Tag: 1986

Barren Cross – Rock For The King – 1986/1990

This was the first on label release for Barren Cross. They had released a self produced EP “Believe” in 1985 that was well received so Star Song gave them a one album deal. They went back into the studio and recorded 3 more tracks to add to their previous 6 songs from the EP. Dino Elefante sat down and mixed it all up for this release. I’m relatively sure Star Song was watching the success of Stryper at this time so they wanted to jump head long into the Metal scene. That said this album does not really compare to Stryper. It is much less commercial sounding and has a much more raw metal sound. I didn’t listen to this style of music back then but I’d be interested to know how Stryper fans reacted to this album. It must have been well received overall as Enigma Records immediately signed the band up for 2 albums. This album was re-released in 1990 by Medusa Records (a division of The Enigma Records) with 6 bonus live tracks (this is the version here).

Tracklist
1 – Dying Day – 3:27
2 – He Loves You – 4:32
3 – It’s All Come True – 4:02
4 – Believe – 2:16
5 – Going Nowhere – 3:47
6 – Killer Of The Unborn (Live) – 3:56
7 – Rock For The King – 5:03
8 – Give Your Life – 2:53
9 – Just A Touch – 3:27
10 – Light The Flame – 5:22
11 – Dead Lock (Live) – 4:20
12 – Cultic Regimes (Live) – 2:47
13 – He Loves You (Live) – 4:13
14 – Living Dead (Live) – 7:11
15 – Heaven Or Nothing (Live) – 4:59

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Ed McTaggart
Bass – Jim LaVerde
Concept By [Cover] – Barren Cross
Drums – Steve Whitaker
Engineer [Second] – Matt Cerbin, Mike Miereu
Guitar – Ray Parris
Other [Hair] – Carla
Other [Make-up] – Lisa Kawasaki
Photography By – Ken Baley, Linda Dillon Baley
Producer, Engineer – Dino Elefante
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Mike Lee

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Jubilee Communications, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Star Song Records
Copyright (c) – Star Song Records
Distributed By – Sparrow/Star Song Distribution
Recorded At – Pakaderm Studios
Mixed At – Pakaderm Studios
Pressed By – Discovery Systems
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Philip Bailey – Triumph – 1986

This was Bailey’s second Christian label album as he continued to run a parallel career of albums on both Secular and Christian labels. Of his 3 Christian label albums I think this is probably the best one. It had 3 top 10 CCM chart hits with “The Other Side” doing the best and making it to #4. It also had a 4th single that made it to #13. So 4 top 15 hits is pretty darn good but lets add in a Grammy Award for “Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male” and I think it can honestly be said that this was one of the most memorable albums of 1986/87. Admittedly however it’s not one that made it into my collection at the time. It just wasn’t my style of music and at the time I wasn’t very good at appreciating quality music that may not be in my taste. But times have changed and I can listen to an album that is good though maybe not my style. This is one of those albums. So if you missed this one in the 80’s take the time to give it a listen, it really is a good album.

Tracklist
1 – All Soldiers – 4:47
2 – Thank You – 3:40
3 – The Love Of God – 3:12
4 – Marvelous – 4:27
5 – The Same Way (You’ve Always Been) – 4:32
6 – The Other Side – 4:45
7 – Bring It To Jesus – 5:38
8 – Triumph – 4:55
9 – Come Before His Presence – 4:31

Credits
Arranged By [Vocals] – Philip Bailey
Art Direction – Chuck Beeson
Backing Vocals – Carl Carwell, Josie James, Kathy Hazzard, Lynn Davis, Winston Ford
Bass – Byron Miller (tracks: A5, B1, B2), “Ready” Freddie Washington (tracks: A1, A3, A5)
Design [Graphic Design] – Donald Krieger
Engineer – Ed Cherney (tracks: A1, A3, A5 to B4), Erik Zobler (tracks: A4), Phil Walters (tracks: A2)
Guitar – David Williams (4) (tracks: A3, A5, B3), Jerry Peters (tracks: A3, A5, B2, B3), Kevin Chokan (tracks: A2), Paul Jackson, (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4)
Horns – Andrew Woolfolk (tracks: B2)
Keyboards – Bobby Nunn (tracks: A2), Greg Phillinganes (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4), Robbie Buchanan (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4)
Other [Stylist] – Robert Trachtenberg
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa (tracks: A1, A3, A5 to B4), Philip Bailey (tracks: A1, A3, A5 to B4)
Photography By – Bonnie Schiffman
Producer – George Duke (tracks: A4), Jerry Peters (tracks: B3), Philip Bailey

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Buckman Studio
Recorded At – Cherokee Studios
Recorded At – The Complex
Recorded At – Le Gonks West
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Printed By – Shorewood Packaging
Made By – Shorewood Packaging

Larry Norman – Stop This Flight – 1986/1997

This version is the Phydeaux CD from 1997, which includes several radio spot interviews and a bonus track of “What’s Wrong With This Body” with extra verses. Stop This Flight was around as early as 1984 with all the songs intact, however the major release of it was in 1986. The songs here are all new, except for “I Hope I’ll See You In Heaven.” That song has appeared as a live cut in several different versions, and a highly polished studio version is on “Down Under But Not Out.” Several tracks are recorded live rather than studio, so clearly they were floating around for a while before this release. This album contributed some classics to Larry’s repertoire. Woman of God and What’s Wrong With This Body stayed in his concert sets for a long time. “Messiah” is an epic piece, and was a show-ending, church-shaking finale for as long as Larry still performed with the band. Larry did a North American tour to support this album, with a full band, including Charly on bass. The 1997 version has a completely different album cover from the originals. The 1986 Phydeaux version had a few snapshots on the cover, later to be replaced by Larry posing with the spaceman on the moon. It seems likely that the change was due to his divorce from Sarah in 1995, since her picture was on the previous album cover. The radio spots here are another creative example by Larry to get his version of the story out. People always wanted to write stories about him, so he simply recorded one side of an interview, leaving the gaps for someone else to put questions in. Radio stations would have the ability to use these clips to make a faux interview, or just play some of the clips on their own.

Tracklist
1 – Finchian Etude / Stop This Flight
2 – A Woman Of God
3 – What’s Wrong With This Body
4 – Don’t You Wanna Talk About It
5 – And We Sing “The Tune”
6 – Out Of My System #1
7 – I Hope I’ll See You In Heaven
8 – Messiah
9 – Radio Interview
10 – What’s Wrong With This Body

Credits
Arranged By – Larry Norman
Performer – Charly, Sarah
Producer – Larry Norman
Written By – Larry Norman

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Phydeaux Inc.
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix – △ 10439
Copyright (c) – Six Blue Lions

Terry Scott Taylor – Knowledge & Innocence – 1986

One would never expect an album about death to be so beautiful and uplifting. Born out of the ashed of the death of his grandfather and miscarriage of his first child, Knowledge and Innocence is the prettiest and sweetest album in Terry Scott Taylor’s lengthy and fabled career. Delayed for what seems like an eternity, when the album finally came out in 1986, the album did what was probably expected; TST’s rabid fan base ate it up and the majority of CCM and Christian radio never noticed it’s passing. Oddly enough, it remains possibly the most commercial and accessible album in Taylor’s repertoire. Lush, beautiful, stunning, haunting and completely unforgettable. The only negative is the computerized and electronic instrumentation, especially the drums. This though possibly adds to the other-worldly feel of the project. That’s a plus since the album focuses so much on “the other world.” Dancing on Light and Song of Innocence should have been radio favorites. The latter features a duet with long time friend randy Stonehill. Oddly enough, considering the long term friendship and partnership between these two men over the years, this was the first time they sang a duet together. Taylor’s love for his grandfather is prevalent here and on other recording. But here we see a glimpse of the softer, loving father side of Taylor as he addresses the loss of a child before birth. Songs like Light Princess delve into the heart of an artist unlike others. There is a wonderful tension between loss and the future reunion awaiting those who are left that creates a beautiful and faithful listening experience.

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

Tracklist
1 – Dancing On Light – 4:54
2 – (Out Of) The Wild Wood – 5:43
3 – Here He Comes, Second Time – 3:06
4 – Waiting – 3:08
5 – Picture Of You – 3:56
6 – Song Of Innocence – 3:48
7 – The Old Time Gospel Camp Meeting Hour – 0:37
8 – The Riders Of The Western Skies (Medley) – 3:15
9 – Picture Of “U” (Reprise) – 1:43
10 – Ever After – 3:32
11 – Home Movies – 1:17
12 – One More Time – 3:41
13 – Baby’s Heartbeat (6 Months) – 0:15
14 – Light Princess – 3:59
15 – (Inner Cut) Waiting (Reprise) – 1:14

Credits
Arranged By [All Arrangements] – Rob, Terry
Arranged By [Gospel Medley Adaption & Vocal Arrangements By] – Rob
Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Rob Watson (tracks: 11, 13)
Art Direction, Layout – Ed McTaggart
Backing Vocals – Beau MacDougal, Bob Bennett (3), Chuck Girard, Jay Truax, Jerry Chamberlain, Rob Watson, Terry Taylor, Tom Howard, Tom Coomes
Bass Guitar – Tim Chandler (tracks: 7)
Design Concept [Cover & Inner Sleeve Art Concepts] – Terry
Drums – Ed McTaggart (tracks: 2), Terl Bryant (tracks: 9)
Electric Guitar – Greg Flesch (tracks: 4, 7), Tim Chandler (tracks: 4)
Engineer [Engineered By] – Doug Doyle
Guitar – Lenny Wagonmaster (tracks: 1)
Guitar [Nylon String] – Greg Flesch (tracks: 5, 14)
Illustration – Jon Fraze
Illustration [Lyric Illustrations] – Connie Watson
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Synthesizers], Guitar [Guitars], Backing Vocals [B.G.V.’s], Bass, Percussion – Rob Watson
Lead Vocals [Duet], Acoustic Guitar – Randy Stonehill (tracks: 6)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Arranged By [Reprise & Incidental Arrangements] – Terry Scott Taylor
Mastered By – John Matousek
Percussion – Alex MacDougal (tracks: 5), Terl Bryant (tracks: 1, 4, 7)
Photography By – Doug Doyle
Producer [Produced By] – Rob Watson, Terry Taylor
Remastered By [Digital Re-mastering By] – Doug Doyle
Written-By [All Songs Written By] – Terry Taylor (tracks: 3 to 14)

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Refuge Records
Record Company – Alternative Music Group
Produced For – R.B. Productions
Recorded At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mastered At – Motown Recording Studios
Remastered At – Digital Brothers
Designed At – Stunt Productions
Published By – Snellsongs
Pressed By – Disc Manufacturing, Inc., Huntsville – 30177

4•4•1 – Mourning Into Dancing – 1986

When discussing the Southern California New wave/Punk scene of the 1980’s it is easy to refer to Undercover, the Lifesavors, Altar Boys and the Lifters, but 441 should not be forgotten. After recording only two albums (a later release featured two band members), the band disappeared. The eponymous debut made an immediate impact as I continued my pestering of the program director of KYMS to try new bands. I was often rebuffed because of the too rocky and edgy music, but with 441 there was an instant appreciation. More soulful new wave/new romantic styles like that of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet on the softer side, the band was more polished, pop and accessible. As a result the bands singles charted heavily on the station and their popularity grew. But there second album was significantly better, both musically and lyrically as stronger production at the hands of John and Dino Elefante. The band also stood out because they were not afraid to write about the darker, more serious struggles young Christian faced including doubt, purity and self-steem issues. They would wonderfully mask these topics in unforgettable pop. Lead vocalist John McNamara had a cool swing and swagger that worked with the sound. The album cover should been seriously reconsidered. It was so “demo” and “rock’ looking that it should be considered false advertising. This was clearly before the days of image consultants. 441 was band for their time. Caught squarely in the 1980’s new wave sound, the record sound dated, or better yet, nostalgic. The reason is because they were authentic for the time. They were not behind of ahead of the times, they were squarely rooted in the day. And within that framework they created some wonderful music and one very fine record.

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

Tracklist
1 – Mourning Into Dancing – 3:56
2 – In The Night – 4:12
3 – Is It Enough? – 4:57
4 – In His Presence – 4:43
5 – Take Their Toll – 3:19
6 – New Land – 3:59
7 – On The Run – 4:09
8 – Jordan – 3:05
9 – Say It Right – 3:51

Credits
Backing Vocals – Bob Loux, Greg Velasco, John Stothers, Laura Hale, Sylvia Bronson
Bass, Keyboards – Glenn Holland
Drums – John Elefante (tracks: 9)
Drums, Cymbal – Steve Giali
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, E-Bow – John Giali
Guitar – Dino Elefante (tracks: 5,9)
Guitar [Solo] – John Gaudesi (tracks: 2)
Mastered By – Wally Trautgott
Percussion – Kurt Rasmussen
Saxophone [Solo] – Scott Martin (tracks: 3)
Vocals – John McNamara

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Pakaderm Studios
Mastered At – Capitol Records

Ariel – Ariel – 1986

This is going to be a very brief description as there is very little known about this band. They were from Victoria Canada and they self released this album in 1986. That’s all I can find. It’s a Metal album which in places actually leans Hard Rock. It’s quite good and I’m a bit surprised it wasn’t picked up by one of the local area labels as there were a couple in that area of Canada. If you’re a Metal head you’ll probably like this one so take the time to give it a listen.

Tracklist
1 – Take Hold – 4:54
2 – Draw Close – 2:59
3 – Set Me On Fire – 3:10
4 – Psalm 139 – 3:18
5 – Prince Of Life – 3:07
6 – Fight For Your Life – 4:51
7 – Love Not The World – 4:43
8 – The Gathering – 4:19
9 – The Second Coming – 3:57

Credits
Bass Guitar – Bruce Davies
Drums – Steve Sawatsky
Engineer – Tony Moskal
Lead Vocals – Steve Satkowski
Producer – Tony Moskal
Vocals – Lisa Sawatsky
Vocals, Guitar – Ron Willies

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Victoria’s Legacy Sound Studios, Victoria B.C.

Carson Cole and RU4 – Mainstreet – 1986

I will admit very limited knowledge of Carson Cole either before or after the release of this legitimate Americana rocker record on Frontline Records back in 1987. I remember that he was from Canada and that Mike MacLane of Frontline was a huge John Mellencamp fan and kept telling me about Carson long before the album came out. Painted with the same striped as Mellencamp, Springsteen, Mark Farner, Robert Vauhgan and even 38 Special, Carson Cole and RU4 delivered a driving and rocking American heartland project. The title track has a killer rock groove and Cole’s slightly rough edged vocals combining to create a decent Christian rock radio hit. Themes on the album are common Christian fair for the time but without the common vernacular that caused mainstream listeners to miss the point. But there are also theme of guilt, depression, infidelity, forgiveness and the all too common apocalyptic elements. A personal favorite is Kingdom Come, and fun rocker with Dylanesque vocals and an E Street vibe complete with sax solo.

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

Tracklist
1 – Mainstreet – 3:45
2 – Donna – 3:57
3 – Cheating – 3:28
4 – Hailstones – 3:00
5 – Fight – 2:48
6 – Kingdom Come – 4:25
7 – Bradley – 4:34
8 – Hollywood And God – 3:19
9 – Serenity – 4:05
10 – Emmanuel – 4:10

Credits
Keyboards – Carson Cole, John Garau, Doug Doyle
Guitars – Cole Carson, Mike Stand
Lead Guitars – Greg Flesch, Doug Doyle, Mike Stand, Carson Cole
Bass – Tim Chandler
Drums – Martin Zinger
Sax – Alan Palmer
Background Vocals – Walter S. Harrah, Bobbi White, Maxayne Moriguchi
Producer – Carson Cole, Doug Doyle, Terry Taylor

Justus – Someone’s Waiting – 1986

The Pahl brothers and Donny Hackett are back with Justus’s second album. For this album they switched over to Star Song records but it appears to me that the album suffered the same fate as their first album which was a lack of promotion. This album is fantastic and I just don’t understand how it wasn’t a big success. The first album being with Tunesmith I wasn’t surprised but this album was with a much larger label and should have been much better promoted. I still can’t find out too much about this Canadian band but I continue to love their work and fully recommend this album.

Tracklist
1 – Won’t Let You Go – 3:09
2 – To Find A Way – 3:09
3 – Rumours – 2:51
4 – That’s Not For Me – 3:07
5 – Give Us A Burden – 4:34
6 – Surrender – 3:05
7 – No One Cares – 4:08
8 – Someone’s Waiting – 2:32
9 – Take Me Home – 4:38

Credits
Drums, Vocals, Keyboards – Kevin Pahl
Engineer [Assistant] – Gary Tole
Executive-Producer – Darrell Harris
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards – Rod Pahl
Lead Vocals, Bass, Keyboards – Donny Hackett
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Producer – Dave Slagter, Justus, Roy Salmond
Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Slagter

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Star Song Records
Copyright (c) – Star Song Records
Copyright (c) – Ariose Music
Published By – Ariose Music
Recorded At – Inside Trak Studios
Mixed At – Inside Trak Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

David Martin – Breath On The Windowpane – 1986

David Martin returns with his second album. It’s more uptempo than his first offering and much better in my opinion but unfortunately this is the last album we would get from Martin. I am surprised we didn’t get more albums from him as this album was another successful album. It had 3 singles, Eyes Of A Child which made it to #10, You’re To Blame to #5, and Rock Me made it to #27. The good news is that we enjoyed his music through the rest of the 80’s as he wrote songs for the Imperials, Margaret Becker, Geoff Moore and the Distance and Sandi Patty. So we heard as much by him as we did of him. I strongly suggest you give this album a listen, it’s not a heavy Rock & Roll album but it’s an upbeat easy listening album.

Tracklist
1 – Wilderness Part One – 1:10
2 – One Day – 4:12
3 – Jehovah’s Sky – 3:18
4 – Blind Love – 3:30
5 – Rock Me – 5:25
6 – Eyes Of A Child – 4:04
7 – You’re To Blame – 3:45
8 – Anywhere You Lead – 3:50
9 – It’s Impossible – 3:52
10 – Breath On The Windowpane – 3:58
11 – Wilderness Part Two (Reprise) – 0:59

Credits
Arranged By [Pre-Production Arrangements] – David Martin, Gary Lunn, Phil Naish
Art Direction, Design – Kent Hunter
Artwork By [Painting] – Dean T. Martin
Engineer, Mixed By – Jeff Balding
Executive-Producer – Wendy Odenbaugh
Mastered By – Henry Williams
Photography By – Ron Keith, Scott Bonner
Producer – David Martin
Vocals – David Martin

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – Gold Mine Studio
Mastered At – Mastermix

DeGarmo & Key – Street Light – 1986

This 1986 release from the D & K was the start of a more refined sound for the band. They finally started drifting away from so much electronics and started to lean to more guitar driven songs. The album opens with a Springsteenish track “Every Moment” which was well received though isn’t one of my preferred tracks. My preferred track is “She Believes” which is a strong rock tune in more of their traditional style. The album did not have a CCM chart single which is a nod to how good an album it really is. So if you liked the old D & K I think you will like the feel of this album and if you preferred their later stuff I believe this was a transition album to that more guitar feel.

Tracklist
1 – Every Moment – 3:51
2 – War Zone – 3:19
3 – Addey – 4:09
4 – Soldier Of Fortune – 4:00
5 – Don’t Stop The Music – 3:40
6 – Don’t Throw Your Love Away – 3:16
7 – Video Action – 3:39
8 – She Believes – 4:15
9 – Holy Hustle – 3:08
10 – Up On A Cross – 2:45
11 – Inside Out – 2:58

Credits
Dan Brock – Executive Producer
Tommy Cathey – Bass, Background Vocals
Eddie DeGarmo – Producer, Songwriter, Keyboards, Background Vocals
John Hampton – Producer, Engineer, Mixed
Dana Key – Producer, Songwriter, Guitars, Lead Vocals
Bob Ludwig – Mastered
Greg Morrow – Drums, Background Vocals
Gary Westman – Assistant Engineer

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Power Discs
Phonographic Copyright (p) – DeGarno & Key
Copyright (c) – DeGarno & Key
Distributed By – Capitol Records, Inc.