John Allen Garies, Jr. was a Christian singer-songwriter active in the early 90's with his band JAG, who took their name from his initials. JAG's style was 80's Pop Rock very similar to Whiteheart. Hardly surprising, as all three JAG albums were produced by Whiteheart guitarist Billy Smiley, featured songs that were written or co written by Smiley and Whiteheart keyboardist Mark Gersmehl, (especially the debut, The Longest Road,) and, as studio musicians on most of the tracks, Smiley, Gersmehl, and other Whiteheart alumni Ric Florian, Gordon Kennedy, Dann Huff, Chris McHugh, Anthony Sallee and Tommy Sims.
What really stands out on these albums is Garies heartfelt vocals. "Smile Minded," "Father Forever" and a very different version of Whiteheart's "Even The Hardest Heart," all from the debut, are heart breaking and comforting at the same time. Mostly quite mellow stuff, when the band did veer into hard rock territory, Garies was capable of pulling that off as well.
John Garies passed away in 2007 due to complications of Liver disease. He was 55 years old.
I have to admit I have never been a big fan of Inspirational Pop (the notable exception being Dallas Holm. If not for him, I wouldn't have discovered most of the CCM I enjoy now.) By and large, I've found most music of this variety to be, well, dull at best. That being said, I love Chris Christian's 1987 release Higher Ways.
Several of my favorite artists were on Christian's record label, Home Sweet Home (Dan Peek, Mark Heard, Whiteheart,) but I never cared for his albums. His songs that I heard on the radio, and sung in church, just didn't reach me, so I never gave him much thought. Then I heard "Day Like Today" on my local radio station, and, although it wasn't a big stretch from what he had done before, something in me said "you needed to hear that," and as soon as I could I picked up the cassette (which I still own, and, oddly enough, it still plays. Not bad for a 26 year old cassette.)
Every song here is a winner, even the overly sentimental "Still In Love" and the "I know I've heard this before" vibe of "White Are The Fields." (just try not to sing Toto's "Africa" while listening to that one.) It's hard to pick a favorite, because each song means a lot to me. At that time of my life, I needed to hear songs like "Promises," "Cast Your Cares," and, especially, "He Won't Unlove You" I still need to hear them today.
Higher Ways is a perfect little slice of 80's Pop. While it's certainly polished to a fine sheen, Christian added a little more "edge" to it, and, as evidenced by the cover (where he does his finest Miami Vice imitation,) he was trying to market this to a younger crowd.
He Won't Unlove You
Cast Your Cares
Day Like Today
Still In Love
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
It's been a while, so here's a little bookmark to let you know I'm still here, and I will return with more album reviews and band information soon.
My Limited edition of Sweet Comfort Band's latest takes it's position of honor on my book shelf, right between Daniel Amos' "Alarma Chronicles" book set and my Rubik's cube.
If you still haven't checked out SCB, here's the link again:
Yes, the waiting truly is over, at last! Sweet Comfort Band returns 28 years(!) after the release of their last album, "Perfect Timing," and sound as if no time has passed at all. They have not seen fit to "update" their sound to better fit the current musical landscape. That's not a criticism, but a sigh of relief! This is the same great Jazz inflected Rock they were always known for. Fans of Toto, Chicago or Styx will find a lot to enjoy here.
The band is still Bryan Duncan, Randy Thomas and Rick Thomson, with Elijah Thomson filling in for his father, original member Kevin Thomson, who passed away in 2010. Bryan, Randy and Rick all share in songwriting duties, delivering 11 songs that are arguably the best they've ever done. The musicianship and vocals, always stellar, still are.
Highlights for me are "Lay It All On The Line," a fun, jazzy, Donald Fagen influenced tune that serves to "introduce" the band members, and the Toto vibe of "Something Else Is Going On Here," but really the whole album is excellent. At no point did I feel compelled to skip a song.
It's hard to pick an absolute favorite tune here, but if I had to it would be "In The Light Of Heaven," a beautiful song about a loved one (Kevin) who has gone on to be with God. This is a song that will mean a lot to anyone who has lost someone dear to them.
In these days of "musical pablum," real bands that create real music are rare. These guys should have your support. If you're already a fan, you need to pick up "The Waiting Is Over." If you've never heard SCB, check them out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Many thanks to Alice Thomson for the opportunity to hear this album in it's entirety!
Every so often a band comes along that doesn't appear to have much to offer, records one or two albums that no one much likes, then breaks up only to be reborn shortly thereafter as a great band. (i.e. dull, listless Iron Maiden clones Lightforce became the amazing Mortification.) In the case of Zilch, the opposite is kind of true (depending on how you feel about the band they became): One amazing album, 1997's Platinum, and the band morphed into the far less original and interesting cookie cutter worship outfit SONICFLOOd. (No offense at all meant to SONICFLOOd fans. The band just doesn't hold my attention.)
Starting life as DC Talk's touring band, the band featured Mark Townsend (guitars, vocals,) Otto Price (Bass, Vocals) and Jason Halbert (keyboards, vocals.) All three went on to become producers, with Townsend being particularly well known.
The album's influences are obvious, but it is so original as a whole, they are not a distraction. There are elements of DC Talk, of course. "Everything" has a definite Police vibe. "Here We Go" sounds like it got lost from a Ty Tabor solo project. There are great moments of "studio patter" scattered throughout. Ther cover of the old Schoolhouse Rock song "My Hero, Zero," is great as well.
All in all, there's no dud on the disc. It's the type of release that leaves you wanting to hear more from the band. Sadly, there is no more, but if you're a fan of modern Rock/Pop, and can track this one down, do yourself a favor and grab it up.
Let's face it, some Christmas Carols are rooted in tradition rather than theological accuracy. Scripture says nothing about there being only three wise men, the herald angels didn't sing, it's quite doubtful that the nativity was silent, ("No crying He makes?" Really? One wonders if the author had ever been around a newborn baby.) and there was no little boy with a drum, anywhere in the narrative. (And "Joy To The World" is actually about when Christ returns to set up His eternal kingdom, but that's a different situation.)
But traditions and inaccuracies don't take away from the enjoyment of these songs, in my opinion. From Sparrow Records late 1980's Christmas album, Whiteheart's quasi-metal take on "Little Drummer Boy" is without doubt the best version I have ever heard.
Around the turn of the century (this one) Crystal Lewis released her Holiday CD, a collection of Christmas standards that was a throwback to the jazzy Christmas albums of yore. Pure joy to listen too!
To begin with, I'm well aware that Paul McCartney's quirky, New Wave Pop-Synth experiment provokes visceral reactions in most. I actually enjoy it, but that's probably because of nostalgia and affection for McCartney rather than a true appreciation for the song. (My argument has always been, if you don't like Wonderful Christmastime, flip the 45 over and listen to the b-side, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reggae, and you'll think Wonderful Christmastime is a classic.)
Anyway, Jars of Clay dug deep and found a real song buried under all the spacey synthesizers. They turned a song that could produce violence in some into a nice contemplative offering, and it's one of my favorites off their Christmas Songs CD.
From his 1993 album "Christmas", here's Bruce Cockburn with my favorite Christmas tune of all time. (If anyone knows what the lyrics are about, please let me know!)
Here's Jon Anderson's version from his "3 Ships" album.
And here is a link to Bob Bennett's version from his "Christmastide" cd:
Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, I hope everyone had a blessed time with Family & friends. Between now & Christmas I plan to post some of my favorite Christmas tunes. Some will be familiar to you, some will not, so I hope you hear something you like.
I want to start off with the great Russ Taff, from his "Sinatra" inspired Christmas cd, "A Christmas Song." (1992)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
I have no desire to address politics on this blog, so this will be a one time thing. This was my Facebook status this morning. I wanted to share it with the rest of you.
"I refuse to pay attention to any "doomsday" scenarios being played out on FB this morning. You know what, it may well be the "end of America as we know it," but God is still God. As followers of Christ, HE is our hope for the future. If I may paraphrase John 21:22 without being accused of sacrilege, "If I want Barack Obama to be president, what is that to you? YOU follow ME!"
Pray for those in power. It doesn't matter if you agree with them or not.
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior..."~~1 Timothy 2:1-3
From the outset, I must state the obvious: my list will differ from yours. There are lots of CCM "greatest" lists out there, the most prominant being CCM's "100 Greatest Albums In Christian Music," or the great list at http://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/. My list will include albums that didn't make any other list, of course. We all have different taste. My list will include artists from many different genres and spiritual viewpoints, even some who no longer identify as Christian. Those albums must be included because, while my heart may ache for those individuals who have chosen, for whatever reason, to walk away from the Church, (and in some instances, from Christ Himself,) the impact their music had on me will never go away.
To save time and space, I'm only going to comment on the top five. Enjoy!
1. The Alarma Chronicles - Daniel Amos
A bit of a cheat here, as this is actually four separate albums, (Alarma!, Doppelganger, Vox Humana and Fearful Symmetry,) but I can't view them that way. I've always seen the Chronicles as one work, perhaps the most ambitious undertaking in Christian music, and one of the most ambitious in Rock music, period. Actually, everything Terry Taylor and company have done could easily find it's way on to this list. True visionaries.
2. Russ Taff - Russ Taff
No one, in CCM or otherwise, has a more powerful voice than Russ Taff. These days, Taff has been active mainly as a soloist in Bill Gaither's series of Southern Gospel videos, and as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band. Anyone who knows him just from that would be shocked to hear his 1987 self-titled release. His third solo album after departing the Imperials, (who's best work was recorded while he was a member,) this was serious, heart wrenching, soul searching Rock that chronicled a tough time in Taff's life, after a hard tour for his previous album, Medals. About this time, Taff recorded an excellent interview for the radio presentation Shake: Christian Artists Face The Music that is well worth searching out.
3. Lie Down In The Grass - Charlie Peacock
When I first saw this album cover, I have to admit, it didn't fit my idea of what a "Christian" album should be. Listening to the album didn't change my mind much, honestly, and I put it away without any more thought. But then, several years later, I had a third shift job and as I was leaving for work one night, for some inexplicable reason, I chose this album to listen too. I had an over thirty minute commute, plenty of time to listen to most of it, and this time, I "got" it. Favorite songs would be "Whole Lot Different," "Lost In Translation," "Who Is Not Afraid," "Human Condition"... actually, every song is a classic. To this day, as great as CP's recorded output is, this remains my favorite.
4. Return To Paradise - Randy Stonehill
Randy Stonehill has never recorded a "bad" album. True, some releases suffered from bad production, (Love Beyond Reason, the Stonehill ep, Celebrate This Heartbeat,) but the songs were always good, and his acoustic performances always brought that out. Producer Mark Heard played on that strength, and this amazing album of acoustic tunes was the result. Randy has always been a very "emotional" singer, but he never sounded better than this. From the plaintive 'Starlings" to the joyous "Ready To Go," Randy ended the 80's with his best album ever.
5. Learning To Trust - David Meece
As prolific as David Meece was back in the 80's, you're not likely to see any of his albums on lists like this. He was not a critical favorite, and his music was considered too light weight and "poppy," a description that, quite frankly, is hard to argue with when you go back and give albums like "Are You Ready" and "7" a listen, and "Candle In The Rain," while musically very good, was somewhat confusing theologically. Then came this beautiful, personal album that, while maintaining a "Pop" sound, was comparable to Russ Taff's album mentioned above. This was Meece's chronicle of his own "dark night of the soul," and made even some who were critical of his earlier albums reassess their opinion of him.
It's been a while since my last post. Our internet's been down, plus the new blogger interface is a pain, but I'll get back in the swing of things.
Meanwhile, I want everyone to check out the great Bryan Duncan's new album! For a short time, he's streaming "Conversations" in its entirety here: http://sogoodforthesoul.com/
It's so good to hear new music from Bryan. He's an artist that definitely deserves our support.
Here's Bryan and Phil Keaggy performing an early version of a song from "Conversations." Wish I could have been at this concert!
Treasure Of The Broken Land was the last song on the last album Mark ever released. Somewhat prophetic, I think.
This one is as close as Mark ever came to writing a "Gospel" song. It's been covered by Nickel Creek on their cd Here To There, and by Buddy Greene on his cd Sojourner's Song.
Famously covered by Leslie (Sam) Phillips on her album Beyond Saturday Night.
I first heard Billy Crockett back in 1986 when I picked up a Dayspring Records sampler titled "Just What You're Looking For." That album featured tracks from Billy, Wayne Watson, Teri DeSario and many others on the Dayspring label. Every song was good, but Billy's "Portrait Of Love," a beautiful, acoustic Harry Chapin-ish tune, really stood out. I immediately sought out the album "Surprises In Disguises" and was equally impressed with the rest of the disc. To this day, "Surprises" is my favorite out of a long line of excellent releases from Billy.
While he's never had big "hits" of his own, really, Billy has worked with many other artists who have, most notably with Rich Mullins, as a member of Mullins' Ragamuffin Band. After Rich's death, Billy recorded "Verge Of A Miracle" for a Rich Mullins tribute cd.
Between 1984 and 1999 Billy recorded and released 8 excellent albums in the CCM market. He "retired" in 2000 to build his own studio/artist retreat, Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio, located in Wimberley, Texas. He frequently tours as part of a trio, including Grace Pettis (Daughter of Pierce Pettis) and Dirje Smith.
In 1984, the mainstream New Wave band Kajagoogoo (think "Too Shy,") released an album that could have competed with early christian alternative bands like the 77's in the "fringe" Christian bookstores where such material was sold. Islands, (titled "Extra Play" in the U.S.,) was the second album from the band, and featured blatantly Christian content. Bassist (and by this time lead singer) Nick Beggs had become a Christian when he was in his late teens, after the death of his mother. Beggs would join the band Iona for a couple of albums in the mid 90's before returning to solo work, and eventually back to Kajagoogoo.
This past Saturday, July 7, was an historic day in that it was the final day of the final Cornerstone festival. In appreciation, and "in memoriam," here is a remarkable video shot at the very first Cornerstone in 1984. It includes sets from three of my favorites; The 77's, Daniel Amos and Steve Taylor. It is not my video, I'm only sharing it from YouTube. Enjoy.
After The Fire was originally formed in 1971 by keyboard player Peter Banks. Guitarist Andy Piercy would join in 1974. Piercy and Banks would be the core of ATF for the rest of the first phase of their career. The band would go through many personnel changes, even disbanding once, before recording their first album. 1978's "Signs Of Change" was a Progressive Rock album, very reminiscent of the material bands like Yes, Genesis and Nektar were performing at the time. In 1978, ATF signed with CBS Records, and released three excellent New Wave/Pop records while with the label: Laser Love (1978,) 80-F (1980) and Batteries Not Included (1982.) Only one album was released in the U.S., a compilation titled ATF, which included the best songs from the previous three UK albums, plus their recording of Austrian musician Falco's song "Der Kommissar."
Der Kommissar would be ATF's only hit in the U.S. The band had broken up by the time the single was released, so that is the song they are known for. That's a shame, not that it's a bad song, (it's an anti drug song,) but their original material was so inventive, and lyrically was a refreshing change from the banal stuff that was around in the Disco era.
Andy Piercy went on to become a producer, producing modern Worship albums by Delerious? and Matt Redman. In 2004, Peter Banks reformed the band, and is the only original member still in ATF. They are currently still active touring, though no new material has been recorded. A groundbreaking Christian band that really was not a part of the "CCM culture," ATF does not need to fall through the cracks.
(Laser Love is a single from 1978, but the video shows current band members.)
Very insightful blog post by Bill Walden, former lead singer for Undercover, currently Senior Pastor at Cornerstone Ministries, Napa California. I've toyed with the idea of writing a post about this subject for quite some time, but Bill says it all, better than I ever could.
Gabriel were an Inspirational group active through the entire decade of the 80's. Their album "Standing Strong" was one of the first featured on my friend Allen's local radio broadcast "Change The World" back in 1985. Musically, they were cut from the same cloth as Harvest (post pending) but with less "southern" influence. The group originally consisted of Robin Lyle (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Walter (vocals.) They released four independent albums as a duo, the best of which, "Out Of The East," is pictured above. In 1988, they signed with Home Sweet Home records, added drummer Robert Noland, and released their self titled major label debut, which was simply a rearranged version of "Out Of The East" (two songs deleted, two new songs recorded with Noland added.) In 1990 they released "Long Line Of Love" on Urgent records, with Noland sharing lead vocal duties with the others. "Long Line..." showed them heading in more of a (then) modern "Pop" inspirational direction, but to my knowledge they never released another album.
"Out Of The East" is easily one of my most listened to CCM releases. Unfortunately, no youtube videos for any of those songs seems to exist. The entire "Long Line Of Love" disc is available for streaming at Myspace, however.
*Slight Update* Thanks to my friend Chris for tracking down a couple of live videos of Gabriel. Here's "I Want To Be Your Light," a track from Out Of The East.
