I have not lost my enthusiasm for Christian music or, more importantly, the Christian faith. Jesus still is first priority, and I depend on Him for guidance and help in all facets of my life.

Back in 2008 when I posted my first song lyrics here, that was also an election year. And, looking at what I posted at that time, it was also contentious. Every election cycle it seems that each side accuses the other of being a terrible person, who will do terrible things when they get to Washington, and the new candidate will go to the capital and “clean things up”. As usual, they over simplify what they can accomplish, whether running for House, Senate, or President, and over accuse the other side of being Satan incarnate.

Every election is important, and the outcome of every election sets the tone for the next two to four years in our country. In this post I will not get into the details of one side versus the other; what I want to again emphasize is what I posted on November 3, 2008 – that aside from voting, it is my job to pray for the country. We have so many disasters facing not just the U.S. but also the rest of the world – the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of acres of land burning, hurricane after hurricane pounding the southeast, and unrest with citizen fighting citizen. Some are literally stating on videos or on social media that they want people from the side opposing them to be dead or arrested and jailed.

My response is that I can vote with my conscience for the candidates who best support my views, but most importantly I need to pray. We all need to pray.

The song is similar, but a different arrangement from the post in 2008. This song, from the 1975 musical presentation by Jimmy & Carol Owens, “If My People”, led and narrated by Pat Boone.

(spoken) “In second Chronicles 14, God made a promise to Israel, which the Holy Spirit is renewing today in the hearts of God’s people in many nations. We’ve come to begin fulfilling God’s conditions for that promise of a great awakening and healing in our land.”

If My people
Which are called by My name
Shall humble themselves
Shall humble themselves and pray

If My people
Which are called by My name
Shall seek my face
And turn from their wicked ways

Then will I hear from heaven
Then will I hear from heaven
Then will I hear from heaven
Then will I hear and will forgive
Forgive their sin

If My people
Which are called by My name
Shall humble themselves
Shall humble themselves and pray

I will forgive their sin
I will forgive their sin
I will forgive their sin
And heal their land

I do not recall how far his year-by-year CCM medleys went as of last year, but they now include the years 1986 through 1990, and he has two medleys for Maranatha! praise music. I want to encourage any reader to check out his YouTube page here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/robbase1969

Here are the two praise music medleys:

and this one:

Here is the Medley for 1984:

Check them out, and if you like them, leave Robbase1969 a “like” and a positive comment.

When I discovered this song again and started playing it, I could not stop. I had to put it on repeat and play it again and again and again. There are many Easter songs in the history of the Church, and all are important, but this particular one is to me one of the very best!

On this Easter Sunday 2017, rejoice in the certainty that Jesus rose from the dead, and that His life opened the way for us to have life also, both now and eternally!

(Celebrate! He’s alive!)

Let the children sing
A song of liberation
The God of our salvation
Set us free
Death, where is thy sting?
The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open,
Come and see!

He’s alive, alive, alive, Hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb.
Alive, alive, alive, Hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen!

Let my heart sing out,
For Christ, the One and only
So powerful and holy
Rescued me
Death won’t hurt me now
Because He has redeemed me
No grave will ever keep me
From my King

I’m alive, alive, alive, allelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb!
I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen

I’m alive, alive, alive, allelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb!
I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen!

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen!

He’s alive! Forever, Amen!
He’s alive! Forever, Amen!

He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive!

(Come on, celebrate!)

He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive
He’s alive, he’s alive!
He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive
He’s alive, he’s alive!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Forever, Amen

He’s alive, forever, Amen!
He’s alive, forever, Amen!

In the past two years, I have discovered the ability of posting some of my unique recordings as videos on YouTube. The audio recordings of The Larry Black Show and the Maranatha! Concerts are now available on YouTube in playlists:

The Larry Black Show:

Maranatha! Concert (Isaac Air Freight, Keith Green, Tom Howard, Randy Stonehill, and the Sweet Comfort Band):

But the project for which I am most excited are two Jesus Music Timesweep videos. I have one for 1969-79, and one now for 1980-89.

What the heck is a Timesweep, you might ask? All of you have heard these in the past for top 40 rock music, even if you didn’t realize that is what it was. On WLS in Chicago, a tradition was started in the early 1970s in which at New Year’s Eve the station played a spliced cut of music in the history of rock, from 1960 to the current year, brief clips that originally lasted about 1 minute for each year of music. As time went by, the Montage become (obviously) longer and more complex, including some of the WLS jingles during each of the eras of music that were featured. Like many others, I enjoyed these, and recorded them when I was able.

When the Drake-Chenault History of Rock ‘n Roll “rockumentary” appeared on radio stations across the country, they featured their own version of a montage, based on the number 1 songs for each year from 1955 to the year in which the History was played. They called it a “timesweep”, and I like that term better.

What I realized last year was that although there were brief little such montages that were used on Christian radio stations for their own promotional purposes, no one (to my knowledge) set up a full-blown survey of the music of the Jesus music era. Thanks to the research tools available on the Internet now in the early 21st century, it became possible for a person like myself who did not work at a radio station or had a huge personal collection to create a montage/timesweep that was as professional as any produced by radio station engineers “back in the day”.

I produced the first Jesus Music Timesweep for the years 1969 to 1979 over a period of several months, and published it on YouTube back in April of this year.

Don’t know why I didn’t promote it here; it just didn’t occur to me, and I did share it on Facebook. However, WordPress has made it easier and easier to share videos with their later revisions, and so putting a video here is no more complicated than including the link.

After recovering from the work of producing the first one, I began to research the next decade of music, and just now completed it.

The work in creating these is not trivial. I first have to combine several different lists of top songs for each year, and then look for the audio of those songs. Surprisingly, YouTube has an incredible amount of music that has been uploaded in the form of videos, sometimes from the record companies themselves. There was some music that I could not find on YouTube, and since I wanted to create a playlist of music for each year, I later uploaded a number of these songs myself.

Once I had access to the songs themselves, it was a matter of capturing a 3 to 7 second sampling of each song, which I then spliced together using Apple’s excellent GarageBand software.

Creating the audio was only a part of the job. Since a video is more interesting if there is something to watch, I decided to create a slide for each song that displayed the album cover for that song, the title, artist, and what place it had on the top songs list.

The final result is something that I myself enjoy listening to, and hope that there are others who also enjoy it.

In the next few posts I will include the links to video playlists for each of the years from 1969 to 1989 that are featured on the two Timesweeps.

The last track on Tape JM-31 from 1984 is a fun one. In the realm of Jesus music, there were a handful of big names, with multiple hit songs that got a lot of airplay, did lots of touring, and became well known. And there were many thousands of less well-known performers who have ministered through their music for many years, to much less public acclaim. Despite not having the careers or notoriety of an Amy Grant, Love Song, Keith Green, or The Imperials, these people have had a dedicated life of serving the Lord through their music.

The artist I am focusing on today is Alan Robertson. I heard this song of his on KCRO and taped it on this cassette, and must have had a friend who bought the album, as one of my other tapes has a short song also from this 1983 album. He has been singing and ministering to people for over 30 years, and on his web site (where he goes by his full name, Alan Root Roberson), he identifies himself with the great name, a “musicianary”, and has done many things in his years. Until I tried to find something about this obscure album on the Internet, I had not known of work he’s done over the years. Enjoy this song that looks at what life was without Jesus, how it is with Him, and why you don’t want to go back to the way things were!

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
I had all the sin that I can hack
And I don’t want to go back

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
I had all that I’m going to have, Jack
And I don’t want to go back (back back back)

Speeding down the road of life, out of control
Satan was the driver, and he wanted my soul
God knows how I bailed out and I hitched another ride
And when I say I don’t want to go back, that’s no lie

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
Had all the sin that I can hack
And I don’t want to go back

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
Had all that I’m going to have, Jack
And I don’t want to go back

Living in a garbage can with the top on tight
Eating lots of trash and I just couldn’t see the light
The noose around my neck was close to running out of slack
Then God sent me some liberty, and I don’t want to go back

I don’t want to go back (don’t want to go)
I don’t want to go back (don’t want to go)
Had all the sin that I can hack
And I don’t want to go back (don’t want to go back)

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
I had all that I’m going to have, Jack
And I don’t want to go back

When your host is wicked, and treats you like dirt
When the food he feeds you tastes just like an old shirt
When someone comes along and shows He loves you for a fact
It kind of tends to make you never go back

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
I had all the sin that I can hack
And I don’t want to go back

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back
I had all that I’m going to have, Jack
And I don’t want to go back

I don’t want to go back
I don’t want to go back …

Today’s excerpts from Tape JM-31 involve more than just one song. The offering today covers tracks 34 through 38 on the tape. I’ll explain why there are so many included here.

First up is station ID from KCRO, still from the same “jingle” collection as we’ve previously heard here from WHME, WEMI, as well as from KCRO. Interestingly, it includes a cut from Sandi Patti, the artist for today, from her 1982 album, Lift Up The Lord, and the Bible verse is from Psalms 145:1-3. I do not know the song excerpt that follows the verse, however.

After this is a brief bit of Let The Whole World Sing by DeGarmo & Key, which was mentioned on this blog back in 2009 on this post, and so I will not repeat it again here.

Next is yet another song that I’ve previously discussed on this blog, Single Minded Love by Kenny Marks, back in 2010 on this post.

After those two song excerpts, it is still not time for today’s song. Instead is a fun advertisement for the Oxford NIV Scofield Reference Bible, which had, back in 1984, just been released. The ad uses a Howard Cosell imitator to comment on the bout between David and the Philistine giant Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17 for the full story). I like the part at the end where David mentions, “And don’t worry – they don’t call me ‘Rocky’ for nothing!” just as he goes off to fight Goliath.

Finally, we are at the song for today. Sandi Patti was at this time a rising star in the Christian music industry, having already won two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in 1982, and had the advantage of a style that would play both on more traditional Christian radio stations, as well as on the newer outlets that played the contemporary style that had been pioneered by the “Jesus music” artists of the previous ten years.

Shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me

Shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me
Father of light
Shine down on me

There’s a land full of glory
In a place where there is no night
And in that holy city
Burns the beacon of everlasting light
A light that keeps reaching
To the people of every land
A love that is longing
To fill the heart of every man

Shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me

Oh, shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me
Father of light
Shine down on me

There’s no sun in that city
The Father’s throne is its only light
The lamp of salvation
The hope that is always glowing bright
It scatters the darkness
Swept away by His mighty hand
Now all the nations can worship
Sing the song of that glorious lamb

Shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me

Shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
That in Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me

Oh, shine down Your light on me
Let the people see
In Your presence darkness flees
Father of light
Shine down on me

(repeated)

Father of light
Shine down on
Father of light
Shine down on me

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This cut has a radio jingle from KCRO, 660 AM in Omaha, and then the song from The Archers. The jingle is another example of the style of Christian radio station announcements that I’ve already featured earlier on this JM-31 tape, first with WHME in South Bend, and then on WEMI in Wisconsin. I’d be interested to know what company produced these bits. It’s also historically interesting to look back on what these stations called themselves. WHME was “Your positive alternative”; WEMI just said “Neenah Menasha” (for the towns from which it broadcast); and for KCRO it’s “Your regional gospel station”.

After the KCRO announcement comes another Archers song from that great 1977 album. Likely this was also recorded off of the vinyl LP where the Fresh Surrender song came on an earlier post.

Change
Don’t come easy sometimes
I’m a stubborn girl
I just want to be alone
Sometimes

Maybe You’ve been showin’ me
Just how nowhere
My own will has been
As far as You’re concerned
And You really love me

Lord I need Your love, I need Your care

And I welcome Your change
Like I welcome the rain
After nothing’s grown in a long, long time

Sometimes
Any change is better
Than staying where you are
When you’ve been there too long
Already

All the changes you’ve been bringin’
Only seem to heal me deep inside
And I don’t wanna be alone
Without You

Lord I need Your love, I need Your care
I find my rest in knowing that You’re there

And I welcome Your change
Like I welcome the rain
After nothing’s grown in a long, long time

Ah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah

And I welcome Your change
Like I welcome the rain after a long, long time
Been a long, long time

La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la

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This is the third and last track featured from the Intrusion album on this 1984 cassette. It is a fifties-styled song, with a doo-wop style. Not theologically deep, but not intended to be.

When I read your word
I feel content
It’s relief to know
It’s heaven sent
Whoah, whoah, ohhh
Study to show
(study to show, study to show)
Thyself approved
(thyself approved)

I know
That you know
My every step I take
I feel
That it’s real
No lie, it’s no mistake

Dear Lord, I met you as a teen
On that hot summer camp night
When I read John 3:16
But then, Lord, I feared
That You’d make me cut my hair
But I found, Lord, instead
That You gave me love to share!

I know
That you know
My every step I take
I feel
That it’s real
No lie, it’s no mistake

From this day on the mark
Close by Your side
Holding on to Your hand
As You take me for a ride
Whoah, whoah, ohhh
Loving You more
(loving You more, loving You more)
And loving me less
(loving me less, loving me less)
And loving You more
(loving You more
loving You more!)

Another song apparently recorded from a friend’s LP (I can hear the crackle of the needle on the record at the beginning of the song). The lyrics are simple, but tell the story – humility before the Lord, freedom in the Lord, I can depend on the Lord to take care of all of my needs; and most importantly, the need to surrender authority of my life to Him. Great song, and great message.

Fresh surrender
I humble myself before You
You are the Lord of my life
Tender with compassion

Fresh surrender
All of Your love is in my life
You are the One who makes me free
Tender with compassion

You humbled Yourself and came to die for me
Before I knew I would need You
I humble myself before You now
Casting all my care upon You
Yes I do

Fresh surrender
I humble myself before You
You are the Lord of my life
Tender with compassion

Oh, all of my life I’ve been waiting for someone
Who’d love me the way that You love me
I trust in Your love and I open my heart
Casting all my care upon You
That’s what You really want me to do

Oh, yeah
Fresh surrender
I humble myself before You
You are the Lord of my life
Tender with compassion
(Fresh surrender)
With compassion
(Fresh surrender)
With compassion
(Fresh surrender)
With compassion

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Track 29 from Tape JM-31, Jesus music that was on the air in 1984, is another from Intrusion. This one I had previously gotten on The Larry Black Show (though on Tape JM-29, in 1983). This one has a much better message than the previous song, Travelin’ Shoes. The miracle of salvation, where God takes all the ways I fail, forgives me, and makes me one of his own, is one of the most amazing things that can happen to anyone any time. All it takes is for me to abandon my impossible efforts to control my own life, and give that control over to Jesus!

Jesus walked on the water
And He made the blind to see
He healed the sick and He raised the dead
But he did much more for me

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
I was just a broken man
With no place left to go
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

Jesus lived a perfect life
But He died for all our sin
He conquered death, and he lives today
In the hearts of His children

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
Well, I was just a broken man
With no place left to go, oh
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

I know He loves me
And He will never let me fall
And though it may not seem like much
That’s the greatest miracle of all!

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free

Oh, well, it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
And I was just a broken man
With no place left to go, oh,
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

He made a miracle of me
Jesus came
And made a miracle of me

As I mentioned on an earlier post, my JM tapes were a mix of what I heard on the radio, and sometimes what I heard on vinyl LPs. The song for today is not only from a record, but it is from a record that I borrowed from a friend. I liked some of the tracks well enough to copy them onto this cassette, but not enough, apparently, to try to buy the album for myself. (At this time in 1984, my finances were extremely tight; though not a good excuse, it was my reason at the time.)

What is interesting about this album by the group Intrusion is that there is very little about it that has survived to be posted on the Internet. The only place where I found any useful info (rather than just copied and reposted stuff) was at Christian Music Archive (specifically, at this page), where I at least found an album cover. Sadly, there is not anything else available about this group available anywhere that I can find (a name like “Intrusion” is one for which it is hard to find many useful hits).

I liked what I heard on the album well enough that I put three tracks on this tape; the other two will be coming up shortly in this list. This particular track seems to be a song in the spiritual tradition. It may be an old song that was jazzed up for the CCM audience, or a song written in the spiritual style. There are other groups (Beam and Acapella) that have also recorded this song, which suggests that Intrusion and these other groups may have taken it from the same source. In any case, it is not very deep in Biblical meaning, but was a fun song to listen to.

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that sinner’s door
Said, O sinner are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that liar’s door
Said, O liar are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that gambler’s door
Said, O gambler are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that Christian’s door
Said, O Christian are you ready to go?
He said, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes!
(He paid my dues)
Well, yes, yes, yes, O Lordy, yes, yes, yes
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
(Swing down, sweet chariot, stoppin’ right on by)
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes

Next on Tape JM-31 is track 26, from Sweet Comfort Band’s fifth album. I would pray that my life shows something different to others, so they can see Jesus in me, and desire to have that same thing in their lives!

This track is introduced by Larry Black, and followed by that wonderful Gary S. Paxton-produced theme.

I’m watching you from behind the scenes,
To see if what you say is what you mean
But you don’t know it cause I play it cool,
Now I don’t want to be nobody’s fool

I’m moving up you, know I’m droppin’ names,
I look the part, I’m playing all the games
But you don’t care to know what people think,
So could it be you’ve found the missing link?

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

I’m up to date, I mean I’ve got the look,
You take your style from a different book
I see your difference here like night and day,
Just tell me, how much do I have to pay

You’re everything that I would like to be,
You do it right as far as I can see
I guess you’re making me a jealous man,
So I’m asking for a helping hand

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

Is it luck, or is it fate,
Is it love for the human race
That makes you life so much better than mine
So tell me what it is

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