Michael Roe – Real 80s CCM

The 77s – Tom Tom Blues – 1995

A lot of stuff happened between 1984’s All Fall Down and Tom Tom Blues. Six other albums in fact, so the fact that this one stands stark against their 1980s style isn’t that strange. However, here at Real 80s CCM we really like the 80s stuff so I have to talk about it. I first discovered this album in the used CD bin at a local record shop in the mid-90s. I think someone else must have bought it expecting that cutting, pop-new wave and found something else instead. Not that this isn’t a good collection of songs, but it required seriously resetting some expectations. Having said that, I don’t like it as much as some of their other work, such as their self-titled album in 1987. This 1995 release isn’t what I would call grunge, but it came from the grunge era and in retrospect, that is probably the most noticeable influence on the sound. 77s do not really excel at the grunge sound. The lead track, Rocks In Your Head comes on strong, and may be the most memorable one here. Throughout the album there is a lot of rumbly bassline and gutsy guitar. It did make me think back to Ping Pong Over the Abyss with the guitar sound. If there is such a thing as new wave grunge, maybe this is it.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPcTOx34g9XRXbJ9vRQ1CpVQtjCAKdvOn

Tracklist
1 – Rocks In Your Head – 3:37
2 – Honesty – 6:21
3 – You Still Love Me – 5:22
4 – Outskirts – 4:42
5 – Flowers In The Sand – 4:51
6 – Don’t Leave Me Long – 4:21
7 – Gravy Chain – 3:17
8 – Five In The Nave – 1:01
9 – Earache – 6:06
10 – Deliverance – 8:53

Credits
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Bass, Backing Vocals, Other [Bottom] – Mark Harmon
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Other [Everything In Between] – Bruce Spencer
Band [Seventy Sevens Are], Guitar [Guitars], Lead Vocals, Other [Top] – Michael Roe
Cover, Illustration – Rachel Thornton
Design Concept [Art Concept By], Design – Seventy Sevens
Engineer [Engineered By] – Craig Long, Kirt Shearer, Scott Reams
Engineer [Engineered By], Mixed By – Guy Niosi, John Flanagan
Executive-Producer – Gene Eugene, Ojo Taylor
Featuring, Percussion, Other [Cool Vibes] – Cary Avery
Illustration [Inside B/W Illustration] – Kathryn Garcia Smith
Mastered By – Michael Romanowski
Photography By – Pat Johnson
Producer [Produced By] – The 77’s
Songwriter [All Songs Written By] – The 77’s

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Brainstorm Artists International
Copyright © – Brainstorm Artists International
Distributed By – Diamante Music Group
Recorded At – Paradise Studios, Sacramento, CA
Recorded At – Plaid Jacket
Mixed At – Plaid Jacket
Mastered At – Rocket Lab
Pressed By – Disctronics USA – 138314
Published By – 7 And 7 Is Music

First Strike – Rock of Offence – 1984

This is another album that leaves me stranded on the intersection confused whether to pick the Hard Rock road or the Metal road. To me it’s in the style of Def Leopard and other very commercial Heavy Metal. However you want to catalog it they did it well and this is an album that would easily be in my top 200. Rock Of Offense was the first and only full-length release from First Strike who were a band out of Sacramento, California and formed in 1979. I personally can’t stand the album cover and I’ve read that the band was of this opinion also. Point of trivia about this album is that it was produced by Michael Roe who is a member of the 77’s.

Track Listing:
1 – Out of Control – 3:03
2 – Hurt by Love – 3:00
3 – I Want You – 3:52
4 – Loneliness Kills – 3:41
5 – Hard Times – 3:21
6 – Slow Poison – 5:31
7 – Your Love – 4:06
8 – Dirty Loving – 3:25
9 – Prisoner – 3:24
10 – Money – 3:35

Credits:
Pat Boylan – Songwriter, Guitars, Background Vocals
Johnnie Delaney – Songwriter, Drums
John Golden – Mastered
Steve Griffith – Assistant Producer, Engineer, Background Vocals
Tony Gunn – Vocals
Tim Larkin – Songwriter, Guitars, Background Vocals
Mary Neely – Executive Producer
Michael Roe – Producer, Background Vocals
Chris Salmon – Songwriter, Bass
Eric Volz – Executive Coordinator, Background Vocals
Daryl Zachman – Engineer

The 77’s – Ping Pong Over The Abyss – 1982/1995

This was the introductory album from The 77s and many consider it to be one of the most important albums in the history of CCM music. This album premiered a new wave sound listeners were waiting for though there are a couple songs that lean more to Rock and Roll. Lyrically this album was way ahead of the curve in CCM music which I believe was one of the reasons it was so well received. In 1995 the album was re-released on CD with 6 bonus tracks. Those tracks are represented here.

Tracklist
1 – A Different Kind Of Light – 4:17
2 – How Can You Love – 4:38
3 – It’s So Sad – 5:04
4 – Falling Down A Hole – 4:18
5 – Someone New – 4:21
6 – Renaissance Man – 3:35
7 – Ping Pong Over The Abyss – 4:13
8 – Time Is Slipping Away – 5:04
9 – Denomination Blues – 4:54
1995 CD Bonus Material
10 – A Different Kind Of Light (Live) – 3:25
11 – How Can You Love (Demo) – 4:33
12 – It’s So Sad (Live) – 5:04
13 – Falling Down A Hole (Live) – 3:53
14 – Ping Pong Over The Abyss (Demo) – 4:17
15 – Denomination Blues (Live) – 5:05

Credits
Backing Vocals – Jan Eric Volz
Bass – Jan Eric Volz
Drums – Mark Proctor
Engineer – Daryl Zachman, Larry Hirsch
Guitar – Jan Eric Volz, Mark Tootle, Mike Roe
Keyboards – Mark Tootle
Mastered By – John Golden
Mixed By – Larry Hirsch
Producer – Steven Soles
Vocals – Mark Proctor, Mark Tootle, Mike Roe

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

The 77s – (self titled) – 1987

Most people believe this was one of the most important albums in the 80’s CCM scene.

This album was released on Island records not a Christian label. And this wasn’t some unheard of label, Island records was home to U2 at the time. The hope was that this was going to be the true entry of a CCM band into the secular music scene.

Unfortunately not everything worked out as hoped and the album was not a huge commercial success. But that said many believe this was one of the greatest CCM albums of all time.

It is in my top 10 and usually dances in the top 3. As I remember it “Do It For Love” was the radio single and is a darn good song but my favourite was “What Was In That Letter”. Final thought is that the album is solid and there’s no filler content here, just quality music.

Track Listing:
1 – Do It For Love – 4:26
2 – I Can’t Get Over It – 4:38
3 – What Was In That Letter – 3:07
4 – Pearls Before Swine – 8:20
5 – The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & The Pride Of Life – 3:50
6 – Frames Without Photographs – 4:18
7 – Don’t Say Goodbye – 4:30
8 – Bottom Line – 3:50
9 – I Could Laugh – 7:50

Credits:
Art Direction, Graphic Design – Marty Gessler
Band [The 77’s Are], Bass [Fender Bass], Backing Vocals [Support Vocals] – Jan Eric
Band [The 77’s Are], Drums [More Pounding & Thrashing] – Aaron Smith
Band [The 77’s Are], Keyboards, Guitar, Backing Vocals [Support Vocals] – Mark Tootle
Band [The 77’s Are], Vocals, Guitar – Mike Roe
Engineer [Assistant Engineer At Quadrasonic] – Peter Sturge
Engineer [Assistant Engineers At Exit] – Daryl Zachman, Steve Griffith
Executive-Producer – Mary Neely
Featuring, Backing Vocals, Keyboards – Steve Griffith
Featuring, Bass [Fender 6-String Bass], Electronics [Ibanez Midi Guitar Controller] – Sam Ching
Featuring, Percussion [Ethnic & Orchestral Percussion], Other [Hat Hair] – Bongo Bob Smith
Featuring, Piano [Prepared Piano] – The Cleverly Brothers
Featuring, Saxophone – Jon Skinner
Featuring, Sounds [A.M.S. Sampling] – Pete “Fastfingers” Sturge
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Photography By – Deborah Wiley, Linda Pearson
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Robert Musso
Recorded By [Live Remote Recording], Recorded By [Pre-Production Demos Extraordinaire] – Steve Griffith

Lost Dogs – Scenic Routes – 1992

The “Lost Dogs” are a CCM supergroup that started in 1992. They are a collection of experienced musicians that have all been in multiple successful CCM bands. The name fits when things start out, but they went on to make a dozen or so studio albums.

Scenic Routes is the debut album from this group and on the cover it states “Lost Dogs are Terry Taylor, Mike Roe, Derri Daugherty.” That’s an impressive lineup to begin with.

That’s Terry Taylor (DA, Swirling Eddies), Mike Roe (77s), Derri Daugherty (The Choir, Swirling Eddies). They are also joined by Gene Eugene (Swirling Eddies, Adam Again) on this album. Of course these guys were all in other bands besides the ones I’ve listed, but this is an impressive group resume already.

Considering these guys are all from various CCM punk bands, this is an unexpected but excellent change of pace. The songs range from blues to folk to country to traditional, all with excellent arrangements that work well with the voices of all three singers. “Built For Glory, Made To Last” is a great example of hearing them all sing together, sharing both lead and backing vocals.

The Stephen Foster classic “Hard Times Come Again No More” is a 19th century standard that they have fit perfectly into this set. (Trivia: re-watch the barroom scene with the piano player in the movie Tombstone.)

“I Am A Pilgrim” was made famous by The Birds but is listed here as a traditional. Once again, the Dogs deliver on this one with a great country folk feel and strong harmony.

“Lord Protect My Child” is a Bob Dylan cover done well, which can be an extremely tricky thing to pull off. They stay true to the feel of a Dylan song, but don’t try to imitate too closely. That seems to be what makes it work.

There are some excellent original tunes with lyrics that range from serious and biting to funny and biting. The album moves along at a good pace, and although it goes through some dark places (“Why Is The Devil Red” and “The Last Testament Of Angus Shane” among others), at the end leaves you with a breath of fresh air.

Even the original songs on this album sound like traditionals and classics. It’s the hallmark of excellent writing.

Track Listing:
1 – Scenic Routes – 2:29
2 – You Gotta Move – 3:54
3 – Built For Glory, Made To Last – 5:29
4 – Bullet Train – 5:24
5 – The Fortunate Sons – 4:37
6 – The New Physics – 4:06
7 – I Am A Pilgrim – 3:41
8 – Lord, Protect My Child – 4:53
9 – Amber Waves Goodbye – 3:53
10 – Bush League – 1:53
11 – Old And Lonesome – 4:53
12 – I Can’t Say Goodbye – 5:00
13 – Why Is The Devil Red? – 2:52
14 – Smokescreen – 2:27
15 – The Last Testament Of Angus Shane – 4:09
16 – Hard Times Come Again No More – 2:13
17 – Breathe Deep – 3:34

Credits:
Art Direction, Photography By [All Photography] – Anna Cardenas
Band [Lost Dogs Are], Guitar, Piano, Vocals – Gene Eugene
Band [Lost Dogs Are], Guitar, Vocals – Derri Daugherty, Mike Roe*, Terry Taylor
Engineer [Engineered By] – Gene*
Engineer [Engineered With] – Derri*, Rob Watson, Terry*
Guest [With], Dobro, Banjo, Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg Kellogg
Guest [With], Drums, Percussion – Burleigh Drummond
Guest [With], Violin – James Sitterly
Producer [Produced By] – Derri Daugherty, Gene Eugene, Mike Roe*, Terry Taylor

Charlie Peacock – Lie Down In The Grass – 1984

This is Charlie Peacock’s introductory album. Up until this he was best known as being a producer, having produced the Seventy Sevens amongst others.

This album is strongly new wave with very strong synth influence. It is highly produced which I guess is to be expected when a producer produces their own album.

As an aside, in my opinion this album has one of the worst album covers in the 80’s.

Tracklist
1 – Lie Down In The Grass – 3:29
2 – Watching Eternity – 2:58
3 – It’s Gone, It’s Over – 3:47
4 – Human Condition – 3:00
5 – Lost In Translation – 3:47
6 – One, Two, Three (That’s Okay) – 3:45
7 – Whole Lot Different (Whole Lot The Same) – 3:32
8 – Till You Caught My Eye – 3:30
9 – Turned On An Attitude – 2:57
10 – Who Is Not Afraid? – 3:00

Credits
Artwork By – Jim Abegg
Bass – Eric Heilman, Erik Kleven
Bass, Tom Tom, Vocals – Steve Griffith
Design – Jim Abegg
Engineer – Daryl Zachman
Executive Producer – Mary Neely
Guitar – Jim Abegg
Guitar, Vocals – Mike Roe
Mastered By – John Golden
Mixed By – Larry Hirsch
Other [Executive Coodinator] – Jan Eric Volz
Percussion [Additional] – Jim Caselli
Percussion [Ethnic & Orchestral] – Bongo Bob Smith
Photography – Kent Lacin
Producer – Charlie Peacock
Saxophone – Michael Butera
Trumpet – Larry Lunetta
Vocals, Keyboards, Drums – Charlie Peacock
Written By – Charlie Peacock