Rob Watson – Real 80s CCM

Randy Stonehill – The Wild Frontier – 1986

In 1986 Randy woke up his recording sessions and brought us back to a sound he was always good at. Randy can create a rock concert just by showing up, and for the Wild Frontier, he showed up. Side 1 starts off with a slough of tracks that are almost Springsteen-esque but since we remember Randy’s roots from Welcome To Paradise in 1976, we know he was always capable of this. The Wild Frontier is in some ways a triumphant return. Side 2 is a little more of Randy’s personal style, but still much edgier than the two albums that he released before this one. DA’s Jerry Chamberlain provides guitar for this album, and a most of the other musicians are his familiar band-mates. Rick Cua plays bass on some tracks, as does Dave Perkins, who also produced the album. Tom Howard is on keys as usual, as well as Rob Watson.

Tracklist
1 – The Wild Frontier – 4:12
2 – Here Come The Big Guitars – 3:45
3 – The Dying Breed – 4:21
4 – Words On The Wind – 5:47
5 – What’s My Line – 3:13
6 – What Do You Want From Life – 3:54
7 – Get Together – 3:54
8 – Defender – 3:05
9 – Evangeline – 5:45
10 – Hope Of Glory – 4:55

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Dave Perkins, Randy Stonehill
Arranged By [Brass Arrangement] – Tom Howard
Art Direction [Cover Art Direction], Design – Roland Young
Backing Vocals – Chris Harris (2), Dave Perkins, Gary Chapman, Jerry Chamberlain, Peter Case, Peter Noone, Tonio K.
Bass Guitar – Dave Perkins, Rick Cua
Contractor [Horn Contractor] – John Lunden
Drums – Mike Mead
Electric Guitar – Dave Perkins, Jerry Chamberlain, Jerry McPherson, Randy Stonehill
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Malcolm Harper
Engineer [Engineered By] – Dave Perkins, Dave Schober
Engineer [Second Engineers] – Bob Salcedo, Casey McMackin, Dan Garcia, Gene Ford, Jon Ingoldsby, Matt Freeman
Executive-Producer – Ray Ware
Keyboards – Reese “Mr. B-3” Wynans
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Mixed By – Dave Perkins, David Schober, Randy Stonehill
Percussion – Alex MacDougall, Dave Perkins, Keith Edwards
Photography By [Cover Photography] – Howard Rosenberg
Producer [Produced By] – Dave Perkins
Programmed By [Programmer] – Peter Robb
Synthesizer – Dave Perkins, Rob Watson, Tom Howard
Vocals – Randy Stonehill

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Word, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – Music Grinder Studios
Recorded At – The Reelsound Truck
Recorded At – Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At – Whitefield Studios
Mixed At – Mama Jo’s
Pressed By – DADC – DIDX-010665
Published By – Stonehillian Music
Published By – Word Music
Published By – Undone Tunes
Published By – Irving Music, Inc.

Common Bond – Common Bond – 1983

Common Bond was another Rob Watson project. This release was a “Demo” but I hesitate to call it a Demo because it is so well produced most consider it a stand alone album. This is one of the more commonly requested albums here at Real 80s CCM and I believe that is in part to its scarcity. I quite enjoyed the album but I did find it odd that it had so many short songs. Of course the upside to this is that you got more songs (15). All in all a great album with as sound that epitomizes the 80s.

Tracklist
1 – Common Bond – 2:30
2 – Heartbeat Away – 3:40
3 – It Don’t Come Easy – 2:16
4 – Secret Agent Christian – 2:40
5 – Remind Me Of Your Plans – 3:18
6 – Is Your Heart Right – 2:30
7 – Is He Lord – 3:50
8 – Your Life – 3:37
9 – The Party’s Over – 2:33
10 – New Beginnings – 2:45
11 – Christ The Cornerstone – 2:40
12 – Late for Life – 2:48
13 – Song For My Wife – 3:15
14 – For You – 2:00
15 – No Mercenary – 1:32

Credits
Ken Samuels: Bass guitar and lead vocals
Doug Doyle: Guitars and backup vocals
Rob Watson: Keyboards
Drums by Oberheim DMX drum machine except Is He Lord and Song For My Wife by Terry McNabb and Danny Ybarra.

Tamarack – Tamarack – 1981

Tamarack appears to be another Rob Watson project. At lease he was involved but I guess I can’t say it was “his” project. While the album does have Rob Watson vocals I would say the majority of the vocals are by Cathy Spurr and/or Debbie McNeil. If you are wanting to listen to this as another upbeat Rob Watson album you’ll be disappointing. This is a easy listening album in the extreme. That said the vocals are excellent, the lyrics are good and the instrumentation is also good. Strangely this album was re-released in 2017 in Japan. Guess the Japanese were big fans.

Tracklist
1 – Carry My Blues Away – 3:38
2 – Breakaway – 3:35
3 – Good TImes Bad Times – 3:57
4 – Thinkin Is – 7:57
5 – High Horse – 4:58
6 – Here I Am – 3:37
7 – Exile – 3:32
8 – Come Back Jesus – 3:34
9 – Another Time – 4:30

Credits
Arranged By – Tamarack
Bass – John Patitucci
Drums, Percussion – Dave Spurr
Guitar – Wayne Brasel
Producer – Jonathan David Brown
Vocals, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Prophet 5, Synclavier Ii] – Rob Watson
Vocals, Percussion – Cathy Spurr
Vocals, Piano – Debbie McNeil

Various – Back To The Rock – 1981

This sampler released in 1981 featured artists from the A&S Records label. There are a few hits including John Mehler, Malcolm And The Mirrors, and Leslie Phillips. Among the one album wonders was Tamarack (Rob Watson), Tim Koller, Mike & Von Rogers, and Rob Mehl. There are also two artists that never released an album, James Ledlie Band, and Ben Mendoza. Other than the 3 big hits the rest of the album is decidedly dull. Most of the rest of the songs are in that late 70’s pop sound that I never really found that interesting. This sampler really just sounds like a way to repackage content and make a few bucks.

Tracklist
1 – John Mehler – Bow & Arrow – 3:39
2 – Malcolm And The Mirrors – Can’t Live Without Him – 2:57
3 – Leslie Phillips – Bring Me Through – 4:27
4 – Tamarack – Good Times, Bad Times – 3:59
5 – Tim Koller – May You Get All The Glory – 5:48
6 – Ben Mendoza – Gotta Keep Loving You – 4:30
7 – James Ledlie Band – Love Him – 3:44
8 – Mike & Von Rogers – Child Of The Father – 2:46
9 – Rob Mehl – House On The Rock – 3:25
10 – Tamarack – Here I Am – 3:37

Credits
Design [Cover], Illustration – Kernie Erickson
Producer – Dan Willard (tracks: A2, A3, A5, B1, B2), Gerry Limpic (tracks: B4), John Mehler (tracks: A1), Jonathan D. Brown* (tracks: A4), Randy Bugg (tracks: B3), Sonny Lallerstedt (tracks: B3)

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

Common Bond – Heaven Is Calling – 1986

This was the first studio album from Common Bond though there was a highly produced Demo and an EP previous.

Guest appearances on this album included Jerry Chamberlain from Daniel Amos/The Swirling Eddies and Terry Taylor also from Daniel Amos/The Swirling Eddies and Lost Dogs.

The album is a well produced (Doug Doyle) album with a heavy New Wave sound. This is another lost album from the 80’s that should have been far better known.

Track Listing:
1 – Matter Of Time – 4:37
2 – I’m In Control – 2:45
3 – Heaven Is Calling – 2:51
4 – Bittersweet – 3:48
5 – Yshua – 3:05
6 – My Direction – 3:50
7 – Savor My Saviour – 2:40
8 – The Dickens – 3:50
9 – For You – 2:30
10 – Imagining – 3:20

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar – Steve Durham
Backing Vocals – Bruce Swift, Jerry Chamberlain, Ken Samuels, Rob Watson, Terry Taylor
Bass Guitar – Ken Samuels
Cover – Terl Bryant
Design – Ed McTaggart
Drums – Chuck Cummings, Terl Bryant (tracks: A1)
Electric Guitar – Steve Durham
Engineer – Doug Doyle
Guitar – Bobby Salsedo, Doug Doyle
Guitar [Solo] – Jerry Chamberlain (tracks: A4, B5)
Layout – Ed McTaggart
Lead Vocals – Ken Samuels
Percussion – Chuck Cummings, Terl Bryant (tracks: A1, A5)
Photography By – Craig Incardone
Producer – Doug Doyle
Written-By – Ken Samuels