''¡Alarma!'' is the fourth studio album by

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band

Daniel Amos Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter (musician), Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. ...

, issued on Newpax Records in April 1981. It is the first album in their '' ¡Alarma! Chronicles'' series and one of the earliest records in the

Christian alternative rock Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical ...

genre.

Background

''¡Alarma!'', released weeks after the band's

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

- and

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

-influenced ''

Horrendous Disc ''Horrendous Disc'' is the third studio album by Christian rock band Daniel Amos. Originally recorded in 1978 for Maranatha! Music, it was not released until 1981 when it was issued by Larry Norman's Solid Rock Records, weeks before the release o ...

'', took a decidedly new wave direction along the lines of

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

. Lyrically, the album contains social commentary so harsh that ''CCM'' described it as "perhaps the most scathing ever put out by a Christian label." Other critics offered the following assessments: "the most exciting release of the year"; "brash, new and intensely creative" and "possibly the most significant album in the genre of Christian rock". ''¡Alarma!'' was the first of a four-part series of albums by DA entitled '' The ¡Alarma! Chronicles'', which also included the albums ''

Doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

'', '' Vox Humana'', and '' Fearful Symmetry''. 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 three CDs and a hardcover book of lyrics, photos, liner notes, essays, interviews and other information that amounted to over 200 printed pages. Bass guitarist Marty Dieckmeyer left the band before the ''¡Alarma! Tour'', and was replaced with bassist Tim Chandler. This album was listed at No. 62 in the book '' CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music'' (Harvest House Publishers, 2001).

Reissue

In 2013, the album was remastered and repackaged as a two-CD deluxe edition by Stunt Records. Tom Gulotta and Eric Townsend were put in charge of compiling the project - bringing together previously unseen photos, never-before-heard out-takes, mixes and demos, and a reading of the first chapter of the ''Alarma Chronicles'' by Malcolm Wild.

Track listing

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)

Deluxe edition bonus disc

# "Little Things" (demo) # "Off My Mind" (demo) # "As Long As I Live" (demo) # "No Spaceship" (demo) # "Out Of Town" (demo) # "Only One" (demo) # "Central Theme" (demo) # "My Room" (demo) # "Faces To The Window" (demo) # "Colored By" (demo) # "Through The Speakers" (demo) # "Hit Them" (demo) # "Endless Summer" (demo) # "Walls of Doubt" (demo) # "Props" (Vocal mix) # "Big Time/Big Deal" (Alternate Mix) # "Shedding the Mortal Coil" (Alternate Mix) # "Ghost of the Heart" (Alternate Mix) # "¡Alarma!" (Instrumental) # "Colored By" (Instrumental) # "¡Alarma! Reading" by Malcolm Wild

Personnel

Musicians

Jerry Chamberlain Jerry Chamberlain is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos and the Swirling Eddies (credited as "Spot"). In late 1974, Chamberlain was asked to join Jubal's Last Band, ...

- lead guitars, backing vocals, percussion on "My Room" * Marty Dieckmeyer - bass guitar, keyboards, lead vocals on "Props", percussion on "My Room" *

Ed McTaggart Ed McTaggart (born July 10, 1951) 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. In the 1980s, McT ...

- drums, percussion, backing vocals *

Terry Scott Taylor Terry Scott Taylor (born May 24, 1950) is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies (credited as Camarillo Eddy). Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative m ...

- rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals *

Alex MacDougall Alex 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. He was also a memb ...

- congas on "My Room", marimba on "Alarma" * Karen Benson - female vocal on "Ghost of the Heart"

Production

* Produced by Daniel Amos and Thom Roy for Rebel Base Productions * Recorded and Mixed at White Field Studios, Santa Ana, CA * Engineered by Thom Roy * Mastered at MCA Whitney by Steve Hall * Rehearsals and arrangements recorded at Rebel Base Studio, Santa Ana, CA * Live Sound and Road Coordination: Wes Leathers * Cover Concept: Daniel Amos * Cover Photography: Scott Lockwood, Newport Beach, CA * Other Photos by Alex MacDougall * Graphic Design: Karen Knecht * Airbrushing: Stephen Nichol Price * Re-issue layout: Tom Gulotta and Eric Townsend * Re-issue produced by Tom Gulotta * Re-mastered by J Powell at Steinhaus * ¡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. This album is for Phillip, with our depest love. * "Little Things", "Off My Mind" and "As Long As I Live" recorded at White Field Studios, 1980. 4-Track Demos recorded at the Rebel Base, 1980. Mixed by Doug Doyle and Terry Taylor at Cap'n Doug's Minute Mix (Digital Brothers), Costa Mesa. California - September 1991 ("arr!") * ¡Alarma! text read by Malcolm Wild * Alternate mixes by Eric Townsend

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alarma Daniel Amos albums 1981 albums NewPax Records albums Stunt Records albums