Prime Mover is the third and final studio album by the Christian Rock band AD. Prime Mover has been re-released twice since its first release in 1988. It was re-recorded in 1998 and titled ''Prime Mover II'', and released in 2008 with another title, ''Prime Mover (redux)''.

Background

Three years after AD has faded away,

Kerry Livgren Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas. Biography Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen L ...

and

Warren Ham Warren Ham (born 1957) is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for playing with Kansas (band), Kansas (1982), Toto (band), Toto (1986-1988, and since 2017) and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Ringo Starr (since 2015). During the ...

had decided to come together once more and create one more album under the band's name, in order to fix up the financial debts that ended the group in the first place and to say one last goodbye for all the effort and work that the musicians had done. All the songs that were released on the album had been written by Kerry (except for ''I'll Follow You'') prior to Prime Mover's departure to the Christian Music Marketplace.

Production

Compared to some of AD's works prior to Prime Mover, everyone in the five man band had a position and a part. Lacking this, Livgren and Ham were left as a duo to create the music themselves. Warren Ham contributed his role as the lead vocalist, while Kerry played most of the instruments, which included guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. While most of the songs were intriguing, two of the tracks out the full nine stood out the most. Portrait II was a remake of

Portrait (He Knew) "Portrait (He Knew)" is a song by the United States, American progressive rock band Kansas (band), Kansas. It was written by Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh (musician), Steve Walsh and was recorded for the band's fifth album, ''Point of Know Return ...

, a song released by

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

on their 1977 album

Point of Know Return ''Point of Know Return'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002. Composition and recording The recording sessions for ''Point of Know Return'' comme ...

, in which the lyrics have been redone to tell the story of Christ rather than before with Albert Einstein. The other track, T.G.B, is a song that was deemed by most critics as "A fine piece of hard and blues rock".

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album three out of five stars and labeled it as a solid album, yet cheaply made and hastily recorded in studios. The review also claims that the album provided some of the best works that both Livgren and Ham have done together.

Track listing

All songs written by Kerry Livgren except where noted. # "Don't Pass Me By" – 4:24 # "Fathers and Sons" – 4:02 # "Portrait II" (Livgren, Steve Walsh) – 5:40 # "Children of the Shadows" – 4:57 # "Wandering Spirit" – 4:06 # "I'll Follow You" – 3:58 ( Michael Gleason) # "New Kind of Love" – 3:51 # "One More Song" – 4:15 # "T.G.B." – 5:59

Musicians

- guitars, bass, drum programming, keyboards, background vocals *

- lead and background vocals, harmonica, woodwinds Guest musicians * Michael Gleason - songwriter and background vocals on ''I'll Follow You'' * Dean Heitkamp - background vocals

References

{{Authority control 1988 albums AD (band) albums Sparrow Records albums