In news outside of politics, I’m briefly stepping out from behind the sports desk located deep beneath the deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState and slipping into its podcast recording booth. Actually, back in the day, very few pirate ships included a podcast recording booth. But I digress. There’s a brand-new episode of Cephas Hour featuring … old music! 😀

But very, very, very good old music in this all-‘80s episode. Said music is by:

• 77s — Detailed in-depth here a few months ago, this particular song, the title track of Ping Pong Over The Abyss, the band’s first album, showcases Mike Roe and company at their most frenetic.

• AD — The brainchild of Kerry Livgren, best known for his work with Kansas (he wrote “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust In The Wind”), AD was a supremely talented band that never received its proper due. The song is “We Draw The Line” from the band’s third album Reconstructions.

• Adam Again — Led by the melancholy muse of the late Gene Eugene, Adam Again started out as something of a funk/rock ensemble, gradually growing more aggressively abrasive during their all-too brief career. The track selected is “The Tenth Song” from the band’s Ten Songs By Adam Again album, an example of Eugene’s quiet contemplative side.

• Charlie Peacock — Peacock mixes pop, funk, jazz, rock, and whatever else comes to mind into his high rhythmic sound. This is the title track from his debut album Lie Down In The Grass.

• Daniel Amos — Daniel Amos isn’t a person, but rather a band led by the unquestionable genius that is Terry Scott Taylor. It started life as a country/folk-rock band, progressing from there into a modern rock powerhouse. Two songs are included: the title track from Horrendous Disc, which was recorded starting in 1978 but not released until 1981, said album marking the band’s beginning transition from country to rock. We also have the title track from 1981’s ¡Alarma! which revealed the band in its newly found new wave glory.

• DeGarmo & Key — One of the most important bands as far as making Christian rock acceptable to the church, DeGarmo & Key started out as a progressive rock outfit, moving from there to a more pop/rock sound and then changing once more into an arena rock outfit. The song here is “Aliens and Strangers” from their 1989 album The Pledge.

• Larry Norman — The father of Christian rock. Perhaps not the first artist to merge rock‘n’roll with overtly Christian lyrics, Norman was definitely the first to do it with artistic credibility. Track is “Watch What You’re Doing” from his 1981 blues-based Something New Under The Son album.

• Petra — The reason why worship bands exist, Petra has been discussed here before. Song for this podcast is “Rose-Colored Stained Glass Windows” from More Power To Ya, also discussed here before.

• Steve Taylor — Taylor’s satirical lyrics and knack for writing catchy ‘80s-style modern rock songs made him a huge favorite back in the day. Here we have “This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral)” from his On The Fritz album.

• The Choir — True story. Back in the early ‘90s, when I was writing for a magazine distributed by the Tower Records store chain (the story is in my book about Christian rock and the artists who created it), I had occasion to talk to the publicist at IRS Records, which for a time was a heavy hitter in the alt-rock world. Said publicist was a huge Choir fan, and at my urging brought the band to the attention of the company head who thought they were great but unfortunately took a pass. That’s how great The Choir was and is. This song is “Someone To Hold On To” from Wide-Eyed Wonder.

• Tykus — My hometown heroes band, progressive rock masters Tykus unfortunately never broke into widespread attention. This track, “Celebration Day,”is from a collection of demos the band recorded in the early ‘80s.

• Veil of Ashes — This one hits home with the recent passing of band leader Sean Doty. The song is “And They Call It Love” from the album Pain.

• Whiteheart — Progressive arena rockers Whiteheart were equally adept at soaring ballads and even higher soaring rockers, such as what we have here in “Let The Kingdom Come” from the album Freedom.

Show links? Sure. You can listen on-demand at the show’s website, or through the following podcast links:

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