages, Producer