Legendary Christian-rock band Daniel Amos has finally released its classic album--recorded in 1978 but not released until 1981--Horrendous Disc in a five-disk box format. This post will review the first disk, which is the remastered original release.
First, the biggest positive comment. The album is sonically outstanding. The time taken to remix and remaster was well spent. It sounds so much better than the CD that Larry Norman put out on Solid Rock Records in 2000. This fact alone makes it worth owning. I heard notes that I did not remember from my old vinyl that I wore out or than was on the 2000 version. The spacing of the instruments make it possible to hear each of them cleanly.
The biggest negative--and this does not invalidate what I said about owning the album--is that HD sounds so dated. The late 1970s mix of electric guitars and keyboards definitely place this album at a point in time. By 1981, even the remaining members of DA showed boredom with the material and were moving on to new sounds.
This is where I have to part company with those fans who think this is the ultimate DA album. It is not. It has achieved its legendary status partly because of the story about how it was delayed. For my money, ¡Alarma! and Motorcycle share the honor of being Daniel Amos's best works.
That said, the one-two-three punch of side one is hard to beat. "I Love You #19" followed by "Hound of Heaven" followed by "(Near-Sighted Girl with Approaching) Tidal Wave" is a powerful opening that overshadows the rest of the album. (Interesting that the first two songs were not recorded in the original sessions and not part of the plan for the album.)
Though the remaining songs are not quite as strong as the first three, it is still a good selection that holds together well, especially musically.
The weakest song on the album is "I Believe in You" which sounds like a leftover from their first album. I think it would have sounded dated in 1978; it definitely did by the time the album came out.
Despite its age, it is a pleasure to listen to Horrendous Disk in all of its remastered glory. I have probably listened a dozen times and enjoyed it each time.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
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