Description
The Strait Tapes, Volume II is a multi-artist sampler cassette featuring 18 tracks by both American and British artists, independently released in the UK in 1985.
Volume 2 of ‘The Strait Tapes’ continues where Volume 1 left off, with well-known and rare Christian music that leans towards the rock and alternative end of the music spectrum (with a dip of the toe into metal on this volume). No date is given on this tape (like the others). However, there is more detail on each song here, so I can more confidently place this as a 1985 release. Tracks from Garth Hewitt, Randy Stonehill, Leslie Phillips, The Front, etc speak of them being released later in 1985, while other tracks (like the Charlie Peacock song) are listed as already released (and those albums are mostly from 1985 or earlier). What I don’t know for sure is if all three volumes were released at once, or at different times. Volume I has 6 songs on each side, and less detailed notes on each song, while Volume 2 and Volume 3 have nine songs on each side and more details. What is mostly likely the case is that these are tapes that were sent out to people that bought or subscribed to Strait Magazine with each bi-monthly issue. The design didn’t change enough for them to be from different years, but there was some variation within each one to indicate they were not released as a set at the same time. But who knows? As with Volume 1, there are also many rare tracks here. Some notes on some of the tracks listed:
– The Fat Band song is a rhythm & blues cover of the Leiber and Stoller song, from a hard to find 4 song 7-inch single.
– The Steve Scott song is listed as the 12” mix of the song, but it is shorter than the other 12” versions of the song.
– The Passion Polka song claims to be an extended dance remix of an unreleased europop track from about 1982 or 1983… but that track was released in 2011 and it is a lot longer than this version. Opps!
– The Xtras track is an unreleased new-wave-ish track, and I can’t find anything on them anywhere.
– The Pieces track is an alternative rock track bordering on hard rock, that the notes claim is unreleased, but it is actually on their Face 2 Face album from 1985.
– The Avalon track is a hard rock track with 80s keyboards that border on metal – I also can’t find anything about them anywhere.[Christian Tape Underground, July 2018]
Cassette tracklist:
Side One
A1. Garth Hewitt – “Oscar Romero” (from Alien Brain, 1985 Myrrh Records)
A2. Mark Heard – “Victims of the Age” (from Victims of the Age, 1982 Home Sweet Home Records)
A3. Daniel Amos – “Home Permanent” (from Vox Humana, 1984 Refuge Records)
A4. Sheila Walsh – “Send Me” (previously unreleased track from the Don’t Hide Your Heart sessions, 1985 Sparrow Records – actually a cover of a track featured on the Edin-Ådahl album, Alibi)
A5. Randy Stonehill – “Love Beyond Reason” (Extended Version) (from Love Beyond Reason, 1985 Myrrh Records)
A6. Paul Field – “Valley of Dry Bones” (remix, original track from Visions, 1985 Myrrh Records)
A7. Larry Norman – “Iron and Steel” (from Quiet Night, 1984 Phydeaux Records)
A8. The Fat Band – “Kansas City” (from a Limited Edition four-track 7-inch EP/single, 1983 Street Tunes)
A9. Steve Scott – “Sound of Waves” (12” mix) (special 12-inch mix not available elsewhere [eventually released on the compilation Lost Horizon, 1988 Alternative Records])
Side Two
B1. Passion Polka – “Fighting Alone” (extended dance remix of an unreleased track)
B2. Charlie Peacock – “Lie Down in the Grass” (remix, original track from Lie Down in the Grass, 1985 Exit Records)
B3. Phil and John – “The Wasted Years” (extended remixed version of a song from Count Me Out, 1983 Kingsway Music)
B4. Xtras – “Don’t Look Back” (previously unreleased)
B5. Pieces – “Robot System” (previously unreleased, later included on Face 2 Face, 1985 Pila Music)
B6. Leslie Phillips – “Give’em All You Got” (from Dancing with Danger, 1984 Myrrh Records)
B7. The Front – “It’s Hard to Take” (from The Front, 1985 Benson Records)
B8. Avalon – “Flags” (previously unreleased)
B9. First Strike – “Loneliness Kills” (from Rock of Offense, 1984 Exit Records)
Note: This compilation was also released in Australia but with some modifications. Missing were Sheila Walsh – “Send Me,” Phil and John – “The Wasted Years,” and Steve Scott – “Sound of Waves.” Added was a great track from Idea – “Take Us.” Strangely the cover for the Australian version actually showed that the Walsh and Phil and John track were on the cassette but they were not.
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