White Heart – Emergency Broadcast – 1987

This 1987 release was kind of forgotten. The timing of the album lead many to treat it like a “filler” album. Personally I don’t get that feeling from this album and In fact the album did well on the charts with three singles. Montana Sky peaked at #3 with 16 weeks on the charts. Edge Of The Dream peaked at #13 with 10 weeks on the charts. Finally Somewhere In Between sat on the charts for 8 weeks peaking at #24. Overall a good effort from White Heart.

Tracklist
1 – Urban Renewal – 4:02
2 – Key To Our Survival – 4:19
3 – No Taboo – 4:45
4 – Montana Sky – 4:55
5 – Fashion Fades – 4:19
6 – More Sold Out – 4:41
7 – Somewhere In Between – 4:04
8 – Speed Of Sound – 3:03
9 – Lone Ranger – 4:07
10 – Edge Of The Dream – 4:34

Credits
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals – Tommy Sims
Drums, Percussion – Chris McHugh
Guitar, Vocals – Gordon Kennedy
Lead Vocals – Rick Florian
Vocals, Keyboards – Mark Gersmehl
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Billy Smiley

Joe English – Back To Basics:English 101 – 1987

This was Joe’s final album though he was involved in the Compassion All Star Band ‎– One By One Live! album project in 1988. This was probably one of Joe’s better albums and it definitely had a more upbeat feel of any of his albums yet. Unfortunately it was not all that well received and as such Joe hung up his drumsticks after this one.

Tracklist
1 – Take Me Back – 3:57
2 – Truth And Lies – 3:40
3 – Remember – 3:55
4 – Too Much – 3:36
5 – Hot Fire – 3:32
6 – The Secrets Of The Kingdom – 4:05
7 – Stop Looking Over Love – 4:08
8 – Behold The Glory – 3:25
9 – This Must Be Love – 3:36
10 – How Sweet It Is – 3:13

Credits
Charles Bass Vocal Arranger, Background Vocals
Kathleen Bass Background Vocals
Martin Bass Background Vocals
Billy Blum Drum Machine Programming
Tony Camillo Arrangements
Jo Clayton Background Vocals
George Cocchini Guitar
Dennis Davilio Bass
Lamont Dozier Songwriter
Dave Eastman Songwriter
Sean Gallant Mixed
Tommy Greer Songwriter
Dean Harrington Songwriter
Brian Holland Songwriter
Eddie Holland Songwriter
James Holloway Songwriter
Steve Lang Keyboard Programming
Glen Marchese Engineer
Richard Marchese Trumpets
Chris McCollum Songwriter
Jerry Mokar Saxophone
Ray Nenow Executive Producer
Chuck Nichols Background Vocals
Doug Oberkircher Mixed
Joey Powers Producer
Darice Price Background Vocals
Joe Noro Savage Keyboard Programming
George Small Keyboards
Jeff Toone Engineer
Mark Tuomenoksa Sampled Saxophone
Howie Weinberg Mastered

iDEoLA – Tribal Opera – 1987

This album was a concept album by Mark Heard under the pseudonym iDEoLA. Mark stated that there was no big mystery to the name. He stated “It’s not supposed to be mysterious or anything; I just put a band together and right now I happen to be the only one in it.” Mark played all the instruments with the exception of some percussion samples. All in all it’s actually a really good album. It has a solid Pop sound and I particularly like the percussion segments. While it’s a huge departure from Mark’s usual work I wish he’d pursued this line of music as well as his usual.

Tracklist
1 – I Am An Emotional Man – 4:29
2 – Is It Any Wonder – 3:49
3 – Watching The Ship Go Down – 3:52
4 – Talk To Me – 3:48
5 – Go Ask The Dead Man – 3:51
6 – Love Is Bigger Than Life – 3:36
7 – How To Grow Up Big And Strong – 5:06
8 – Everybody Dances – 4:07
9 – Why Can’t We Just Say No – 4:23
10 – Hold Back Your Tears – 3:46

Credits
Artwork By – Tim Alderson
Drums [People Who Hit Things For Digital Samples & Wengi Drum Machine Introduction On “talk To Me”] – David Baker
Drums [People Who Hit Things For Digital Samples] – Dan Michaels, David McSparran, Doug Matthews, Steve Hindalong
Edited By [Digital Pcm 1630] – Tom Hall
Instruments [All], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Ideola
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Mark Heard
Mixed By [Assistant] – Dan Reed, Jim Dineen, Steve Katayama
Photography – Stewart Ivester
Producer – Mark Heard
Recorded By – Mark Heard
Written-By – Mark Heard

Flock 14 – Brave New World? – 1987

This was the first project of 2 by Tim McAllister the later being World Theater. This project has a completely different set of musicians than World Theater. Tim had originally signed a record deal with Blue Collar Records but they folded before an album could be released. Subsequently Tim met people at Graceland Records and this album was released. The single “Your Eyes” charted in the Top 10 on the CCM Rock Charts. It’s a pity Tim only had 2 projects as I think he had a lot of talent and I for one would have liked to hear more.

Tracklist
1 – Your Eyes – 4:07
2 – Upside Down – 4:19
3 – Come Away – 4:57
4 – Big Boys – 4:19
5 – Panic – 2:48
6 – 10,000 Years – 3:34
7 – Watch Her – 4:19
8 – Disposable People – 4:00
9 – Anxious – 3:54

Credits
Band [Flock 14 Is], Bass [String Bass] – Evan (18)
Band [Flock 14 Is], Drums – Bryan DeHart
Band [Flock 14 Is], Keyboards, Bass [Key Bass] – Dennis Childers (2)
Band [Flock 14 Is], Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programming – Tim McAllister*
Design [Album Cover Design] – Thomas Wolfe
Executive-Producer – Caesar Kalinowski
Photography By [Front Cover Silhouette Photo] – Don Anderson (17)
Producer [Produced By], Engineer [Engineered By] – Timothy McAllister (2)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Graceland
Copyright (c) – Graceland
Manufactured By – Graceland, Inc.
Distributed By – Graceland, Inc.
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus
Recorded At – The Sound Shop, Portland, OR
Recorded At – Parallel Strategy, Cincinnati

Steve Taylor – I Predict 1990 – 1987

The first time I saw the cover of I Predict 1990, I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know it (apparently) resembled a tarot card, or that Steve seemed to be making (apparently) some sort of weird hand signal. I did find it kind of unsettling, though. ‘Man, what is with that creepy expression…’ But, c’mon, this was Steve Taylor. I loved his music, his lyrics, his clever, skewering humour. Loved it so much that as a teenager I insisted my mom listen to the entire On The Fritz album in one sitting, while I explained every song in detail. And, sure – Steve was controversial. Challenging. Slightly possibly maybe verging on inappropriate, once in a while. (“Lifeboat”, anyone?)

So, I put on the album. And the first track hits me with:

Now I don’t care if it’s a baby or a tissue blob
but if we run out of youngsters
I’ll be out of a job, and so I
I did my duty cleaning up the neighborhood
I blew up the clinic real good

Steve, what the heck.

But I hung in there. And then came the line: “The end don’t justify the means anytime”

Okay. Okay. Phew. Steve hadn’t lost it completely. I got it.

But certainly, with this third studio album Steve pushed the ‘acceptable topics for CCM artists’ envelope to a pretty big tipping point. Or at least the ‘acceptable treatment of topics’. Listeners had come to expect his biting, uncomfortable-making lyrics; but people all along the conservative/liberal spectrum of Christian thought weren’t sure what to, well, think. Many simply closed the book on him after this album – some not making it past the first song.

And that was (and is) a real shame. Steve’s music asks listeners to really hear what’s being said in the lyrics – and to seriously consider that those lyrics might be holding a mirror up to stuff we might want to examine in ourselves. His stuff isn’t for lazy listeners. But when we let ourselves get so bound to tightly-held and well-reasoned opinions, we can lose our cool over a ‘shocking’ song like “Clinic” and miss the chance to engage in critical thinking and respectful debate. Do I agree with everything Steve Taylor says? Nope. (Some day I’d love to talk with him about “Jung and the Restless”…)

And hey – there’s a LOT of good stuff on this album. Some of my favourites are…no, that’s too many to list. But here are a few comments…

– “What Is The Measure of Your Success” – If you get a chance, watch the video – it’s pretty powerful. He nails the mood of a regretful, bitter, dying businessman.
– “Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel A Lot Better” – Another delightfully satirical lyric, having the opposite effect of making you smile (hopefully).
– “Jim Morrison’s Grave” – Fantastic song. Poetry and rock.
– “Innocence Lost” – Emotional piece about a visit to death row. Gets me every time.
– “Harder To Believe Than Not To” – A beautiful song, haunting and moving. Taking its title from the writings of Flannery O’Connor, an American writer, the song argues against the idea that Christianity is a crutch.

Tracks

1. I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good – 4:11
2. What is the Measure of Your Success? – 4:38
3. Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel A Lot Better – 3:25
4. Babylon – 4:48
5. Jim Morrison’s Grave – 4:29
6. Svengali – 4:28
7. Jung and the Restless – 4:32
8. Innocence Lost – 5:02
9. A Principled Man – 3:26
10 – Harder to Believe Than Not To – 4:31

Personnel

Some Band
Steve Taylor – vocals and backup percussion
Dave Thrush – saxophones
Jeff Stone – guitar
Glen Holmen – bass
Jack Kelly – drums
Steve Goomas – keyboards
Gym Nicholson – guitar

Additional musicians
Dave Perkins – additional guitar on all songs except “Jim Morrison’s Grave” and “Harder to Believe”
Greg Husted – assorted keyboard tracks and accordion
Papa John Creach – fiddle
Ashley Cleveland – vocal stylings on “Jim Morrison’s Grave”, “Svengali”, and “Babylon”
Annie McCaig – backing vocals on “Success” and “A Principled Man”
Nathan East: bass on “Clinic”
Gary Lunn – bass on “Hope”
Lisa Cates – percussion
Mike Mead – more percussion
Mary Bates – operatic vocal on “Harder to Believe”
Jim Horn – tenor sax on “Clinic”
Ross Holmen – French horn
John Andrew Schreiner – synth bass on “Svengali”
Janet Croninger – “Jung” woman
Fred Travalena – “Jung” doctor
Del Newman – orchestration on “Harder to Believe Than Not To”

Production notes
The Beaufort Twins (Dave Perkins and Steve Taylor) – producers and engineers
Dave Perkins – producer, engineer, mixing
Steve Taylor – producer, mixing
David Schober – engineer
Malcom Harper – engineer
Robert Wartinbee – assistant engineer
Michael Ross – engineer on “Harder To Believe”
Music Grinder, Los Angeles, California – recording location
Reelsound Bus, Nashville, Tennessee – recording location
Wayne Cook Studios, Los Angeles, California – recording location
CBS Studios, London – recording location
Reelsound truck, Austin, Texas (48 track) – mixing location
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Masterdisk, New York, New York – mastering location
Dave Perkins and Steve Taylor are listed as producers as “The Beaufort Twins.” A likely satire of the Mick Jagger & Keith Richards production/songwriting partnership billed as The Glimmer Twins

Various – The Rock of Gospel – 1987

This is a fascinating sampler album (CD). It came out on Arrival Records, which is a Sublabel of K-Tel International. I had no idea until I found this album that K-Tel had distributed Christian albums. Even more of a surprise for me is that there were several of these albums. The quality of the CD is horrible, but I’ve cleaned up the recordings as best I could. K-Tel’s vinyl releases were well known for their horrible quality which was a result of cheap vinyl and cheap pressing. This album was released on CD so there was no need for the poor quality. I’ve always suspected that the licensing agreements for these songs included a stipulation that the quality be horrible in hopes people would buy the original album.

Include below is the info on which album the songs were released on

Tracklist
1 – Michael W. Smith – You’re Alright – 4:39 – The Big Picture
2 – Petra – Back To The Street – 4:17 – Back To The Street
3 – Leslie Phillips – Love Is Not Lost – 4:03 – Black And White In A Grey World
4 – White Heart – The Beat Of A Different Drum – 4:17 – Don’t Wait For The Movie
5 – David Meece – All Is God’s Creation – 3:48 – Candle In The Rain
6 – Kim Boyce – Love Resurrection – 4:11 – Kim Boyce
7 – Randy Stonehill – Defender – 3:02 – The Wild Frontier
8 – Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart – Crack The Sky – 3:59 – Crack The Sky
9 – Rick Cua – This Raging Fire – 3:53 – Wear Your Colors
10 – Steve Camp – Cheap Grace – 5:11 – One On One
11 – David & The Giants – Cold Lonely Nights – 3:37 – Magnificat
12 – Margaret Becker – Fight For God – 4:06 – Never For Nothing

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – K-Tel International (USA), Inc.
Distributed By – K-Tel International (USA), Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – K-Tel International (USA), Inc.

Whitecross – (self-titled) – 1987

This debut album from Whitecross hit us in the peak of CCM’s metal heyday. The guitar sounds are unmistakably 80s metal, but Whitecross has a much more melodic sound to their songs than some of the other bands. It’s like a harder version of Bon Jovi and it’s fun to listen to.

Whitecross has the vocal harmonies are typical in this genre of music, and in addition to that, each song has a melody that the listener can follow along with. Some of the similar bands lack this distinction. All in all one of the better examples of this style of music.

Track Listing:
A1 Who Will You Follow
A2 Enough Is Enough
A3 He Is The Rock
A4 Lookin’ For A Reason
A5 You’re Mine
B1 No Way I’m Goin’ Down
B2 Seein’ Is Believin’
B3 All I Need
B4 Nagasake
B5 Signs Of The End

Companies, etc.:
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Pure Metal Records (3)
Copyright (c) – Pure Metal Records (3)
Distributed By – Refuge Music Group
Distributed By – Creative Music Canada
Recorded At – Opus Recording Studio
Mixed At – Opus Recording Studio
Published By – Girder Music

Credits:
Bass – Jon Sproule (The Human Harmonizer)*
Design, Graphics [Photo Tinting] – Jeff Spencer (2)
Drums – Mark Hedl
Engineer – Perry Miller
Executive-Producer – Gavin Morkel*
Guitar – Rex Carroll
Keyboards [Additional] – Joan Johnson (5), Kent Cantwell, Tonja Kataja
Photography By – Gary Trantafil
Producer – Caesar Kalinowski, Rex Carroll
Vocals – Scott Wenzel (Scottzilla!)*

Dave Perkins – The Innocence – 1987

This 1987 release by Dave Perkins was his only album in the 80’s. Don’t think you haven’t heard him though. He has worked with some of the best including Mark heard, Steve Taylor, Randy Stonehill, Steve Camp, Phil Keaggy, and many many more. His fingerprints are all over CCM music in the 80’s. His personal effort here is a solid Rock Pop effort and utilizes the wall of sound style. Among the names helping him on this album were Rick Cua and Steve Taylor. The real highlight of the album is a cover of the Byrds’ Turn, Turn, Turn where Perkins sounds like Elvis Costello and it works! It works good!

Tracklist
1 – Revolution – 3:33
2 – (You Can) Make Me Feel – 3:44
3 – Harvest Home – 5:00
4 – Fathers And Sons – 4:14
5 – Catacombs – 4:38
6 – Turn, Turn, Turn – 3:37
7 – Every New Day – 5:15
8 – The Innocence – 4:27
9 – Oribt – 4:57

Credits
Art Direction – Joan Tankersley
Artwork By – Albert Loudin
Engineer – Brian Tankersley, Dave Perkins, Malcolm Harper, Mike Fraser
Engineer [Additional] – Gene Ford, Lynn Fuston
Executive Producer – Lynn Nichols
Musician – Ann Richards, Brian Butler, Gregary Husted, Hank Carter, Jackie Cusic, Lisa Cates, Mike Mead, Phil Naish, Richard Price, Rick Cua, Rob Frazier, Steve Taylor, Stevie Butler, Tommy Greer
Photography – Caroline Greyshock
Producer – Dave Perkins

John Mehler – Back In Love – 1987

This is John’s 2nd solo album but he had several compilation albums.

He really should have done more solo albums as he really does some great Rock & Roll.

I will admit that there are a few songs with a new wave vibe but generally it’s a good Rock & Roll album. The fact that John is a drummer actually comes through in his music.

I’ve never heard so many songs start with a drum intro on any album. It’s not a complaint however because it works great on this album. Bottom line is that this is a great album that should be in your 80’s collection.

Track Listing:
1 – Hey Landlord
2 – Child of Heaven
3 – Drive Away
4 – Point Of View
5 – Back In Love
6 – Channel 53
7 – Gate Into The Sky
8 – All Of Your Love
9 – Call For Surrender
10 – There Will Come A Time

Credits:
Co-producer – Bill Batstone
Producer – John Mehler

Phil & John – Lonely Dancer – 1987

This was the 3rd album from Phil & John and it had almost the same style as their previous release.

It’s a sound that was serving them well so why change. It is quite comparable to the popular secular male duo’s of the time. I would describe them as Hall & Oates light. Not an insult though as they do the style very well.

Track Listing:
1 – Goodbye Yesterday – 3:33
2 – Beat The Situation – 3:28
3 – Hurts To Learn – 4:35
4 – Over The Moon – 4:56
5 – Wasted Years – 3:15
6 – Celebrate – 4:08
7 – Lonely Dancer – 5:10
8 – All At Sea – 4:10
9 – Maybe This Is Love – 4:36

Credits:
Lyrics By – John Hartley
Music By, Lyrics By – Phil Baggaley
Performer – Chris Eaton, David Fitzgerald, John Hartley, Julie Moon, Karlos Edwards, Les Moir, Luke Tunney, Mal Pope, Mathias Kaufmann, Mike Newbon, Neil Costello, Pete Thoms, Phil Baggaley, Phil Johnson
Producer – Chris Eaton, Les Moir
Recorded By, Mixed By – Neil Costello