#272 ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO by The Archers (1984)

ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO by The Archers (1984)
Light Records | LS 5869

Producers:

Skip Konte, Tim Archer & Steve Archer

File Under: CCM/Pop

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

All Systems Are Go

Not long ago, I went down a seemingly endless rabbit hole of Osmond family videos on YouTube. They're all there - the brothers, Donny & Marie, little Jimmy, the whole family. You can watch clips of their U.K. tours and their Saturday morning cartoon...interviews and documentaries...even full episodes of The Dony & Marie Show, The Osmond Family Show, their Vegas and Branson shows, and much more. Which got me to thinking...

Were The Archers our Osmonds? 

I think they were. Well, sort of. On a smaller scale, of course. But there really were many similarities. The Osmonds and The Archers were both family groups who pushed boundaries and were genre-benders. They were good looking people with Pepsodent smiles and hair for days. Donny Osmond was a heartthrob for lots of little girls in the early 70s...and Steve Archer had a similar effect on Christian girls back in the day. Janice Archer, like Marie Osmond, started singing with her brothers well after the group was established but managed to attract new fans (and turned the heads of quite a number of teenaged Christian boys). Both groups had television shows. Both groups were known for wholesome living and a somewhat safe and tame approach to rock and roll, causing moms and dads to feel entirely comfortable. And both groups eventually suffered a bit in the PR department for not seeming "hip" enough anymore (music ministry can be just as fickle as the music business). But both families are fondly remembered and appreciated today for the mark they made and the happiness they spread with their music.

The Archer Brothers: Steve, Tim and older brother Gary

The Archers were not street people. They weren't hippies. They were Assemblies of God pastor's kids who received a boost when they came in second nationally in a talent competition sponsored by their denomination. 

Tim & Steve Archer with their "Teen Talent" trophy

So they put a group together and started playing youth concerts and church services. They eventually added a female vocalist and adjusted their name from Archer Brothers to simply The Archers. 

The Archers with Nancye Short, guitarist Billy Masters, and drummer Tim Short

They landed a record deal with Impact, making them labelmates with the Imperials. Songs like Jesus is the Answer and Little Flowers got them noticed. A slot in front of 250,000 people at Explo '72 really got them noticed. 

They came to the attention of Andrae Crouch, Pat Boone, and Ralph Carmichael and ended up signing with Light Records. The initial result was a huge hit titled It Wouldn't Be Enough. 

L-R: Steve Archer, Ralph Carmichael, Nancye Short, Tim Archer

The Archers have always had wide appeal, but they were initially considered a "Jesus Music" group and were marketed primarily to teenagers. "A youth music festival is hardly complete without The Archers," Ralph Carmichael gushed. "Kids love them, and they love kids!"

The hair, the glasses, the bell bottoms...groovy, baby!

Steve, Janice & Tim

In 1977, little sister Janice joined her older brothers and The Archers would be a biologically related trio from that point on. They made a monster of a record called Fresh Surrender in 1977, which contained 7 or 8 hit songs. The well-received Stand Up! rounded out the 70s, and it was a decade that had been very good to The Archers. Highlights included gigs at the White House, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. 

At the White House

They picked up in the 80s where they had left off in the 70s. The new decade brought with it a Grammy Award and performances on the Grammy TV broadcast for two years in a row. Not bad for a trio of A/G preacher's kids from northern California. A live album was released in 1980 and Spreadin' Like Wildfire came along in 1981. But it wasn't until about three years later that The Archers would release another full-length LP, due most likely to the fact that Steve Archer had kicked off a solo career/ministry with projects of his own in 1982 and 1983. The next Archers album was titled All Systems Are Go. It would be the last album from the talented siblings until 1991.

I remember playing the title track on the radio. It's a pop-rock anthem about the Second Coming, and it including samples of actual NASA radio communication from a Space Shuttle launch. Outstanding guitar solo by Bob Somma on that one. 

Do you read? This is ground control
Departure time is near
And soon, you and I are leaving here 

Now approaching the zero hour
The final countdown's on
Look up! Any day now we'll be gone

All systems are go, all systems are go...


Get Ready, Get Right was a funky little number that was also about the return of Christ and featured some close sibling harmony. Both All Systems Are Go and Get Ready Get Right were heavy on electronic drums (Simmons?) demonstrating that The Archers intended to keep pace with current musical trends. 

Don't Let It was a synth-drenched rocker with more great Bob Somma guitar work and those electronic drum sounds front and center. "That's my little rock and roll song," said Tim Archer.

The Archers always seemed to understand the value of surrounding themselves with A-list studio musicians. Dating all the way back to 1975's Things We Deeply Feel, they made excellent use of first-call session players such as Leland Sklar, Lee Ritenour, Larry Muhoberac, Jim Keltner, Dave Hungate, Carl Marsh, Gary Lunn, John Patitucci, Keith Edwards, and many others. One reason the Archers' albums often sounded so good in comparison to the albums of some of their peers was the quality of the instrumentation. All Systems Are Go was no exception to that rule.

What's It Gonna Take and Winning Again were typical of the smooth, polished, radio-ready pop for which The Archers were known. These songs were greatly enhanced by John Andrew Schreiner's keyboard work and Albert Wing's saxophone.

Getting back to the Osmonds...Heaven in Your Eyes was a pop ballad sung by Tim and Janice that sounded, musically, just exactly like something Donny & Marie could've recorded. But the subject matter was being an effective Christian witness.

There is a mirror, and it's deep in your eyes 
Always reflecting out the love you have inside 
When others look at you, what will they find 
To mend up their broken hearts
And free their troubled minds? 

Let the world see heaven in your eyes 
Show them love that they can't deny 
Let the world see heaven in your eyes 
Heaven in your eyes 

While Tim Archer was listed in the credits as executive producer, Tim and his brother Steve shared the producer credit with Skip Konte (who also engineered the album). Konte played keyboards for Blues Image and Three Dog Night. All Systems Are Go was recorded at Front Page Productions in Costa Mesa, California. It was arranged by Herb Jamerson and mastered by Bernie Grundman.

The songs My Hope (a solo MOR ballad by Janice) and the funky Walk Like He Walks express a theme of wanting to be more like Jesus. Tim Archer has been known to say that Walk Like He Walks would've made a great 80s Christian skate night song down at your local roller rink.

The album closes with six and a half minutes of pure delight. Classical orchestration gives way to Tim, Steve and Janice reminding us of James Chapter 1...that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father. And that our Father never tempts us to do wrong. If this song wasn't a huge Christian radio hit, it should've been.  

Every good and perfect gift 
Comes down from the Father 

Let no man say when he is tempted, 
"I am tempted, tempted by God" 
For God tempts no one 
God tempts no one with evil

Now, about that futuristic album cover...we have to talk about the leather outfits. Let's just say that Janice was rocking hers and the guys looked a little embarrassed to even be at the photo shoot. But hey...it was really cool at the time...now, not so much. Craig Incardone took the photos, the supremely talented Kernie Erickson was responsible for the art direction and illustration, and Bob Payne handled the sleeve design. 

Oh...and Craig DePhillippi styled the hair. Yes, he was listed in the credits. After all, this was the 1980s.

One more Osmonds comparison: All Systems Are Go helped land The Archers their first TV show. It was also called All Systems Are Go and aired on TBN (the Trinity Broadcasting Network). Sadly, the All Systems Are Go Tour would be the group's final tour with a live band, as Steve Archer's solo career began to take off (no pun intended). But the Archers certainly enjoyed greater longevity than most pioneering Jesus Music groups, recording charting hits in the decades of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

They would reunite for one more studio effort together in 1991, a project titled Colors of Your Love, produced by the late, great Jonathan David Brown. True to form, the album yielded a Top 20 hit.

Steve, Janice, and Tim occupy a warm place in the hearts of contemporary Christian music lovers the world over. They continue to minister, singing and/or speaking and sharing a Christ-centered message wherever doors are open. As I write this blog post, many of the group's best records are available for download at www.timarchermusic.com/downloads. Drop by and say hi.

#273 GOD RULES by Undercover (1983)

GOD RULES by Undercover (1983)
A&S Records | A&S0005

Producers:

Dan Willard and Joey Taylor

File Under: New Wave/Punk Rock

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

God Rules

"It sounds like Honey, I Shrunk The Cars." That's how one blogger described this album.

Here are a few other words and phrases I found on the internet that are used to describe God Rules by Undercover:

"Giddy new wave." "Sugary as bubble gum and with just as much pop." "Zippy little keyboard-driven numbers with hiccuping percussion." "Chipper." "Sticky-sweet." "Hooky." "Catchy." "Simple three-chord stuff." "New wavish, poppy post-punk Jesus rock." One reviewer said it was just "goofy enough to be endearing."

Joey "Ojo" Taylor and James "Gym" Nicholson formed Undercover in the early 1980s. Based out of Fullerton, California and affiliated with Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, the band began as pogo-stick pop-rockers and became a punk outfit before finally transitioning into a darker, alternative rock band credited with inspiring a new generation of Christian modern/alternative rock groups (sometimes referred to as the Third Wave of artists to be birthed in the Christian rock music scene).

According to the band's Wikipedia page, Undercover's early years were characterized by "high-energy anthems, rebellious themes, and short, three-chord songs." "Mohawk hairstyles, tattoos, and torn jeans" were the preferred look at that time, and the band's albums contained punk versions of traditional hymns and youth group choruses, shouted vocals and simple, direct lyrics. Very simple. Like, at times, laughably simple...

Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus

Jesus for me, for me
For me, for me

Those are the lyrics - all of the lyrics - for a song called Jesus For Me.

How about a track titled His Love...

His love has set me free
His love delivered me
His love stays, won’t leave
He lives inside of me

His love – well, it made me
His love – and it saved me
His love – it’s all around me
His love, His love

His love
His love
His love
His love

Or this one called Jesus Girl...

She jumps and shouts for Jesus, she loves Jesus
She keeps her eyes on Jesus, on her Jesus
And when she jumps and shouts, her eyes are on the Lord
Well, she’s a Christian, yeah, but she’s never bored

And she’s a Jesus girl, oh yeah, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Well, she’s a J-J-Jesus girl (oh yeah, oh yeah)
She’s a Jesus girl

Nothing wrong with Jesus girls. I wish the world was full of more Jesus girls. But let's face it...the lyrics on this record were about as deep as a plastic kiddie pool. 

And for many, that's part of the charm of God Rules. Not only did they not shy away from matters of faith, they were cheerleaders with clear, direct songs that championed that faith. And we didn't have to sweat and strain and swallow hard trying to figure out what we thought the band might be trying to say. Sometimes that's refreshing.

No interviewer ever asked Ojo Taylor, "What exactly were you trying to get across in the song He Takes Care Of Me? What's that song about?" Yeah, it was pretty clear, I'd say. Painfully simple...but clear!

I have a car, but it won’t go very far
But I don’t care, ‘cause I can talk to Jesus anywhere

I can’t buy a three-piece suit and tie
I don’t mind ‘cause Jesus had only one robe when he died

I don’t own a nice two-bedroom home
But that’s okay, ‘cause I’ve always got a place to stay

Loving God makes me a happy boy
I never need anything, because…because…
I never need anything, because he takes care of me
He takes care of me

There ya go. Just a plain and simple re-stating of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:25-34.

Not to belabor the point, but some of the songs read almost like a children's book. I could almost see the lyrics of Jesus Is The Best in a Dr. Seuss book...

Jesus is the best
He’s better than the rest
Go on, put Him to the test
You’ll see He’s the best

Jesus is the most
He rules from coast to coast
I need another dose
My Jesus is the most

Now He is the King over everything
Call Him on the phone – ring, ring
He can change anything
Have you heard the latest?
Jesus is the greatest

But Undercover seemed to be the right band in the right place with the right message at the right time. It just worked. In the words J. Edward Keyes: "Where punk peers like the Altar Boys seemed hellbent on storming the gates with torches, Undercover made Christianity sound like a children’s show, with a bounce castle and a ball pit and communion wafers that tasted like Cherry Pez." 

"One thing’s for sure," wrote the blogger at The One Hundred list, "the band didn’t hide its light under a bushel, but proudly and loudly proclaimed that God not only rules, but also rocks!"

At the time of God Rules, Undercover consisted of Joey Taylor (credited as O-Joe) on keyboards and bass, Jim "Gym" Nicholson on guitars, Gary Olson on drums, and Bill Walden (listed as 'B') on lead vocals and tenor sax.

God Rules was produced by Dan Willard and Joey Taylor and was recorded at Whitefield Studios. Dan Willard was also credited as the album's engineer.

The album's cover and sleeve had a bit of a punk aesthetic on display. A peach background with streaks of pink and purple, complete with the name of Jesus hidden (sort of) in the artwork. Part graffiti/part finger paint/part school art project. It's been said that the cover matches the mood of the music contained inside.

The album's art directer was listed as "Al X."...which actually referred to the multi-talented Alex MacDougall. The typography was credited to Joe Christian - actually the legendary Rick Griffin. [Did no one want to be associated with this record? Just wondering why so many aliases were used in the credits.] Gary Delacy worked on the album design, while Camille Krischak served as an illustrator and photographs were taken by Wes Covina and Scott Lockwood.

Pastor Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith, pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (and friend of Jesus freaks everywhere) was given a shout-out in the special thanks. In his blog An Atheist's Guide to Christian Rock, J. Edward Keyes shared his opinion that Undercover's connection to Calvary Chapel was crucial. "The church," Keyes wrote, "as unbelievable as it sounds, was kind of the Gilman Street of the Christian punk community, generating scores of tradition-breaking bands...it wasn’t just a scene, it was a movement..."

The album's title track got away from the happy pogo-pop stuff a little bit. It would forever be a signature song for Undercover and pointed in the direction the band would travel next. This was less new wave, more punk rock... 

1, 2, 3, 4!

Last time water, this time fire
The day is getting down to the wire
I’ve heard Jesus mocked and now I’m tired
God is true and men are liars

Jesus helps me day and night
He took my sins and flushed them right outta here
The devil lost the fight
Jesus won with power and might

There’s more to life than getting stoned 
And sitting in the twilight zone
He is coming to take us home
Don’t be left here all alone

God rules! God rules!
God rules! God rules!
Hey – God rules!

Along with Daniel Amos, The Choir, the 77s and Adam Again, Undercover would influence many other aspiring bands in the Christian modern rock/alternative scene. Their music would eventually take a darker, more introspective turn. 

It's been said that Joey "Ojo" Taylor would begin to steer the band through dark, nuanced works about doubt and loss. I think I remember reading years ago that Taylor's divorce had much to do with the tone of subsequent albums and his depressed emotional state.

Any time Undercover is discussed, the elephant in the room is the fact that "Ojo" now says he's an atheist. I won't spend a lot of time on that topic here. 

Taylor's own lyric from God Rules:
I've heard Jesus mocked and now I'm tired / God is true and men are liars.

#irony

By the way, don't try to discuss faith or politics with Taylor via social media (unless you have Trump Derangement Syndrome). He will block you, as many Undercover fans have discovered. I guess that's what atheists do when they are secure in their "logic" and "reason."

The other band members seem to still be Christ followers (Bill's a Calvary Chapel pastor) and are reported to maintain friendly relationships with Taylor, so, hey...you never know. Pray for him. And pray for his students (he teaches music-related courses at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia).

An Undercover reunion show in California a few years back

At the end of the day, this album is remembered fondly as a celebration of faith. What it lacked in eloquence was made up for in exuberance.

To quote J. Edward Keyes one more time: "As a snapshot of surf-loving Jesus kids playing beach volleyball in the California sun, it’s hard to match the all-smiles enthusiasm of God Rules."

#274 DON'T GIVE IN by Leon Patillo (1981)

DON'T GIVE IN by Leon Patillo (1981)
Myrrh | MSB-6662

Producer:

Skip Konte

File Under: CCM/Funk/R&B

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Star of the Morning

Leon Patillo has always struck me as a smooth, happy, funky dude. 

The son of a taxi driver, Patillo was born and raised in San Francisco. His pre-school teacher noticed his interest in music and suggested piano lessons for Leon when he was just four years old. The lessons worked. Patillo joined the choir at his Methodist church as a teenager and also played in a band called the VIPs, performing for local parties and dances. After finishing his education at San Francisco City College, Patillo formed a band called Leon's Creation, later shortening the name to just Creation. 

Creation got a deal with Atlantic Records and often served as the opening act for the band War. Leon moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles and found work as a backing vocalist and arranger for artists like Funkadelic, the Vandellas, and the Pointer Sisters. One day in 1973 Carlos Santana heard Leon sing on a demo tape and invited him to join Santana.  

Leon Patillo (third from the right) with Santana

As best can be determined, Leon Patillo toured with Santana for parts of four years and appeared on 2 or 3 of the group's albums, serving as a singer, keyboard player, and songwriter for the popular secular band. Patillo had become a Christian in 1974 and his newfound faith began to create a conflict within himself as he became increasingly uncomfortable with the lyrics he was expected to sing with Santana. The story is that Leon was fired from the band after a tour in 1977 because Carlos Santana wasn't happy with his performance. Patillo says the real reason is that he was actively (and successfully) witnessing to other musicians on the band's tours. "Lots of people were becoming Christians, but nobody was becoming Buddhist," Patillo said.

So Leon then got involved with Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California and Maranatha Music. The result was 1979's Dance, Children, Dance.  

Patillo was initially billed as another big secular star (think: B.J. Thomas, Joe English, Dan Peek) who was leaving the dark side to become one of us. This was a bit of a risky strategy because Patillo was never a major part of Santana. Eventually, Patillo's record companies dropped Santana as part of the marketing plan and just let Leon's music speak for itself...which worked out great, since Patillo enjoyed good sales figures, fourteen charting singles and a Dove Award over the course of his CCM career.

Dance Children Dance sported memorable cover art by Larry McAdams. The album was full of life and showcased rhythms that were somewhat fresh and new. It's been called CCM's first dance record. Patillo played virtually every instrument on the album. Songs like Born Again, Temple to the Sky and the title track became hits.

Don't Give In was Patillo's sophomore release and certainly did nothing to slow his momentum, despite the garish cover design (someone got a little too happy with the neon effect).

Don't Give In delivered some huge hits. 

Flesh of My Flesh became one of the most iconic Christian wedding songs of the 80s (and beyond). Author Mark Allan Powell said Flesh of My Flesh became "one of Patillo's most enduring and popular" songs. 

It's almost impossible to read these words without hearing that familiar melody in your head...

You are flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone
There's no one closer
You are flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone
We are one

I do give my life to you
Today and every day
I will stand right by your side
Whatever comes our way
I have searched and searched for someone
Who'd make my dreams come true
Nowhere else on this earth
Is there anyone like you

Jackie and Leon Patillo in the 1970s

Sadly, Patillo's own marriage did not survive. His ex-wife Jackie worked in various positions for record companies like Star Song and Benson and today is president and executive director of the Gospel Music Association, according to her website. Patillo remarried in 1999 and if Facebook posts are to be believed, he and his wife Renee are still deliriously happy. Renee works in the family business, serving as CEO and co-founder of Patillo's S.I.N.G. Foundation.

Leon & Renee Patillo

Leon Patillo blamed himself for the breakup of his first marriage, saying that he was guilty of putting ministry ahead of family. A divorce is always painful, regardless of the reasons why and irrespective of who's to blame. But a divorce is especially embarrassing when you've written lyrics like Others try and separate us / But they don't stand a chance and The storms of life can blow and blow But they won't knock us down / We'll stand the test, the test of time / 'Cause we stand on holy ground. Sometimes I think Satan works overtime to try to destroy marriages of those who've effectively ministered to the marriages of others. With songs like Flesh of My Flesh, Security and Treat Her Like A Lady, Leon Patillo ministered to other couples in a powerful and meaningful way. In so doing, he might've unknowingly made his own marriage a target.

Star of the Morning was another favorite from this album. It was half worship anthem/half history lesson, focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. 

All of creation sings, Star of the Morning
Praise to the risen King, Star of the Morning

People shouted, "Here comes the King!"
As You marched down the road to Jerusalem
There were tears in Your eyes
The same ones who cheered, yelled, "Crucify!"

I lift my hands to Thee, Star of the Morning
You gave Your life for me, Star of the Morning

When they nailed You to the tree
They thought they had won a mighty victory
But not even death could hold You down
On that third day, You rose from the ground

Hallelujah...

One day soon we'll look on high
And the angels of God will light up the sky
What a day that will be
When Jesus our Lord comes for you and me

Star of the Morning went all the way to #2 on CCM radio airplay charts. It would rightfully belong on any Leon Patillo greatest hits collection.

Interestingly, Patillo offered two secular covers on this album - (Your Love is Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, originally popularized by Jackie Wilson in the 60s and Rita Coolidge in the 70s; and My Sweet Lord, made popular by Geoge Harrison. In each case, Patillo makes the song his own with some musical tweaks and sings it from a Christian perspective. This is especially important in the case of My Sweet Lord (the Hare Krishna references would've been somewhat confusing on a CCM album). By the way, Patillo wasn't the first Christian artist to try to "redeem" My Sweet Lord; Larry Norman holds that distinction.

Don't Give In was produced by Skip Konte; the album was recorded, mixed and mastered at International Automated Media. Dennis Hill supplied art direction and Alan Bergman took the photos. 

Background vocals were supplied by Fred Field, Mickey Rooney Jr., Donn Thomas, Denny Correll, and Denny's younger brother Tim (among others). Charlie Souza played bass, Gaylord Birch played drums, and Leon Patillo played all the keyboards. The record was engineered by Brook Johnson and Willie Harlan, mastered by Richard Donaldson, and mixed by Willie Harlan. The tracks were orchestrated by Dave Garland.

Don't Give In ends with a song that has been a missions anthem over the years, simply entitled Go. This song also served as the title track of an album by Shirley Caeser, also released in 1981. But these powerful words, echoing the Great Commission, were penned by Leon Patillo:

Go ye therefore and teach all nations, go, go, go
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, go, go, go
Baptizing them in the Name of the Father,
And Son, and Holy Ghost, go, go, go

If you love Me, really love Me, feed My sheep
If you love Me, really love Me, feed My sheep
And lo, I'll be with You forever and ever
Until the end of the world, go, go, go

Leon Patillo was just getting warmed up. He would release eight more albums, the last one coming in 2005. He's always been a multi-talented performer (singer/songwriter, keyboardist, dancer, TV host). And he's still active in music ministry today. Patillo has always seen himself as an encourager, with a reach that crosses age barriers and ethnic lines. His music has definitely brought joy to the hearts of many people over the decades. 

Fun fact: Leon Patillo led Phillip Bailey to the Lord when Santana was on tour with Earth, Wind and Fire.