Thank You for the Music

Description

Thank You for the Music is a praise & worship album by the American singer, songwriter, and arranger Jim Stipech & Friends, released on Chalace Music ‎in 1979. (Chalace Music re-issued the album in 1983, distributed by The Benson Company. It was re-titled All That I Am, featuring new cover artwork, and this time credited to James Gabriel Stipech, a.k.a. Jim Stipech.) The album was recorded by Jack Joseph Puig at Capitol Records in Los Angeles, M.C.A. Whitney Studios in Glendale, and at MartinSound Studios in Alhambra, California; with Jim Stipech producing and arranging. All songs written by Jim Stipech except track A6.

Featuring Jim Stipech on various instruments (piano, Fender Rhodes, electric lead guitar), backed by a session band consisting of Clark Gassman on keyboards, Robert Morton on pipe organ, Billy Walker on acoustic and electric guitars (with guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. sitting in on two tracks), Leon Gaer on bass, and Paul Leim on drums.

‘Teach Us Your Way‘ by Evie and Pelle Karlsson / ‘Thank You For The Music’ by Jim Stipech & Friends / ‘Father Lift Me Up‘ produced by Kurt Kaiser.

Composed of slow, orchestrated melodies and simpler lyrics, these three albums carry the listener upward.
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Thank You For the Music brings a bit more bounce to the vinyl worship music experience. Using tight vocals and uptempo jazz sounds, Jim Stipech provides most of the lead vocals, but the sweet treat is Michele Pillar‘s old favorite «Praise You Father» and «All That I Am». «Thank You For the Music» is also a fine cut as is «I Will Trust Your Love».
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Beautifully orchestrated and produced, ‘Father Lift Me Up’, ‘Thank You For the Music’ and ‘Teach Us Your Way’ make praise this side of heaven sound pretty good. [Carolyn Burns, CCM (What’s New), May 1981]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Prelude To Praises” (Instrumental) – 1:39
A2. “Thank You For The Music” (lead vocals by Jim Stipech) – 5:02
A3. “As Close As I Can” (duet by Jim Stipech and Kathi Pinto) – 2:04
A4. “Show Me Thy Ways” – 3:45
A5. “All That I Am” (lead vocals by Jim Stipech) – 3:48
A6. “Praise You Father” (duet by Jim Stipech and Michele Pillar) – 4:38

Side Two
B1. “I Found You” (lead vocals by Kathi Pinto) – 4:35
B2. “I Will Trust Your Love” (lead vocals by Jim Stipech) – 5:01
B3. “Hosanna We Sing” (lead vocals by Jim Stipech) – 3:29
B4. “In Spirit And Truth” (lead vocals by Kathi Pinto) – 4:24
B5. “Goin’ Home” (Instrumental) – 3:58

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CREDITS. Produced and arranged by Jim Stipech. Recorded at Martinsound Recording Studio, Alhambra, CA; Capitol Records, Los Angeles, CA; M.C.A. Whitney Studios, Glendale, CA. Engineered by Jack Joseph Puig. Thanks to Shawn Michael aand Greg Thompsen for engineering assistance. Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, CA. Graphic Design by K. Michael Spotts. Cover Illustration by Warren Kramer. Back cover photography by Chris Sanders.

Musicians: Lead vocals by Jim Stipech, Kathi Pinto, and Michele Pillar. Jim Stipech (Piano on track B1, Fender Rhodes on track A3, Electric Lead Guitar on track A2), Robert Morton (Pipe Organ on tracks A4 and B4), Gayle Le Vant (Harp), Clark Gassman (Keyboards), Billy Walker (Acoustic and Electric Guitars), Paul Jackson Jr. (Acoustic Guitar on track B3, Electric Guitar on track B4), Leon Gaer (Bass), Paul Leim (Drums). Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff. Choral and Back-up Vocals: Crossection Singers. Additional Back-up Vocals on track A5: Jim Stipech, Michele Pillar, Cathy McGraw.