Tag: Daniel Amos

Daniel Amos – Motorcycle – 1993

This is the tenth studio album by Daniel Amos and the first one in awhile where they used their full name vs just DA. It also marked the return of longtime guitarist Jerry Chamberlain. This was their second album on the Brainstorm Artists International label which was owned by Gene Eugene and Ojo Taylor. Eugene was also invlved in the engineering of the album. The album was dedicated to Mark Heard though I don’t really feel that any of the songs were written with his passing in mind. The sound of this album was a bit of a step back for the band and a pleasant surprise for their longtime fans. I was reading a review of the album today that called the sound “neo-psychedelia” which made me kind of laugh. By the way if you want a good laugh look up the definition of neo-psychedelia on Wikipedia, it’s hilarious. Anyway here’s a Daniel Amos album with them doing Daniel Amos music with a Daniel Amos sound. Now it’s time for my pet peeve of this album. It is obvious that this album was recorded and engineered for vinyl. Most the songs run together and overlap. While this is fine on vinyl (though I dislike it) it does not work on a CD and I can’t find anywhere that this album was released on vinyl, just cassette and CD. The result is a CD that is choppy and just a nightmare to listen to. I have recreated the tracks here as they are on the CD. I believe this is where the band shows their age and while they were always willing to do do something new and different with their music they unfortunately did not have a good grasp on the changing technology of the industry.

Tracklist
1 – Banquet At The World’s End – 3:47
2 – Traps, Ensnares – 3:49
3 – Hole In The World – 5:33
4 – (What’s Come) Over Me – 3:48
5 – Buffalo Hills – 4:24
6 – Guilty – 4:35
7 – Motorcycle – 3:33
8 – Wonderful – 2:17
9 – So Long – 0:57
10 – My Frontier – 3:48
11 – Grace Is The Smell Of Rain – 4:01
12 – Noelle – 2:44
13 – Wise Acres – 2:15
14 – So Long Again – 2:54

Credits
Arranged By – Daniel Amos
Art Direction, Design – Ed McTaggart
Backing Vocals [Arranged & Performed By] – Jerry Chamberlain, Sharon McCall, Terry Taylor
Bass Guitar – Tim Chandler
Design Concept [Cover] – Bruce Heavin, Jerry Chamberlain, Terry Taylor
Drums, Percussion – Ed McTaggart, Steve Hindalong (tracks: 2)
Engineer [Addtional] – Bob Moon, Chris Colbert, Dave Hackbarth
Engineer [Engineered By] – G. Eugene
Illustration – Bruce Heavin
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Greg Flesch
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Sitar [Electric], Lap Steel Guitar, Percussion – Jerry Chamberlain
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harmonica – Terry Taylor
Mastered By – Doug Doyle
Piano – G. Eugene* (tracks: On “…now For The Cliffhanger…”)
Producer [Produced By] – Daniel Amos, Jerry Chamberlain, Terry Taylor
Synthesizer [Melotron], Organ [Hammond], Piano – Rob Watson
Trumpet – Buckeye Jazzbo (tracks: 2)

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Brainstorm Artists International
Copyright (c) – Brainstorm Artists International
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Produced For – Stunt Productions
Recorded At – The Golden Recording Room
Recorded At – Neverland
Recorded At – McCrum’s
Recorded At – Wax Lips
Mixed At – The Golden Recording Room
Mastered At – Digital Brothers
Published By – Twitchen Vibes Music
Published By – Brainstorm Artists International
Published By – Young And Ambitious Music
Manufactured By – JVC

DA (Daniel Amos) – Darn Floor – Big Bite – 1987

The famous gorilla Koko was trained to speak in sign language on a limited basis, After experiencing an earthquake the gorilla signed the words, “Darn Floor – Big Bite” to describe the incident. The gorilla’s limited expressions and inability to fully communicate the response is compared to man’s inability to express the wonders of God and the way life is lived with its many facets and expressions on one of Daniel Amos’ most constantly impressive albums of the same name. After finally completing the four album tour de force known as the “Alarma Chronicles,” (on four separate labels mind you), the band released its second album for Frontline Records. Now without keyboardist Rob Watson and featuring an increase involvement of the ever impressive Greg Flesch, the album was less atmospheric and surreal and more earthy and rock driven. It is a brilliant, rather accessible and stunning album that would remain one of the least successful projects in the band’s history. (Well, they did use the word “darn” in the title, so what did they expect?) I almost dread reviewing anything Terry Taylor does, especially what is found under the moniker Daniel Amos for fear of fans decrying a lack of understanding on my part as to what the band and Terry were attempting to create. Quite frankly a quick perusing of Daniel Amos websites and chat boards reveal that the only acceptable Christian Music Top 10 would look something like this:

  1. Alarma – Daniel Amos
  2. Horrendous Disc – Daniel Amos
  3. Mr. Beuchner’s dream – Daniel Amos
  4. Outdoor Elvis – The Swirling Eddies
  5. Bibleland – Daniel Amos
  6. A Briefing for the Ascent – Terry Taylor
  7. Shotgun Angel – Daniel Amos
  8. Doppelganger – Daniel Amos
  9. Let’s Spin – The Swirling Eddies
  10. Fearful Symmetry – Daniel Amos

and so on… There is no fan base in Christian music that comes anywhere close to the passion and obsession that accompanies the fans of this amazing band. Myopic and intolerant of dissent, they know more about every little release Taylor and Co. have even been involved with and to speak with any authority on the subject without prior approval and the express written consent of Major League baseball is strictly prohibited. So, walk softly and carry a very approving stick! The other problem is that, quite often, I have no idea what a song may be about. Taylor may be one of the best read songwriters in CCM (or anywhere for that matter) and his references to obscure writers and events can leave a puzzled look on many a face. That’s not a Taylor problem, but rather a listener problem; but it also can cause some severe confusion on the listener’s part. But despite the limited success of the album and it, sometimes, obscure content, it remains one of the best of the band’s career and has a cool freshness even as I listen over and over to it in writing this review.

Contributor David Lowman – https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/

Tracklist
1 – Return Of The Beat Menace – 2:56
2 – Strange Animals – 3:11
3 – Darn Floor – Big Bite – 4:22
4 – Earth Household – 3:49
5 – Safety Net – 3:28
6 – Pictures Of The Gone World – 2:47
7 – Divine Instant – 3:51
8 – Half Light, Epoch, And Phase – 4:15
9 – The Unattainable Earth – 3:42
10 – The Shape Of Air – 3:25

Credits
Backing Vocals – Gene Eugene (tracks: B5), Jeff Crandall (tracks: B5), Maria Chandler (tracks: B5), Mike Stand (tracks: B5), Ric Alba (tracks: B5), Riki Michele (tracks: B5)
Bass, Backing Vocals – Tim Chandler
Co-producer – DA
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Ed McTaggart
Engineer – Doug Doyle
Lead Guitar, Panpipes [Pan Flute], Concertina [Squeeze Box] – Greg Flesch
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar – Terry Taylor
Lyrics By – Terry Taylor
Music By – Greg Flesch, Terry Taylor, Tim Chandler
Percussion – Alex MacDougall
Producer – Terry Taylor

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Frontline Records
Copyright (c) – Frontline Records
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mixed At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Published By – Broken Songs
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus, Virginia

Daniel Amos – ¡Alarma! – 1981

This record was one of the all time best things throughout my teenage years. It was radical, it was catchy, it was rock, it was new wave, it was rebellious, loud, subversive and all that.

This album is so old and so cross-genre it was released on 8-track as well as cassette and vinyl.

Plus it was great art. It was a fold-out album with a fascinating scene presented in the inner part. The front cover and the back cover had images that corresponded. They went together to make a message. It had liner notes that were a story written to go along with the songs on the album.

In 1981 I’m sure I sat and read the whole thing. Then my friend read it and after we talked about it I read it again. And then I read it again.

Now I have this beautiful piece of art and I feel guilty for not taking the time to read the whole thing right now, to complete my experience. But I’ll do that again soon, I promise, I just have a few things to do for work first…

This is Daniel Amos’ second attempt at becoming a New Wave band after releasing 2 legit California style country albums. Those were good but they were not this. Horrendous Disc was recorded years before its release, and so technically came out in the same year as ¡Alarma!

This album changed the band forever by launching them as a completely restyled product. Terry Taylor guided DA all the way through and the New Wave years were cutting edge.

Tracklist
1 – Central Theme – 3:18
2 – ¡Alarma! – 3:21
3 – Big Time/Big Deal – 3:04
4 – Props – 1:58
5 – My Room – 3:25
6 – Faces To The Window – 2:31
7 – Cloak & Dagger – 2:16
8 – Colored By – 2:58
9 – C&D Reprise – 0:43
10 – Through The Speakers – 2:42
11 – Hit Them – 2:28
12 – Baby Game – 2:43
13 – Shedding The Mortal Coil – 1:20
14 – Endless Summer – 2:52
15 – Walls Of Doubt – 3:57
16 – Ghost Of The Heart – 2:36

Credits
Artwork [Airbrushing] – Stephen Nicol Price
Band [Members Of Daniel Amos], Bass Guitar, Keyboards – Marty Dieckmeyer
Band [Members Of Daniel Amos], Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Ed McTaggart
Band [Members Of Daniel Amos], Lead Guitar [Lead Guitars], Backing Vocals – Jerry Chamberlain
Band [Members Of Daniel Amos], Rhythm Guitar [Rhythm Guitars], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Terry Taylor
Congas – Alex MacDougall (tracks: A5)
Design Concept [Cover Concept] – Daniel Amos
Engineer [Engineered By] – Thom Roy
Engineer [Live Sound], Coordinator [Road Coordination] – Wes Leathers
Graphic Design – Karen Knecht
Lead Vocals [Reluctant Lead Vocal] – Marty Dieckmeyer (tracks: A4)
Marimba – Alex MacDougall (tracks: A2)
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Percussion – Jerry Chamberlain (tracks: A5), Marty Dieckmeyer (tracks: A5)
Photography By [Photography] – Scott Lockwood
Producer [Produced By] – Daniel Amos, Thom Roy
Songwriter [All Songs Written By] – Terry Taylor (tracks: A1 to A6, A8 to B4, B7, B8)
Text By [‘Alarama Chronicles’ Book Text Written By] – Terry Taylor
Vocals [Female Vocal] – Karen Benson (tracks: B8)

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Rebel Base Productions
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Newpax Records
Copyright (c) – Newpax Records
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – Whitefield Studios
Mixed At – Whitefield Studios
Mastered At – MCA Whitney Recording Studios
Recorded At – Rebel Base Studio
Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Richmond, IN
Published By – Paragon Music Corp.

Daniel Amos – Vox Humana – 1984

In 1984, Daniel Amos released their first album firmly branded under the name DA. The name Daniel Amos never went away, but with this one they went with the abbreviation in a big way. I even had a “DA” pin that matched the triangles appearing on this album cover.

Oh yeah, pins were a big thing then. All the best punk bands had lots of them out there. It was a measure of one’s cool in some circles.

Vox Humana was originally going to be called “Vox Robotica” before its release. The band had been talking about it during development, but when they got the final work done it sounded far less electronic than what they expected, so the title was changed to Vox Humana.

This is the third record in a trilogy known as “The ¡Alarma! Chronicles.” Each of the three records ended up being on a different label. Tim Chandler joined the band on the second of these as the new bass player, and would stay on for the duration.

Despite a lot of changes, DA kept artistic direction for the trilogy. The albums before and after these three don’t carry the same sound even if they carry equal genius.

Tracklist
1 – Travelog – 4:25
2 – (It’s The Eighties So Where’s Our) Rocket Packs – 3:35
3 – Home Permanant – 3:00
4 – It’s Sick – 2:18
5 – William Blake – 4:30
6 – Dance Stop – 2:43
7 – Live And Let Live – 3:40
8 – When Worlds Collide – 4:20
9 – As The World Turns – 3:47
10 – She’s All Heart – 3:00
11 – The Incredible Shrinking Man – 2:45
12 – Sanctuary – 5:45

Credits
Arranged By – The DA Boys*, T.T.*
Art Direction, Layout, Graphics – Ed McTaggart
Artwork [“Boot” Shadow By] – Gary DeLacy
Artwork [“Foot” Art By] – Phil Yea
Backing Vocals – Rob Watson, Terry Taylor, Tim Chandler
Bass [4 & 12 String] – Tim Chandler
Co-producer – Rob Watson (tracks: A2, A3, A5, B2, B3, B4), Terry Taylor (tracks: A2, A3, A5, B2, B3, B4)
Design Concept [Album Art Concept] – Terry Taylor
Directed By – Terry Taylor
Drums – Ed McTaggart
Engineer – Doug Doyle
Engineer [Second] – Rob Watson
Keyboards – Rob Watson
Keyboards [Occassional] – Terry Taylor
Lead Guitar – Tim Chandler
Lead Vocals – Terry Taylor
Mastered By – John Matouchek*
Percussion – Ed McTaggart, Rob Watson
Photography By [Photographics And Photography] – Ken Baley, Linda Dillion Baley*
Producer – Terry Taylor (tracks: A1, A4, A6, B1, B5, B6)
Rhythm Guitar – Terry Taylor
Synthesizer – Ed McTaggart, Rob Watson, Terry Taylor, Tim Chandler

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Refuge Records
Copyright (c) – Refuge Records
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Recorded At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mixed At – 3-D Studios, Costa Mesa CA.
Mastered At – Motown Recording Studios

Daniel Amos – Live At Cornerstone 2000 – 2000

Recorded at the 2000 Cornerstone Festival Daniel Amos nailed this concert. They played over 2 hrs and this album is a reflection of that concert. It has a nice selection of their songs but it would have been nice to hear some more of their early stuff. I don’t feel the album was very well engineered but it is what it is. Again a must have for any Daniel Amos fan.

Tracklist
1 – Introduction – 1:02
2 – Ghost Of The Heart – 2:38
3 – Hell Oh – 4:04
4 – Prayer Wheel – 4:25
5 – I Didn’t Build It For Me – 2:13
6 – If You Want To – 5:24
7 – Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – 5:05
8 – Tracking The Amorous Man – 3:10
9 – Alarma – 3:27
10 – Grace Is The Smell Of Rain/Glory Road – 6:51
11 – Virgin Falls – 4:02
12 – Terry Taylor Speaks (Tattoos And Alarma Chronicles And The Band) – 3:33
13 – Walls Of Doubt – 3:49
14 – Terry Taylor Speaks (Tough Year, Death, Dad, Intimacy With Jesus – Suffering) – 5:08
15 – Broken Ladders To Glory/Zoom Daddy – 10:25
16 – The Twist/CoCo The Talking Guitar – 4:58
17 – Safety Net – 3:33
18 – Arthur Fhardi’s Yodeling Party – 3:36
19 – Theo’s Logic – 2:46
20 – Band Introductions – 0:31
21 – Big, Warm, Sweet, Interior Glowing – 4:22
22 – Big Guns – 4:03
23 – I’ll Get Over It – 6:41
24 – Sanctuary – 5:36
25 – I Love You #19 (Audience Band) – 6:37
26 – Shape Of Air – 3:56
27 – Through The Speakers – 2:54
28 – Let’s Spin – 5:10
29 – Applause – 1:18
30 – I Didn’t Build It For Me (Reprise) – 2:07
31 – Applause – 1:18
32 – The Happy Wanderer – 3:19

Credits
Bass – Tim Chandler
Design [Art Design] – Dennis Preston (2)
Drums – Bruce Brown (5) (tracks: 2-10), Ed McTaggart
Engineer [Assistant Engineers] – Josh (87), Rob (78)
Engineer [Co-engineer] – Zeo Brothers Productions
Engineer [House Sound] – Zeo Brothers Productions
Executive-Producer – Bradley S. Hamilton
Guitar – Greg Flesch
Layout – Adam Gongwer
Organ [B3] – Phil Madeira
Organ [B3], Backing Vocals – John J. Thompson* (tracks: 2-10)
Producer [Produced By], Engineer [Engineered By] – Rev*
Vocals, Guitar – Terry Taylor

Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Millenium Eight Records
Distributed By – M8 Distribution
Recorded At – Cornerstone Festival
Manufactured By – Acutrack

Various – No Sense of History – 1992

This is a 2 disc CD release that features Alternative Records artists on Disc 1 and Stunt Records on Disc 2.

It is the sister release to “Shirley, Goodness, And Misery”, a sampler from the same labels. Unfortunately it doesn’t even approach the quality of “Shirley, Goodness, And Misery.”

Now I admit there are some great tracks on this album but I personally found a lot of them to be boring. The tracks that were not released on other albums are cutting room floor material.

Quite frankly some songs belong on the cutting room floor. Anyway check out the excellent 77’s tracks and when you have time the others. They’re not as bad as I make out, I’m just being a bit melodramatic.

Track Listing:
1 – Two-Pound Planet – No Room – 3:52
2 – Two-Pound Planet – One Time/Bop Apocalypse – 3:55
3 – 7 & 7 is (77s) – Miserable – 4:07
4 – 7 & 7 is (77s) – Treasure In You – 4:53
5 – Steve Scott – Not A Pretty Picture – 4:07
6 – Steve Scott – Call Of The Wild – 4:16
7 – John Nau – Burn It Low – 3:32
8 – Two-Pound Planet – Sinister Sun [Demo] – 3:51
9 – Steve Scott – Memory Babe (Live) – 3:19
10 – Silver Express – Steel Guitar Rag – 1:28
11 – Daniel Amos (Crime Horse) – Like Lazarus – 3:26
12 – Daniel Amos (Crime Horse) – Stones Of Venice – 3:56
13 – Smokin’ Globes – Roll The Stone Away – 3:33
14 – Mojo Monkeys – Eye Of The Sun – 4:02
15 – Boy-O-Boy – She Makes Love With Her Eyes – 4:40
16 – Boy-O-Boy – That’s What You Get – 3:09
17 – Rob Watson – Wall Around My Heart – 3:39
18 – Rob Watson – The Graylands – 8:15

Credits:
Compilation Producer [For Alternative Records] – Randy Layton
Design, Layout – Patton Brothers Design
Executive-Producer – Randy Layton, Tom Gulotta
Mastered By – Doug Doyle

Tracks 1 & 2 from 2 Pound Planet* – Songs From The Hydrogen Jukebox
Tracks 3 & 4 from 7 & 7 Is* – More Miserable Than You’ll Ever Be
Tracks 5 & 6 from Steve Scott – Lost Horizon
Track 8 is a brand new song, in demo form
Track 9A (1st 3:19 of track 9) is a live version from 1985
Track 9B (last 4:07 of track 9) is a hidden and uncredited song, a sort of a Riverhouse outtake per Randy Layton of Alternative Records
Track 10 is “intermission music”
Tracks 11 & 12 are demos recorded in 1988
Track 15 recorded in 1986 at Whitefield Studio Annex
Track 16 recorded in 1984 at Poeima Studio
Tracks 17 & 18 produced and engineered at Goldmine in Ventura

Various – Surely, Goodness and Misery – 1992

This 1992 sampler is full of great 80’s stuff.

First of all there are 4 Scratch Band songs. Scratch Band is an early version of the 77’s. One of these songs features Steve Scott and another Sharon McCall. It’s nice to hear where it started for the 77’s.

There are 3 cuts from Gloryhouse who were an early incarnation of Robert Vaughn and The Shadows. More really good tunes the best being The Promise in my opinion.

There is one more tune from Body and Soul (Rob Watson) bringing the total to 3 I have found to date.

There is also an alternate extended remix of Someone New from the 77’s which might be the best version I’ve heard.

Finally there are 6 songs from Daniel Amos mostly recorded between 1978 and 1980.

Here are the notes with more detail from the album description;

1, 2 & 7 – The Scratch Band (2) was the first incarnation of The 77s. Track 1 was issued originally as the b-side to the vinyl 45 of Jesus released in 1990 (as part of the 7&7is box set). This live recording dates to 1981. Tracks 2 and 7 are Steve Scott songs recorded live in 1980. Much of their sets in those days consisted of Scott’s songs. These two were also recorded for Steve’s unreleased “Moving Pictures” album in 1980.

3 – This is a very rare alternate extended remix of Someone New from 1984’s All Fall Down. Differs from the 12″ single extended version (Someone New).

4 to 6 – Gloryhouse is an earlier incarnation of Robert Vaughn and The Shadows (5). Track 4 is the first version of the song that appeared on Love And War (and performed on American Bandstand). Track 5 dates to 1985 and Track 6 is from around the same time. This live version (from 1986) is from a problematic video mix (Anthony Daluz’s guitar disappears at times).

8 to 12 & 15 – 1978 through 1980 were Daniel Amos’s lost years. During the delay of Horrendous Disc, they recorded almost twenty new songs as demos to shop to mainstream labels. Some of them were recorded with very high quality on 24-tracks and others were ping-ponged on 4-track. These songs are a sampling from that period. Track 8 was a concert favorite and appears on many bootleg tapes from ’79-’80. Tracks 9 and 10 were recorded in 1981 and feature a young Ojo Taylor on keyboard! Track 11 is a Mark Cook (2) song which was recorded for “Horrendous Disc” but was later replaced by “Hound of Heaven.” Track 12 was a 4-track demo for ¡Alarma! (The Alarma Chronicles Vol.1) which was later recorded by Wild Blue Yonder (2) and even later wound up on the The Miracle Faith Telethon with Terry’s vocals. Track 15, one of Terry’s favorites from the period showcases the pop sensibilities that defined Daniel Amos during that period.

13 – Sharon McCall was the original lead vocalist for the Scratch Band. This is a demo she recorded with the band right before she left the group in 1979. Michael Roe plays guitar and Jimmy Abegg plays bass. Sharon married Jerry Chamberlain in 1980, so she provides an interesting link between the Sacramento/Exit gang and the Orange County/Daniel Amos crowd.

14 – Rob Watson’s own group in the mid 80’s was called Body And Soul and recorded an album’s worth of material which unfortunately never surfaced, except for a rare 45 from 1984 (Something’s Going On Here / The Graylands).

Track Listing:
1 – Scratch Band – Unsatisfied – 5:54
2 – Scratch Band With Steve Scott – Wild Boys – 6:02
3 – 77’s – Someone New (Alternate Extended Remix) – 5:54
4 – Gloryhouse – Justice – 5:42
5 – Gloryhouse – The Promise – 5:14
6 – Gloryhouse – The Beauty Of Innocence – 5:08
7 – Scratch Band – Thief Song – 6:04
8 – Daniel Amos – So Certain – 3:56
9 – Daniel Amos – Little Things – 4:29
10 – Daniel Amos – Off My Mind – 4:14
11 – Daniel Amos – Fairy Tale – 4:05
12 – Daniel Amos – Only One – 3:48
13 – Sharon McCall With Scratch Band – When The Victims Control – 6:37
14 – Body And Soul – Locked Away – 3:59
15 – Daniel Amos – Laissez-Faire – 3:39

Credits:
Compilation Producer [For Alternative Records] – Randy Layton
Design, Layout – Patton Brothers Design
Executive-Producer – Randy Layton, Tom Gulotta
Mastered By – Doug Doyle

Daniel Amos – (self-titled) – 1976

The first album from Daniel Amos might surprise you if you’re an 80’s fan of the band as they actually started as a Country band in the 70’s. While Jesus music was still in full swing at the time of this release this album it doesn’t really have that it feel. It actually sounds and feels like a Country album of the time period. Interesting note is that the band actually auditioned for this album as “Jubal’s Last Band”. The name was very close to Darrell Mansfield’s band “Jubal”. Both bands agreed to a name change with Darrell’s band becoming Gentle Faith and Jubal’s Last Band becoming the Daniel Amos we all know now.

Track Listing:
1 – Jesus Is Jehovah To Me – 3:18
2 – The Bible – 4:20
3 – Abidin’ – 3:24
4 – William – 2:52
5 – Prelude: Servant’s Prayer – 0:47
6 – Don’t Light Your Own Fire – 4:28
7 – Losers & Winners – 3:52
8 – Walking On The Water – 4:38
9 – Ridin’ Along – 2:10
10 – Dusty Road – 3:25
11 – Love In A Yielded Heart – 2:34
12 – Skeptics’ Song – 2:22

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar [6 & 12 String], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Terry Taylor
Acoustic Guitar [6 String], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Steve Baxter
Bass Guitar – Marty Dieckmeyer
Design, Illustration – Dale G. Waters
Engineer, Mixed By – Jonathan David Brown
Lead Guitar [Electric], Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Jerry Chamberlain
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Producer, Mixed By – Al Perkins
Remix [Engineer] – Billy Taylor

Various – Rock Around The World – 1984

This 1984 Refuge Records sampler dished up some singles/bands we were well aware of such as Daniel Amos and Jerusalem.

Two lesser known artists were Marloe Scott Wilson and Peter Beveridge and there were three artists that don’t appear to have ever been released elsewhere, Communique, Christian Gonzales, and Dave Eastman.

All in all a good sampler of hits from the era.

Tracklist
1 – Jerusalem – Let’s Go – 3:42
2 – Daniel Amos – Home Permanent – 3:05
3 – Semaja – Hey Friend – 4:14
4 – Jan Groth – Lie Is Not Truth – 4:05
5 – Marloe Scott Wilson – Love Explosion – 3:91
6 – Peter Beveridge – No Doubt In This Love – 3:86
7 – Communique – A New Song – 3:86
8 – Christian Gonzales – What Ever’s Happ’nin’ – 3:33
9 – Daniel Band – Here I Am – 3:03
10 – Dave Eastman – The Power Of Love – 3:76

Daniel Amos – Shotgun Angel – 1977

Shotgun Angel is Daniel Amos’ second album, following their 1976 debut with this classic in 1977.

How many times did I have to explain to the record store staff that Daniel Amos is not a person? It’s the prophet Daniel and the prophet Amos. Maybe I didn’t have to explain it at all, but I felt like I did.

Had DA stuck with this format, they would have been one of the most progressive “Southern Rock” bands around. It sounds country, but it clearly has a different edge. It’s nowhere near top 40 country, and nowhere near Hank, but still has the right harmonies and the right instrumentation to make you think about it.

Upbeat songs like “Black Gold Fever” and “Meal” sound southern, Texan, and progressive all at once.

“Praise Song” has quite a dirge feeling to it rather than the upbeat feeling we usually expect from modern praise. It really is a praise song, but contemptlative, with the sort of thoughtful lyrics that DA became known for.

“Father’s Arms” has a soothing vocal track and a strong rock feel to it. A medley of violins and bold guitar sounds make this a compelling song that almost defies genre.

The title track “Shotgun Angel” is a good old trucker tune, which was a subgenre in the 70s. Anything that could be played alongside CW McCall’s Convoy would do just fine. This one is a good storytelling song that has a nice country twang to it, steel guitar, diesel sounds, CB radio and all.

“Bereshith Overture” is an orchestral interlude that fits right in, but it’s hard to explain why. By the time we get to “Better” we have already had some apocalyptic scenes and been introduced to what’s almost a Pink Floyd sound. The idea that they can play with the music and the story all along the way like this certainly is consistent with Pink Floyd’s contemporary work.

“Sail Me Away” and “Posse In The Sky” round this album out with more soothing sounds. It’s top quality stuff, but hard to believe that this was the setup for one of the best CCM punk/new wave bands of the 80s.

Track Listing:
1 – Days And Nights – 2:20
2 – Black Gold Fever – 3:01
3 – Praise Song – 3:51
4 – Father’s Arms – 4:26
5 – Meal – 2:07
6 – Shotgun Angel – 3:41
7 – Finale: Bereshith Overture – 2:19
8 – Lady Goodbye – 2:29
9 – The Whistler – 2:57
10 – He’s Gonna Do A Number On You – 1:57
11 – Better – 2:24
12 – Sail Me Away – 5:04
13 – Posse In The Sky – 4:35

Credits:
Backing Vocals – Ed McTaggart, Jerry Chamberlain, Mark Cook (2), Marty Dieckmeyer, Terry Taylor
Bass Guitar – Marty Dieckmeyer
Drums – Ed McTaggart
Guitar – Jerry Chamberlain, Terry Taylor
Keyboards – Mark Cook (2)
Lead Vocals – Jerry Chamberlain, Mark Cook (2), Terry Taylor
Percussion – Ed McTaggart
Producer – Jonathan David Brown