Tag: Good News

This is the second album from Good News. Their first album was ranked # 364 on David Lowman’s CCM’s 500 Best Albums Of All Time but this album seems to have sort of been forgotten about. This in part is because it simply isn’t as good as their first album. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just not as good. Sometimes an album just meshes and that would describe their first album. The band essentially stayed the same except for Erick Nelson who was doing a solo project at the time. The album basically picks up where the last one left off but is just missing a little something. It was re-released in 2011 on CD but strangely it was not remastered instead it was just a copy of the album put on the CD, crackles, pops and all.

Tracklist
1 – Wait For The Day – 3:06
2 – Run To The End Of The Highway – 2:48
3 – Lord, We Feel Your Presence – 2:07
4 – Ride Along Rider – 3:00
5 – Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Love – 2:50
6 – Singing Our Song – 2:48
7 – The Catch – 4:38
8 – You Sure Have Been Good To Me – 3:37
9 – Beside You – 2:57

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Bob Carlisle, David Diggs
Bass – Bill Batstone, Dave Coy
Drums – Art Rodriguez, David Diggs
Electric Guitar, Arranged By, Orchestrated By, Engineer – David Diggs
Engineer – Billy Taylor, Jim Neil
Keyboards – Dave Siebels, Dave Wallace, David Diggs, Keith Green
Percussion – Alex MacDougall
Producer – David Diggs
Saxophone – David Luell, Tom Saviano
Strings – Glenn Grab Section
Synthesizer – Dave Siebels, Dave White
Trumpet – Ron King
Vocals – Bill Batstone, Bob Carlisle, David Diggs, Diane Diggs, Kathy Segal, Yvonne Lewis
Woodwind – Al Peña, Leo W. Potts

Companies, etc.
Produced For – Instant Joy Productions
Published By – Sonrise Mercantile Company
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Recorded At – Instant Joy Productions

Good News was a band, an album and a song. They were also one of the most talented bands of the Jesus Music era with a line-up that included David Diggs, Bill Batstone, Erick Nelson and a 16 year Bob Carlisle. Though released through Maranatha Music the album was actually recorded independently and there seems to be a sense of freedom in the recording that shows.They would do a follow up “studio band” album in that they never intended to tour to support the second album and recorded just for the purpose of releasing new material. the second album featured Keith Green on piano. The title track was written by Beau MacDougall is a great 70’s pop number with more guitars than the church was accustomed to at the time. But being a band led by Erick Nelson, piano was to be a prominent instrument and the whole album is very piano based and reminds many of Keith Green musically. Lead vocals are shared between Nelson and Yvonne Lewis. Her pretty alto voice is reminiscent of Karen Carpenter and Michelle Pillar which is significant given Nelson’s later project with Pillar that is a true classic in the industry called The Misfit. Most of the songs are common Jesus Music themes of unity, social responsibility of the Church, evangelism and the rapture. The latter seemed to be an official prerequisite for any official Jesus Music release. “Tear Down the Walls” is a great, blues influenced straight ahead rock song common for the time and fit in with what was happening in pop music for the time. “Never Knew” follows the same footsteps as the title track while the album closer, “Why,” is the perfect “altar call” finisher in the vein of Keith Green. The album follows a back and forth rotation of upbeat songs followed by a ballad. Most of the rockier songs’ vocals are handled by Nelson while the ballads are divided up between Lewis and Nelson. Nelson would go on to be an important figure in the birthing of CCM with the aforementioned “The Misfit” album. Batstone would remain a prominent figure in CCM until today as a leading voice in the world of worship music. Diggs has been a major producer, songwriter and jazz musician with a longlist of credits. Carlisle went on the record the biggest song in CCM history with Butterfly Kisses as well as being the lead singer Christian “supergroup” Allies.

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

Tracklist
1 – Good News – 4:20
2 – Carry Me Along – 3:25
3 – Going Home – 3:20
4 – Tear Down The Walls – 4:18
5 – Picking Up The Pieces – 3:55
6 – Never Knew – 4:00
7 – Follow You – 3:25
8 – Rock Of Ages – 3:52
9 – Why Must You Go – 3:10
10 – Jimmy – 3:20

Credits
Arranged By, Conductor [Conducted By] – David Diggs
Artwork [Art] – Neal Buchanan
Composed By – Erick Nelson, Joy Strange
Electric Guitar – Anthony Dean
Engineer [Engineered By] – Billy Taylor
Handclaps – Eddie Espinosa
Performer – Bill Batstone, David Diggs, Erick Nelson, Yvonne Lewis
Photography By – Scot Lockwood
Photography By [Photo Tinting] – John Carreon
Vocals – Bob Carlisle, Chuck Girard, Eddie Espinosa

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Maranatha! Music
Copyright © – Maranatha! Music
Copyright © – Erick Martin Nelson
Copyright © – Joy Strange
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s