Description
Strangers in a Strange Land is the debut album by the Canadian soft-rock band Salvation Air Force (featuring brothers Donnie and Michael Gossett), released on Myrrh Records in August 1978, a division of Word. (It was initial scheduled for an April 1977 release on Solid Rock Records, though delayed until August the following year and finally released by it’s mother company, Word.) (The brothers had previously released a custom album entitled We Are One as the family effort The Gossetts.) The album was recorded during 1976 by Buddy King at Buddy King Studios in Huntington Beach, California; with Dana Angle of The Way fame and the Gossett brothers producing. Strings arranged and conducted by James Stipech. All songs written by Donnie and Michael Gossett, except “If God Is My Father”, a song written by Larry Norman (“track provided from So Long Ago the Garden“, according to the album credits).
According to the liner notes “Strangers in a Strange Land is their first album and was done with a little help from their friends. Appearing on the album with the Gossetts are Al Perkins, Al MacDougall, Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Tom Howard, Jon Linn, Sandra Crouch, Mike Escalante and other Christian friends.”
Salvation Air Force is known as one of Canada’s first Christian rock bands. It was formed in 1972 by Donnie Gossett and later joined by his brother, Michael Leon Gossett. The band toured across Western Canada and the Western United States and recorded four albums (the final three released on cassette only). In April 1976 Salvation Air Force was touring across Canada featuring two sets of brothers (Donnie and Michael Gossett, as well as Beau and Alex MacDougall), opening for Honeytree. In February 1977 the band was signed to Solid Rock Records, though their debut album, which actually was already recorded, eventually was released on the Word imprint Myrrh Records (which anyway was the company handling distribution for Solid Rock).
Hey, nifty band name. But does the duo of Michael and Donnie Gossett musically live up to their cool moniker? Kind of. Remember this was issued in the midst of Myrrh’s mellowing-out phase. Gone were The JC Power Outlet, Randy Matthews, Petra – in were Amy Grant, Glad, and BJ Thomas. Though suffering some from the late ‘70s Myrrh syndrome, SAF ultimately emerges much less “adult contemporary” than their label cronies. Most of the album is smooth innocuous soft rock with a light jazz touch. Only «Complete And Alive» has any real crunch to it. The full-length version of Larry Norman’s «If God Is My Father» closes out side one (though the arrangement here renders it closer to Barry White’s «Love’s Theme» than to anything Norman ever did). Norman himself appears on that cut, as do Jon Linn, John Pantano, Tom Howard, and Randy Stonehill. «Accident» closes out the album utilizing guitar and synth solos on top of a Dave-Brubeck-«Take-Five» type of rhythm. See also The Gossetts. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “I Can Feel His Presence” – 2:33
A2. “Complete And Alive” – 2:45
A3. “Don’t Make Me Choose” – 5:27
A4. “If God Is My Father” – 6:25
Side Two
B1. “You’re All I Want” – 4:39
B2. “It’s Jesus In Me” – 4:25
B3. “Special Friend” – 3:01
B4. “You Have Blessed Me” – 2:33
B5. “Accident” – 4:22
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Myrrh Records. (Also released in the UK in 1979, with the headers on the front cover printed in white, not yellow.) The album was actually initial scheduled for an April 1977 release on Solid Rock Records, though delayed until August the following year and finally released by Word. (A “SRA” number is actually scratched in the matrix.) “If God Is My Father” is listed in the credits as a track provided from Larry Norman’s So Long Ago The Garden and is the extended 6:25 minute version. (Norman’s original recording is featured on his self-titled compilation album released in Australia back in 1977.) Salvation Air Force recorded a number of addition tracks between 1977-1980 which were released on in 2004 on a CD compilation entitled We Shall Rock!, featuring 22 tracks.
CREDITS. Produced by Dana Angle, Donnie Gossett and Michael Gossett. Engineered by Buddy King at Buddy King Studios, Huntington Beach, CA, 1976. Track 4 produced by Larry Norman, and engineered by Stu at Mama Jo’s Studio, North Hollywood, CA, 1977. Strings on track A1 arranged and conducted by Jim Stipech. All songs composed by Michael and Donnie Gossett except track A4 written by Larry Norman.
Musicians: SIDE A. Track A1: Donnie Gossett (Lead Vocals, Classical Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Dana Angle (Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals). Track A2: Donnie Gossett (Electric Guitars), Michael Gossett (Lead Vocals, Bass), Mike Escalante (Keyboards), Alex MacDougall (Drums, Congas, Timbales). Background Vocals: Christine Franklin, Nancye Short, Sandra Crouch, Judy Gossett, and Donnie Gossett. Track A3: Donnie Gossett (Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Judy Gossett (Bell Tree), Mike Escalante (Synthesizer). Background Vocals: Christine Franklin, Nancye Short, Dana Angle, Judy Gossett, and Donnie Gossett. Track A4: Donnie Gossett (Lead Vocals), Larry Norman (Background Vocals), Tom Howard (Overdubbed Piano), Randy Stonehill (Overdubbed Acoustic Guitar), Jon Linn (Overdubbed Lead Guitar), John Pantano (Second Lead Guitar) [Note credited: Dave Coy (Bass), Peter Johnson (Drums)] (Track provided from So Long Ago The Garden). SIDE B. Track B1: Donnie Gossett (Lead Vocals, Acoustic Piano, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Mike Escalante (Clavinet), Alex MacDougall (Drums). Background Vocals: Christine Franklin, Nancye Short, Judy Gossett, and Donnie Gossett. Track B2: Donnie Gossett (First Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Judy Gossett (Second Lead Vocals), Mike Escalante (Electric Piano), Dana Angle (Lead Guitar), Alex MacDougall (Drums, Congas, Maraccas, Triangle, Claves, Ouida). Background Vocals: Bruce Herring, Joy Strange, and Judy Gossett. Track B3: Donnie Gossett (Lead and Background Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Dana Angle (Acoustic Guitar), Al Perkins (Pedal Steel Guitar), Alex MacDougall (Drums). Track B4: Donnie Gossett (Acoustic Guitar), Michael Gossett (Bass), Judy Gossett (Lead and Background Vocals), Mike Escalante (Acoustic and Electric Piano, Organ), Alex MacDougall (Drums). Track B5: Donnie Gossett (Acoustic Piano, Electric Guitars), Michael Gossett (Lead Vocals, Bass), Mike Escalante (Synthesizers, Effects), Alex MacDougall (Drums). Background Vocals: Joe Gallo, Dana Angle, and Donnie Gossett.
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