Ashes and Light is the title of an album by Mark Heard

Mark Heard

John Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....

, released in 1984 on Home Sweet Home Records

Home Sweet Home Records

Home Sweet Home Records is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas.Home Sweet Home was founded in 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee, by Grammy Award-winning producer and singer-songwriter Chris Christian...

. It is the first album that Heard recorded at his own studio, Fingerprint Recorders.

The cover says, "This album is dedicated to the memory of Francis A. Schaeffer, whose love for truth and whose understanding of the arts has helped me more than I can say, in my desire to interweave the two."

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Heard, except "Threw It Away" written by Mark Heard and Pat Terry.

Side one

1. "The Winds Of Time"
2. "True Confessions"
3. "I Know What It's Like To Be Loved"
4. "Washed To the Sea"
5. "We Believe So Well"

Side two

1. "Straw Men"
2. "Age Of the Broken Heart"
3. "Can't See Light"
4. "Threw It Away"
5. "In Spite Of Himself"

The band

• Mark Heard: acoustic guitars, electric 6- and 12-string guitars, slide guitars, synthesizer on "True Confessions", bass guitar on "Washed To The Sea" and "Threw It Away", harmonica, accordion, vocals
• Dave McSparran: drums
• Bill Batstone
  Bill Batstone
  Bill Batstone is an American guitarist, bassist, composer and singer/songwriter.In 1970, Batstone started his first band Rebirth, with David Diggs, including percussionist Alex MacDougall. Later Batstone would go on to form Good News with Diggs and Erick Nelson...
  
  : bass guitar
• Carl Pickhardt: Hammond organ
• David Mansfield
  David Mansfield
  David Mansfield is an American violinist, mandolin player, guitarist, pedal steel guitar player, and composer....
  
  : fiddle, dobro, lead guitar on "Age Of The Broken Heart"
• Pat Terry: electric guitar on "Washed To The Sea", acoustic guitar on "Threw It Away"; synthesizer on "Straw Men", "We Believe So Well" and "In Spite Of Himself", general camaraderie and comic relief
• Tom Howard
  Tom Howard (musician)
  Tom Howard was an American pianist, musical arranger and orchestral conductor.In 1983, Howard helped the rock band Daniel Amos form the Alarma! Records label....
  
  : synthesizer on "Can't See Light", "I Know What It's Like To Be Loved" and "We Believe So Well"
• Harry Stinson: percussion
• Background vocals by Mark Heard, Dave de Coup-Crank and Dori Howard

Production notes

• Written, produced and arranged by Mark Heard
• Engineered and mixed by Mark Heard at Fingerprint Recorders
  Fingerprint Recorders
  Fingerprint Recorders was a recording studio owned by Mark Heard, where he recorded most of his own records. The studio was located in Montrose, California....
  
  , Montrose, California
• Assistant engineer on basic tracks: Dan Reed
• Punch-ins by Mylo Carter, Janet Heard, Pat Terry, Tim Alderson and Dave de Coup-Crank
• Cover photography and artwork by Stewart Ivester
• Art director: Tim Alderson
• Cover concept by Stewart Ivester and Mark Heard