#299 A KISS OF LIFE by Lifesavers (1986)

A KISS OF LIFE by Lifesavers (1986)
Frontline - RO-9007

Producer: Doug Doyle


File under: Pop Alternative

Time Capsule-Worthy Track: 

I Can’t Wait

Inner Seeds Festival. Lawrenceville, Georgia in 1993. I was completely transfixed on the stage as Mike Knott and his LSU mates gave a performance for the ages. Knott ended up in a patterned moo moo, rubbing Crisco all over his face and massaging it into his hair as he sang Rocket and a Bomb. It was, in a word, unforgettable. 

Then the cops arrived. 

I was standing close enough to hear a police officer negotiating with an audio engineer. “We’ve had a lot of complaints, and y’all are gonna have to bring this volume way down.” Then the officer, representing a conservative, rural Georgia county, looked at the stage, squinting his eyes as if to make sure that he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing. By this point, Mike Knott was covered in Crisco and was slinging water all over the crowd. The cop looked at the sound man and said, “I don’t know who that is up there and I don’t care. But that boy needs to take that dress off, and we’re shuttin’ this thing down.” And they did shut it down. But not before Michael Knott and the boys delivered one truly legendary performance.

Mike Knott is considered a genius. But he’s also considered to be an erratic, idiosyncratic oddball. He’s appreciated as a singer, an important songwriter, and a talented painter. In some ways, he became the Larry Norman of the Christian alternative rock scene: controversial, edgy, and impulsive…but undeniably gifted. Knott has also kept his fan base on its toes by releasing multiple projects under different names, with different spellings and incarnations (Idle Lovell, Lifesavors, Lifesavers, LSU, Lifesavers Underground, L.S. Underground, Mike Knott, Michael Knott, Aunt Betty’s Ford, the Aunt Bettys). But it all began when a group of teenagers got saved at a place you might’ve heard of – Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. 

Lifesavors was originally a “pogo punk/new wave band” and came along at about the same time as The Lifters, The Chosen Ones, The Altar Boys and Undercover. Then in 1986, Lifesavors altered the spelling of their name (to Lifesavers), switched labels (to Frontline), and moderated their sound to a more accessible pop vibe. A Kiss of Life was the result.

A Kiss of Life is the record for LSU fans who wish Mike Knott could be a lot more musically mellow and a little more up front about his faith. It’s been described as “contemporary music with a slight alternative/new wave punk edge” and has been compared favorably to The Psychedelic Furs, The Cure and The Waterboys. Despite glowing reviews from some bloggers, fans and music critics, Mike Knott has said that he wished A Kiss of Life had never existed. 

A Kiss of Life talks about the Christian faith, addresses boy-girl relationship issues, features some fine sax work by Allen Palmer, and includes a cover of The Byrds’ Turn, Turn Turn. Unlike the punk rock of the band’s earliest offerings and the dark, guitar-dominated alternative rock of the latter years, A Kiss of Life just aspires to be a pop record. At this point, the band was comprised of Knott, Brian Doidge, Doug Doyle and Kevin Lee. After this album, Knott and his mates would go down some dark, weird roads, both musically and personally…losing some fans, but gaining lots of others. They would soon leave pleasant pop behind. Shaded Pain was just around the corner.

   

Fun Fact: Art Direction for A Kiss of Life was the responsibility of Ed McTaggart, drummer for the band Daniel Amos. McTaggart was VP of Creative Services for Frontline Records.

#300 DECENT BEAT by Quickflight (1983)

DECENT BEAT by Quickflight (1983)
Star Song Records - SSR-0051

Producers: Ron Obvious and Ric DeGroot

File Under: New Wave

Time Capsule-Worthy Track: 
Remote Control

Hailing from Kelowna, British Columbia, Quickflight was a quirky, synth-driven, new wave band from the Great White North.

Breakaway is remembered for the title track (Breakaway! From the common way!) and the unofficial non-conformists' national anthem Pink Shirts (Pink shirts and polka dot ties / high water pants, baggy-size). Pink Shirts got regional airplay, but the band was left looking for a new label when Tunesmith Records closed its doors. Undaunted, they continued writing and touring while shopping around their material.

Thankfully, they were picked up by Star Song Records out of Houston, Texas. In 1983 they went into Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and cut Decent Beat. Decent Beat raised the bar, sonically. It is said to have been groundbreaking due to the fact that the instruments used consisted almost entirely of synthesizers and sequencers.

Decent Beat is also said to be one of the first CCM albums that was digitally mastered although never released on CD. True Tunes gushed that Decent Beat was "miles ahead of its time in both writing and production." Blogger David Lowman called it "the quintessential keyboard/new wave album for the CCM world." 

Quickflight toured mainly in the Western U.S. and parts of Canada, playing lots of outdoor festivals, and opening for the likes of Steve Taylor, Rez Band, Sheila Walsh, Undercover, and others. Their concerts were reportedly "major productions for the time" with lots of "Star Wars-era sound and light effects." By the summer of '84, musical differences and outside projects led to the demise of the group.

WELCOME!

In 2014 I decided to create a blog on the 100 Greatest CCM Albums of the 1970s. I don't pretend to be a final authority on such matters, although my life experiences and professional involvement do make me an expert of sorts. The announcement of the blog via certain Jesus Music Facebook pages was met by some with cynicism and derision. "After all, you're not a professional music critic," they said. Seventy-two posts and more than 81,000 page views later, I'm not hearing nearly as much criticism. 

The 70s blog is a true labor of love, an in-depth look at some of the greatest music ever made...an attempt at celebrating what God did through albums...and an attempt at keeping the history alive. At the time of this writing, I'm working on album #43 in that countdown. The posts do not come quickly; they are heavily researched and go into great detail, so I take my time. Artists such as Pat Terry, Bill Maxwell, Bryan Duncan, Terry Blackwood, Sherman Andrus, and Nancy Honeytree have offered their memories.

SWEET COMFORT BAND

A while back, I started thinking about a similar blog for CCM albums of the 1980s. The 70s were the ground floor, the foundation. Seventies artists were the pioneers, the innovators. There was little money to be made, little fame to be had, almost no radio airplay. Motives, for the most part, were pure and ministry was a major objective. 

AMY GRANT

The 80s, however, was an explosive decade. So many artists, so many labels, so many music styles, so many album releases. CCM radio stations sprang up across the nation. The sonic bar was definitely raised, video became part of the deal, and opportunities abounded. Money also became a corrupting influence, as the Christian labels of the 70s were sold to large secular corporations in the 80s. But there were so many great albums made from 1980 to 1989. Those records should be honored, what God did through that music should be celebrated, and the history, again, should be preserved. 

PETRA

So I'm starting another blog.

This will also be a labor of love, albeit not nearly as all-consuming as the 70s blog. The list will grow from 100 to 300, but each post will be more concise. The opinions of professional music critics will be factored in, and my own personal tastes and opinions will come into play as well. This list, like all others, will be subjective. 

As with the 70s blog, what matters is not the number next to the album title...what matters is what God did through this music that I -- and so many of you -- love dearly.

Thanks for stopping by now and again.

-Scott Bachmann