Prisms

Description

Prisms, sub-titled Portraits in Synthesis, is the sole collaboration album between the American songwriters and keyboardists Jeffrey Lams and John Andrew Schreiner, released on Maranatha! Music in 1986, manufactured and distributed by both Word and A&M Records. Released as a part of Maranatha’s Colours Instrumental Series. The album was recorded by Brian Curtain and Jeffrey Lams at Music Merchants Studio and was produced, arranged, and performed by Lams and John Andrew Schreiner.

‘Prisms’ continues the Colours series begun last year by Maranatha! Music. Designed as meditative, contemplative, ambient music, ‘Prisms’, recorded entirely with keyboards, features more material recycled from the “Praise” catalog as well as some classic church music. With easily accessible melodies, ‘Prisms’ should have a high recognition factor.

It’s quite disappointing to find no original compositions on ‘Prisms’ since Lams’ «Eye of the Storm» was one of the best tracks on last year’s acoustic-oriented ‘A Time for Peace’. ‘Prisms’ contains only eight tracks, and the two best – «A Shield about Me» and «Love, Love/Sing Hallelujah» – were featured on the ‘Spectrum’ sampler. Of the remaining six cuts, the highlights are «Behold, Bless Ye the Lord» with its lilting Caribbean pulse and «Fairest Lord Jesus» which Lams and Schreiner recast as “Miami Vice”-type background music. The heavily sequenced/processed opening builds to a more eloquent and melodic second verse that is actually quite moving in the transition.

Lams and Schreiner are obviously excellent arrangers and musicians, but it would be nice to hear more of their original compositions. Still, despite its faults, ‘Prisms’ is an encouraging LP and makes us eagerly await the next release in the Colours series. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, May 1986]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/prisms/715813985)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “A Shield About Me” – 5:04
A2. “Behold Bless Ye The Lord” – 4:30
A3. “How Great Thou Art” – 5:29
A4. “Fairest Lord Jesus” – 3:54

Side Two
B1. “Love Love/Sing Hallelujah” – 4:59
B2. “I Love You Lord” – 4:34
B3. “Lord Be Glorified/Spirit Song” – 4:59
B4. “O’ Come All Ye Faithful” – 4:47

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Maranatha! Music.

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CREDITS. Produced, arranged, and performed by Jeffrey Lams and John Andrew Schreiner. Recorded by Brian Curtain and Jeffrey Lams at Music Merchants Studio. Tracks A1 and B1 mixed by Wyn Davis at Total Access Studios, Redando Beach, CA. Tracks A2, A3, B2, and B3 mixed by Dan Humann, Lams and Schreiner at Front Page Studios, Costa Mesa, CA. Tracks B4 and A4 mixed by Wyn Davis at Front Page Studios.

Musicians: Jeffrey Lams and John Andrew Schreiner / Fairlight CMI, E-MU II, Yamaha DX-7, Roland Jupiter-8, Roland Super Jupiter, Oberheim OB-8, Roland MSQ-700 sequencer, Linn 9000 Drum Machine. All synthesizer programming by Jeffrey and John. Fairlight CMI programmed by Brian Curtain. Alexander MacDougall/Acoustic Percussion.