Mon 3 Jul 2006
Here is the Christian music I listened to in High School:
- Michael W. Smith Album: Go West Young Man — CCM
- The Prayer Chain Album: Shawl — melancholy rock
- The Swirling Eddies Album: Zoom Daddy — silly but deep
- The Choir Album: Circle Slide — atmospheric pop
- Kim Hill Albums: Talk About Life, Brave Heart — folksy rock
- John Michael Talbott Album: The Hiding Place (?) — Monk Folk
- Painted Orange — Album: Painted Orange –electronica
- Hot Pink Turtle — indie/punk
- P.I.D. Album: Here We Are (?) –rap
- Petra Albums: The Rock Cries Out, Beyond Belief — anthem rock
- Dimestore Prophets Album: Love is Against the Grain — indie rock
- Newsboys Album: Not ashamed — pop-rock supergroup
- Audio Adrenaline Album: Don’t Censor Me — CCM
- 77s Album: didn’t actually own one, but kept seeing them in concert — indie rock
Shortly thereafter I went through a phase of divesting all my stuff, and I’ve only re-acquired half of it in the intervening years. I bet Painted Orange is pretty hard to get these days. They sang with fake British accents. No one I knew listened to off-the-radar Christian music. I’d go to the bookstore, listen to five or six things, then buy something. Trial and error. I loved the Prayer Chain in particular because the cover had naked guys covered in mud on the front, and my mom had to let me keep it because it was Christian.
July 3rd, 2006 at 9:34 am
Why didn’t you go for the men with make-up, long feathered hair, and spandex? Stryper!
July 3rd, 2006 at 9:35 am
That was me.
July 5th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Naked Christian guys! Sweeeeeet!
Man, I thought I was into that scene, but I haven’t heard of most of those. Hm. … Oh, yeah. I’m a little older than you.
July 11th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Kate–
A little older, and my tastes tended towards Southern California bands for some reason. You probably had more access to northwest bands.
July 11th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Then remember a couple years later, you and I were both surprised to see this kind of quiet guy jumping up and down in front of a stage screaming, “Ayah, Ayah, AYAH!” along with the Prayer Chain guys?
I ended up with some weird stuff after similar Bible Bookstore shopping trips, like Darn Floor - Big Bite by some weirdos named ‘Da’.
These days it’s still hard to find good music except through mix CDs from friends and things like the Bored Again Christian podcast…
July 17th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Nate,
I totally remember that! I thought to myself, “There are even more facets to this Gary fellow than I originally appreciated!
Yes, boredagainchristian is good.
High school music! What are the distribution idiosyncracies, that led to your getting Daniel Amos and my getting Swirling Eddies? I wonder.
July 20th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
You forgot to mention that most of these were tapes, not CDs, or at least, that’s how I remember it. I loved your cool music!
The other memory that came to mind after seeing your lists is the “rap” on the Go West Young Man track “Love Crusade”. Scary that I think most of it is still lodged somewhere in my brain. Scary to think how much I loved that album! But then again, even mainstream music was sketchy in the early 90s.
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Lydia, yep, cassette tapes. I remember “Love Crusade,” too. I wonder what Michael W. Smith thinks of his old music now that he’s Soulful Worship Crooner?
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:36 am
You guys listen to the BAC?? Why no e-mails and phone calls to JP? Sad. I echo way too much of this post, Erin. Don’t Sensor Me … how ironic. Peace, love, rock.
jP