Description
This Time Thru is the debut album by the American rock combo DeGarmo & Key Band, released on Lamb & Lion Records in February 1978, distributed by Word. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ron Capone at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The album track “Addey” was later re-recorded and included on the band’s 1986 album, Street Light.
This Time Thru was included among CCM Magazine‘s Top 10 Albums of the Year. – Eddie DeGarmo & Dana Key’s first release is a passionate, gut-level appeal for the gospel, using hard rock sounds and ballads. A ground-breaking triumph of sight (excellent cover art) and sound. (These ten albums released during 1978, were chosen for excellence in production, arrangements, composition and performance, as well as their overall contribution to contemporary Christian music.) The album also won the Top Album Award selected annually by Campus Life Magazine.
The DeGarmo & Key Band was fronted by guitarist Dana Key (December 30, 1953 – June 6, 2010) – who did most of the lead vocals; smooth, soulful and soaked in Memphis blues – backed by gutsy synth breaks and B-3 organ fills provided by keyboardist Eddie DeGarmo. DeGarmo has described the band as having “an earthy sound. Coming from Memphis it was hard not to be influenced somewhat by an R&B rock-type sound. I don’t think that we ever really made a conscious effort to get into, quote, contemporary Christian music. We just started writing songs that reflected our faith.” The duo was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame in January 2011.
DeGARMO & KEY – This Time Thru – Lamb & Lion LL-1037 – Producer: Ron Capone – List: 5.98
Jesus rock continues to grow and command more attention in gospel music circles and “This Time Thru” is representative of the merit of this music. Dana Key does most of the lead vocals and with keyboard virtuoso, Edward DeGarmo, wrote all the songs on the album. The title cut is exceptional as is their arrangement of «Wayfaring Stranger». «Emmanuel» and «Addey» pay tribute to the Savior and a sinner and «Alleyways Of Strife» is a song for the searcher. Ron Capone’s production is classy and a driving force throughout the album. [CashBox, Vol. XXXIX – No. 48 / April 15, 1978 (Gospel Reviews section)]
Regardless of what you think of their ‘80s and ‘90s arena ccm, this band’s first two albums stand as rock masterpieces. Ed DeGarmo experiments with an array of keyboards, citing Keith Emerson as a source of inspiration, while Dana Key balances out the sound with solid electric leads or subdued acoustic passages. It’s an FM ‘70s rock sound that combines the progressive keyboards of ELP and Kansas with the more bluesy likes of The Allman Brothers and Atlanta Rhythm Section. Whether it’s «Sleeper» and the title track with their Southern rock leanings, the hard-edged classic rock of «Emmanuel», the melodic country folk-rock heard on «Addey», or the art rock-influenced «(Gone, Gone, Gone) Too Far, Too Long» and «Chase The Wind», This Time Thru stands as a very impressive beginning. Even ballads like «Only The Meek Survive» and «Alleyways Of Strife» steer clear of the sappy single routine via their rural heartland arrangements. All original songs save for a sleek bluesy interpretation of «Wayfaring Stranger». Among the finest debuts in Christian music. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]
Girder Music Promo, 2021
DeGarmo and Key were forerunners and pioneers of early Jesus Music. Their music transcended generations and musical boundaries. They released 15 albums spanning 3 decades. Their first three albums This Time Thru (1978), Straight On (1979) and This Ain’t Hollywood (1980) have been completely remastered on colored vinyl for the first time ever along with remastered CDs with 8 page booklets, lyrics and photos with LTD Trading Card.
DeGarmo and Key’s debut album This Time Thru set a new standard for high quality songwriting, musicianship, and production raising the bar for all the future albums to come. From the opening acoustic guitar intro to «Emmanuel», which soon explodes into a classic rock song filled with keyboards, guitar solos, passionate singing, and Biblically based lyrics, one is ushered into a sound that was every bit as high quality as anything being released in the mainstream market. Elements of progressive rock appear in songs such as «Too Far, Too Long», which features a keyboard intro that echoes the work of Keith Emerson from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and «Chase the Wind», which features elements that would be at home in a Kansas song. Then there’s the country/rock flow of «Sleeper», the grooving R&B shuffle of their cover of the traditional «Wayfaring Stranger», and the title track, which closes the album and features a keyboard solo in the vein of Styx. All in all, This Time Thru, released in 1978, has stood the test of time and remains one of the finest debut albums in Christian rock history.
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-time-thru/715739990)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Emmanuel” – 3:03
A2. “Addey” – 4:11
A3. “Only The Meek Survive” – 3:03
A4. “(Gone, Gone, Gone) Too Far, Too Long” – 4:29
A5. “Alleyways Of Strife” – 3:10
Side Two
B1. “Sleeper” – 2:45
B2. “Wayfaring Stranger” – 3:38
B3. “In The Days Of Thy Youth” – 1:26
B4. “Chase The Wind” – 5:21
B5. “This Time Thru” – 4:52
Note: Simultaneously released on 8-track tape, cassette, and 12-inch vinyl LP by Lamb & Lion Records. Re-issued on CD by ForeFront Records in 1989, distributed by The Benson Company. Remastered by Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound and re-issued on both 12-inch vinyl LP (pressed on Sunset Orange Vinyl) and CD in 2021 by Girder Music (through Limited Run Vinyl/Limited Run Music).
This Time Thru, Remastered and pressed on Sunset Orange Vinyl, Girder Music 2021
DeGarmo & Key Band, Live at Calvary Chapel 1978
Bringin’ a New Song, Show #11, 1978. DeGarmo & Key Band.
The first three albums (1978-1980) by DeGarmo & Key Band were remastered and re-issued on both vinyl and CD by Girder Records in 2021 as a part of the label’s Legends of Rock Series.
CREDITS. Producer and Engineer by Ron Capone. Recorded and mixed at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN. Mastered by Larry Nix at Ardent Mastering in Memphis. Album Design by Stan Evenson. Art Direction and Management by Steve Lawhead.
Musicians: Dana Key (Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion), Edward DeGarmo (Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Grand Piano, Hammond Organ), Ken Porter (Bass, Percussion), David Spain (Drums), Max Richardson (Drums). Backing Vocals: Joe Hardy, Phyliss Duncan, William C. Brown III, Carl Marsh. Arp programmed by Carl Marsh.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.