Daniel Amos - Alarma! Chronicles Vol 1 - 1981

After yesterday's bleh review of a good album that I didn't really think was stupendous, simply because I didn't have a personal connection to it, I'm going to swing out into the other direction.  Now I've got a great review of a mediocre album that I absolutely love, simply because I did have a strong personal connection to it.

This album is Part One of the four part Alarma! series by Daniel Amos.  Daniel Amos is the name of the band, and there's no one in the band named either Daniel or Amos.  Weird, huh?  I've already posted Part Two and Part Three, previously.  Here are the links to them...

Doppelganger - Alarma Chronicles Part Two

Vox Humana - Alarma Chronicles Part Three

I have yet to post the fourth part, called  Fearful Symmetry, but that will come later this summer.

As a whole, listening to the albums in chronological order, the breadth of Terry Taylor's writing is admirable.  He plays across all musical genres, with an obvious Christian slant.  But, it's not overpowering or a turn-off.  The style mesh well, and the melodies are always catchy.

This first album in the series still smacks of late 70s Classic Rock/Pop Rock.  The band wouldn't head into their awesome 80s New Wave sound until the next album.  But, after a touchy start, the album picks up momentum and comes out on top.  Although I love this album, it is not as good as the other two.  I prefer Vox Humana, followed by a close second with Doppelganger.  Part One falls shortly behind that.  Part Four, on the other hand, is a little jilty to me.  But, by then I had moved back into secular Rock, and mostly forgot about Christian Rock altogether.

I do have a personal connection to this album, though, as it's one of the albums that I listened to repeatedly during my exile from mainstream Rock and Roll.  I still had (have) music in my soul, so I had to listen to a lot of Christian artists that I quickly learned to love.  Artists like Steve Taylor, Petra, Crumbacher, Rez Band, Farrell & Farrell, DeGarmo & Key, Stryper and Daniel Amos.  I often think that it was wrong for my parents to do force me into that exile, but then I sometimes am happy that it happened, as it exposed me to some more great music out there that I wouldn't have normally listened to.

Notice I went through my entire Christian Rock post without using one vulgar word?  Weird how that subconsciously happens...

Give the series a shot, and I'm sure you'll at the very least find it amusing....

Daniel Amos - Alarma! Chronicles Vol 1 - 1981

Daniel Amos - Vox Humana - 1984

Of all the posts I've made this last week, this one is probably my favorite.  I was introduced to Daniel Amos in 1985 by a guy named Loren who I used to be friends with when I was a kid, and then he moved to St Louis.  At the time, I was struggling to find myself in Junior High, being a nerd and all.  I was in to Duran2 like nobody's business and reading comic books like they were going out of style.  This album (and the one before it - Doppelganger) seemed to fit my personality to a tee.  (Did you notice I used three different cliche sayings in the last two sentences?)

This album is Part III of a IV part series by DA called Alarma!  I posted Doppelganger several months ago which was Part II.  Part I and IV aren't as good as the middle two, but I will eventually post them.

The sound, as the previous albums, is something of a cross between New Wave and Classic Rock.  The vocals at times remind me of the Beatles, but the melodies themselves are very unique, and I can't compare them at all to any other groups that I can think of.  Whereas the the previous album was somewhat stark, this one is full and lush.  All of the songs jump from genre to genre, every song different from the one before.  Some of them are written and performed smoothly and elegantly, others are stilted and awkward, purposefully.

The best songs, in order of the track listing, are Travelog, William Blake, Live and Let Live, As the World Turns and Sanctuary.

One of the best tracks for nostalgia's sake, is (It's the Eighties) Where's Our Rocket Packs?  It's funny that they were expecting so much back in the eighties, and here it is, 35 years later, and only half of the things they sing about are even close to coming to fruition.

The album was recently re-released with some demos, alternate tracks, and outtakes.  So, I picked the best of them and put them on.  The acoustic versions are fabulous, and I dropped the new outtakes right between "Side A" and "Side B".

I really think if you give this a try, you'll fall in love with it as I have.  It's really that good....

Daniel Amos - Vox Humana - 1984

Daniel Amos - Doppelganger - 1982

I went through a phase in the eighties where I listened to a lot of Christian Rock.  It was mainly because my parents had been told at church by other parents from other parents that Rock & Roll was going to send us all to hell.  And the only thing we could do now was to listen to Christian Rock.  I still think it was a marketing gimic.

Regardless, there were some great tunes that came out of it all.  One of the 4 or 5 Christian bands I will still listen to, Daniel Amos was introduced to me by a childhood friend that came to visit one summer in Chicago.  I got this one, and also Volume III - Vox Humana.  These two albums still get pulled out every other month, to this day, for a spin.  Funny, quirky, new wavy, but POWERFUL.  And, not in an overbearing preachy sorta way.  It's hard to put a finger on it.  It's REAL in a SURREAL way.

The album starts sounding really good about "Do Big Boys Cry", and by the time you get to "Little Crosses", you're ripping it up.  The best song?  There isn't one.  I'd say the middle 7.  It's one big story, it's not like you can just listen to one or two tracks, and you sure as hell can't put it on shuffle.  It's like Floyd, Beatles, the Buggles and Billy Graham all mixed up into one.  Don't believe me?  You tell me what it sounds like, then.

Loooooong out of print.  There are no b-sides.  There are no demos.  Only one cover that I know of.  Were there even any singles?  Don't know.  Doesn't need em.

If you like power pop/new wave/early 80s pop, you will like this album.  Let me know what you think.

Daniel Amos - Doppelganger - 1982