¡Alarma!
Encyclopedia
¡Alarma! is a 1981 album by rock band
Daniel Amos
, released on Newpax Records
.
¡Alarma!, released weeks after the band's Beatles
/Beach Boys
influenced Horrendous Disc
, took a decidedly New Wave
direction along the lines of Elvis Costello
or Talking Heads
.
Lyrically, the album contains social commentary so harsh that CCM described it as "perhaps the most scathing ever put out by a Christian label."
¡Alarma! was the first of a four part series
of albums by DA entitled The ¡Alarma! Chronicles
, which also included the albums Doppelgänger
, Vox Humana, and Fearful Symmetry
. On the tours that followed each release, the band presented a full multimedia event complete with video screens synchronized to the music—something that was unusual in the early 1980s for any band. This album, along with the other three albums from the Alarma! Chronicles, was rereleased as part of the Alarma! Chronicles Book set in 2000. The Book Set included 3 CDs, over 200 pages of lyrics, photos, liner notes, essays, interviews and other information in a hardcover book.
Dieckmeyer left the band before the ¡Alarma! Tour, and was replaced with bassist, Tim Chandler
.
This album was listed at #62 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
(Harvest House Publishers, 2001).
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
, released on Newpax Records
NewPax Records
NewPax Records was founded in 1975 by Gary S. Paxton as an outlet for his gregarious ideas in songwriting and engineering. This gave Paxton the edge he needed to create music that was far ahead of its time....
.
¡Alarma!, released weeks after the band's Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
/Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
influenced Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc is the title of the third studio album by the rock band Daniel Amos, that was recorded in 1978 and released in 1981 on Solid Rock Records.-Background:...
, took a decidedly New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
direction along the lines of Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
or Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
.
Lyrically, the album contains social commentary so harsh that CCM described it as "perhaps the most scathing ever put out by a Christian label."
¡Alarma! was the first of a four part series
Tetralogy
A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works....
of albums by DA entitled The ¡Alarma! Chronicles
The ¡Alarma! Chronicles
The ¡Alarma! Chronicles is the name of a short story written by Terry Scott Taylor.The story was originally included in four albums released by the rock band Daniel Amos...
, which also included the albums Doppelgänger
Doppelgänger (Daniel Amos album)
Doppelgänger is the title of a 1983 album by rock band Daniel Amos, released on Alarma! Records.Doppelgänger was a much darker, more haunting album than the album that preceded it, ¡Alarma!....
, Vox Humana, and Fearful Symmetry
Fearful Symmetry (album)
Fearful Symmetry is a 1986 album by rock band Daniel Amos, released on Frontline Records.Fearful Symmetry is a lush, synthesizer driven pop album, lyrically wrapped in puzzles that the listener has to decipher...
. On the tours that followed each release, the band presented a full multimedia event complete with video screens synchronized to the music—something that was unusual in the early 1980s for any band. This album, along with the other three albums from the Alarma! Chronicles, was rereleased as part of the Alarma! Chronicles Book set in 2000. The Book Set included 3 CDs, over 200 pages of lyrics, photos, liner notes, essays, interviews and other information in a hardcover book.
Dieckmeyer left the band before the ¡Alarma! Tour, and was replaced with bassist, Tim Chandler
Tim Chandler
Tim Chandler is a bass guitar player, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies and The Choir....
.
This album was listed at #62 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music is the title of a book, edited by Thom Granger and published in 2001 by Harvest House Publishers....
(Harvest House Publishers, 2001).
Side one
- "Central Theme" (Taylor)
- "¡Alarma!" (Taylor)
- "Big Time/Big Deal" (Taylor)
- "Props" (Taylor)
- "My Room" (Taylor)
- "Faces To The Window" (Taylor)
- "Cloak & Dagger" (Taylor/Chamberlain)
- "Colored By" (Taylor)
Side two
- "C & D Reprise" (Taylor/Chamberlain)
- "Through The Speakers" (Taylor)
- "Hit Them" (Taylor)
- "Baby Game" (Taylor)
- "Shedding The Mortal Coil" (Taylor/Cook/Chamberlain)
- "Endless Summer" (Taylor/Chamberlain)
- "Walls Of Doubt" (Taylor)
- "Ghost Of The Heart" (Taylor)
Personnel
- Terry Scott TaylorTerry Scott TaylorTerry Scott Taylor is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies . Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative music group, Lost Dogs. He is currently based in San Jose, California, USA.Taylor is highly regarded for...
on rhythm Guitars and lead vocals. - Jerry ChamberlainJerry ChamberlainJerry Chamberlain , is a United States singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies ....
on lead guitars and vocals. - Marty DieckmeyerMarty DieckmeyerMarty Dieckmeyer was the bass guitar player for the Christian rock band Daniel Amos from 1974 to 1981. Dieckmeyer sang the lead vocal on the song "Props" from the ¡Alarma! album in 1981...
on bass guitar, lead vocals on "Props." - Ed McTaggartEd McTaggartEd McTaggart is an American drummer and artist. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band Daniel Amos.McTaggart joined DA in 1976, after years of playing with Bill Sprouse Jr.'s band The Road Home....
on drums.
Additional musicians
- Alex MacDougallAlex MacDougallAlex MacDougall is an American record producer, and percussionist. MacDougall is best known for being a member of the Christian rock band Daniel Amos in the late 1970s in addition to his production and recording session credits...
added percussion - Karen Benson sang background vocals on "Ghost of the Heart".
Production notes
- Recorded and Mixed at Whitefield Studios, Santa Ana, CaliforniaSanta Ana, CaliforniaSanta Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
. - Engineered by Thom Roy.
- Mastered at MCA Whitney by Steve Hall.
- Rehearsals and Arrangements Recorded at Rebel Base Studio, Santa Ana, California.
- Live Sound and Road Coordination: Wes Leathers.
- Cover Concept: Daniel Amos.
- Photography by Scott Lockwood, Newport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. - Graphic Design: Karen Knecht.
- Airbrushing: Stephen Nichol Price
- Alarma! Chronicles Book Text Written by Terry Taylor, with special thanks to Viann, Phillip, and "Doc" Thomas for your suggestions. Thanks to Bob MacKenzie and Pelle Karlsson for the Lifesavors.
- Mixed by Doug Doyle and Terry Taylor at Cap'n Doug's Minute Mix (Digital Brothers), Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
. - Digitally Remastered by Doug Doyle.
- CD Reissue Coordination and CD Repackaging: Tom GulottaTom GulottaTom Gulotta is best known as the head of the Stunt Records label, which was formed in 1990 with Daniel Amos frontman, Terry Scott Taylor....