CCM in 3D

This week's podcast is part of an entire month of "deep dives," a little something that we are calling "Deep Dive December with the 3D's."

Phil Keaggy released his first CCM album (What a Day) in 1973, right at the beginning of the so-called "Jesus Music" movement. Keaggy continued to record consistently throughout the 1970s and 80s. In 1988, Keaggy recorded the finest Beatles album not recorded by the Fab Four--the critically acclaimed Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child. Surely the pressure to follow up Sunday's Child with "Phil Sings the Beatles, part deux" was high. But Phil Keaggy has always zigged when others would zag. This week the 3D's consider Keaggy's follow up to Sunday's Child as they deep dive into the now 30-year-old classic, Find Me in These Fields.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

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Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

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Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

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Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

This week's podcast is part of an entire month of "deep dives," a little something that we are calling "Deep Dive December with the 3D's."

Here is the recipe. Start off with a heaping helping of great songs written by Chris Eaton, Roby Duke, Chris Eaton, Crissie Grossman Puig, Pam Mark Hall, and Russ & Tori Taff. Season to taste with the finest L.A. session players of the 1980s: Paul Leim, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus, James Newton Howard, Robbie Buchanan, Larry Williams, Dann Huff, Michael Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr., Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Tommy Funderburk, Tata Vega, and Lenny Castro. What do you get? You get the album Medals, arguably Russ Taff's finest moment as a solo artist.

Medals also found Taff reinventing himself for the record. As Lucas W. Hendrickson writes in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, "Medals...falls squarely between the 'former lead singer of the Imperials' vide found on his solo debut Walls of Glass and the troubled, introspective nature of his 1987 self-titled project." 

As far as the 3D's are concerned, no album better personifies 1980s L.A. smooth/West Coast AOR CCM quite like Medals.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

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Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

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Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

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Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

This week's podcast kicks off an entire month of "deep dives," a little something that we are calling "Deep Dive December with the 3D's."

In 1985, The Imperials brought super-producer Brown Bannister into the fold to produce their album Let the Wind Blow. The high-tech (at the time) 8-bit graphics screamed "Cutting Edge™" but the resulting album was a relatively safe effort firmly ensconced in the prevailing smooth, West Coast AOR ethos of that time. 

By the time 1987 rolled around, lead singer Paul Smith and long-time Imp Jim Murray were gone from the band and were replaced by Jimmie Lee Sloas and Ron Hemby. The two newcomers provided the band with an infusion of youthful energy and Bannister steered the band into uncharted waters as they released ...This Year's Model.

The 3D's had big, big fun revisiting this classic album (as you will hear).

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

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Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

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Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

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Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

On this week's podcast, the 3D's look back at two of their favorite hard rock albums from the late 80s and early 90s--Mastedon's It's a Jungle Out There! and Lofcaudio. Recently the folks at Girder Music sent us their remasters of both of these classic albums. Since Derek already owned original copies of both recordings, it was interesting to compare the sound and packaging of the new releases verses their older counterparts. 

What did we think? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Show notes: Once again, a big thank you Greg at Girder Music for hooking us up with the remasters of It's a Jungle Out There! and Lofcaudio. We received the discs as a kind gesture from Girder in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Head on over to Girder's website on the day this episode drops (November 30, 2020) and take advantage of their "cyber Monday" sale.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

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Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

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Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

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Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

We haven't even celebrated American thanksgiving week--let alone gotten through the season of Advent--but the 3D's have jumped the gun and started thinking about their favorite CCM Christmas albums released during the years 1985-95. On this episode, you'll hear about Dave's trip with some college buddies to a shopping mall (what are those?), a CCM Christmas album named after a secondary color, and which one of the 3D's really, really doesn't like the song "The Little Drummer Boy."

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

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Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

On this week's podcast, the 3D's do their best to remain (somewhat) objective as they dive deep into an album that would make all three of their "desert island" discs list--the 1989 album Freedom by White Heart. Producer Brown Bannister wrote about this album, "If you haven't heard this record, you haven't heard White Heart. Of course I'm not discrediting any of their previous projects in the past, but I believe this album takes major leaps forward in tapping the true potential of this band. This is truly a 'collective' expression of six very talented guys." Yes and amen!

Show notes: Here is a link to the Tommy Sims Spotify playlist mentioned during this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BbF1lYgmd33YBY0XDAhls?si=M3NBHHqaTumDfvlfSe5Eqg

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

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Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

This week, the 3D's explore the many "various artists albums" released between 1985-95. What do we mean by "various artists albums"? Is this going to be a "WOW" episode? No sir. These are albums with many different artists performing  original songs around a certain theme. Just listen. You'll understand.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

---

Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

Christian metal was practically unknown until the arrival of Stryper on the scene in 1983. Soldiers Under Command was the band's first full-length  studio album and it achieved gold status. The album established the band as a force in Christian music and opened doors for other Christians metal bands.

Buckle in as the 3D's (who may or may not have been wearing yellow and black at the time of recording) go track-by-track through this classic recording. Then stay tuned as Dave Wilson interviews Michael Sweet about Soldiers and what the band is up to these days.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

---

Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

There are "classic albums" and then there are "genre defining albums." Amy Grant's Lead Me On fits easily into the latter category. Although not a great performer on the radio in terms of hit singles, Lead Me On became a favorite with fans and critics alike, even becoming the top-ranked album in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The Top 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. It is an album that rewards repeated listens and holds up remarkably well some 32 years after its release.

Come along for the ride as the 3D's take a deep dive into one of the finest albums of the CCM genre.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

---

Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.

Childhood friends Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key (they met in first grade) went on to become one of the best-known duos in contemporary Christian music. One of their albums (This Ain't Hollywood from 1980) was nominated for a Grammy and their video for the song ""Six, Six, Six" found its way into rotation at MTV.

In 1986, the duo released their seventh studio album entitled Streetlight. The album marked a move away from the synthesizers that had marked their previous 80s albums and back toward a more guitar-based, organic feel. Join the 3D's as they travel back to 1986 and do a deep dive into this CCM rock classic.

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The 3D's are Dan, Derek, and Dave. Three friends who used to work together in early 1990s in Christian radio who love to reminisce about music from the golden era of CCM, 1985-1995. If you love classic Amy, Michael, Petra, Russ, and White Heart, you have found your new favorite podcast. New episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to subscribe.

---

Dan Day is a small business owner in the Wichita area.

Derek Hale is pastor of Trinity Covenant Church (CREC) in Wichita, KS (https://trinitycovenantchurch.wordpress.com/)

Dave Wilson is an on-air personality working for Entercom Communications.

---

Make sure you are subscribed to CCM in 3D. Type CCM in 3D in your podcast provider, hit that subscription button, and leave us a five-star review. This will make it easier for other podcast listeners to find CCM in 3D.

---

Intro and outro music: "New Spoon," composed by Sam Luttrell. Used by permission. Please visit his Bandcamp site at https://cannonfire.bandcamp.com/releases.