This was Koinonia’s 4th release and as with their other albums it wasn’t very successful in North America but was a big hit in Europe. This album is almost entirely instrumental except for “Making Room” and “Señor”. I am guessing this is a result of the jazz style but the vocals are so good it’s too bad they didn’t do more. As with their previous albums this album has a strong Jazz Fusion sound and they were probably the best Christian artists in this style. That said I don’t think their were many CCM bands doing this style. Their next album was far more mainstream so this is the end of an era for their listeners and fans. This is one I missed in the 80’s so I’m glad I got a chance now to enjoy it.
Credits Arranged By – Koinonia Bass – Abraham Laboriel Drums, Percussion – Alex Acuña, Bill Maxwell Engineer – Don Murray Executive-Producer, Producer – Greg Mathieson Guitar – Hadley Hockensmith Keyboards – Harlan Rogers Producer – Koinonia Saxophone, Flute – Justo Almario Synthesizer [Programming] – Greg Mathieson, Smitty Price Vocals – Abraham Laboriel (tracks: B1, B5), Alex Acuña (tracks: B1), Diana Neciosup-Acuña* (tracks: B1), Harlan Rogers (tracks: B1), Howard Smith (tracks: B1), Tata Vega (tracks: B1, B5)
Companies, etc. Distributed By – Sparrow Records Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation Copyright (c) – The Sparrow Corporation Recorded At – Sunset Sound Mixed At – Mama Jo’s Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering
Wild Blue Yonder were a new incarnation of the CCM Rockabilly band The Lifters minus Rex Harvey and of course the addition of Crystal Lewis doing lead vocals. The album essentially came out on Crystal’s 17th birthday so ignore the “she was 15” stuff on the internet. The album was released September 9th 1986 and her birthday is September 11th 1969. Both Terry Taylor and Rob Watson from DA were involved in the project and they bring some quality production to the album. The album has a Rockabilly sound in places and is often referred to as Cow-punk but it’s not really Cow-punk in my opinion. It’s just a fun 80’s album with Rockabilly influences though Crystal’s vocals are so strong she really dominates the album almost making you forget about the rest of the band. The album was re-released in 1995 with 2 bonus tracks (this upload is that 1995 release) and is catalogued as being a Crystal Lewis album titled Wild Blue Yonder.
Tracklist 1 – Just One Look – 3:49 2 – You And Me – 3:07 3 – This Love’s For Real – 4:05 4 – Where Can I Go (Bonus Track) – 2:24 5 – Heart Beat – 2:34 6 – Over The Rainbow – 3:20 7 – Every Day (Bonus Track) – 3:23 8 – Only One – 3:42 9 – Revival Meeting – 2:35 10 – You’re My Love – 3:19 11 – Only You – 2:45 12 – Crying Eyes – 3:07 13 – If I Could Write A Poem – 5:01
Credits Art Direction, Layout [Original] – Phillip Kim Artwork By [Logo] – Dave Gibson Artwork, Design [New] – Timothy McCaig Backing Vocals – Terry Taylor Bass – Paul Martin Drums – Joey Mitchell Engineer – Doug Doyle Guitar – Chris Brigandi Pedal Steel Guitar – Garry Brandon Photography By – Brian Ray Piano, Organ, Backing Vocals – Rob Watson Producer – Terry Taylor Remastered By – Dave Hackbarth Remix – Chris Brigandi, Gene Eugene Vocals – Crystal Lewis
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Metro One, Inc. Copyright (c) – Metro One, Inc. Distributed By – Diamante Distribution Glass Mastered At – Disctronics USA – 131230
This was an album in a series of instrumental albums released by Meadowlark Records in the 80’s. Amy is an excellent harp player and I will admit this is probably the only instrumental harp album I have ever listened to. I only discovered this series of albums recently and in a way I am glad because I would never have appreciated their quality in the 80’s when I was listening to Resurrection Band. That said I am enjoying the series now. Amy continues to release albums and tour with her ministry to this day. She successfully battled cancer in 2015 and attributes her healing to her faith. Her albums are available on her web page and if you enjoy her music I would urge you to visit her website. http://amyshreve.com/
Tracklist 1 – Invocation – 3:41 2 – Northern Lights – 3:30 3 – Crystal Night – 4:34 4 – Apogee – 4:05 5 – Hymn VII – 2:02 6 – Diamonds From Dust – 3:18 7 – Silent Partner – 2:28 8 – Peace In The Puzzle – 2:25 9 – Carol For Russia’s Children – 3:17 10 – Jester’s Lament – 4:06 11 – Twilight Pavan – 3:14
Credits Producer – Peter York
Companies, etc. Copyright (c) – Birdwing Music Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
It has been said here and elsewhere (and quite often) that a CCM album’s depth, quality and creativity will be inversely proportionate to its sales success. Meaning; the better the album the fewer the people that will purchase it. This appears to remain true even for CCM’s golden boy and most popular and prolific male artist, Michael W Smith. The Big Picture, Smith’s artistic triumph remains his weakest selling album and the only album in his career not to reach even gold status. After a strong debut and the utterly forgettable argyle sock of a sophomore release (aptly titled “2”), Smith grabbed the CCM world by the throat with an album that was sonically, creatively and musically miles ahead of the rest of the Nashville pablum for the time. From the dark purple and gold hues of the artwork to the tasteful technological advances and superior production, the Big Picture is great from start to finish. What keeps the album from falling off the tracks in a travesty of technological traps is that the songs themselves are very organic and real. Taking themes from the culture and wrapping them in modern sounds with a clear and poignant response to the baggage those theme bring along makes the album the one worthy release from Smith in the Top 100. Producer John Potoker had worked with Brian Eno, Madonna and a host of others and had a huge influence on the musical direction and big production sound. Many will obviously find the music and production technique dated, but one of this lists presuppositions was to judge albums based on the time they were recorded and what was happening musically. And for that, this album is the most “current” album of Smith’s career. He would record about 10 more albums in a row that are completely indistinguishable from one another. But the strength here lies not in the production (or over-production) but in the strength of a songwriter album to have his songs outlast even the dated production technique.
Contributor David Lowman – https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/
Tracklist 1 – Lamu – 5:55 2 – Wired For Sound – 6:00 3 – Old Enough To Know – 4:47 4 – Pursuit Of The Dream – 5:00 5 – Rocketown – 4:32 6 – Voices – 5:50 7 – The Last Letter – 4:37 8 – Goin’ Thru The Motions – 4:55 9 – Tearin’ Down The Wall – 3:35 10 – You’re Alright – 4:36
Credits Artwork By [Art Direction And Design] – Kent Hunter, Thomas Ryan Design Backing Vocals – Chris Harris, Wayne Kirkpatrick Bass, Chapman Stick – Tony Levin Bass, Drum Programming – Gary Lunn Drum Programming – Frank Doyle, Tokes, Mark Kovac Drums – Steve Ferrone Drums, Drum Programming – David Huff Engineer [Additional] – Bill Heath, Bob Vogt, Clark Schleicher, Ed Goodreau, JB, Jeffrey Dovner, Jon Goldberger, Keith Odle, Ken Criblez, Mike Clute, Nick Deire, Rob Feaster, Spencer Chrislu, Tim Hatfield, Tony Volante Executive-Producer – Brown Bannister, Dan Harrell, Michael Blanton Guitar – Dann Huff, Eddie Martinez, Nick Moroch Guitar, Backing Vocals – Chris Rodrigues Horns – Jim Pugh, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker Keyboards, Drum Programming, Backing Vocals – Michael W. Smith Keyboards, Programmed By [Fairlight], Drum Programming – Shane Keister Mastered By – Ted Jensen Other [Child] – Christopher Copeland Other [Grooming] – Jody Morlock, Julie Miller Overstreet Other [Production Coordinator] – Kimberly Smith Other [Styling] – Beverly Ann Moore Percussion – Bashiri Johnson Photography By – Dean Dixon, Larry Williams Producer – John Potoker, Michael W. Smith Programmed By [Synclavier] – Steve Schaffer
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Reunion Records – 1986 Copyright (c) – Reunion Records – 1986 Manufactured By – Word, Inc. Distributed By – Word, Inc. Recorded At – Power Station Recorded At – Mediasound Recorded At – Sigma Sound Studios, New York Recorded At – Soundtrack Studios Recorded At – Bullet Recording Recorded At – The Bennett House Recorded At – Emerald Sound Studios Recorded At – The Castle Recording Studios Recorded At – Blue Jay Studios Mixed At – Blue Jay Studios Mastered At – Sterling Sound
This White Heart live album was recorded on April 20 1984 at Six Flags Over Texas. Confusingly the album “Chris Christian With Whiteheart – Live At Six Flags” was recorded on the same day and released at the same time. This appeared to be the brilliant thinking of Chris Christian and I’m at a loss to see how he thought this was a good idea. Anyway I have covered the Chris Christian album previously so I was interested to hear how this one compared. This album is definitely more upbeat but it feels like the band definitely turned it down for this event. The same day as this was recorded the Imperials played so between these 3 concerts this was definitely the most upbeat. The album is enjoyable and the music is good but usually live albums turn things up a notch but in this case it appears they turned it down a notch. That said it is nice to hear the original band lineup play the songs that brought them onto the CCM scene and if you’re a White Heart fan you’ll probably enjoy the album but it’s certainly not the best live album I ever heard and in fact is not even in the top 20.
Tracklist 1 – Sing Unto The Lamb – 3:20 2 – Carried Away (Safe On The Wings Of The Lord) – 4:15 3 – Nothing Can Take This Love – 6:35 4 – We Are His Hands – 3:50 5 – Hosanna – 3:50 6 – Undercover – 3:58 7 – Quiet Love – 4:00 8 – Vital Signs – 5:27 9 – Carry On – 3:35 10 – He’s Returning – 2:50
Credits John Allman – Engineer Jeff Balding – Engineer Steven Curtis Chapman – Songwriter Chris Christian – Executive Producer, Engineer Scott Douglas – Vocals Mark Gersmehl – Songwriter, Keyboards, Vocals Wally Grant – Engineer Dann Huff – Songwriter, Guitars, Vocals David Huff – Drums, Percussion Dan Humann – Engineer, Mixed Gary Lunn – Songwriter, Bass Jack Joseph Puig – Engineer Billy Smiley – Songwriter, Guitars, Vocals White Heart – Producer
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc. Copyright (c) – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc. Manufactured By – Word, Inc. Distributed By – Word, Inc. Distributed By – Word Records Limited Distributed By – Word (UK) Ltd. Recorded At – Six Flags Over Texas Overdubbed At – Gold Mine Studio East Overdubbed At – Gold Mine Studio Recorded At – Gold Mine Studio Mastered At – Future Disc Published By – Bug & Bear Music Published By – Paragon Music Corp.
This was Ward’s second solo album. All songs were written by Ward and keyboard player, Jim Tenneboe. The album definitely has a more rock feel than his work with 2nd Chapter of Acts or his previous solo album. Supporting that Rock sound and partly responsible for it is guitarist Dann Huff (White Heart). The album only had one single however which was “Love” which made it to #14. The album is pretty good with strong keyboards and guitar but was a little thrifty on the content with only 8 tracks. Personally at times I don’t think Ward’s voice matches the songs but I’m nitpicking because it’s a really good album.
Tracklist 1 – Red And Yellow, Black And White – 3:38 2 – Trust In You – 4:18 3 – By Your Side – 4:26 4 – Armed And Dangerous – 4:12 5 – Glory To God – 3:44 6 – Moment By Moment – 3:53 7 – Put On The Armour – 4:01 8 – Love – 4:58
Credits Arranged By – Jim Tenneboe, Matthew Ward Art Direction, Design – Bradley Grose Artwork By [Cover Concept] – Bradley Grose, Buddy Owens Backing Vocals – Eric Tagg, Matthew Ward Bass – Lee Jones Drums – Mike Baird Engineer – Greg Hunt Engineer [2nd] – Daffydd Morgan Guitar – Dann Huff Horns – Chuck Smith, Keith Jourdan, Kim Hutchcroft, René Saenz Keyboards, Programmed By [Keyboard Programming] – Jim Tenneboe Mastered By – Bernie Grundman Photography By – Constance Ashley Photography By [Back Cover Photo] – Marty Justice Producer – Matthew Ward Saxophone [Sax Solos] – Kim Hutchcroft
Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Live Oak Records Copyright (c) – Live Oak Records Manufactured By – Word, Inc. Distributed By – Word, Inc. Pressed By – ElectroSound Los Angeles – ∆ 27319 Recorded At – Rosewood Studio Recorded At – Easter Song Studios Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering Copyright (c) – Megin’s College Fund Music Copyright (c) – Midi Mouse Music Published By – Megin’s College Fund Music Published By – Midi Mouse Music
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
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
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
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
