Tag: 1988

Whitecross – Hammer & Nail – 1988

More metal, more hair in this 1988 release from Whitecross.

Hammer & Nail is their third album, still with “Pure Metal Records” (and other distributions in Europe). The name says it all.

The sound on this one is almost Queensryche, which is a little different than their earlier work.

The guitar work still shines on this album, with solid rhythm work and plenty of good lead guitar licks to keep the songs moving. It never gets boring, even though they really drive out the anthem choruses on songs like “When The Walls Tumble Down” and “Because of Jesus.”

The title track “The Hammer And The Nail” starts out with a good long guitar solo intro and plenty more of those flourishes that make the song fun to listen to.

The song “Walk With Me” is another ballad offering like we’ve been used to getting from the WC boys. That soft vocal sound is a little surprising to find among all the hard rock on this album, but the song sustains energy and still fits on the album.

Intersting note, the album title is not on the cover, just a picture of a hammer and a nail. The edge of the jacket and all the official release info though confirms the name is official.

Track Listing:
1 – Living On The Edge – 5:11
2 – When The Walls Tumble Down – 3:32
3 – The Hammer And The Nail – 1:35
4 – Take It To The Limit – 4:09
5 – Walk With Me – 4:44
6 – Because Of Jesus – 3:40
7 – When The Clock Strikes – 4:34
8 – Resist Him – 4:20
9 – Living In A Lost World – 3:51
10 – Top Of The World – 3:33

Credits
Band [Whitecross Is], Bass – Jon Sproule
Band [Whitecross Is], Drums – Mark Hedl
Band [Whitecross Is], Guitar [Guitars] – Rex Carroll
Band [Whitecross Is], Lead Vocals – Scott Wenzel
Cover, Art Direction, Design – Jeff Spencer
Engineer – Doug Oberkircher
Engineer [Assisted By] – Dan Rudin, Vince Micko
Executive-Producer – Gavin Morkel
Photography By [Band Photography] – Bill Bilsley
Photography By [Cover Photography] – Kevin Bubbenmoyer
Producer [Produced By] – Joey Powers, Rex Carroll

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Star Song
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Star Song
Record Company – Star Song Communications
Recorded At – Grand Slam Studios
Recorded At – Opus Recording Studio
Manufactured By – EMI Jax
Published By – Girder Music

Geoff Moore and The Distance – A Place To Stand – 1988

After 3 successful solo albums this was Geoff’s first album as Geoff Moore + The Distance. The album was produced by Billy Smiley from White Heart. You can feel Billy’s influence on the album but with Geoff’s raspy voice and Dale Oliver rock guitar style it’s not just a White Heart wanna be album. Instead it’s a solid Rock / Pop effort. I was hooked on the album after the first listen. Go To The Moon stands out to me as the best Rock & Roll track.

Tracklist
1 – A Place To Stand – 4:53
2 – Go To The Moon – 4:11
3 – Heart And Soul – 4:29
4 – Outsiders – 4:34
5 – On A Night Like This – 3:54
6 – I Come Out Fighting – 4:03
7 – Tender Hearts – 4:53
8 – Calling Londontown – 4:35
9 – You’ve Heard It Before – 4:04
10 – One Of Us – 4:17

Credits
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Backing Vocals – Chris Rodriguez, Dave Mullen, Geoff Moore, Rick Florian
Band [The Distance Is:], Bass – Arlin Troyer
Band [The Distance Is:], Drums – Lang Bliss
Band [The Distance Is:], Guitar – Dale Oliver
Band [The Distance Is:], Keyboards – Tom Reynolds
Design – 5 Penguins Design, Inc.
Engineer [Assistant] – Billy Whittington, Lang Bliss, Scott Davis
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Billy Smiley, David Schober
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Producer – Billy Smiley
Recorded By – David Schober
Recorded By [Additional] – Bill Deaton, Brent King
Vocals – Geoff Moore

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – The Sparrow Corporation
Copyright (c) – The Sparrow Corporation
Recorded At – OmniSound Studios
Recorded At – Downstage Studio
Recorded At – Center Stage Studio
Mixed At – Center Stage Studio
Mastered At – Future Disc
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.
Published By – Birdwing Music
Published By – Martin Noyes Publishing
Published By – Screen Gems-EMI Music Publishing
Published By – Undone Tunes
Published By – Sparrow Song
Published By – New Wings Music
Published By – Greg Nelson Music

Various – Underground Metal 1 – 1988

Regency Records released this Metal sampler in 1988. It featured some lesser known Metal artists of the time. Most of the songs were available on the artists respective albums. However the Chosen Stranger song is unreleased. The Torn Flesh song was only available on a difficult to find demo. The Paragon track was only released on the Paragon Just Believe Demo. The Mercy Rule track is unreleased. If you are a Metal fan of the time this is an important album due to these tracks.

Tracklist
1 – Bjorn Stiggson – Come On – 5:28
2 – Armada – But It’s Only Rock And Roll – 3:42
3 – Chosen Stranger – So Glad – 4:33
4 – Paradox – Ruler 3:28
5 – Torn Flesh – No Surfin’ In Hell – 4:18
6 – Watchmen – Fear No Evil – 4:55
7 – Chariot – Step Into The Light – 3:34
8 – Paragon – Why Are There So Many Sinners – 5:24
9 – Mercy Rule – Cities Are Burning – 4:04

Originating Album
Bjorn Stiggson – Come On – (Together With Friends)
Armada – But It’s Only Rock And Roll (Frontline)
Chosen Stranger – So Glad (Unreleased)
Paradox – Ruler (Paradox – Ruler)
Torn Flesh – No Surfin’ In Hell (Love Kills Demo)
Watchmen – Fear No Evil (Fear No Evil)
Chariot – Step Into The Light (Step Into Light)
Paragon – Why Are There So Many Sinners (Just Believe Demo)
Mercy Rule – Cities Are Burning (Unreleased)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Regency Records
Copyright (c) – Regency Records
Mastered At – Capitol Mastering

Credits
Executive-Producer – David Malme, John Moore
Illustration – Greg Zook

Various – The ’50s in the ’80s – 1988

This is a very rare release from Dayspring Records and as far as I can tell it only came out on cassette. It is basically a collection of various artists that had a 50’s sounding track. Some of the choices are kind of a stretch but it works out pretty good for the main part. Most of the tracks we’ve heard on their original albums but their are a few tracks which while not exclusive to this album, are relatively unknown. The 2 stand out tracks are Kenny Marks – Bon Appetit, and Carman – Spirit-filled Pizza.

Tracklist
01 – New Song – Say Yes
02 – Dion – You Need A Love
03 – The Sharrets – Smile
04 – Randy Stonehill – American Fast Food
05 – Solveigl – My Starlight
06 – Daniel Winans & The Second Half – The American Way
07 – Kenny Marks – Bon Appetit
08 – Allies – It’s Never Easy
09 – Dion – Another Saturday Night In Heaven
10 – The Latinos – The Party’s Over
11 – Carman – Spirit-filled Pizza
12 – Randy Stonehill – Modern Myth 2

Alliance – Answer Beyond The Pieces – 1988

Alliance are an unsigned band from South Carolina. Their sound has a great Rock feel with some tracks leaning New Wave and others Heavy Metal.

Ironically there is a song called “Journey’s End” in which I can hear a bit of Journey. Originally formed in 1980 as NEW HORIZONS BAND by Tony Feliciano & Lonnie Smith the name was changed to STAIRWAY in 1981 and then to EXODUS in 1982.

They changed name for final time in 1986 to ALLIANCE. From 1981 to 1989 they performed in churches, coffeehouses, prisons, colleges, high schools, military bases, campgrounds, public parks, city auditoriums, sports arenas, and outdoor festivals throughout the American southeast.

This band really should have been signed and I urge you to listen to this album, you’ll probably be glad you did.

Track Listing:
1 – Eye Contact – 4:37
2 – Answers – 3:14
3 – Journey’s End – 4:23
4 – Great Expectations – 4:26
5 – Hope of The Ages – 4:30
6 – Breakaway – 2:59
7 – Just Say No – 3:06
8 – Bridges – 4:16
9 – Genesis – 3:47
10 – World’s Apart – 6:15

Credits:
Lonnie Smith – vocals & keyboards
Tony Feliciano – guitars
Tracy Hollingsworth – drums
Mark Poole – bass
Frank Ward – chief sound tech
Dave Sneath – chief lighting tech

Bride – Live To Die – 1988

This is the 2nd album from Bride and is generally thought of as their best album. It has a more polished production sound which is typical of a bands second album.

There is a touch of trash / speed metal on this album but for the main part is standard heavy metal. The track Hell No is generally known as the album single.

Track Listing:
1 – Metal Might – 3:33
2 – Hell No – 3:50
3 – In The Dark – 4:08
4 – Out For Blood – 2:56
5 – Live To Die – 2:52
6 – Fire And Brimstone – 4:25
7 – Whiskey Seed – 3:39
8 – Here Comes The Bride – 2:26
9 – Heroes – 7:10

Credits:
Bass – Frank Partipilo
Design, Layout – Jeff Spencer
Drums – Stephan Rolland
Executive Producer – Gavin Morkel
Guitar – Steve Osborne, Troy Thompson
Producer, Engineer – John Petri
Vocals – Dale Thompson

Steve Camp – Justice – 1988

This is the 10th release from Steve Camp and by this point in his career Camp had music mastered.

The quality of this album is excellent and the song writing spot on. While he is usually classed as easy listening I would argue this album really isn’t. I found it to be upbeat and edgier than previous releases.

The highlight of the album for me is Camp’s cover of the Larry Norman song “Great American Novel”. He covers it with a Springsteen feel that is perfect for the song. All in all a great release in my opinion.

Track Listing:
1 – Justice – 4:35
2 – Playing Marbles With Diamonds – 5:03
3 – Don’t Tell Them Jesus Loves Them – 5:19
4 – Living Dangerously In The Hands Of God – 5:04
5 – Do You Feel Their Pain? – 6:18
6 – Hell Is Burning While The Church Sleeps – 4:28
7 – Great American Novel – 4:57
8 – Servants Without Scars – 4:04
9 – Love That Will Not Let You Go – 5:09
10 – I Believe In You – 4:25

Credits:
Art Direction – Barbara Catanzaro-Hearn
Artwork By, Design – Peter Nomura
Engineer [Assistant] – Carry Summers, Howard Steel*, Kevin Twit, Wade Jennings
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Bill Schnee (tracks: A1, A3, A5, B4), David Schober (tracks: B1, B3), Jeff Balding (tracks: A2, A4, B2, B5)
Photography By [Collage] – Mark Tucker (7)
Photography By [Portrait] – Victoria Pearson (2)
Producer, Arranged By – Steve Camp
Recorded By – David Schober

Barren Cross – Atomic Arena – 1988

This is the second album from Christian metal band Barren Cross.

It is much like the first album but has been produced to a more radio friendly level. In fact the production is much better than the previous album which actually had fairly good production on its own.

Both albums were produced by the Elefante brothers who never really go wrong on any album.

Track Listing:
1 – Imaginary Music – 4:26
2 – Killers Of The Unborn – 3:28
3 – In The Eye Of The Fire – 4:57
4 – Terrorist Child – 3:30
5 – Close To The Edge – 4:55
6 – Dead Lock – 4:18
7 – Cultic Regimes – 2:48
8 – Heaven Or Nothing – 4:10
9 – King Of Kings – 3:30
10 – Living Dead – 6:50

Credits:
Art Direction – Marco Registrada
Artwork By [Album Cover Painting] – Steve Huston
Bass Guitar, Synthesizer [Taurus Synthesizer Pedals], Backing Vocals – Jim LaVerde
Concept By [Album Cover] – Ray Parris
Drums, Backing Vocals – Steve Whitaker
Engineer – Dino Elefante, Mike Mierau
Keyboards – John Elefante
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Mike Lee
Other [Costumes] – Sharon Shubin
Other [Hair And Makeup Artist] – Lisa Lee
Photography By [Additional Live Shots] – Rebecca May, Renee Parris
Photography By [Inside Photos] – ‘Nar’ Of Limelight
Producer – Dino Elefante, John Elefante
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Ray Parris
Vocals [Additional] – Dino Elefante, John Elefante

Steve Taylor – The Lost Demos Bootleg – 1988

Today’s offering is The Lost Demos, a bootleg of twelve classic Steve Taylor tunes. No-one’s sure where it came from, but I’m glad it surfaced.

I suggest listening to the demos back to-back with the officially-released versions. Listen for slight (or drastic) lyric variations, changes in instrumentation and tempo, and even differences in vocal delivery. Beyond the expected demo-to-pressing upticks in performance and production quality, some songs have a noticeably different feel.

Of particular note:

Hero – Compared to the Meltdown version, this is almost lullaby-like. The bell-like 80’s synth would become a harsher 80’s synth; the driving bass riffs aren’t here; and in the bridge, the ascending chord progression maintains the lighter, ‘major’ mood.

Bouquet – Starting out almost folks-y, it slides into 80’s elevator music territory – far more mellow than the officially released track (which ST has said he doesn’t much like, preferring Sixpence None The Richer’s acoustic version on the I Predict A Clone tribute album). Numerous lyric changes for this emotional story.

Whatever Happened To Sin – A faster tempo, and more lyric changes. The official version was controversial, but here we see that Steve had actually toned it down a bit.

Jenny – As with Hero, this has a different mood from the Meltdown version; slightly faster, more acoustic guitar – a lighter backing for a heavy lyric.

Lead Me – Written for the musical “Dreamer: What Really Happened To Joseph”. As far as I can tell, this version seems to have been released only on the album Jeremiah People: The Reunion.
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Track Listing:
1 – I Want To Be A Clone – 2:40
2 – Written Guarantee – 2:44
3 – Steeplechase – 1:44
4 – Hero – 3:30
5 – Sin For A Season – 3:41
6 – Bad Rap (Who You Tryin’ To Kid, Kid?) – 2:57
7 – Whatcha Gonna Do When Your Number’s Up? – 4:07
8 – Guilty By Association – 3:27
9 – Bouquet – 3:04
10 – Whatever Happened To Sin? – 3:00
11 – Jenny – 3:48
12 – Lead Me – 2:45

The Holidays – Everything Is New – 1988

It is very difficult to find much information on this band and album. I do know that this is the first of 2 albums (there is a demo floating around too) the band put out.

I do know that 2 members went on to form a band called The Glimmer Stars but can’t find any info on them either. Though I have no info I will say is that this is a great album.

If you’re looking for CCM music with a new wave sound these guys are for you.

Track Listing:
1 – True Love
2 – Little Love
3 – This Night
4 – American Dream
5 – Grace on Grace
6 – Salvation
7 – Better Than Before
8 – Maybe Someday
9 – Breakaway
10 – I’m Just Another Boy
11 – Everything Is Now