Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

I've lost count of the number of people who think this band is actually an individual! I mentioned their name to a friend recently who'd heard of them but wasn't familiar with their music and he asked, "Aren't they supposed to be the best band ever in Christian music?" I think it would be possible to make a case that this is so despite the fact that Daniel Amos have spent 30 years recording for a myriad of labels and managed to maintain an obscure profile. In the beginning the band were spawned by the Jesus music revolution that sprung out of Calvary Chapel in California and they were influenced by The Eagles and The Beatles and made cowboy-hatted country rock. 'Shotgun Angel' was their second release and creatively the band was built around the crazy ideas and songwriting of Terry Taylor and the master guitar work of Jerry Chamberlain. In the original vinyl release this album was split into two halves. On this CD re-release, that would be the first six songs here which immediately highlight Taylor's floating melodies on songs like "Praise Song", "Father's Arms" and "Days And Nights". It also points to the future since "Father's Arms" sounds like a precursor to their next album 'Horrendous Disc' where the band would ditch the country sounds for a while and rock it up a little. The craziness of songs like "Meal" and the country pastiche "Black Gold Fever" point towards some of the strange recordings Taylor would produce for Randy Stonehill, full of sound effects and weird ideas. They're completely crazy but brilliant! The title cut is the only tune not written by the band and embraces the CB radio culture of the day. The seven song sequence of the second half of the album is a concept piece interpreting the book of Revelation. With its string overture and interlocking songs, it's by far the most adventurous Christian recording of the era. From the haunting "The Whistler" to the rocking "He's Gonna Do A Number On You" and Beatley "Better", this is an absolute classic recording and simply sums up a creativity which has been the hallmark of the band throughout its history. This edition also includes a bonus disc of interviews recorded at the time of release. As this is only a limited edition release, you may have to do some serious searching to find it but it's worth the effort.
10
Mike Rimmer
16-01-2007

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.