The latest part of the ongoing series chronicling, in no particular order, the greatest 1001 recordings made by Christian artists
Continued from page 8
84. IMITATORS - THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS WITHIN YOU, 1985.
From the album 'Once And For All, Exit.
Apart from
saddling themselves with a turkey of a name this California band
didn't put a foot wrong on their only full length album, showing an
artful blend of influences, the most dominant one being the ringing
guitar sound of Big Country. Nice understated vocals, meaty drum sound
and a vocal chorus which stays with you days (and, it now seems,
years) after you first hear it.
Tony Cummings
85. TERI DESARIO - THANK YOU, 1984. From the album 'A Call To
Us All', Myrrh.
Presumably it was her years within
'secular music' that gave this most gifted of singer/songwriters the
ability to craft hooks that aren't just catchy, they're positively
contagious. This has always reminded me of Carole King during her
Brill Building "Might As Well Rain Until September" era, the lightest
of effervescent pop touches and a song that simply reminds us of the
sheer, dazzling variety of things we should be thanking God for.
Tony Cummings
86. TERI DESARIO - JESUS, CALL YOUR LAMBS, 1984. From the
album 'A Call To Us All', Myrrh.
Another gem from the
same album as my number 85 choice no less. Considered by many as her
classic song, and certainly a more beautiful devotional ballad has
seldom glided past my ears, Teri wistfully asks the Shepherd to call
his flock. Sheila and Cliff did a nice version. But you cant better an
exquisite original.
Tony Cummings
87. BARRATT BAND - STEREO, 1984. From the album 'Voice',
Chapel Lane.
I've always been puzzled by the 'Voice'
album, indeed by the whole Norman Barratt career. Here is a man with
the stunning talent to become a major guitar hero (Christendom's
Clapton?) making an album at a pivotal time in his career which almost
totally eschews guitars in favour of eerie synthesizers. It says much
for Barratt's talent that his doomy compelling musical exploration of
the urban landscape came within a whisker of (sec cred coming up) "a
secular release".
Tony Cummings
88. CRUMBACHER - CRASHLANDED, 1986. From the album 'Escape
From The Fallen Planet', Frontline.
Crumbacher were fun.
Synth-rock when it still seemed cutting edge and "radical" (there's
that word again) a good girl singer to offset the limitations of Steve
Crumbacher's colourless vocal and lyrics which were almost as clever
as a certain Mr Taylor. "I'm a hundred million miles from home and
then my heart's crash landed in another time zone" went the hook of
this one. The new company for which this was recorded went on to big
things, Crumbacher splintered and we entered another time zone.
Tony Cummings
89. GEOFF MOORE - WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE GOOD
MUSIC, 1986. From the album 'Over The Edge', Power Discs.
Geoff Moore was still looking for a style to call his own when he
made this album from whence this stormer comes. How it came about that
he should transform Larry Norman's classic into a metal anthem and who
precisely is the star axeman whose instrument screams out such
torrents of decibels awaits an interview. Suffice to say that on the
evidence of this one track Mr Moore could have made it as a man of
metal if he'd so cared to take that hard rock road.
Tony
Cummings
90. STEVE TAYLOR - JIM MORRISON'S GRAVE, 1987. From the album
'I Predict 1990', Myrrh.
Christendom's prophetic crown
prince left the subculture with a classic. Featuring a wall of sound
that Spector would have been proud of this is a searingly memorable
song about the misguided rock fans who have turned the Paris grave of
The Doors' legendary frontman into a graffiti-covered shrine.
Tony Cummings
As published in CR11, 1st July 1992
91. S.F.C. - A SAVED MAN, 1990. From the album 'A
Saved Man (In The Jungle)', Broken.
It's one of those
bizarre mysteries that confront all those unwise enough to probe the
Corporate Mind, that Word (UK) didn't release S.F.C.'s 'A Man Saved
(In The Jungle)' in the UK, despite it being voted by US critics the
best Christian rap album of the year. Perhaps it was simply that the
Soldiers For Christ torrid album was simply too pioneering a leap into
hardcore rap where there's no prettying up of the street beat for pop
consumption and where the jams are stripped-to-the-bone to go straight
for the jugular. But if you unearth an import copy of 'A Man Saved' it
will be your blessed day, for the whole album throbs with a vibrant
life and this jam, a syllable-packed exploration of his experiences in
taking the Gospel out onto the streets, has an authority and power
that no pop-rapper can match. Chris Harris raps "I can't hide so I
grab a pen and a pad and I write it down to a funky wind/Then I take
it from town to town/'Preaching and teaching', opening up cages/But
you never see that on your front pages." You don't, but at least he
got it onto tape.
Tony Cummings
92. S.F.C - MY ALARM/FREESTYLE, 1990. From the album 'A Saved
Man (In The Jungle)', Broken.
And here's another master
blaster, this time it's a spoof JA toast where in Trenchtown drawl our
man recounts a chilling encounter with the police who unjustly take
our hero. Having got him into a cell a racist cop seems to be moving
in for the kill having first revealed that his number is ... wait for
it... 666. Then our hero wakes up! Twas all a dream! But, what a
jam!
Tony Cummings
93. MARANATHA! SINGERS - I LOVE YOU LORD, 1991. From the album
'A Cappela Praise', Maranatha! Music.
Kelly Willard,
queen of a thousand recording sessions, has ironically cut much of her
best work under the relative anonymity of Maranathal/Vineyard/Hosanna
worship sessions. This definitive version of one of the post war
church's best loved choruses is exquisite. Kelly's achingly poignant
voice, soaring skywards in dazzling swathes of stark acapella. An
absolutely lovely track which would move all but the hardest
hearts.
Tony Cummings
94. FLORIDA MASS CHOIR featuring Rev. Arthur T. Jones -
HIGHER, 1990. From the album 'Higher Hope', Malaco.
There are times when I find Black Church a culturally alien world.
The problem is sometimes the endless lyrical reiteration of simple
biblical truths ... like 'I'm Free1 for instance ... doesn't produce
in me the Amen! Sing It! Praaisse Gaad! Responses of an excited black
church choir, but yawns of "Oh, no here we go again," every bit as
heartfelt as when encountering "We really want to praise you Lord"
lyrical banality of many white middle class charismatic praise
choruses. Black Church can be as depressingly wind-'em-up mechanical
with their answering shouts, ripples of applause when the lead singer
does his vocal party tricks and self conscious show of getting happy
as a staid old Anglican congregation singing matins. But when a choir
and singer are doing it right with their spirits as well as going
through the cultural motions, black gospel transcends its own self
imposed barriers as marvellously as that Maranatha! Singers track
transpires its barriers of honkie middle-class wimpdom. Here the
Florida Choir get it right and then some, a positive blow-the-roof-off
celebration of Holy Spirit joy.
Tony Cummings
95. FARRELL & FARRELL - PEOPLE IN A BOX, 1985. From the
album 'Jump To Conclusions', Star Song.
Back in '85, Mr
and Mrs Farrell did no little service to US contemporary Christian
music by wrenching it into Now Music by using on their sixth album
sequencers, drum computers and funky dance-pop rhythms when most CCM
musos were still recycling tired old power chords or safe MOR/pop. No
doubt it was producer Ed DeGarmo who took the voices of Bob Farrell
(uncannily Neil Diamondish) and wife Jayne Farrell (more MOR than soul
but pleasant for all that) and encased them in all manner of high tech
trickery. Sadly Farrell & Farrell couldn't repeat the magic of
'Jump To Conclusions' and subsequently faded. But this number - a wry
swipe at America's square-eyeball obsession with television - is a
little gem.
Tony Cummings
96. BRYN HAWORTH - LOVE, ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS, 1989.
From the album 'Blue And Gold', Edge.
For my money Bryn
Haworth is one of the most underrated British songwriters who if there
was any kind of justice would have 'done an Eaton' years ago and would
be having his songs covered by a bevy of big-selling American artists.
Maybe it will happen now that he's turned his consummate songwriting
talents to worship material though many an American CCM star looking
for that so illusive quality song could do far worse than investigate
Mr Haworths back catalogue. "Love, Acceptance And Forgiveness" has a
delightfully hypnotic sinuous groove, and though Bryn's voice is a
trifle laconic and understated it's such a delightful song that
listener resistance crumbles.
Tony Cummings
97. PHIL DRISCOLL - A STAR IS BORN, 1986. From the album 'The
Spirit Of Christmas', Mighty Horn.
Part Stax Records
pastiche, part '80s CCM romp, this is still to these grizzled old ears
the best Christmas song ever put onto tape. Odd that it was stuck in
the middle of a largely unlistenable selection of MOR-arranged carols
and odder still that Phil's soaked-in-brine soul croak of a voice, the
gloriously riffing neo-Memphis Horns and the driving rhythm track
didn't make it a perennial yuletide favourite.
Tony
Cummings
again thank you Tony for your efforts greatly appreciated, mind you l go back to the tour of the top twenty at GB 84