Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

It has always puzzled me why Daniel Amos were not a huger band. They were creative, imaginative and had the artistic strength to have surely become a big mainstream band. Instead they created and continue to enjoy a cult following where the songs of Terry Taylor find a home in the hearts of the faithful. This re-release celebrates their 1987 album with a sumptuous deluxe package including extended liner notes, a bonus disc of demos, live material and an interview with Taylor himself. The album, originally released under the band name D A, followed the last instalment of 'The Alarma Chronicles' and built on the musical direction the band had taken with 'Fearful Symmetry'. The band's art rock new wave sound is very rooted in the '80s but has travelled pretty well in this 20th anniversary re-release. The combination of Taylor's songs and guitarist Greg Flesch's textures creates both haunting atmospheres and upbeat energy ranging from the moody "Earth Household" to the fantastic edgy title cut. The title was famously taken from Californian gorilla Coko who had been taught to sign words. After an earthquake Coko signed "Darn Floor - Big Bite". There are so many songs to enjoy here and my main favourites are the stripped down new wave of "Safety Net" and at the end of the album the two closing songs, "The Unattainable Earth" and "The Shape Of Air". There's a great live recording of "The Unattainable Earth" recorded at the time when Taylor seemed genuinely moved that the crowd know the words to the song. 20 years on, this is still a classic Christian music album and worth investigating in its nicely repackaged form and perhaps for music fans new to the band, a good place to start discovering one of the consistently great Christian rock bands of all time.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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