Come for the Children

Description

Come for the Children is the solo debut album by the American singer and songwriter Oden Fong of Mustard Seed Faith fame, released on Asaph Records in 1979, a sub-label of Maranatha! Music. The album was recorded and mixed by Jonathan David Brown at Maranatha! Studio in Santa Ana, California; with Brown producing, assisted by Wally Grant and Thom Roy. All songs written by Oden Fong. Featuring cover artwork by Rick Griffin. (The artwork is said to depict Jesus’ head wearing a hood as He overlooks a valley of blood. It was Griffin’s depiction of the battle of Armageddon. Interestingly, it’s actually also a small portion of Griffin’s drawing used on the cover of the multi-artist compilation Hosanna released by Maranatha! the same year.)

COME FOR THE CHILDREN – ODEN FONG – Asaph MM0051 (Word)

Fong’s high vocals and smooth harmonies shine through on this debut Asaph LP. A strong AOR touch on «Ready To Fly», «White Eagle», «She Begins To Sing» and the title cut makes it a prime candidate to cross over. Clean production throughout. [Record World, July 21, 1979 (Gospel Section/Gospel Album Picks)]

Mustard Seed Faith alumnus Oden Fong’s first solo LP has much of the same lyrical depth that gave Sail On Sailor many admirers, the atmosphere reverie of «The Mask» being a prime example. The powerful seven-minute title track is pretty serious rock n roll, way heavier than anything on MSF. «Crazy Voices» and the rural rocking «White Eagle» have some fairly crunchy guitar as well. A few mild progressive touches here and there. Also a hint of Fogelberg on the stately «Ready To Fly». Melodic pop-rock and moving ballads fill out the rest of this brilliant work, the gentle «She Begins To Sing» being particularly lovely. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Oden has one of the most stirring voices in the whole Jesus music scene. Soft string orchestration in parts. Oden on acoustic and electric guitars, assisted by the usual gang of Maranatha musicians, plus appearances by Michele Pillar and Bob Bennett on backing vocals. Fetching Rick Griffin cover art. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “The Mask” – 3:15
A2. “Natural Man” – 4:29
A3. “Crazy Voices” – 3:40
A4. “White Eagle” – 4:46
A5. “Selfish Man” – 4:09

Side Two
B1. “Again and Again” – 4:31
B2. “Ready to Fly” – 3:26
B3. “Come for the Children” – 7:19
B4. “She Begins to Sing” – 3:16

Note: Simultaneously released on 8-track tape and 12-inch vinyl LP by Maranatha! Music. Available at Bandcamp: http://odenfong.bandcamp.com/album/come-for-the-children

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Oden Fong Band, Live at Calvary Chapel, late 1970s Maranatha Concert +
Oden Fong performing “Ready To Fly” solo in 2018.

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Maranatha Bows Asaph & Sons Label, by Margie Barnett
Record World, May 26, 1979

Los Angeles – Marantaha! Music has bowed a sister label, Asaph & Sons, designed to broaden the company’s musical scope. The new label, marked with an A&S logo, will shortly release its first product on artist Oden Fong, called “Come For The Children.”

The music of Fong and other Asaph & Sons artists will be more progressive than that on the Maranatha! Music label. “We created this label to give us greater freedom and latitude in musical expression,” says M!M promotion director Terry Sheppard. “Our intent is to be current with musical tastes and trends so we don’t lose our communication by becoming old.”

“We were assessing what we had done on Maranatha! Music and where it was going,” explains president Chuck Fromm. “We saw that we were limited in that the musical tone and set was basically contemporary/MOR.”

“We don’t want to confuse the consumer that enjoys Maranatha! Music albums which are the Praise albums, Kelly Willard, etc.,” continues Sheppard. “At most a Maranatha! Music album is a pop album generally speaking in terms of the label’s history. We don’t want to short circuit those people when all of the sudden they pick up a new Maranatha album and it is rock and roll.

“We are allowing the Maranatha! Music label to continue as it is, and now with the new label we’ve got new freedom to go after the people outside of the church. Asaph & Sons Records is designed for evangelical purposes more than Maranatha! Music. M!M is a Christian label to the church and to the nominal Christian, whereas Asaph & Sons is for the street people.”

In addition to Fong, formerly with Maranatha group Mustard Seed Faith, other Asaph & Sons artists include Denny Correll, former lead singer with the Blues Image of «Ride Captain Ride» fame; Darrell Mansfield, former lead singer in Maranatha’s Gentle Faith; and Eric and Michelle. Skip Conti, president of International Automated Media is producing Correll and Mansfield.

Asaph & Sons will be run by the M!M staff. Like the Maranatha! Music label, distribution for Asaph & Songs will be handled domestically by Word, Inc. and internationally by Maranatha’s own distribution network.