Tag: 1988

Eric Champion – Win – 1988

So let’s start out with a little history on Eric. Eric’s mom and dad are Carol and Bob Champion. They were actually a musical family and Bob and Carol had several albums in different groups. Most of will not have heard them unless perhaps our parents had some of their albums. This is Eric’s first solo album but he did have an album with his parents and sister called “The Champion Family”. His sister actually appears on this album as a duet on “Friends Forever”. Eric recorded this album at the age of 18 with the help of his mom and dad and I’ll say this straight up. They knew what they were doing. This is one of the best self released albums I have ever heard. When I say best it’s not just the music it’s the whole package. The album is very well produced though a little heavy on the compression but that wasn’t unusual for albums that were only being released on cassette. The album cover is perfect. It has a great pic of Eric which is exactly what you want on an introductory album. Eric’s parents knew what they were doing. As for the album it’s a great synth pop album. It’s a little shallow in spots but that’s to be expected at the age Eric was. If you Like Eric there’s a chance you have missed this album due to it’s limited distribution so you should give it a listen.

Tracklist
1 – The Winning Side – 4:32
2 – House Of Love – 4:57
3 – I Wanna Be There – 3:46
4 – Hold On – 3:08
5 – Open Arms – 4:06
6 – Above It All – 4:14
7 – Friends Forever – 4:29
8 – Not Gonna Give In – 3:16
9 – I Found You – 4:28
10 – You’re A Winner – 3:33

The Cry – What it Means to Be – 1988

To say there is very little info on this release on the internet is putting it mildly. But for the gang over at Christian Tape Underground – (https://christiantapeunderground.wordpress.com/2019/04/13/the-cry-what-it-means-to-be/) I would know nothing about these guys. I discovered them as they were on Doug Van Pelt infamous sampler Cool Tunes. They were also on another infamous sampler, Light From The Underground Volume 1. I can’t find that anyone in the band went on to work on any other project except for lead vocalist Chris Wright who went on to do an album with secular band King Friday. Okay, let’s get onto the album. The album has obvious U2 and The Alarm influences and wow did they nail it. This is easily one of the best Demos I have heard lately. I would have loved to have seen these guys back in the day. CTU say he had a chance to see them in Austin TX which immediately caused much jealousy from me. I like the whole demo, but without a doubt, my favourite track is the lead track “There Is One”. I added this to my regular rotation before I even finished the first listen through. Yes, it’s that good. If you’re a fan of the U2/The Alarm sound you absolutely have to hear this one!!!!!

Tracklist
1 – There Is One – 3:32
2 – Just One Way – 3:18
3 – Distant Change – 4:59
4 – Greater Love – 4:09
5 – Walk Away – 3:35
6 – What It Means To Be – 5:30

Credits
Bass, Vocals – Melvyn Goveas
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Jim Echels
Keyboards, Vocals – Andy Koehl
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica – Chris Wright
Guitar solo Track 3 – Steve Becker

Sentry – Breakin’ Free – 1988

If you aren’t from the Massachusetts area you may not have heard of these guys but if you were around in the late 80’s in that area you knew these guys and probably loved them. Sentry we’re an Arena Rock band from Quincy, Massachusetts that got together in the early 80’s. The original members were Dave McCreary on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Knepper on bass, Tim Knepper on keys, and Tim Jenkins on drums. In 1985 Jeff Stewart, replaced Tim Jenkins on drums. The band played the live scene up and down the east coast and that arena rock sound sold well in nightclubs of the era. This is the first of 2 demo’s for them. It represents their sound very well and is well mixed and produced though held back a bit by the quality of the cassettes. It was re-released in 2026 as part of a band anthology thanks to Roxx Records and can be purchased on their website; https://roxxrecords.com/

Tracklist
1 – Shout The Word – 4:45
2 – Real Love – 4:37
3 – To Go My Own Way – 5:20
4 – Shattered Lives – 4:17

Credits
Bass – Steve Knepper
Drums, Backing Vocals – Jeffrey Stewart
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Dave McCreary
Keyboards – Tim Knepper

Mortal Wish – Wish Fifteen – 1988

This is one of the early of many many demos from Mortal Wish who would become Mortal as we know them now. Many of these demo’s have the same tracks but with different mixes. Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan were serial recorders and cataloged the bands work over the years. This demo is more new wave than the industrial sound we would be used to hearing from them. This album has more a The Cure sound and I absolutely love it. In fact I far prefer this sound than their sound as Mortal. Now in fairness the new wave sound was getting pretty well played out by the time of their first Mortal album in 1992 so the decision to lean industrial metal was a good decision. But for me I love this sound and there’s not a bad track on this demo for me.

Tracklist
1 – Communion – 6:54
2 – Little-Mis-Obvious – 5:31
3 – Wish 15 (Secret Mix) – 5:16
4 – Somewhere Summer – 5:12
5 – Your Heart – 3:47
6 – Paper Plane – 5:15

Credits
Jerome Fontamillas
Jyro Xhan
Ray Tongpo
Wilson Peralta

Craig Ginn – Look Beyond – 1988

This is one of the best CCM pop albums I’ve ever heard but I can almost guarantee you’ve never heard it. Let’s start out with a bit of background. Craig Ginn was born in Churchill MB but his music career started in Winnipeg MB. The original Craig Ginn Band started in the mid 80’s with Craig’s wife, Carla, Paul Kutcher, and Sam Kennedy. They were well known in the Winnipeg Christian scene playing coffee houses, youth conventions, and church events. People from Winnipeg will probably remember them appearing frequently at The Heartline Cafe, a coffee house in the basement at Fort Garry MB church.

This version of the band however never recorded in the studio. This version came to an end when Craig moved to Alberta but this wasn’t the end of Craig’s music. I don’t know the backstory but Craig ended up in the studio with producer Roy Salmond at the same time as he was recording albums for Connie Scott and Hope Sterling, both of whom make appearances on this album. Paul from the original band also makes an appearance as well as Craig’s wife of course. From that studio appearance came this album. I do not know how many of these were recorded or distributed but other than this copy I have never heard or seen one and there is no mention of this album anywhere on the entire internet. We added it to Discogs so at least it’s there now. I do know that the lead track made it onto a sampler released by a local radio station in Edmonton AB. The album is very very good and I’m a bit baffled how this couldn’t find a label release. It is pop oriented but Craig’s vocals are fantastic and distinctive enough that I would have thought some record company would have jumped on this especially with Roy Salmond producing it. Unfortunately it didn’t so no one ever heard it. Craig did record a second Christian album which we have but I don’t have a date or any info on that album. Craig continues to make music today. He has two albums that concentrate on his indigenous background and education of indigenous issues through music.

Tracklist
1 – Easily Manipulated
2 – His Promise
3 – It Takes Heart
4 – Is There Someone?
5 – Soothe The Wounds
6 – Never Say It
7 – Real Time
8 – Everything I’ve Got
9 – Restore Me
10 – This Need
11 – Help Me See Through Your Eyes
12 – My Jesus I Love Thee

Credits
Acoustic Guitar, Programmed By, Keyboards, Sequenced By, Backing Vocals, Producer – Roy Salmond
Backing Vocals – Carla Ginn, Cecile Laroche, Connie Scott, Donny Hackett, Hope Sterling, Joani Bye, Paul Kutcher, Pete Wistoff
Bass Guitar – Brian Newcombe, Rene Worst
Drums – Daryl Bennett, Jerry Adolphe
Flugelhorn, Lead Vocals – Craig Ginn
Guitar – Brett Wade, Carl Strempler, Harris Van Berkel
Guitar, Classical Guitar – Dane DeViller
Piano – Dave Pickell
Recorded By, Mixed By – Gary Tole
Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Dave Slagter
Saxophone – Ian Putz

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Inside Trax Studio
Mixed At – Inside Trax Studio
Produced At – Whitewater Productions, Vancouver, BC

Youth Alive – Totally Radical Live Worship – 1988

Youth alive is actually Youth Alive NSW out of Australia. It is an organization formed in 1986 to minister to kids and this is a recording of one of their concerts. The organization is still active today and is still ministering to kids across Australia, a cause I love. So we have a fun little live concert here. Don’t expect anything rising to Dove awards level but it’s a fun album and the band is tight. No one in the band had a stand out name for me other than John Waller from Avion on drums. Was great to see him involved with the group. A few other members appeared on Hillsong albums. Anyway a simple but fun live album that I enjoyed listening to.

Tracklist
1 – God Didn’t Give Me A Spirit Of Fear
2 – The Gates Of Hell Shall Not Prevail
3 – King Of Kings
4 – God Has Not Given Us
5 – Rise Up
6 – Speaking [Pat Mesiti]
7 – I Delight In The Lord
8 – Holy Holy Holy Lord (Hosanna)
9 – Open Worship [Spontaneous]
10 – The Spirit Is Falling
11 – Speaking
12 – Blessed Be The Lord My Rock
13 – He’s My Roof Top
14 – We Will Not Bow To The World
15 – Jesus Is The Rock (And He Rolls My Blues Away)
16 – This Joy That I Have
17 – Amen
18 – Youth Alive

Credits
Artwork – Damien Lange
Bass – Ian Fisher
Brass – Cathy Byrne, Paul Stiles, Ray Price
Coordinator – Jonathon De Jong, Peter Laughton
Drums – John Waller
Engineer [Concert Sound] – John McConnell
Guitar – Chris Falson
Keyboards – Brian Shirtliffe
MC [Worship Enthusiast] – Pat Mesiti
Percussion – Peter Kelly
Producer, Piano – Geoff Bullock
Recorded By – Wyn Wynyard
Vocals – Chris McKinnon, David Reidy, Gerard Keehan, Lucy Fisher, Ruth Grant

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Refuge Music Group
Distributed By – Spectra Distribution
Mixed At – Albert Studios
Recorded At – Hordern Pavilion

Al Denson – The Battle Is On – 1988

This is Al Denton’s second album and was self released on his own label same as he did for his first. This album however is as good as anything else available at the time. What I mean is that this album is one of the best self released albums I have ever heard. The material is fantastic, the studio work is excellent, and the production is top notch. The album was produced by Paul Mills and Kemper Crabb and you can hear their talents. I have no idea who was in the studio other than Jerry McPherson but this was a great team of musicians. The albums leans more to light rock but I will say that “This Ice” is headed into my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Nothing Can Separate Us
2 – Thin Ice
3 – As You Are
4 – The Battle Is On
5 – Two Wrongs Tonight
6 – Do The Same
7 – We Can Make A Difference
8 – Cut To The Heart
9 – Burning Bridges
10 – In His Sanctuary

Shirley Caesar – Live … In Chicago – 1988

This may be one of the best Soul Gospel albums of the 80’s. As I have said before I didn’t listen to this style of music in the 80’s which is a real pity. I know I would have loved this album. Now to be clear Pastor Shirley is the star of this album but special praise should go out to Joe Neil. Joe did the primary mix for the concert and final mix for the album. You may have heard of Sam’s Tape Truck which was used for recording live concerts and Joe was responsible for Sam’s Tape Truck. The mix for a live concert is not the same mix that usually makes it onto an album. While I never heard the concert mix I can tell that Joe laid down a fantastic mix for the album. I would argue that this is one of the best mixed live albums I have heard. Anyway let’s talk about the album. This album was one of the top Soul gospel albums of the time. It made it to #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums charts and the single “Hold My Mule” made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart. It won the Dove award for Traditional Black Gospel Recorded Song of the Year and was nominated for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female. As it stands today this is my favourite Live Soul album and I suspect it’ll be there for quite awhile.

Tracklist
1 – Never – 7:16
2 – His Blood – 6:16
3 – Feel The Spirit – 4:31
4 – Things Are Going To Get Better – 4:32
5 – Hold My Mule – 8:41
6 – Born Again – 5:02
7 – Yes Lord, Yes – 3:54
8 – Peace In The Midst Of The Storm – 4:51

Credits
Al Willis – Guitar
Albertina Walker – Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist
Ann Caesar-Price – Vocals (Background)
Bubba Smith – Agogo, Anvil, Bells, Producer, Tambourine
Darius Brooks – Composer, Piano, Synthesizer
Denis Solee – Sax (Tenor)
Doug Moffet – Sax (Baritone)
Hank Williams – Mastering
Jay Rabbitt – Engineer
Jim Whitmer – Photography
Joe Neil – Engineer, Mixing
Kevin Brunson – Drums
Larry Goode – Engineer
Lloyd Barry – Horn Arrangements, Trumpet
Loris Holland – Composer
Lynn Keesecker – Composer, Executive Producer
Michael E. Mathis – Composer, Organ, Piano, Vocals (Background)
Mike Haynes – Trumpet
Oliver Wells – Synthesizer
Pastor Donald Alford – Composer
Rev. Milton Brunson – Guest Artist
Richard Gibbs – Organ, Piano
Robert Butler – Executive Producer
Sam Levine – Sax (Baritone)
Sanchez Harley – Horn Arrangements
Shirley Caesar – Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals
Steve Adams – Composer
Steve Huff – Bass
Tyrone Block – Vocals (Background)

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – A&M Records, Inc.
Distributed By – A&M Records, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church
Published By – Simply Darius, Word Music, Snowfox Music, Jamdo Jamdo Music, Lors-chez Music, Don-Glo Music, Manna Music, Inc., Steve Adams Music
Mixed At – Doppler Studios
Mastered At – Master Mix
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Pressed By – Electrosound Group Midwest, Inc.
Recorded By – Sam’s Tape Truck

Marcos Witt – Adoremos! – 1988

People still don’t seem to know how big the Spanish Christian music scene was in the 80’s. So many great artists are completely unknown to us because these albums were rarely marketed in the U.S. This album however was released in the U.S. so we decided to feature it for our Spanish friends. Marcus Witt is probably the busiest Spanish CCM artist of all time. He actually has 45 studio albums and almost all of them have distribution so this isn’t a bunch of self released stuff. This was probably his best selling album of the 80’s so it’s the one we chose to feature. The album itself is great. It has a great 80’s Pop feel and the mix is dead on. I only understand a few words here and there but I do like what I’m hearing. We may feature more of his albums in the future if you guys like this one.

Tracklist
1 – Tengo La Victoria – 4:14
2 – Un Adorador – 4:16
3 – Tu Misericordia – 4:42
4 – Libertad – 4:44
5 – Te Amo – 6:09
6 – Resucitó – 5:04
7 – Mira – 4:19
8 – Yo Soy – 5:50
9 – Adoremos – 4:15
10 – Hoy – 5:07

Credits
Arranged By, Piano, Drums, Bass, Keyboards – David Bell
Backing Vocals – Beatriz Olmos, Christina Garcia, Felipe Witt, Ivonne Murillo, Josefina Rivera, Lorena Warren, Mona Lisa Zeriuche, Nolita Warren
Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By – Byron Spears
Guitar – Alan Richards, Byron Spears
Mixed By – David Bell
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By, Arranged By, Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Effects – César E. Garza
Producer, Mixed By, Backing Vocals, Vocals, Arranged By, Keyboards, Piano, Violin – Marcos Witt
Saxophone – Ricardo Revelez

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CanZion Producciones
Copyright © – CanZion Producciones
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word Communications Ltd.
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Pressed By – U.S. Optical Disc
Recorded At – Kingdom Productions, San Antonio, Tx

Tata Vega – Time’s So Right – 1988

Tata Vega was a very successful secular artist with several albums as well as a great stage career. Her career slowed in the early 80’s but she returned in 1988 with this European release. This is a fantastic album and I can not fathom how this album didn’t get a North American release. I mean she is a far better vocalist than many of the CCM darlings of the period but we all know CCM music and female artists had difficulties. I know she had some interaction with Myrrh records as she had a song on the 1987 “Voices” sampler but I guess they couldn’t close a record deal. That sampler is how I actually found out about her and subsequently found this album which was released on small Swedish label that I am developing a strong respect for. They seemed to buck the trends of the time with some real quality signings. While a lot of her secular work had more of a soul feel this album is a straight up Pop album with the exception of a rather spectacular cover of James Brown’s “This Is A Man’s Man’s World” The album is a must own for that track alone. So this album falls in that category of a fantastic album you never heard because it never had a North American release. Do yourself a favour and listen to it now. If you feel the need to buy it get the CD as it has a bonus track.

Tracklist
1 – Maybe Tonight – 4:06
2 – Never Let Die – 4:20
3 – Your Love Is Live – 4:19
4 – Ain’t No Such Thing As In Between – 3:36
5 – Just Walk On In – 4:00
6 – It’s A Jungle Out There – 4:48
7 – Living In Paradise – 4:17
8 – Touch Somebody – 4:45
9 – This Is A Man’s Man’s World – 4:10
10 – Jesus Is The Rock Of My Salvation – 2:06
11 – Don’t Turn Away – 5:09

Credits
Executive-Producer – Jeffrey Vander Plate*, Tata Vega
Mixed By – Galen Senogles
Producer – Andrae Crouch, Bill Maxwell, Frank Ådahl, Galen Senogles, Jeff Vander Plate, Lars Kilevold, Ralph Benatar, Tata Vega

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Royal Music Productions
Copyright © – Royal Music Productions
Recorded At – Royal Music Studio
Recorded At – Sheika Studios
Distributed By – Word Entertainment (UK), Ltd.