1987 – Real 80s CCM

Take 6 – Take 6 – 1987

This is the first album from Take 6 and I believe it’s the only A Capella album we’ve uploaded to YouTube. The group started out in 1980 when Claude McKnight started to assemble a group of singers who would be know as Gentleman’s Estates Quartet. Once the band was complete they changed their name to Alliance. When they signed with Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, it was discovered that there was another group with the same name. So the band sat down and picked a new name using the level of laughter as the deciding factor and Take 6 was born. The band won two Grammy awards for this album, Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group, and Best Soul Gospel Performance By A Duo, Group, Choir Or Chorus. Humorously the song that won Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group only made it to #25 on the CCM charts. If this isn’t proof of the idiocy that was the CCM charts then I don’t know what further proof I would need.

Tracklist
1 – Gold Mine – 3:52
2 – Spread Love – 3:29
3 – If We Never Needed The Lord Before (We Sure Do Need Him Now) – 4:59
4 – A Quiet Place – 2:43
5 – Mary – 3:31
6 – David And Goliath – 4:25
7 – Get Away, Jordan – 4:23
8 – He Never Sleeps – 3:10
9 – Milky-White Way – 4:47
10 – Let The Words – 0:55

Credits
Arranged By – Mark Kibble, Mervyn Warren
Art Direction, Design [Cover] – Kav Deluxe
Engineer – Don Cobb
Executive-Producer – Jim Ed Norman
Hair – Jeffrey Johnson
Lacquer Cut By – Denny Purcell
Make-Up, Stylist [Wardrobe] – Vanessa Ware
Management – C.H.O.I.C.E., Nashville
Mastered By [Originally] – Denny Purcell
Mixed By – C. McKnight, D. Cobb, M. Kibble, M. Warren
Percussion [Finger Snaps], Effects [Sound] – David Humphries
Photography By – Jeff Katz
Producer – Claude V. McKnight III, Mark Kibble, Mervyn Warren
Vocals – Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, Claude V. McKnight III, David Thomas, Mark Kibble, Mervyn E. Warren

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Reprise Records
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – WEA International Inc.
Copyright © – Reprise Records
Copyright © – WEA International Inc.
Copyright © – Mervyn Warren Music
Copyright © – Claude V. Music
Copyright © – Warner-Elektra-Asylum Music, Inc.
Copyright © – Winston Kae Music
Copyright © – Lexicon Music, Inc.
Produced For – JEN Productions, Inc.
Recorded At – Digital Recorders
Mixed At – Digital Recorders
Mastered At – Georgetown Masters
Published By – Winston Kae Music
Published By – Warner-Elektra-Asylum Music, Inc.
Published By – Mervyn Warren Music
Published By – Claude V. Music
Published By – Lexicon Music, Inc.
Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation
Record Company – Warner Communications

Terri Gibbs – Turnaround – 1987

You might know Terri Gibb better due to her top Pop hit “Somebody’s Knockin'”. She had a pretty good secular Pop/Country career but when it started to fail she decided to do Gospel music. I’m not saying anything negative but this is a trend we saw in the 80’s and admittedly it gave several artists a second run. She had a 3 album run in the Christian music industry and this is the first of those albums. Terri was a great artist so I was expecting a good album. I was not disappointed and while it is an Easy Listening album I quite liked it. I’ve been on a bit of a run lately with Easy Listening albums I quite like but I hope my taste in music isn’t changing because generally this isn’t my preferred genre.

Tracklist
1 – You Can Say It To Him – 3:32
2 – I Can See Heaven – 3:04
3 – Gettin’ Ready – 3:22
4 – Driving Nails – 3:44
5 – Turn Around – 4:22
6 – Run To You – 3:49
7 – What About Him – 4:22
8 – Have You Made Your Reservation – 4:18
9 – Already There – 3:16
10 – Merciful Lord – 3:25

Credits
Eddie Bayers – Drums
George Binkley III – Strings
Jonathan David Brown – Engineer
David Davidson – Strings
Connie Ellisor – Strings
Michael English – Background Vocals
Terri Gibbs – Vocals
Carl Gorodetzky – Strings
Richard Grosjean – Strings
Ron Hemby – Background Vocals
Jim Horn – Saxophone
Danny Johnston – Assistant Engineer
Ted Madsen – Strings
Carl Marsh – Fairlight
Bob Mason – Strings
Gary McSpadden – Producer
Laura Molyneaux – Strings
Farrell Morris – Percussion
Brent Rowan – Guitars
Gene Sisk – Keyboards
Elisabeth Small – Strings
Wendy Suits – Background Vocals
Dianne Tidwell – Background Vocals
Alan Umstead – Strings
D. Bergen White – Producer, Background Vocals
Bill Whittington – Assistant Engineer
Kristen Wilkinson – Strings
Hank Williams – Mastered
John C. Williams – Bass

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.

Glen Allen Green – Down This Avenue – 1987

Strangely I couldn’t find much info on Glen. He was a songwriter in the early 80’s and wrote some stuff we’ve all heard. He wrote “We Are The Light” by Servant, “Run” by Steve Archer, and “Take The Cross” by Joe English among others. This is actually his second album and again Chris Christian was the executive producer and it was on Chris’s label Home Sweet Home Records. Glen’s first album was full of big names but this one seemed a little more reserved with Glen handling most of the instruments except the guitar and bass tracks. As for the album it’s a fun Pop oriented album and is quite fun to listen to. You may have missed this one in the 80’s so I would suggest you listen to it now.

Tracklist
1 – Love Is Waiting Here – 5:23
2 – Down This Avenue – 4:32
3 – Living For Babylon – 5:05
4 – Eternity – 4:55
5 – Look Up – 4:15
6 – Turn Up The Music – 4:03
7 – A Million Miles Away – 4:54
8 – Out West – 5:15
9 – Famine Of The Heart – 4:45
10 – Not In The Grave – 4:36

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Rod Brown Design
Backing Vocals – Christopher Davis, Grant Cunningham
Bass [Additional Arrangements] – Matt Pearson
Engineer, Drum Programming – Kent Davis
Executive-Producer – Chris Christian
Guitar – Jerry McPherson
Producer, Arranged By, Keyboards, Drum Programming, Backing Vocals – Glen Allen Green

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Copyright © – Home Sweet Home Records, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Gold Mine Studio East
Recorded At – Big Planet Studios
Mixed At – Big Planet Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc

Valor – Masquerade – 1987

Valor rose out of the ashes of another band named Golgotha. The band was pretty much the same lineup but with Chris Price replacing Todd Price. Chris brought a more thrash sound to the band. Vic Sardon was brought on as a second guitarist to solidify that thrash sound. The band had a pretty good following as Golgotha so they had a head start as they toured and played across the U.S. They actually stayed together for several years and though they never got a real record deal (they did release a full self produced album) they were quite popular. Now it’s well known that thrash bands had a very difficult time with record deals I am kind of surprised that Valor had this problem. Their version of thrash is far more bearable than most. The lyrics are clear and good. The guitar has distinguishable chords and quite frankly this is probably one of the best thrash albums I’ve ever heard. Even if you’re not a fan of thrash I’d really suggest you give this one a quick listen. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Tracklist
1 – Masquerade – 4:26
2 – Fight For Your Life – 2:42
3 – Burn – 5:00
4 – Didn’t I – 4:27
5 – The Flesh Is Weak – 4:11

Credits
Bass, Backing Vocals – Adam Alvarez
Drums – Jim Maxwell
Guitar – Chris Price, Vic Sardon
Vocals – Michael Brueck

Will McFarlane – Only The Heart – 1987

Will McFarlane self released his 3rd album though his previous label Refuge Records did take care of distribution. Because it was self released it was virtually guaranteed not to have a charting single. This is too bad because the album definitely had a couple tracks that could have singled. It has a bit of an Imperials sound and feel. The album is not my preferred genre but I actually quite liked the album. If you missed this one in the 80’s you should give it a listen now.

Tracklist
1 – I Can Depend On You – 3:44
2 – Can’t Go Back – 5:07
3 – Who Can Separate Us – 3:54
4 – The End Of Me – 5:44
5 – Only The Heart – 3:45
6 – Don’t Be Fooled – 5:33
7 – Come Unto Me – 5:24
8 – Blessed Jesus – 5:35

Illustrator – Illustrator – 1987

Illustrator appears to be a new version of Eternity Express. Nathan Gaub, Dan Gaub, Mark Matthews,Kirk Allen are all from Eternity Express and this version is joined by Dawndee Gaub. I’ll be honest that there is a pretty different sound here than Eternity Express. The album is much more pop oriented and quite frankly much better than the previous Eternity Express album. One last point is that neither this version or the original Eternity Express ever had a charting single on the CCM charts. How is that even possible?

Tracklist
1 – Lonely Hearts For Sale – 4:21
2 – Love’s Not Your Enemy – 4:15
3 – Hidden Pain – 4:04
4 – Let It Go – 3:20
5 – Out Of Time – 3:28
6 – Don’t Change Your Heart – 4:46
7 – Gina – 4:37
8 – Holding On – 4:25
9 – End Of The Line – 4:53

Credits
Drums, Percussion [Electronic] – Kirk Allen
Engineer – Steven Ford, Wes McGuire
Engineer [Additional Assistance] – Mike Buster
Mixed By – Win Kutz
Producer – Illustrator
Vocals, Bass Guitar, Keyboards – Mark Matthews
Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion – Dan Gaub
Vocals, Keyboards – Dawndee Gaub
Vocals, Keyboards, Programmed By [Synth & Computer] – Nathan Gaub

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Ocean Records
Copyright © – Ocean Records
Recorded At – Nick’s Place Recording Studio
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Mixed At – Eagle Mountain Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – Wakefield Manufacturing – 47497

Harvest – Give Them Back – 1987

This is the offering from Harvest for 1987. Having now listened to a few Harvest albums at this point I think this might be one of their best. It has the best production of all I have heard so far and actually it’s one of the better produced albums I’ve heard. It was produced by band member Jerry Williams who really didn’t have any significant experience at the job but he nailed it on this day. As for the album it is a solid Easy Listening Pop album that’s actually quite good. Again this is not my preferred style of music but I’ll admit I enjoyed this album though there’s not a track that’ll go in my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Rise Up – 3:12
2 – All That Is In Me – 3:40
3 – Soon That Day – 4:02
4 – His Angels Are Everywhere – 4:08
5 – You Are My Keeper – 3:58
6 – Give Them Back – 2:51
7 – What Are You Singing For – 6:02
8 – I Am Your Father – 3:52
9 – Wash Me, Lord – 3:56
10 – Great Jehovah – 3:46

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Larry Rolando
Arranged By [Vocals] – Harvest
Art Direction, Design – Bill Barnes
Backing Vocals – Debbie Lee, Ed Kerr, Eric Tagg, Janie Cruse Stone, Jerry Williams, Karen Cruse Adams, LaDonna Johnson, Ronnie Ricks, Tim Johnson
Bass – Leon Gaer
Design – Deb Mahalanobis
Drums – Jack Kelly
Electric Guitar – Michael Thompson
Graphics – Barnes & Company
Keyboards, Programmed By, Arranged By [Vocals], Arranged By – John Andrew Schreiner
Percussion – Charles Barnett
Photography By – Matthew Barnes
Piano [Acoustic] – Ed Kerr
Producer – Jerry Williams
Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Gary Leach
Recorded By, Mixed By – Greg Hunt

Companies, etc.
Copyright © – The Benson Company, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Benson Company, Inc.
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Distributed By – Mitchell Family Books, Inc.
Recorded At – Rosewood Studio
Recorded At – Easter Song Studios
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Fresh Claim – Odd One Out – 1987

After the demise of his two previous bands (Sea Stone and Intransit) Simon Law started up Fresh Claim and this is their first album. The name of the band came from a counter at the local unemployment office with the designation “Fresh Claims”. Simon has also established Plankton records which was originally just his own label to release his first band Sea Stone but developed into a full fledged record label. The album is often labelled as alternative but personally I find it to be more New Wave. At times I get a “The Keep” feel from a few tracks but I’m pretty sure this is coincidental as The Keep were only released in Canada and Fresh Claim were from the UK. This is another one I missed in the 80’s and really wish I had heard back then because I absolutely love it.

Tracklist
1 – Strong Enough To See – 3:06
2 – There’s Someone Loving You – 2:54
3 – Sunday Morning Dawn – 4:50
4 – Yesterday’s Hero (Is Tomorrow’s Fool) – 2:51
5 – Enough Is Enough – 3:31
6 – Visions Never Sleep – 3:50

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Derek Llewellyn
Composed By – Derek Llewellyn, Simon Law
Design, Keyboards – Mags Law
Drums – Ali Byworth
Engineer, Producer – Nigel “Chopper” Palmer
Guitar, Vocals – Simon Law

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Scarf Studios
Duplicated By – Selecta Sound

Stevie & The Saints – Metalblue – 1987

This album was presented to me as a metal album but quite frankly after listening to it about 3 ties I just don’t get a metal feeling from it. Instead what I’m hearing is a great southern Rock album. There are some ZZ Top feelings and quite frankly some Rez feelings. Bottom line what we have here is a fantastic bluesy hard Rock album that deserved a much larger audience. My only complaint is that the production is not the best. I read the album was produced on a tight budget and you can tell. The talent of the band is very high so it still balances out that this is a great album and a must have in your CCM collection.

Tracklist
1 – We Are The Saints – 3:03
2 – Saint’s Boogie – 3:53
3 – Code Name: Jesus – 3:23
4 – One In One-Hundred – 6:06
5 – Don’t Knock The Rock – 4:01
6 – Talkin’ bout Love – 5:26
7 – Jehovah Jirah – 3:26
8 – Prisoner Of Love – 2:59

Credits
Backing Vocals – Kathy Jameson, Maureen Kelly
Bass Guitar – Ken Kane
Cover – Ken Roberts
Drums – John Tinker
Engineer – James Saad
Keyboards – Ralph Clayton
Lead Guitar – Steve Olsen
Photography By – Glenn Emery Brim
Producer – Ken Roberts
Vocals – Steve Olsen

Michael W. Smith – The Live Set – 1987

Recorded at The Civic Theatre, Des Moines, Iowa and The Civic Center Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia here’s probably Micheal W. Smiths best album. That said I always love live albums and Michael definitely turned it up a notch when appearing live. I don’t really care for his albums as they are a little too mellow for me but this album I have been listening to.

Tracklist
1 – Nothin’ But The Blood – 3:38
2 – Lamu – 8:27
3 – You’re Alright – 4:39
4 – Could He Be The Messiah – 5:02
5 – Rocketown – 6:13
6 – Emily – 3:45
7 – I Know – 4:23
8 – Friends – 3:59
9 – Old Enough To Know – 5:57
10 – Pursuit Of The Dream – 6:01
11 – Be Strong And Courageous – 4:15
12 – You Need A Savior – 6:24

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Heather Brown
Artwork By [Cover Painting] – Robert Meecham
Bass – Chris Harris
Drums – David Huff
Edited By [Audio Sweetening] – Blaine Stewart
Engineer [Claire House] – Bob Weibel
Engineer [Monitor] – Keith Carroll
Executive Producer – Dan Harrell, Jeff Moseley, Michael Blanton
Guitar – Chris Rodriguez, Wayne Kirkpatrick
Keyboards – Mark Heimermann, Michael W. Smith
Mastered By – Glenn Meadows
Photography – Tim Campbell
Producer – Michael W. Smith
Production Manager, Engineer [House Sound], Engineer – Chris Taylor
Recorded By [Location Audio Reel Sound Recorders], Engineer [Additional Audio Engineered By] – Malcolm Harper

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – BMG Music
Distributed By – BMG Music