I still need to read this whole thing, a piece definitely not flat as a pancake, but wanted to comment anyway, just to mention how much I appreciate the detail you provide, such as finding the diner in the album art and including a photo of it. It brings an added historical dimension that simply providing information lacks. Also, pancakes are one of my favorite foods. I have a complicated relationship with them due to the post-eating effects on my body, but I will say that 79 percent of the time it is worth the digestive and somnambulistic bodily responses.
Was wondering where you'd be on this song....I know it was "before your time," but we all know you're all over not only the map, but calendar, when it comes to proper tuneage, whatever era! Thanks for the props on the extra detail. When I read the diner was still around, I had to look it up!
Pancakes and I have a complicated relationship, too. With my Type 2 diabetes, I thought sugar-free syrup would be the answer, but of course, carbs had to raise their ugly heads! Upon finishing the article, holla if new thoughts pop up!
I roomed, briefly, with Tim Vear, who was the guitarist with Head East back in 1970 or so. I guess he wasn't with them anymore in 1975, or at least, I didn't see his name.
I looked on the band's Wiki page, Albert, and while they seem to have the entire Mt. Pulaski phone book under "Past Members," they're not listing Tim. Bands, early in their growth, have so many players moving in and out (like waiters in a restaurant, as Richard Dreyfus said at the end of "Stand By Me"!), I bet some don't end up making the cut on anything resembling a list several decades later! THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING, ALBERT! Great to have you aboard!
Sure...I'm up for anything, Albert! As you can see, I just cross-posted Scott Frampton's recent Supremes post! Also game for a collab, of which I've done several. Working on a couple, now, in fact! Be in touch!
For collabbing with you (adding my 2c to your biopic review), the following are attractive to me, at the moment (and, not knowing which you've already written, except I did read your 20 Feet From Stardom): Any Bowies, A Mighty Wind, CBGBs, Dead Man's Curve, Daydream Believers, Herb Alpert, Echo in the Canyon (but, you've done that one, too, I noticed...and liked), I Saw the Light (if that's about Todd R.), Love and Mercy, Wrecking Crew, Runaways, Karen Carpenter, and probably a couple others.
Look thru my pieces, so you can see my approach, and what and how I have to offer!
Another obscure possibility is how I got into jazz, as a committed rock fan: I used to spend the lunch hour in the library at college one semester, and I used to go into the record room and try out some jazz records with headphones. I'd also take books off the shelves about jazz and read about them. That, plus the Mahavishnu Orchestra was kinda. a Gateway Drug for me.
And lastly, the Blues! I grew up about 10 miles from Muddy Waters' house, and had absolutely ZERO knowledge of him all through high school. I would have been terrified to go into any of those South Side blues clubs that Paul Butterfield used to frequent.
Had to come back for another comment. I just finished the album and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Fantastic! Another album added to my “Substack Discoveries” Spotify playlist. Thanks for this article, will definitely be coming back for more of these pancakes!!
My musical quiver is filled with unheard gems from yester-decades, Mark! I just sent you a couple more dynamic American bands, oddly enough, on CBS Records. Being the largest in the day, they seemed to have more than an over-abundance! Too many to properly promote (#1), and #2, they were too busy keeping their Springsteens, Joels'n'Journeys afloat!
Thanks for this Brad! Another “new to me” band. When I played the Spotify sample Boston definitely came to mind. Starting to work through the album and surprised they didn’t make it better. Another case of too many bands, too little room at the top...
Yeah, and that's what I wanted to focus....the dynamism Head East had, along with fellow Americans Boston, Kansas, and REO. Want some more? Here's one: Starcastle (from Champaign, IL), signed in '74 to Epic/CBS, and they fit the US/dynamism criteria, too, but, as they sound a little too much like Yes (and, thus, more prog than classic rock, like the 4 mentioned above), I didn't add them to the article list. Their self-titled debut: https://open.spotify.com/album/1fxW4E9zQ5RIIc4k1aPZRy?si=db1c271d86f444ea
Both too derivative for their own good. Both radio and print press were too distracted by their obvious similarities to Yes and Rush, respectively, their own music couldn't be taken seriously.
Enjoy, and drop a comment on your reactions! Thanks, Mark!
I gave both of these a listen (well, all of the first album and half of the second). Definitely a lot more on the proggy side. A little too much so for my tastes to be honest.
More often than not, when I ask my wife what she thinks of the latest album I’m listening to, she’ll answer, “it’s not offensive”. And that’s where I was on Starcastle - definitely listenable, I made it through the whole album before I started work this morning. But I’ve always found (fairly or not) prog rock artists (or artists that lean that way) to be self-indulgent. There’s usually little doubt about their musicianship and proficiency; quite often extremely impressive. But the music is, for the most part, just too much for me. There’s just too much going on. I feel much the same way with improvisational and experimental jazz.
I made it a little over halfway through the Pavlov’s Dog album. In this case I found the music more accessible but the lead singer’s voice was just too much for me with the ultra high register and crazy vibrato. Not a criticism, just not my cup of tea.
Thanks for sharing these though, I’m always interested in digging into new (to me) music!
Well said, and I hear ya! You're right about being more proggy than the ones covered in the Head East piece. David Surkamp was the Pavlov's Dog singer, and he grated on many nerves, voice-quality-wise!
From the PD Wiki, I just noticed: "The band recorded a third album in 1977, but due to poor sales of the first two albums, Columbia refused to release it, hastening the band's split. The third album appeared as a bootleg in the 1980s, a limited edition pressed from stolen master tapes. It was released under the name The St. Louis Hounds, without Pavlov's Dog credited on the sleeve."(!)
Plus, "When the band split up in the late 1970s, Surkamp was rumored to be dead, although in fact he was working with Ian Matthews on a band named Hi-Fi. While living in Seattle, this group was successful on the club scene and recorded a 5-track live 12" EP in 1981 entitled Hi-Fi Demonstration Record, a studio album in 1983 entitled Moods for Mallards, and a Christmas single 'It's Almost Christmas.' These records were released on First American Records and distribution was mostly limited to the Pacific Northwest region."
Matthews and Surkamp is an odd couple, as Ian goes back to the late '60s, as more of a folk-rock guy (he was an original member of Brit folk rockers, Fairport Convention), very melodic, in kind of a James Taylor/Jackson Browne vibe. Matthews (with his band, Matthews Southern Comfort) had a UK #1 hit with Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" in 1970, and had a 1979 hit with Terence Boylan's "Shake It," which got to #13 in the states. Terence is John Boylan's brother.....John was the producer on Boston's '76 debut, and both brothers attended Bard College around the time the Steely Dan duo did!
Saw Petra in concert many times in the 80s with both Grex X. Volz and Schlitt. Was a weekend DJ at a small radio station in Pensacola in the early 99s. Played a lot of Petra tunes back then. Still have many of their albums on vinyl. Thanks for bringing those memories back today!
More than happy to do so, Jonathan! Great to know we're fellow mic-jockeys! I think Petra's one of the few CCM bands who coulda/shoulda crossed over into secular land! I'm sure it wasn't for a lack of trying (by band or label), but there was always that dilemma for CCM-ers....exemplified by (if nothing or no one else) Amy Grant's "Baby Baby," which got to #1 in '91 (on the pop charts, yet)!
While many in the CCM field were aghast she'd write (she did the lyrics) a "love song," she was actually writing to and about her infant child! Anyway, the journey, for her, from small Christian label, Myrrh, to major (A&M) would be an interesting story.
I'm just noticing, it appears Myrrh was actually acquired by A&M...she was not so much signed by A&M proper, but a deal was made to have A&M purchase the Myrrh she (and whomever else) was on. Maybe Alpert & Moss were unsuccessful in wooing her away, so they up and bought the label that would bring her along!! Hmmmmm.....I will say, of all the covers of "Grown-Up Christmas List" (and there are many), I find hers so much more moving and satisfying than the others!
"G-UCL," by the way, was co-written by 16-Grammy-winner, David Foster, who, at 25 (and with no Grammys at the time!), was Stephen Michael Schwartz's music director for Stephen's RCA album #2 in 1975! See Stephen's exclusive personal pix of David, in-studio (with Elton John's rhythm section!), and his story of recording that album, in his own words, here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/musical-storm-the-stephen-michael
There were a lot of great CCM bands back in the day. One that did cross over ti some success was DC Talk. They charted a top 29 hit with Just Between You and Me in 1995.
And Amy Grant, she had several top 40 hits. A&M handled distribution fir Myrhh.
Those were some interesting times.
Another of my favorites was Mastedon, which was led by the Elefante Brothers. John was the lead singer for Kansas on Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures
You're mentioning all the acts I mentioned elsewhere in this comment section! Sounds like you saw it, but if not, look for it! If you DIDN'T see it, amazing coincidence of the same names! I also mentioned Liaison elsewhere, too. If you've not heard them, I think they should've crossed over! I dropped a link to their '89 debut here somewhere! Check back, if you'd like, on your feedback on Liaison!
😱I can't tell which I'm more stunned about! Both of us mentioning the very same names, unwittingly, or YOU having heard OF and heard Liaison!!!! Nice blokes, great musicians, and superior pop songwriters, though!
This isn't a bad song, but I can't listen to it anymore.
When the whole "Classic Rock" radio format was just taking off in Cleveland; 1989-90ish, the main station had a couple songs on heavy rotation that no one really knew why they were there.
Billy Thorpe's "Children of The Sun" was one of them, and this was another. They were always on there a couple + times a day, for YEARS, and I got thoroughly sick of them; which was one of the main sins of the format: just endlessly repetitive overplaying of a few classics that leached all the possible enjoyment out of hearing them.
The story you tell is cool; I vaguely recall having a Petra cassette among my hundreds at the time, probably with that singer on it, but when half my collection was jacked out of my truck in '91 it never came around that I could replace most of them.
Great personal story, Shaggy! Gotta love it, and right at home, FR&B! I was lucky going in, having not really heard "NBAR" for several years, but certainly remember its singular attraction...and, I'm certainly not one to contradict your "overplayed song" assessment! Amen! I almost can't listen to "Good Vibrations" anymore! I just sit back and admire it like I would the Venus de Milo, say!
Judging from your rip-off time frame, sounds like the cassette you had jacked was with Schlitt. Speaking of your horrific 1991, mine was similar....'twas the year I was married, ever so briefly. That only adds to the story to tell you she worked at a Long Beach (CA, L.A. county) record and bookstore, Lighthouse, which specialized in Christian books and records. She was as well-connected in the CCM lane as I was in "secular" rock! We were gonna make quite a pan-genre musical couple!
In fact, but for a last-minute schedule conflict, Amy Grant was gonna attend our wedding! I met popular rap trio, DC Talk through my ex, and even met John and Dino Elefante. John was lead singer of Kansas in the early '80s after Steve Walsh left in '80. John and Dino also produced several of Petra's albums, while also forming their own band, Mastedon, around 1990.
In 1989, Rosie (me ex) invited me to the studio where CCM band, Liaison, was having a listening party for their debut album. In fact, she got me the gig to do the voice-over for a radio ad touting the album that would play on a couple of L.A./Orange County Christian stations! I know you haven't heard it, but give it a listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/10VMoYOggLCNL2jyiswGir?si=nvInTkGBRqaNLP0et2_CVQ
If you only have time for a couple: My favorite on the album (and I think the one we used as the ad's music bed) is "Man With a Mission." I like the guitar work, the vocals, the drums, plus they do an inordinate amount of cool modulations in it (and, a pick scrape)!: https://open.spotify.com/track/1ir3ikdkYwFOtJeMIy43lV?si=f41a17bd9b874154
I still need to read this whole thing, a piece definitely not flat as a pancake, but wanted to comment anyway, just to mention how much I appreciate the detail you provide, such as finding the diner in the album art and including a photo of it. It brings an added historical dimension that simply providing information lacks. Also, pancakes are one of my favorite foods. I have a complicated relationship with them due to the post-eating effects on my body, but I will say that 79 percent of the time it is worth the digestive and somnambulistic bodily responses.
Was wondering where you'd be on this song....I know it was "before your time," but we all know you're all over not only the map, but calendar, when it comes to proper tuneage, whatever era! Thanks for the props on the extra detail. When I read the diner was still around, I had to look it up!
Pancakes and I have a complicated relationship, too. With my Type 2 diabetes, I thought sugar-free syrup would be the answer, but of course, carbs had to raise their ugly heads! Upon finishing the article, holla if new thoughts pop up!
I roomed, briefly, with Tim Vear, who was the guitarist with Head East back in 1970 or so. I guess he wasn't with them anymore in 1975, or at least, I didn't see his name.
I looked on the band's Wiki page, Albert, and while they seem to have the entire Mt. Pulaski phone book under "Past Members," they're not listing Tim. Bands, early in their growth, have so many players moving in and out (like waiters in a restaurant, as Richard Dreyfus said at the end of "Stand By Me"!), I bet some don't end up making the cut on anything resembling a list several decades later! THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING, ALBERT! Great to have you aboard!
You're welcome. Tim played with them at some Quad gigs on the UIUC campus.
If you like my posts about music biopics, maybe you'd like to do a mutual cross-post, like I just did with E.Z. Prine?
Sure...I'm up for anything, Albert! As you can see, I just cross-posted Scott Frampton's recent Supremes post! Also game for a collab, of which I've done several. Working on a couple, now, in fact! Be in touch!
Awesome! Are there any topics you'd favor, for you OR for me?
I have a long list of musical pics, only a few of which I've done already:
20 Feet from Stardom
20,000 Days on Earth
24 Hour Party People
8 Mile
A Mighty Wind
Amy
Backbeat
Battle of the Guitars: The Influence of Blues Musician Aaron "T-Bone" Walker (kanopy)
Behind The Candelabra
Beware of Mr. Baker
Beyond the Sea
Bird
Blaze
Blaze (on Blaze Foley; kanopy)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Born to be Blue
Bound For Glory
Buena Vista Social Club
Cadillac Records
CBGB
Céline
Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man
Coal Miner’s Daughter
Cocksucker Blues
Control
Cracked Actor (about David Bowie’s early career)
Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story
Crossroads
David Bowie: The Last Five Years
Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story
Deadman's Curve
Deep Blues (kanopy)
Discovering David Bowie (kanopy)
Echo In The Canyon
Elvis
England Is Mine
Finding Fela: The Story of African Musician and Activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti (kanopy)
George Michael: Freedom
Get On Up
Great Balls of Fire!
Greetings from Tim Buckley
Hendrix
Herb Alpert Is… (kanopy)
Hired Gun (kanopy)
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
I Saw the Light
I’m Not There
In His Life: The John Lennon Story
In Search of Blind Joe Death: The Saga of John Fahey (kanopy)
Jersey Boys
Jimi: All Is By My Side
Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Judy
Katy Perry: Part of Me
La Bamba
Lady Sings the Blues
Last Days
Leadbelly
Lightning in a Bottle
Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story
Love and Mercy
Low Down
Lullaby of Harlem
Marley (kanopy)
Mavis!: Gospel Music Legend and Civil Rights Activist Mavis Staples
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Midas Man
Miles Ahead
Monk: A Portrait of the Legendary Jazz Musician (kanopy)
Muscle Shoals (kanopy)
My Foolish Heart (2018 film about Chet Baker)
Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge
Nina (2016 film)
Notorious
Nowhere Boy
Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You
Once Were Brothers
Our Language (on Louis Armstrong; kanopy)
Peefeeyatko
Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii
Queen: Days of Our Lives
Ray
Respect
Risk (on jazz overseas; kanopy)
Rocketman
Round Midnight
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (kanopy)
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Searching for Sugar Man
Selena
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Shine
Shine a Light
Sid and Nancy
Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (on Muddy Waters’ and Howlin’ Wolf’s musicians); kanopy)
St. Louis Blues
Standing in the Shadow of Motown
Stoned
Straight Outta Compton
Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash
Summer of Soul
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Sweet Dreams
Swing: The Velocity of Celebration (kanopy)
Telstar: The Joe Meek Story
The Buddy Holly Story
The Doors (Val Kilmer)
The Girls in the Band: Female Jazz Musicians (kanopy)
The Glen Miller Story
The Jacksons: An American Dream
The Jazz Ambassadors
The Kids Are Alright
The Last of the Blue Devils
The Last Waltz
The Linda McCartney Story
The Making of West Side Story
The New Edition Story
The Runaways
The Sound of My Voice
The Terry Kath Experience
The Wrecking Crew
Tiny Tim: King For A Day (kanopy)
Under the Covers
Walk the Line
What Happened, Miss Simone?
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
When You’re Strange
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Who Do You Love?
Woodstock
You See Me Laughin’: The Last Mississippi Bluesmen (kanopy)
Young Man with a Horn
For collabbing with you (adding my 2c to your biopic review), the following are attractive to me, at the moment (and, not knowing which you've already written, except I did read your 20 Feet From Stardom): Any Bowies, A Mighty Wind, CBGBs, Dead Man's Curve, Daydream Believers, Herb Alpert, Echo in the Canyon (but, you've done that one, too, I noticed...and liked), I Saw the Light (if that's about Todd R.), Love and Mercy, Wrecking Crew, Runaways, Karen Carpenter, and probably a couple others.
Look thru my pieces, so you can see my approach, and what and how I have to offer!
wow, I look at yours and there's some pretty inside stuff there. I don't know if I'm worthy!
Seriously, I used to love going to see Billy and the Beaters in LA: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-vera-the-beaters-mn0000086556
I have their CD, too. Although I'm not sure what to say about them.
Also, I loved the All-Star Frogs at Illinois, whose founder is still playing:
https://www.duketumatoe.com/
Another obscure possibility is how I got into jazz, as a committed rock fan: I used to spend the lunch hour in the library at college one semester, and I used to go into the record room and try out some jazz records with headphones. I'd also take books off the shelves about jazz and read about them. That, plus the Mahavishnu Orchestra was kinda. a Gateway Drug for me.
And lastly, the Blues! I grew up about 10 miles from Muddy Waters' house, and had absolutely ZERO knowledge of him all through high school. I would have been terrified to go into any of those South Side blues clubs that Paul Butterfield used to frequent.
Had to come back for another comment. I just finished the album and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Fantastic! Another album added to my “Substack Discoveries” Spotify playlist. Thanks for this article, will definitely be coming back for more of these pancakes!!
My musical quiver is filled with unheard gems from yester-decades, Mark! I just sent you a couple more dynamic American bands, oddly enough, on CBS Records. Being the largest in the day, they seemed to have more than an over-abundance! Too many to properly promote (#1), and #2, they were too busy keeping their Springsteens, Joels'n'Journeys afloat!
Thanks for this Brad! Another “new to me” band. When I played the Spotify sample Boston definitely came to mind. Starting to work through the album and surprised they didn’t make it better. Another case of too many bands, too little room at the top...
Yeah, and that's what I wanted to focus....the dynamism Head East had, along with fellow Americans Boston, Kansas, and REO. Want some more? Here's one: Starcastle (from Champaign, IL), signed in '74 to Epic/CBS, and they fit the US/dynamism criteria, too, but, as they sound a little too much like Yes (and, thus, more prog than classic rock, like the 4 mentioned above), I didn't add them to the article list. Their self-titled debut: https://open.spotify.com/album/1fxW4E9zQ5RIIc4k1aPZRy?si=db1c271d86f444ea
Also on CBS (Columbia Records proper), mid-'70s came St. Louis' Pavlov's Dog. Where Starcastle sounded like Yes, meet Rush 2.0.....PD's debut, "Pampered Menial": https://open.spotify.com/album/2124SGcSNl3pYWNAdaXCir?si=710cc9c87257485f
Both too derivative for their own good. Both radio and print press were too distracted by their obvious similarities to Yes and Rush, respectively, their own music couldn't be taken seriously.
Enjoy, and drop a comment on your reactions! Thanks, Mark!
I gave both of these a listen (well, all of the first album and half of the second). Definitely a lot more on the proggy side. A little too much so for my tastes to be honest.
More often than not, when I ask my wife what she thinks of the latest album I’m listening to, she’ll answer, “it’s not offensive”. And that’s where I was on Starcastle - definitely listenable, I made it through the whole album before I started work this morning. But I’ve always found (fairly or not) prog rock artists (or artists that lean that way) to be self-indulgent. There’s usually little doubt about their musicianship and proficiency; quite often extremely impressive. But the music is, for the most part, just too much for me. There’s just too much going on. I feel much the same way with improvisational and experimental jazz.
I made it a little over halfway through the Pavlov’s Dog album. In this case I found the music more accessible but the lead singer’s voice was just too much for me with the ultra high register and crazy vibrato. Not a criticism, just not my cup of tea.
Thanks for sharing these though, I’m always interested in digging into new (to me) music!
Well said, and I hear ya! You're right about being more proggy than the ones covered in the Head East piece. David Surkamp was the Pavlov's Dog singer, and he grated on many nerves, voice-quality-wise!
From the PD Wiki, I just noticed: "The band recorded a third album in 1977, but due to poor sales of the first two albums, Columbia refused to release it, hastening the band's split. The third album appeared as a bootleg in the 1980s, a limited edition pressed from stolen master tapes. It was released under the name The St. Louis Hounds, without Pavlov's Dog credited on the sleeve."(!)
Plus, "When the band split up in the late 1970s, Surkamp was rumored to be dead, although in fact he was working with Ian Matthews on a band named Hi-Fi. While living in Seattle, this group was successful on the club scene and recorded a 5-track live 12" EP in 1981 entitled Hi-Fi Demonstration Record, a studio album in 1983 entitled Moods for Mallards, and a Christmas single 'It's Almost Christmas.' These records were released on First American Records and distribution was mostly limited to the Pacific Northwest region."
Matthews and Surkamp is an odd couple, as Ian goes back to the late '60s, as more of a folk-rock guy (he was an original member of Brit folk rockers, Fairport Convention), very melodic, in kind of a James Taylor/Jackson Browne vibe. Matthews (with his band, Matthews Southern Comfort) had a UK #1 hit with Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" in 1970, and had a 1979 hit with Terence Boylan's "Shake It," which got to #13 in the states. Terence is John Boylan's brother.....John was the producer on Boston's '76 debut, and both brothers attended Bard College around the time the Steely Dan duo did!
The week of August 25, 1976: The week Epic/CBS released the Boston debut and 3 albums no one heard!: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/breaking-boston-behind-the-scenes
and, The Steely Dan origin story: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-archaeology-1971-barbra-streisand
Saw Petra in concert many times in the 80s with both Grex X. Volz and Schlitt. Was a weekend DJ at a small radio station in Pensacola in the early 99s. Played a lot of Petra tunes back then. Still have many of their albums on vinyl. Thanks for bringing those memories back today!
More than happy to do so, Jonathan! Great to know we're fellow mic-jockeys! I think Petra's one of the few CCM bands who coulda/shoulda crossed over into secular land! I'm sure it wasn't for a lack of trying (by band or label), but there was always that dilemma for CCM-ers....exemplified by (if nothing or no one else) Amy Grant's "Baby Baby," which got to #1 in '91 (on the pop charts, yet)!
While many in the CCM field were aghast she'd write (she did the lyrics) a "love song," she was actually writing to and about her infant child! Anyway, the journey, for her, from small Christian label, Myrrh, to major (A&M) would be an interesting story.
I'm just noticing, it appears Myrrh was actually acquired by A&M...she was not so much signed by A&M proper, but a deal was made to have A&M purchase the Myrrh she (and whomever else) was on. Maybe Alpert & Moss were unsuccessful in wooing her away, so they up and bought the label that would bring her along!! Hmmmmm.....I will say, of all the covers of "Grown-Up Christmas List" (and there are many), I find hers so much more moving and satisfying than the others!
"G-UCL," by the way, was co-written by 16-Grammy-winner, David Foster, who, at 25 (and with no Grammys at the time!), was Stephen Michael Schwartz's music director for Stephen's RCA album #2 in 1975! See Stephen's exclusive personal pix of David, in-studio (with Elton John's rhythm section!), and his story of recording that album, in his own words, here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/musical-storm-the-stephen-michael
There were a lot of great CCM bands back in the day. One that did cross over ti some success was DC Talk. They charted a top 29 hit with Just Between You and Me in 1995.
And Amy Grant, she had several top 40 hits. A&M handled distribution fir Myrhh.
Those were some interesting times.
Another of my favorites was Mastedon, which was led by the Elefante Brothers. John was the lead singer for Kansas on Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures
Lots of great music!
You're mentioning all the acts I mentioned elsewhere in this comment section! Sounds like you saw it, but if not, look for it! If you DIDN'T see it, amazing coincidence of the same names! I also mentioned Liaison elsewhere, too. If you've not heard them, I think they should've crossed over! I dropped a link to their '89 debut here somewhere! Check back, if you'd like, on your feedback on Liaison!
That is crazy! I hadn't seen tge other comments. And yes, Liaison was a pretty popular band during that era. Still have a few of their albums on CD!
😱I can't tell which I'm more stunned about! Both of us mentioning the very same names, unwittingly, or YOU having heard OF and heard Liaison!!!! Nice blokes, great musicians, and superior pop songwriters, though!
This isn't a bad song, but I can't listen to it anymore.
When the whole "Classic Rock" radio format was just taking off in Cleveland; 1989-90ish, the main station had a couple songs on heavy rotation that no one really knew why they were there.
Billy Thorpe's "Children of The Sun" was one of them, and this was another. They were always on there a couple + times a day, for YEARS, and I got thoroughly sick of them; which was one of the main sins of the format: just endlessly repetitive overplaying of a few classics that leached all the possible enjoyment out of hearing them.
The story you tell is cool; I vaguely recall having a Petra cassette among my hundreds at the time, probably with that singer on it, but when half my collection was jacked out of my truck in '91 it never came around that I could replace most of them.
Great personal story, Shaggy! Gotta love it, and right at home, FR&B! I was lucky going in, having not really heard "NBAR" for several years, but certainly remember its singular attraction...and, I'm certainly not one to contradict your "overplayed song" assessment! Amen! I almost can't listen to "Good Vibrations" anymore! I just sit back and admire it like I would the Venus de Milo, say!
Judging from your rip-off time frame, sounds like the cassette you had jacked was with Schlitt. Speaking of your horrific 1991, mine was similar....'twas the year I was married, ever so briefly. That only adds to the story to tell you she worked at a Long Beach (CA, L.A. county) record and bookstore, Lighthouse, which specialized in Christian books and records. She was as well-connected in the CCM lane as I was in "secular" rock! We were gonna make quite a pan-genre musical couple!
In fact, but for a last-minute schedule conflict, Amy Grant was gonna attend our wedding! I met popular rap trio, DC Talk through my ex, and even met John and Dino Elefante. John was lead singer of Kansas in the early '80s after Steve Walsh left in '80. John and Dino also produced several of Petra's albums, while also forming their own band, Mastedon, around 1990.
In 1989, Rosie (me ex) invited me to the studio where CCM band, Liaison, was having a listening party for their debut album. In fact, she got me the gig to do the voice-over for a radio ad touting the album that would play on a couple of L.A./Orange County Christian stations! I know you haven't heard it, but give it a listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/10VMoYOggLCNL2jyiswGir?si=nvInTkGBRqaNLP0et2_CVQ
If you only have time for a couple: My favorite on the album (and I think the one we used as the ad's music bed) is "Man With a Mission." I like the guitar work, the vocals, the drums, plus they do an inordinate amount of cool modulations in it (and, a pick scrape)!: https://open.spotify.com/track/1ir3ikdkYwFOtJeMIy43lV?si=f41a17bd9b874154
"You Are His Main Concern" rocks a little harder: https://open.spotify.com/track/32YiJRscJnKzEAgK0U4kO8?si=cfccbfcb2b654467
Enjoy, Shaggy, and thanks again!