Daniel Band
Album: On Rock
Label: Lamb & Lion Records
Released: December 1982
Bill Findlay: Rhythm Guitar, Strings, Synthesizer, Vocals
Tony Rossi: Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin
Dan McCabe: Lead Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
Peter Cosman: Drums
Recorded At Sound Design, Toronto
Mixed & Mastered At Phase One Studios
Co-producer - Glenn Kaiser
Co-producer, Mixer - Roger Heiss
Engineer - Réné (Boucher) Brossard, Wes Storms
Mixed By - Mark Wright
Producer - Daniel Band
Tracklist
A1 He's The Creator
A2 I'm Sorry
A3 You Don't Need The Blues, Lead Vocals - Tony Rossi
A4 Free From Sin
A5 Undercover Christian
A6 Two Roads, Lead Vocals - Tony Rossi
B1 Never Again
B2 In The Sky
B3 I Like To Rock
B4 Spiritual Game
B5 Somebody Loves You
This was the first album from Daniel Band and what an album it was!
I remember hearing this album for the first time. While I already had a Resurrection Band album this release was a different type excitement. This album is straight out Rock & Roll and in my opinion Daniel Band absolutely nailed this album. It is one of my favourite albums to this day and the anthem “I Like To Rock” was played so often in my car, my speakers could play it from memory when the ignition was off. If for some reason you only want to listen to one cut make it “I Like To Rock”. (Real 80s CCM)
Daniel Band emerged from Toronto, Canada’s extensive early eighties Christian music scene and went on to become a pioneering force in the growing Christian hard rock movement. The group can trace its history to vocalist/bassist Dan McCabe and guitarist Toni Rossi, who met when the two were playing in separate bands at a local Christian coffee house. Guitarist Bill Findlay, who managed the coffee house, formed a friendship with McCabe and Rossi as a result of booking both bands. Daniel Band came into being when the three got together to make music. Please note that at the time its 1982 debut On Rock was recorded Daniel Band did not have a contract and only entered the studio after a friend told the group to “record and album and then send me the bill”. On Rock was later picked up for distribution by Lamb & Lion Records after a music executive heard it that had connections with the Benson Company in the states. Daniel Band can best be described as 70’s influenced blues based hard rock. Fans of April Wine, Foghat and Triumph will find a lot to like here, particularly the latter as a result of Dan McCabe’s clean and high end vocal style (the guy can flat out sing like a bird). Toni Rossi shares vocal duties, bringing a more mid-ranged and grittier presence to the two songs he fronts, the driving “Two Roads” and aptly entitled “You Don’t Need The Blues”. Otherwise, Daniel Band shines on “I’m Sorry” (perhaps the finest Christian metal ballad to come out of the eighties), “Never Again” (with its semi-progressiveness) and “Undercover Christian” (one of the catchiest riffs you will ever hear). “Somebody Loves You”, a melodic hard rock masterpiece, stands alongside the steady as it gets “He’s The Creator” and non-stop energy of “Free From Sin”. The only drawback comes in the form of a couple of tracks: “In The Sky”, “I Like To Rock” and “Spiritual Game”. It is important to keep in mind that Daniel Band, at this early stage in its career and like many young bands, had not yet mastered the art of writing a full album of strong material. The group, in my opinion, did not hit its stride until its groundbreaking 1984 release Run From The Darkness. Toni Rossi is one of the underrated guitarists of his era. His consummate lead work ranges from the scratchy and bluesy (check out “Two Roads”) but can reflect a classical feel as well (see “You Don’t Need The Blues”). “Undercover Christian” showcases a more ardent side to his playing. Bill Findlay helps fill out the bands sound on rhythm guitar while adding an accenting touch with his tasteful keyboard work. It also must be noted that Daniel Band produced On Rock with the assistance of Glenn Kaiser (Resurrection Band) and Roger Heiss of Jesus People USA. Kaiser developed an in interest in Daniel Band after hearing the groups five song demo, with a friendship later forming when Resurrection Band and Daniel Band played together in Toronto.
15 окт 2024
