C.I.A.

Description

The self-titled, six-track cassette-only EP by the American new wave band C.I.A. (“Christians In Action”) was released on MRC (Ministry Resource Center) in 1984, a sub-label of Maranatha! Music. All songs written by the band’s drummer James Mohline and keyboardist Hans Van Tatenhoue.

C.I.A. features Rob Hall on lead vocals, Hans Van Tatenhoue on synthesizer and bgvs, Larry Worley on lead guitar and bgvs, Bob Wohler on bass and bgvs, and James Mohline on drums.

The band was also featured with the non-album track “Your Choice” on the multi-artist compilation What’s Shakin’ released on MRC Records the same year.

C.I.A. was one of many Orange County Christian rock bands of the early-to mid-1980s. Ministry Resource Center was associated with Calvary Chapel and the Maranatha! record label, and was a ministry designed to resource and support bands and artists who were just getting started in Christian music. Among other projects, the Ministry Resource Center record label also gave us the debut albums from Undercover, the Altar Boys, and The Lifters, as well as the sampler What’s Shakin’ that introduced a plethora of new Christian rock bands, including C.I.A. which were featured with «Your Choice». C.I.A.’s new wave-flavored self-titled EP is from that same time period and the same circle of artists – who often performed on the same bill, and occasionally members went from one band to another – and was the only recording that the band ever released. It was unique in that it was a cassette-only release, at a time when vinyl was still going strong and all the other Ministry Resource Center albums were released on vinyl as well.

Not totally a demo, but certainly underground. This is an early New Wave band on the same label that put out the first Undercover and Altar Boys albums. And it is pretty good, too. Bob Wohler and Larry Worley are cousins, and you might recognize their names somewhat. Bob and Larry went on to form Uthanda at some point after this. Larry left before they released their two label albums, but Bob stayed with them and then continued to work with many bands like Fold Zandura, Qualye, and Third Day as a part of Essential Records and Sublime Records. He also played bass on Michael Knott’s debut solo album Screaming Brittle Siren. Larry formed a heavy metal band called Love Life that released an album for Blonde Vinyl Records before changing names to Fear Not to released one album for Pakaderm Records. That is the weirder one – Bob definitely stayed in the alternative realm, but Larry made a pretty big jump from the keyboard 80s new wave of CIA to the hair metal of Love Life/Fear Not. Always interesting. But this is a high quality early release that you should track down if you can. [Christian Tape Underground, September 21, 2018]

Cassette tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Your Eyes”
A2. “Reaching Out”
A3. “I Don’t Choose The World”
A4. “I Want To Dance”
A5. “Don’t Turn Away”
A6. “In God We Trust”

Side Two
same as side one

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