1980s Christian Music!

[WannaWitness]

More early '80s Petra!

 

[FenderTL5]

More early '80s Petra!

early Petra was very good.

Michael W. Smith, World Congress Center Atlanta GA 1985.
I was in the audience, last minute tix given to me by a friend.

From the same night. This was the first public performance this song, unguarded had not been released yet.

 

[A Realist]

Need more! I became a born again Christian in 1982. I've been looking for songs from that time period. I suppose that some of them I heard were from the late 70s. Many that I have vague memories of were from somewhat obscure groups. Here's one (now that I have Googled it, this song is apparently from 1975. Probably older than most members here):

I bought that Mustard Seed Faith album when it first came out.

 

[A Realist]

I was going through some heavy stuff when this song came out, and it sent me a powerful message:

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[WannaWitness]

All Because of You by Lisa Whelchel has always been a favorite of mine. Yes, Lisa Whelchel, who starred on The Facts of Life, a popular '80s sitcom. I know there are many actors/actresses who can sing, but not many have recorded whole Christian albums. I will always admire her, especially in view of the stand that she took in refusing to take part in the controversial episode of TFOL called The First Time as she disagreed (as I do) with the subject matter and overall message of the episode, being contrary to her beliefs as a Christian. She appeared in all episodes except for that one.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite tracks from that album:

 

[Willing Spirit]

One of my favourite Christian bands from the 80's is The 4th Movement, who put out two great albums in the early 80's. Some exceptional music from these guys. Not that I actually heard their stuff at the time. It wasn't until many years later (through the internet) that I heard them with my own ears.

They started out as a secular band in the 70's, under the name RockFire Funk Express, than as Death. Here is a video that gives some of their story, sampling some tunes from their debut 1980 album (re-released in 2018 on CD and vinyl):

As of yet their second album from 1982 hasn't been re-released, but the entire thing can be heard on You Tube. Really good album!

PS. When I refer to their debut and second album, I'm referring exclusively to their 4th movement stuff.

 

[WannaWitness]

I didn't actually hear this song in the '80s; in fact, I heard it for the first time in the early '90s from a lady in church who used accompaniment tracks (also known as "soundtracks") and made a low-budget recording of this along with a mixture of other inspirational songs. I didn't know who the original artist was until much later on, and can't remember exactly how I found out. All I know is that it's a beautiful song with a powerful message that many Christians can relate to, especially those who have fallen away and desire to come back to Jesus. It's called When God Ran, and the original artist is Benny Hester.

 

[Citanul]

This was the Christian contribution to the charity singles that were released in the mid-80s to raise money for the Ethiopian famine.

 

[WannaWitness]

Some tracks from the 1983 Dallas Holm album, Signal.

 

[WannaWitness]

Title cut from 1987's Somethin' Takes Over. Yep, it may be from 1987, but strongly smells like 1947! Listen, and you'll see why!

 

[WannaWitness]

Lovely music from Wendy Talbot, strictly vocals backed by guitar. Anyone should appreciate this.

 

[WannaWitness]

This is another one of my favorite songs by Dallas Holm as the message is so powerful.

 

[WannaWitness]

The following song is rather special to me as I first heard it as a teenager having attended a Christian youth camp (this was around 1990). It came from a compilation recording put out by the camp (songs were from the late '80s). The teen years are usually tough for anyone, but being a Christian teenager presented some challenges, as I wanted to share my faith and hang on to the values I'd been taught, but had a desire to fit in and have friends. Peer pressure was heavy back then. I consider this song a favorite, then and now, as it was instrumental in helping me to deal with these issues.

 

[FenderTL5]

For a moment, there were some that were convinced that Kathy Troccoli and Taylor Dayne were one and the same (they're not).

 

[WannaWitness]

For a moment, there were some that were convinced that Kathy Troccoli and Taylor Dayne were one and the same (they're not).

I enjoy that whole album! It's one of those ones where every song is excellent! Even down to Kathy's attire and hairstyle, it was totally '80s all the way around (and of course, one can hear a bit of synthesizer sprinkled throughout)! Also, I have been hearing some people saying here and there that Christian contemporary music was always around 5 to 10 years behind its secular mainstream counterparts (soundwise). However, this is one album that says that's (as the '80s kids would say it) "like totally wrong"! This work really screams 1984 (which was when it was made)! Because I heard a lot of the secular music from the mid-1980s as a kid, and this sounds no different!


Here are my absolute favorite tracks from said album:

 

[WannaWitness]

Oh... and who can forget the smooth harmonies of SILVERWIND? They were so big in the early to mid '80s!

This could take up a few posts. They had so many great songs!