Description
Ten Songs by Adam Again is the sophomore studio album by the American alternative rock band Adam Again, released on Broken Records in 1988, a Brainstorm Artists International imprint manufactured and distributed by Word. The album was recorded by Dave Hackbarth at Neverland Studios in Los Alamitos, California; with band member Gene Eugene producing and arranging. Mixed by Hackbarth and Eugene except tracks A1 and B5 mixed at Pakaderm Studios, with Mike Mierau. (The album was recorded simultaneously with Chase the Kangaroo by The Choir; Adam Again working by night at the studio while the Choir worked by day.)
All songs on the album were written by Gene Eugene except “Ain’t No Sunshine”, a cover of the Bill Withers classic. “Tree House” and “Beat Peculiar” feature lyrics input by Steve Hindalong of The Choir fame. (Rap group SFC later sampled “Beat Peculiar” for the song “Peculiar” featured on their 1990-release A Saved Man (In the Jungle), an album that actually was recorded and mixed by Gene Eugene.) Featuring guest musicians Nathan Alford, Jr. on percussion and Dan Michaels of The Choir on saxophone, as well as the gospel group Joy (Archie Robinson, Arveal Johnson, Lanette Elkles, Larry Simpson, and Laura Smith) providing additional vocals on tracks A1, A3, B3, and B4.
For their sophomore effort, Gene Eugene took his band to the next level, mixing soul & funk with his edgy alternative rock leanings to come up with a record that is sophisticated and moving. From the tour de force dance-funk of “Beat Peculiar” to the sad, lamenting “Who Can Hold Us,” to the darkly spiritual “Tenth Song,” with its “She’s So Heavy” ascending bass line and infectious repetition – this is a watermark in the evolution of intelligent art/funk/pop in Christian music. According to All Music Guide “Adam Again – accompanied by members of the gospel group Joy – puts forth a dancy, soulful, introspective, and intellectual release that challenges the mind as well as the feet.”
A shorter, stripped down version of the last song on the album, “The Tenth Song,” was later recorded by Mac Powell with Gene Eugene, featured on the multi-artist project City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise released in 2000.
The 1986 debut of Adam Again, ‘In a New World of Time‘, broke new territory in Christian music with its keen dance instincts and arty new music edge. The comparison to Talking Heads had more to do probably with the LP’s Howard Finster cover art (similar to that of ‘Little Creatures’) and the sense of white art students trapped in a disco world than anything similar in the music.
‘Ten Songs…’ picks up where ‘New World’ left off and makes a quantum leap into a fresh aural dimension. Eugene, together with bride Riki Michelle (on harmony and inspirational dance), Greg Lawless (guitar), and Paul Valadez (bass), steps into a seamless world of rhythm, sound, and sensation that is undeniably relevant, and mesmerizingly transcendent.
«Treehouse» speaks to the “club in the sky” attitude of exclusivity that affects some Christians, while «Every Word I Say» reminds us that our lives need to “get serious” about fulfilling our commitments. What stands out is the real-world sense of the lyrics, not the cloistered party line that pervades much of Christian music today. ‘Ten Songs…’ is new, hot and powerful. You can think about it and you have have to dance to it. I’ll give it a 96 1/2. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, May 1988]
Adam Again’s second release, Ten Songs by Adam Again, is a major leap forward in maturity and musicality. Accompanied by members of the gospel group Joy, the band puts forth a dancy, soulful, introspective, and intellectual release that challenges the mind as well as the feet. The only drawback to this record is the lack of a drummer – the group still relies solely on drum machines, which give the record a bit of an empty sound in places. The spastic guitar work by Greg Lawless goes a long way here, not to mention Gene Eugene’s unusual voice. There is an excellent cover of «Ain’t No Sunshine». The lyrics begin to become more sophisticated, with less reliance on simple light/dark concepts. «Tree House» is about the tyranny of the elite and the exclusion of the underprivileged – maintaining that someday there will be a “fire in the tree house.” It’s a powerful song. Most notable is the eight-plus minute dance number «Beat Peculiar», with its killer jams throughout. If you can get past the drum machines, this is an excellent record. [Mark W.B. Allender, AMG]
For their sophomore effort, Gene Eugene took his band to the next level, mixing soul & funk with his edgy alternative rock leanings to come up with a record that is sophisticated and moving. Greg Lawless’s guitars deliver the raw rock energy that would dominate later records, but it’s the songwriting that excels. «Treehouse» boldly asks that none be excluded, «Who Can Hold Us» reminds us that God never turns away, while the back to back punch of «Eyes Wide Open» and «Every Word I Say» call for a life and faith lived authentically in the real world. My favorite version ever of «Ain’t No Sunshine». [Brian Quincy Newcomb, HM]
Ten Songs by Adam Again – Remastered, Lo-Fidelity 2002.
The album is nearly a quarter-century old now but the music – especially thanks to a fine remastering job – is still fresh and vital. If there’s one clue that this was made in the late eighties it would be the drum programming – but the overall percussive vibe of the album is so strong (and the beats create such a deep groove) that it really makes no difference. I won’t say that Adam Again was ahead of their time – it’s more like they ignored their time completely and just went ahead and made the music they wanted to make. Lucky for us… At any rate, talk about truth in advertising: Ten Songs by Adam Again is, well …ten songs by Adam Again! And that should be more than enough to make the heart of any fan of the early days of Christian Music skip a decidedly funky beat.
Fronted by the late Gene Eugene (vocals, guitar, keyboard, drum machine), who was accompanied by Greg Lawless (guitar), Riki Michele (vocals), and Paul Valdez (bass), Adam Again produced passion-filled funk that still sounds great today. Produced and arranged by Eugene, Ten Songs by Adam Again sounds elegant yet nasty, touching the heart but not forgetting to get the body involved, regaling the listener with riff-driven grooves, chunky rhythm guitar, pumping bass, and wailing, tortured-sounding solos from Lawless’ Stratocaster.
In many ways Adam Again sounded like a more soulful version of The Talking Heads, right down to Eugene’s decidedly unique vocal style. This was a band that knew how to balance intellect and emotion, earthiness and spirituality, body and soul – and they never did it any better than they did on this album. Especially in the late eighties, most bands in the Christian market would never have thought of recording the simple, but sadly elegant «Ain’t No Sunshine» and the beautiful, theologically pure «The Tenth Song», (which closes the album with the words, ‘When I remember You, I remember that Your body was broken / I remember that your body was split / I remember that You didn’t have to do it’) on the same project. Adam Again was one of the few bands that were not afraid to express physical celebration, human loneliness, romantic love and spiritual longing all as common elements of our journey – but isn’t that just the way life mixes it up?
Ten Songs by Adam Again is one of the essentials, folks. From the tour de force dance-funk of «Beat Peculiar» to the sad, lamenting «Who Can Hold Us», to the darkly spiritual «Tenth Song», with its «She’s So Heavy» ascending bass line and infectious repetition – this is a watermark in the evolution of intelligent art/funk/pop in Christian music. Good – no, very good – to hear it again. [Bert Saraco, The Phantom Tollbooth, 2 March 2013]
Retroactive Records Promo, 2025 LP/CD Re-issue
Originally released in 1988 on Broken Records, Ten Songs by Adam Again stands as a landmark recording in the evolution of Christian alternative music – bold, gritty, and undeniably ahead of its time. With this 2025 deluxe Collector’s Edition CD from Retroactive Records, the album receives the reissue treatment it has long deserved: remastered by Rob Colwell, housed in a jewel case with a high-quality O-card sleeve, and featuring a 12-page lyrics insert booklet with rare band photos. Every CD also includes a limited-edition Adam Again collector card, available only with this pressing.
Driven by the artistic vision of Gene Eugene, Ten Songs builds on the foundation of their 1986 debut but leans deeper into groove, mood, and lyrical complexity. The album blends elements of funk, soul, and post-punk, echoing the influence of R.E.M., Talking Heads, and The Cure, yet sounding entirely its own. From the raw confession of «Eyes Wide Open» to the soulful and stunning cover of Bill Withers’ «Ain’t No Sunshine», the band crafts a sound that is both emotionally vulnerable and musically adventurous.
This is the only Adam Again album to appear in CCM Magazine’s 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music (ranked #55), and it holds the #138 spot on the CCM’s 500 Best Albums of All-Time. Critics and fans alike continue to celebrate it not just for what it meant in 1988, but for how it still speaks today – with authenticity, urgency, and a rare kind of spiritual honesty.
Ten Songs by Adam Again is more than a cult classic. It’s a defining statement from one of the most important underground bands in the history of faith-informed music. This reissue invites a new generation to hear it as it was meant to be heard – unfiltered, undiminished, and undeniably essential.
Album liner notes by Gene Eugene
“Tree House” When I think of Apartheid, I can hardly believe that a system like that actually exists in the same world I live in. But then again, I realize that the same kind of divisions exist throughout life. The basic need to be superior to others is one that works to destroy friendships, churches, even nations. “Drop the ladder down.” 3rd verse lyric by Steve H. “Beat Peculiar” “It’strange and it’s wonderful.” Additional lyrics Steve H. “Who Can Hold Us” We played a gig a year or two ago in San Diego, California where a couple of gospel groups were on the show. We loved the group “Joy” so much, we were determined to have them on our next record. When we finally tracked them down they graciously agreed to make the long drive to L.A. and spend a very long Saturday with us, recording vocals. This was the last song we did that night, and their performance here is particularly beautiful. The idea for the string arrangement comes from a Stevie Wonder song “Pastime Paradise”. “Babylon” A hymn from Psalm 138 “I’ve Seen Dominoes” Nothing to do with pizza. A song about relationships, specifically families in trouble. The failure to communicate starts the dominoes falling one after another, until there is nothing left standing at all. “Trouble With Lies” I hate to lie. It seems like lying has been the cause of every bit of trouble I’ve ever gotten into. “The trouble with lies is that you can start to forget where the real man hides.” “Ain’t No Sunshine” I wish I had written it, but I’m glad someone did. “Eyes Wide Open” Some of these lyrics were written by my friend Doug McKelvie. He recently had to make a decision whether or not to reenter a situation where he no longer seemed to fit. His beliefs had changed, coming back now with eyes wide open. Since it is a challenge I also face, I was able to add my own words as well. “Every Word I Say” Another song about telling the truth. “The Tenth Song” Thank God. Gene Eugene.
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/ten-songs-by-adam-again-25th-anniversary-edition-remastered/592893816)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Tree House” – 6:52
A2. “Beat Peculiar” – 8:17
A3. “Who Can Hold Us” – 4:30
A4. “Babylon – 1:45
A5. “I’ve Seen Dominoes” – 6:11
Side Two
B1. “Trouble With Lies” – 5:14
B2. “Ain’t No Sunshine” – 2:36
B3. “Eyes Wide Open” – 5:52
B4. “Every Word I Say” – 5:40
B5. “The Tenth Song” – 5:50
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Broken Records. (The cassette front cover states: “Special Bonus Length Cassette. Over 53 Minutes of New Music by Adam Again! Includes Extended Mixes (Not Available In LP)“.) “Trouble With Lies” (3:58) was released as a two-sided 7-inch vinyl single by Broken Records, featuring “The Tenth Song” (2:38) on the flip-side. The album was remastered and re-issued on CD in 1000 copies by Lo-Fidelity in 2002, featuring a bonus track; “The Tenth Song / I Remember You” (9:29). (For Lo-Fidelity Records it all started with Adam Again. In 2002, after much negotiation with Mr. Buddy Killen and KMG Records, Lo-Fidelity was granted license to reissue Ten Songs By Adam Again for a one time CD pressing. This was a negotiation that began years prior between Jeffrey Kotthoff of Lo-Fidelity Records and the late Gene Eugene, who honestly thought it wouldn’t ever happen. But two years after Gene was gone, it did.) Remastered by Rob Colwell and re-issued by Retroactive Records in 2025 on both CD (Deluxe Collector’s Edition, 500 copies) and Limited Edition 12-inch Heavyweight vinyl LP (250 copies) pressed on Avocado Swirl Vinyl (through Limited Run Vinyl/Limited Run Music). Available at Bandcamp: https://lo-fidelity.com/album/ten-songs-by-adam-again-2002-remaster
Adam Again (Riki Michele, Gene Eugene, Paul Valadez, and Greg Lawless) with the gospel group Joy (Archie Robinson, Arveal Johnson, Lanette Elkles, Larry Simpson, and Laura Smith).
Ten Songs by Adam Again, Remastered and pressed on Avocado Swirl Vinyl, Retroactive Records 2025.
Steve Broderson’s cover of “Tree House”, taken from the tribute effort, Gene Eugene / Adam Again: Ten Years Gone, A Fan Tribute. (All instruments by Steve Broderson with guest vocals by La’Shelle Allen and Broderson’s daughter, Alaina.) Available at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/steve-broderson/tree-house-adam-again-cover
A full-page advertisement for the Maranatha! Music associated imprint Broken Records – a progressive label featuring artists like Undercover, Youth Choir, Crumbächer, and Altar Boys – was featured in the March 1985 issue of CCM Magazine.
An advertisement for the artists currently signed to the Brainstorm Artists International imprint Broken Records (Undercover, Level Heads, Adam Again, Ojo, Riki Michele, 4-4-1) was featured in the April 1988 issue of CCM Magazine.
A full-page advertisement for the artists currently signed to Brainstorm Artists International (Undercover, Dynamic Twins, 77’s, Adam Again, Dä [Daniel Amos], Freedom of Soul, SFC, Dig Hay Zoose, I.D.O.L. King) was featured in the July 1991 issue of CCM Magazine.
As the old Broken logo is buried, the new BAI (Brainstorm Artists International) logo is rising… A Rose by Any Other Name…. The new label is distributed by both Word and Epic.
About… Brainstorm Artists International
Blue Collar Records was a California based independent label owned by Harry Barnes. After releasing four albums – the first two albums by 4-4-1 (the self-titled debut album and their sophomore effort Mourning Into Dancing), Branded by Undercover, as well as Adam Again’s debut album In A New World of Time – it folded.
After the demise of Blue Collar Records, Brainstorm Artists International (BAI) was established as a partnership between Adam Again’s Gene “Eugene” Andrusco, Joey “Ojo” Taylor of Undercover, and silent partner Barry Hill (who was the sound man for Level Heads, and the one who provided the initial cash) to produce “good music with a spiritual element.” One of a few truly artist-owned and-operated record labels working in the CCM field.
Brainstorm actually started out by using the Broken record label imprint with a sort of lease-to-own partnership. [ Broken Records originally was a short-lived, rock-oriented arm of Maranatha! Music created out of Maranatha’s A&S and MRC labels. It released albums like Altar Boys’ When You’re a Rebel, Crumbächer’s Incandescent, and Voices in Shadows by Youth Choir. As well, the 1985 European edition of Boys and Girls – Renounce the World!, the third album by Undercover, also features the Broken logo on the the album sleeve. (The album was originally released in the US on A&S Records in 1984, a sub-label of Maranatha! Music distributed by Word.) ] The first four albums released by Brainstorm Artists International under the Broken imprint – all manufactured and distributed by Word – were Undercover’s live album 3-28-87, the full-length debut album by Level Heads entitled Momento Mori, Adam Again’s sophomore album ‘Ten Songs by Adam Again’, as well as a solo album by Ojo, a.k.a. Joe Taylor of Undercover, entitled Relative.
Brainstorm Artists International’s partnership with Broken lasted from 1988 until the end of 1990, with Word 2 The Wize by Dynamic Twins being the final album to be released on the Broken imprint in early 1991, and Caught in a Land of Time by Freedom of Soul being the first album to feature the Brainstorm/BAI logo only. (Broken actually stayed with Maranatha, and they did try to revive it again, this time as Broken Again. As well, The Corinthian Group also named on of their divisions Broken, an imprint featuring bands like Southside Blades of Eden, Uthanda and Human Condition.) From now on the label’s efforts were released under the Brainstorm Artists International name and logo, though still manufactured and distributed by Word. (Though some releases also featured Word’s WAL (Word Associated Labels) logo alongside the BAI logo. The WAL label started in 1993 and released projects from BAI and Caesar Kalinowski’s Temple Productions. After new management at Word, the WAL label was disbanded and Word cut its ties with Brainstorm.)
In 1994 Word disbanded WAL and all the labels associated with it. The shakeup in the Word label resulted in Brainstorm needing a new home, and they found a new distributor in Diamante. To celebrate Brainstorm released a series of four compilations — “Brainstorm Artists, recently established as an artist owned and operated cooperative, celebrates a new era by presenting an anthology of songs and miscellanea by all of the artists that have made such an important contribution to the faith and lives of so many.” Each compilation had a different theme of the style of music Brainstorm had put out from 1988-1994, and included demos and previously unreleased tracks; Rock: Brainstorm Rock Collection, Reflections: A Brainstorm Companion, Raw: A Brainstorm Compendium, and Rap: The Brainstorm Maximum Volume.
(As the partnership between Gene Eugene and Ojo Taylor came to an end in the mid-90s, Gene continued on with BAI and Ojo started the Innocent Media label with distribution still through Diamante. Michael Roe’s solo album The Boat Ashore was the new label’s first effort. Innocent lasted for several releases until Diamante folded in 1997. Ojo would revive the label for a couple of Undercover projects in 2000.)
A 1995 advertisement for new album releases on the Brainstorm label with distribution by Diamante, including Perfecta by Adam Again, Songs of the Heart by Daniel Amos, and Huntington Beach by Lifesavers.
On the Undercover mailing list, Ojo/Joey responded to a question about Broken Records and 1985 –
“OK – here’s the Broken story, from my perspective…
Anyway… first there was Maranatha Music, formed as a ministry of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and located on the grounds there too. This was before my time. Maranatha owned a studio just up the street from Calvary called Whitefield. It is the stuff of legend, as a glimpse through any of those early landmark Maranatha albums (and some later ones too, including the Broken releases) will show. It is the first 24-track studio I was ever in, invited to tag along with John Wimber one night, who was doing a recording there. That night I knew it was my calling and that I must learn everything I could about production.
Maranatha’s then-president, Chuck Fromm had decided to form a Maranatha Music offshoot more focused on ministry and on those minstrels who wanted a vehicle to allow them to fulfill their calling without having to pursue a record deal with Maranatha or any other label. This was called the Ministry Resource Center, or MRC. There were many resources made available, training, study, prayer, materials, networking, showcases. It was a kind of lower-budget, grass roots farm label too. There were only a handful of groups working with MRC that I remember and the only one that really comes to mind now is a group called Tamarack which had Rob Watson on keyboards (he has appeared on too many records to list, including Broken Christmas, and of course he is also one of the Swirling Eddies) and John Patitucci, the renowned bass player. They were kind of a jazz/fusion thing. I honestly don’t remember who else was working with MRC at that time.
There was also another label Maranatha had started called Asaph & Sons, or A&S Records. This was formed for artists with more edge than would have been allowable on a Maranatha release. The one artist I remember of course, is Leslie Phillips (later to go by Sam Phillips, wife of T-Bone Burnett). They also had some compilations called Back to the Rock, and I think we appeared on one of those, or we were at least supposed to have. But I get ahead of myself…
Gym and I played in one of the new band showcases at Calvary in one of the bands we were in before Undercover. We were then asked to meet with Chuck Fromm and we were so excited we couldn’t see straight. We blew the meeting though because our then-drummer (remember this is before Undercover) had no interest in ministry as a main focus and I’m sure that’s what they were looking for. Some time later, after Undercover started, we were called up and asked if we would like to record a track for a Back to the Rock record and of course we said we would. We went in and recorded «Look It Up» at Whitefield, engineered and produced by Dan Willard. Around this time things were moving very fast. The Lifesavers, Undercover, and The Lifters were playing all over the place and the local fever was spreading quickly. Someone at Maranatha got the idea that maybe Undercover should have its own MRC release and of course we agreed to that as well, and used the «Look It Up» track we had recorded earlier on that first album (not sure if anyone knew that or not, that «Look It Up» was recorded separately from and some time before the rest of our first album). The Lifesavers also recorded their first album and they were both released around the same time. That just made things more nuts locally, and I think the decision was then made to do a full national release, which we did – God Rules, on A&S Records, distributed by Word. The Lifesavers moved on to another label, and somewhere in there The Lifters recorded their first album on MRC. They worked very hard and deserve much more credit than they ever received.
After God Rules, and the rapidly changing musical environment in So Cal, it became obvious that the future was going to be more along these new music lines and A&S was somewhat abandoned and the ideas for Broken Records born, again, with Chuck Fromm as the main visionary, but with Chuck Smith’s advice and consent. This was actually preceded by the MRC release What’s Shakin’ with a whole lineup of new groups. The whole Maranatha staff was excited about all this, and the first Broken release was Boys & Girls in 1984. Somewhere around this time Youth Choir also released a record, I think on Broken, and then Crumbacher’s first record also. Altar Boys released their first record on MRC too. The Lifters did another too. Well, new bands were popping up all over the place, some really good, others not so good.
As I wrote the other day, Sim joined Undercover around this time – just after Boys & Girls was produced. We had met him the day the God Rules album shipped to retail, in May of 1983. He was singing in a band called Martus, along with Gene Eugene, Gene’s wife Riki Michele, Greg Lawless and Paul Valadez. You can see where this is heading… Sim left a year later to join Undercover and shortly after, Gene formed Adam Again. The more kids, or more marginal people these new bands were reaching, the demographic makeup of the church started changing a bit, and still more new bands were forming, but now, really hard-core bands with the full-blown hair and makeup and everything. I distinctly remember being at Calvary Chapel on a Saturday night with 2 punk bands playing including my brother’s band, the precursor to Nobody Special. They were called Immortal Youth.
Well, around this time, the middle of 1985, Chuck Smith was starting to get uncomfortable with things. I don’t know why exactly, but it was becoming (this is only my best guess) a fashion show and culture fiesta. I know the bands had their hearts in the right place, but I think it was too much too soon, even for So Cal. Undercover traveled to Europe in the summer of 1985 for 6 weeks and when we got back, I heard the decision had been made to put Broken on ice and the Saturday concerts too. This was a shock, but there was lots of stuff going on in other arenas too. My personal life was falling apart. Up until this time, I had been a staff producer for MRC and Broken Records and had become a sort of figurehead for the movement (see the Broken Pieces newspaper, the only issue of it, on our web site under photos, with Brigandi of The Lifters on the cover), and my life was falling apart. We were playing like crazy and I had written much of Branded already. In fact, we started recording that album for our next Broken release, on Tim Pinch’s mobile truck in Gym’s garage that had been converted into our practice studio. In the middle of that recording is when everything blew up. So now, mid to late 1985, no Broken, no concerts at Calvary, no personal life. But up until this point, it had all been Maranatha-owned and managed and Gene had not yet been involved.
Sometime after that, I got a call from Gene, who by this time had replaced Uncle Dave as our sound man and also our road manager, who told me about his guy named Harry Barnes who had this little label set up with distribution. Gene said Adam Again was going to do a record for them (they had no record yet) as well as this other band, 4-4-1. He wanted to know if Undercover would be interested. We had been talking to Sparrow about a recording deal, but that had fallen through because I was getting a divorce and they had just dealt with that with another of their artists and did not have the appetite for it. I agreed, and we re-recorded Branded at Pakaderm for Blue Collar Records.
I got a call from Chuck Fromm after that who wanted to know what we were doing and we told him, and it became a very tense meeting. He said he wanted rights to Branded, but I told him we had been let go, and after some words and fur flying, we agreed to amicably part ways. Blue Collar Records didn’t last long because (as happens so often) they were not paid by their distribution company and poor Harry was up a creek. Too bad, because of his three releases, all three went on to become significant at various levels. This was 1986 and into 1987 because we had planned to release 3-28-87 on Blue Collar Records, and when Blue Collar went under, we were going to release it to whoever purchased Blue Collar. So it was that in 1987 Gene and I met and Gene had this idea to start our own label. He had been talking with Barry Hill, the sound man for the Level Heads in Canada, who we had met at a festival there after we returned from Europe in 1985. Barry had some savings and was interested, and so the three of us formed Brainstorm Artists International.
We approached Chuck Fromm again (this was a while later, at least a year or so, after cooler heads had prevailed) and asked if Maranatha was willing to distribute us. He said that not only would they distribute us through Word, but if we were interested, they’d sell us Broken Records too, and let us pay it off from royalties. We jumped on it and for the first year or so, all of our releases were on Broken Records, which was now owned by Brainstorm Artists International. About a year later, I got another call from Chuck asking Gene and I to go down to talk, and he told us that because of some technicality with Maranatha’s agreement with Calvary (Calvary had also spun Maranatha off to Chuck Fromm), that they could not complete the sale of Broken to us while they still owed Calvary money. We said that was fine, and we just gave them back everything (the original Broken masters, but not those produced under Brainstorm, logo and other stuff). Chuck was nice and generous enough to set us up with Word directly, even though we had to prove ourselves at a sales conference in Texas, which we did with flying colors. We then just started releasing everything under the Brainstorm name and logo, which was our corporation name from the very beginning. From there, Jimmy Kempner made an unsuccessful attempt to buy Broken from Maranatha, and formed Broken Songs instead, the publishing company for Frontline Records. Many people got confused because of this, but Broken Records never had anything to do with Frontline. Most of the original Broken and MRC bands ended up there, and we were asked to, but decided to stick with Brainstorm. Glad I did too. I still own all my own masters and copyrights.
So Broken stayed with Maranatha, and they did try to revive it again for a while under the direction of someone named Elisa Elder, whom I never met. But it was not the same at all, and I couldn’t tell you one artist released under that version of Broken (Broken Again). So there’s the Broken story in a nutshell… I will only add this:
My time with Maranatha and Calvary were some of the best of my life and I have nothing bad to say about any of the people we used to work with there. Of course there were rough edges and tempers and egos. But we were all creating something that we all believed in, something we all thought was the coolest thing we had been involved with, and even though we all had our moments, we made it work. Chuck Fromm and Chuck Smith were mentors and supporters in every way, often beyond what other would consider reasonable. The staff at Maranatha are still my family. I had dinner a week or so ago with Chris Brigandi, Brian Ray, Bugs Giglio, Stan Endicott, and Joe Mitchell, and am also in touch with others too. So there you go… let me know if I missed anything.
Peace…”
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