One by One

Description

One by One is the sole collaborative album project by the American singers/songwriters Bill Batstone (of Good News fame) and Tom Howard, released on A&S Records in February 1985, a sub-label of Maranatha! Music, distributed by Word. The album was recorded and mixed by Mark Heard at his studio Fingerprint Recorders in Los Angeles, California; with Tom Howard and Bill Batstone producing and arranging. All songs written by either Howard or Batstone, or co-written by both. CCM Magazine called One By One “a decidedly melodic album” and proclaimed it to be “one of the year’s real sleepers.” It yielded a radio hit in the tune “When The Curtain Falls.”

One By One was the third effort by Tom Howard and turned out to be his final vocal album. He thereafter concentrated on doing session work for other artists, though also recorded numerous keyboard-oriented contemplative instrumental solo projects. Howard became a sought-after session keyboardist, arranger and conductor, contributing to more than 150 albums during his career.

Two Jesus Music pioneers Tom Howard and Billy Batstone united together in 1985 to release this record featuring songs co-written by the veterans and with shared vocals. Soundwise, this fits nicely into the Californian post Maranatha! Music scene with breezy melodies and easy arrangements. In the era prior to the modern worship music scene this contemporary worship owed a great deal to the early sounds of Jesus Music and has similar DNA. Not quite a fully fledged worship record, in the modern sense, this definitely has its fill of obvious songs about faith. The moody «When The Curtain Falls» and «Storm Moving On» definitely sets the scene and then we get a few lighter elements sneaking in. «Night And Day» is slightly more rock’n’roll even if the it’s all turned down a little. «Think On These Things» is a bit of pointed satire about the music scene whilst a song like «And He Heard Them Sing» is an inspiring uplifting way to close the album. From an era when it was possible to write and record directly Christian songs without going down the worship avenue, this is well constructed Christian pop music from two real talents. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, May 2010]

[Bob Darden, CCM, September 1985]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “When The Curtain Falls” – 3:42
A2. “Storm Moving On” – 3:23
A3. “Night And Day” – 4:04
A4. “Think On These Things” – 3:53
A5. “Heart Of A Fool” – 3:40

Side Two
B1. “Your Constant Love” – 3:27
B2. “He Took The Form Of Man” – 3:23
B3. “The Best Thing” – 3:33
B4. “Show Me The Shepherd” – 4:43
B5. “And He Heard Them Sing” – 4:47

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by A&S Records.

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A full-page advertisement for Tom Howard’s and Bill Batstone’s One by One was featured in the April 1985 issue of CCM Magazine.

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CREDITS. Produced and arranged by Tom Howard and Bill Batstone. Engineered and mixed by Mark Heard at Fingerprint Recorders. Art Direction by Tim Alderson. Photography by Stewart Ivester. All songs written by Tom Howard (tracks: A2, A4, B1, B4) and Bill Batstone (tracks: A3, B2, B3), or co-written by Howard and Batstone (tracks: A1, A5, B5).

Musicians: All vocals by Tom Howard and Bill Batstone. Tom Howard (Keyboards), Billy Batstone (Guitars, Basses, DMX Drum Programming), Harry Stinson (Percussion), Alex MacDougall (Percussion on track on track A2), Jerry Chamberlain (Guitar Synthesizer on track A2), David Raven (Drum Overdubs).