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Diamonds and Rain

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Diamonds and Rain
Studio album by
The Choir
ReleasedOctober 1986
Recorded1986
StudioPakaderm Studios,
Los Alamitos, California
GenreChristian alternative rock
Length38:04
LabelMyrrhLA
ProducerCharlie Peacock
The Choir chronology
Shades of Gray
(1986) 		Diamonds and Rain
(1986) 		Chase the Kangaroo
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
BillboardRecommended [2]

Diamonds and Rain is the third studio release, and second full-length album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1986. It is the first release under the band's new moniker after dropping "Youth" from their name.

Background

After Shades of Gray was released, Shadow Records folded, so Youth Choir once again found themselves without a record label.[3] Around this time, Myrrh Records was looking to expand their roster of artists specifically in the rock genre, so record executive Tom Willett moved from Nashville to Los Angeles to establish MyrrhLA.[4] With little success finding new artists during the first six months of the new imprint's existence, Willett was dragged by a local promoter to see a Youth Choir concert, and he found them to be "creatively inventive and musically prophetic."[5] The band was signed to the new label in June of 1986, just after Youth Choir's third appearance at Cornerstone, [6] and would be the first alternative rock act signed by Myrrh.[7] However, Willett was concerned about the band's name, so he encouraged them to drop the "Youth" moniker to reflect the band's musical maturity, as well as the practical matter of the band's placement in record sales racks; Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong agreed, as they had already been considering such a name change, so the band would record as "The Choir" from this point forward.[8]

Recording and production

Even though Daugherty and Hindalong self-produced Shades of Gray with the assistance of Bill Batstone, they wanted to bring in an independent producer for this higher-profile release. Based upon his production of the 77's All Fall Down, as well as his work with Vector and his own solo work, Charlie Peacock was hired as producer.[9] After the Choir returned to Packaderm Studios with Peacock in July and August of 1986 to begin recording, the band landed a spot at that summer's Greenbelt Festival, where they were joined on stage by Peacock to debut some of their new material,[10] which would become "notable in the Christian mar­ket at that time for its use of subtlety and for its canvas of a broad range of issues."[11] Almost half the record was written or co-written by Peacock, and the album was mixed at Surrey Sound Studios, where Peacock's self-titled release was also recently mixed, so Peacock's musical imprint on Diamonds and Rain was noticeable.[12] Peacock himself would later say, "Diamonds and Rain is much more a collaboration between two gifted artists and a producer. I grew through the process as well, primarily learning that I did not like being such a discernable contributor."[13] Even so, highlights of the Choir's work with Peacock would be "Render Love" and "Black Cloud," songs that "combined a bruised idealism with a sense of musical drama."[14] The Choir would ultimately re-record both songs: an acoustic version of "Black Cloud" on the band's 2010 release de-plumed and "Render Love" for the soundtrack of the 2020 film Electric Jesus.[15]

Release

MyrrhLA would market the album and the band's name change with the tagline, "Youth Choir Has Come of Age."[16] With a larger label behind them, the Choir benefited from heavy promotion, as three singles from Diamonds and Rain were initially pushed to Christian radio. The leadoff track, "Fear Only You," was the most successful, as it hit #1 on the Christian Rock charts on February 2, 1987, and held the position for the entire month. "When the Morning Comes" reached #7 on the Christian CHR charts, while "Kingston Road" climbed to #11 on the Christian Adult Contemporary charts.[17] The Choir toured in support of this album with Daniel Amos and later with Randy Stonehill; Tim Chandler did double duty as bassist for both Daniel Amos and the Choir during this period.[18] While on tour, the Choir released "Render Love" as a follow-up single, and it reached #6 on the Christian Rock charts the week of June 8, 1987.[19]

Critical response

Critical response, both at the time and retrospectively, was generally positive. Diamonds and Rain was highlighted in Billboard Magazine as a "Recommended" release in the Gospel section for the week of December 20, 1986, and the review praised the album for its "pleasing pop, filled with energy and memorable melodies."[2] Retrospectively, John Joseph Thompson in his book Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll called Diamonds and Rain simply, "a beautiful album,"[20] while Barry Alfonso wrote in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music that, "lyricist Hindalong's expressions of angst and yearning blended well with Daugherty's distorted, effects-laden guitar lines."[21] Mark Allan Powell in the Encylopedia of Contemporary Christian Music specifically called the song "Render Love" the "standout track [...] an anthem to universal reconciliation that would have fit easily into U2's late '80s repertoire."[22] Darryl Cater at AllMusic was less enthusiastic, calling the album an "odd amalgam of their previous teenybopper pop sound and the mature progressive guitar-rock sound they would later develop; [...] the mixture of the mainstream with the alternative is not surprising, considering the producer is Charlie Peacock."[1]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty, unless otherwise specified.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fear Only You"Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty, Tim Chandler3:53
2."Render Love"Hindalong, Charlie Peacock4:46
3."All That Is You"Hindalong, Daugherty, Chandler3:27
4."Black Cloud"Hindalong, Peacock3:41
5."I Painted Mercy"Hindalong, Daugherty, Peacock4:16
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kingston Road"Peacock3:40
2."Listen To Her Eyes" 3:22
3."(You Do That) Triangle" 3:18
4."Love Falls Down" 3:14
5."When The Morning Comes" 4:27
Total length:38:04

Personnel

The Choir

Additional musicians

Production

  • Charlie Peacock - producer
  • Mike Mierau - engineer
  • Paul Abajian - assistant engineer
  • Martin Heyes - mixer (Surrey Sound, Leatherhead, England)
  • Bernie Grundman - mastering
  • Roland Young - art direction
  • Nancy French - photography
  • Brian Martin - management

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Cater, Darryl. "The Choir: Diamonds and Rain". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews: Gospel, Recommended". Billboard. December 20, 1986. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  3. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 12
  4. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 12
  5. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), ps. 12-13
  6. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 13
  7. ^ Powell (2002), p. 168
  8. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 13
  9. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 14
  10. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), ps. 14-15
  11. ^ Powell (2002), p. 168
  12. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 15
  13. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 15
  14. ^ Alfonso (2002), p. 140
  15. ^ "The Choir". Patreon. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  16. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 13
  17. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 16
  18. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), ps. 16-17
  19. ^ Conant, Palmer (2001), p. 17
  20. ^ Thompson (2000), p. 123
  21. ^ Alfonso (2002), p. 140
  22. ^ Powell (2002), p. 168

Bibliography

  • Thompson, John Joseph (2000). Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll. Toronto, ON: ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-421-2.
  • Conant, Andy; Palmer, Dave (2001). The Choir: Never Say Never: The First 20 Years. Brentwood (Nashville, TN): Galaxy 21 Music. ISBN 0-688-12672-3.
  • Alfonso, Barry (2002). The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. New York City, NY: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7718-7.
  • Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encylopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 1-5656-3679-1.
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