Night Beat Rewind: November 2019 - Album Edition

The Second Album Edition of Night Beat Rewind is upon us. Let's not waste any time with formalities. The Seasonal stuff starts it off.

Christmas Music (Non-Eligible)

• 116 - The Gift: A Christmas Compilation 5 Emeralds
• All Things New - Joy of Christmas EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Audrey Assad - Peace EP 5 Emeralds
• David and Nicole Binion - Dwell Christmas 4.50 Emeralds
• Lincoln Brewster - A Mostly Acoustic Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Building 429 - A Thrill of Hope EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Caleb and Kelsey - Christmas Worship 5 Emeralds
• Cloverton - Come And Adore EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Quinten Coblentz - Some Songs I Wrote About Christmas EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Fresh Life Worship - Motion EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Future of Forestry - Light Has Come EP 5 Emeralds
• Keith and Kristyn Getty - Incarnation Sing!: The Life of Christ Quintology (Live) EP 5 Emeralds
• TaRanda Green - The Spirit of Christmas (Deluxe Edition) 4.50 Emeralds
• Xay Hill - Million EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Highlands Worship - Shine Heaven's Light: A Christmas EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Mallory Hope - Christmas Is All About You EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Jars of Clay/SHEL - A Family Christmas EP 5 Emeralds
• Jadon Lavik - Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• Sandra McCracken - Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• The McCrary Sisters - A Very McCrary Christmas 5 Emeralds
• LEAH McHenry - Ancient Winter 5 Emeralds
• Stephen McWhirter - Come Adore Him EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Shama Mrema - Shama and PD's Christmas EP 3.50 Emeralds
• Christy Nockels - The Thrill of Hope Renewed 5 Emeralds
• Ginny Owens - A Midnight Clear EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Matthew Parker - Irwin's Christmas Collection EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Planetshakers - It's Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Plumb - Behold EP 5 Emeralds
• Plumb - It's Christmastime EP 5 Emeralds
• Sidewalk Prophets - Merry Christmas To You (Great Big Family Edition) 4.75 Emeralds
• Salt of The Sound - And On Earth Peace 5 Emeralds
• Holly Starr - Born is the King EP 4.75 Emeralds
• John Thurlow - Christmas Songs 4.75 Emeralds
• John Thurlow - The Story of Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Chris Tomlin - Christmas Songs of Worship EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Dream Christmas Volume 4 4.75 Emeralds
• Visible Worship - A Visible Christmas, Volume 8 4.50 Emeralds

A very good month for Christmas Albums. On to the judged music. We begin with the music that will not make the Platinum Vinyl Awards pool.

Missing The Mark

• 1k phew - What's understood 2 4.25 Emeralds
• Grave Robber - Dry Bones 4.25 Emeralds
• nobigdyl - lowercase tape 3.75 Emeralds
• Rusty Shipp - Liquid Exorcist 3.75 Emeralds
• Selah - Firm Foundation 4.25 Emeralds 
• Theory Hazit - I Love It Down Here 3.25 Emeralds
• Various - Simple Hymns: Songs of Thanksgiving 4.25 Emeralds

Seven albums that miss the mark is quite encouraging. The year is getting off on an even keel. The next are the perfect albums.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Casting Crowns - New York Sessions 5 Emeralds
• Casting Crowns - Voice of Truth: The Ultimate Collection 5 Emeralds
• CTZN Worship - Welcome Home 5 Emeralds
• Kirk Franklin - Past and Present, Volume 2 EP 5 Emeralds
• Dear Gravity - The Pilgrimage Series: Arrival EP 5 Emeralds
• Travis Greene - Broken Record 5 Emeralds
• Hammock - Silencia 5 Emeralds
• Andy Hunter - Presence, Volume 4 5 Emeralds
• Donnie McClurkin - A Different Song 5 Emeralds
• RED - The Evening Hate EP 5 Emeralds

Ten to Seven in favor of Pure Platinum is still a good balance. Now we go to the music in the middle which is still Platinum Vinyl eligible.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Bethel Music - Without Words: Genesis 4.75 Emeralds
• Aaron Bucks - California, Volume 2 4.75 Emeralds
• Noah Cleveland - The Worship Sessions, Volume 1 Ep 4.75 Emeralds
• First Free Music - Live at Letterbox Theater Ep 4.75 Emeralds
• ICF Worship - Fearless (Acoustic Sessions) EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Coby James - Happier EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Greg LaFollette - Like Locked Rooms EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Matt Maher - Alive and Breathing, Volume 3 EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Chris McClarney - Fill This Place (Live) EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Derek Minor - Nothing But A Word (ft Propaganda) EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Mission House - Mission House EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Gene Moore - Nashville Sessions (Live) EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Brooke Nichols - Pursue EP 4.75 Emeralds
• NLC Worship - Heart Set Free EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Courtney Ramirez - Amada En Verdad EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Slick Shoes - Broadcasting Live 4.75 Emeralds
• Stillman - Wherever You Are EP 4.75 Emeralds
• What We Do In Secret - Repose 4.75 Emeralds
• Wicked's End - Flood 4.50 Emeralds
• Worship Mob - Venture 12: Do It Again EP 4.75 Emeralds

November is finally in the Bag. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: The Singles Scene - November 2019

The Second Singles Scene Edition of Night Beat Rewind is upon us. We have had to split the Singles and the Albums into their own rewind as things have exploded in size. I think this will be upon us for all time now.

Christmas Music (Non-Eligible)

• The Afters - Joy Unto The World 5 Emeralds
• Paul Baloche - Behold Him 4.75 Emeralds
• Matt Boswell and Matt Papa - Sing The Song of Emmanuel/Gloria 5 Emeralds
• Cochren and Co. - Christmas With You 5 Emeralds
• Caleb Crino - O Little Town of Jazzy B 5 Emeralds
• Embassy - One And The Same 5 Emeralds
• Madaline Garcia - Joy 4.75 Emeralds
• Keith and Kristyn Getty - Sing We The Song of Emmanuel/Come Adore The Humble King 5 Emeralds
• JJ Heller - Born In Me 5 Emeralds
• Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors - Let It Snow (ft Ellie Holcomb) 4.75 Emeralds
• I Am They - White Christmas 4.50 Emeralds
• Ashley Lagunas - Following The Star 5 Emeralds
• Rachael Lampa - Silent Night 5 Emeralds
• LEAH - Light of The World 5 Emeralds
• Life Center Worship - Rejoice 4.75 Emeralds
• TobyMac - All I Need for Christmas ft Terrian 5 Emeralds
• Mercy Me - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Leigh Nash - Pretty Paper 4.75 Emeralds
• Nashville Life Music - Gloria 4.75 Emeralds
• Northpoint Kids - Joy (Sing and Shout it) ft Lauren Anderson 5 Emeralds
• Plumb - Behold 5 Emeralds
• Roy3ls - It's Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Salt of The Sound - O Holy Night 5 Emeralds
• Holly Starr - Winter Wonderland 4.75 Emeralds
• Ryan Stevenson - Home For Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Reagan Strange - O Holy Night 5 Emeralds
• Chris Tomlin - Christmas Day ft We The Kingdom 5 Emeralds
• Vineyard Worship - The Lord Has Come 5 Emeralds
• Rhett Walker Band - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 5 Emeralds
• Big Daddy Weave - Joy! He Shall Reign 4.75 Emeralds
• Matthew West - Winter Wonderland 5 Emeralds

That does it for the Christmas Songs for November. The Albums will be in our album wrap. On to the judged songs.

Missing The Mark

• John Hanni - Then I Found You (Radio Edit) 3.75 Emeralds

Consider this My Christmas Gift to CCM. Only one song Missed The Mark. Next is the Perfect Songs.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Allswell - Arise 5 Emeralds
• Anthem Lights - Closed on Sunday (Kanye West Cover) 5 Emeralds
• K-Anthony - The Cure 5 Emeralds
• Caleb and Kelsey - Raise a Hallelujah/Hallelujah 5 Emeralds
• Caleb and Kelsey - Yes I Will/Stand In Your Love 5 Emeralds
• Landry Cantrell - Temporary ft Kristen Hicks 5 Emeralds
• The Clark Sisters - Victory 5 Emeralds
• Color Theory - Dismembered (Synthwave) 5 Emeralds
• Covenant Worship - Make Room 5 Emeralds
• Elevation Worship - Never Lost 5 Emeralds
• Embassy - Heartfelt Gratitude 5 Emeralds
• Equippers Revolution - Thankful 5 Emeralds
• Lou Fellingham - Miracle or Not (Live) 5 Emeralds
• da Foo - Shalom and Salem ft Benjah 5 Emeralds
• In Salvation - Holding On To Your Love 5 Emeralds
• G12 Worship (formerly Soulfire Revolution) - By Your Wounds 5 Emeralds
• Casey J - The Gathering (Acoustic) 5 Emeralds
• LZ7 - Dance With Me ft Faith Child 5 Emeralds
• Elle Limebear - Lord You Have My Heart ft Martin Smith 5 Emeralds
• Manafest - Grenades 5 Emeralds
• Planetboom - Kamsahamnida (live) 5 Emeralds
• Plassix and Puso - Planet 5 Emeralds
• Laney Rene - No Fear 5 Emeralds
• Scandroid - I Remember You 5 Emeralds
• Scandroid - I Remember You (Instrumentals) 5 Emeralds
• Scandroid - Writings on The Wall (PRIZM Remix) 5 Emeralds
• One Sonic Society - Goodness of God ft Vertical Worship 5 Emeralds
• JSteph - The End ft Stephen Hall and Moflo Music 5 Emeralds
• Switchfoot - Voices ft Lindsey Stirling 5 Emeralds
• Vineyard Worship - You're always with us 5 Emeralds
• JJ Weeks - The Sound of Freedom 5 Emeralds
• Youngheart - You Tell Me (Neon Feather Remix) 5 Emeralds

32 Perfect to One Missing the Mark. The Candy Store is definitely open this time of year.

Semi-Precious Metals

• Anthem Lights - Won't You Be My Neighbor/It's Such a good feeling 4.75 Emeralds
• Avalon - Closer 4.75 Emeralds
• Avalon - Majesty 4.75 Emeralds
• Casting Crowns - Only Jesus (New York Sessions) 4.75 Emeralds
• Elevation Rhythm - Heartbeat 4.75 Emeralds
• Elevation Youth - Technicolor 4.75 Emeralds
• Jason Gray - Remind Me You're Here 4.75 Emeralds
• Hope Chapel - For The Glory of Your Name 4.75 Emeralds
• The Lowly Heirs - If it Wasn't for the Cross 4.75 Emeralds
• Rachael Nemiroff - Slip Away 4.75 Emeralds
• NLC Worship - Abba Father 4.50 Emeralds
• Nothing Left - Choose Your Side 4.50 Emeralds
• Slick Shoes - Angel (Live) 4.75 Emeralds
• Social Beingz - Legacy 4.75 Emeralds
• Grace Spencer - Confidence (Remix) 4.50 Emeralds
• Roy Tosh - Back Home (ft Branan Murphy) 4.75 Emeralds
• Joel Vaughn - I Look To You (HGHTs Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Verses - Come Alive/Speak Life 4.75 Emeralds
• Wild Harbors - House on Fire (Julie Lov Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
  

The True 45

I am introducing a new segment here. We have recently begun seeing a bunch of EP's which are only 2 songs long. That is called a single, folks. A Hit side and a B-Side. In the days of vinyl they were called 45's, because they played at 45rpm. We will place them where they belong, however.

• Hollyn - Feels Like Christmas EP - Side A: Christmas Time Is Here 5 Emeralds Side B: O Come All Ye Faithful 5 Emeralds
• Wande - No Limits EP - Side A: No Cap 4.50 Emeralds Side B: No Ceilings 4.50 Emeralds
• Whatuprg - Birds EP - Side A: Drip Lee 4.50 Emeralds Side B: Okay 3.50 Emeralds

The Singles Scene for November 2019 Is in the Bag. We are catching up. Until next time, I am Awaiting your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Christmas Week Edition

We continue with out Christmas Parade here at Music Video Monday. There are some favorites that will always be in our Christmas Mix. Denver and The Mile High Orchestra is one of those bands that quickly become part of your Holiday Must Plays. This is Frosty The Blues Man.
Christmas also isn't complete without The Little Drummer Boy. We will let you experience it via Joel and Luke Smallbone, aka For King and Country.
And Finally, we're gonna slow it down, Jazz Style, with Planetshakers church in Australia. This is All Glory, It's Christmas.
 
The Parade Continues next week. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

How The CD Killed The Music Industry

I grew up in the Vinyl Era. Yes, that time when Dinosaurs also roamed the earth. Well, this relic of the Dinosaurs wants to vent a little. On a music related topic, and there will be no screaming, tantrums or breaking of anything. Sorry to disappoint.

As a youngster, I had a "Record Player" that, by the early 1970's would play two formats. A "45" was a Single, which consisted of 2 songs, one on each side. Side A was the "Hit" side, and the B-side, as it was called, was another song. It wasn't a radio hit, and it wasn't necessarily by the same artist as side A. The other format was a 10 inch LP or "33". It usually consisted of 10 songs, 5 on a side. It was all by the same artist, unless it was specifically a compilation or live album that featured multiple artists in concert. The music was fine, but it really wasn't portable. And the search began for a portable music medium.

The first attempt was the 8-Track, which came out in 1965 and was not the product of the music industry but the auto industry. I like to say it replaced nothing and influenced nothing. It had a brief run of popularity during the disco era, and that should be all that is said about it. It was compact, but except for the car player not exactly portable. And then there was a problem which was unique to tape based audio formats. The tape would be drawn into the mechanism itself or "was eaten". When an 8-Track experienced being "eaten' it was permanently pulled out of its plastic housing and was ruined.

Fortunately the solution was already anticipated. The Compact Cassette (aka Cassette Tape or simply Cassette) actually came out 3 years before the 8-Track but was lost in the shuffle. It soon took over the industry and coexisted nicely with the vinyl record. The studio at WENC Radio played both vinyl and cassette. The "munchies" of the tape player could be fixed by rewinding the tape with a pencil. And the Sony Walkman, introduced in 1979 finally made music portable. The 80's were grand.

Contrary to Popular Belief, Apple did not kill off the music industry with the mp3. It actually started much earlier, 1988 to be exact, with the advent of the Compact Disc. It was portable, about the same size as the 45. Unlike the 45, though it did not have two sides. Music was recorded on one side only. Also unlike the 45, you could record an entire album (Officially 72 minutes) on one CD. And Sony Came out With a CD version of the Walkman in 1984 in Japan. It took a few years to get to the U.S.

The CD killed off Vinyl and, a few years later, the Cassette, becoming the monopoly of the music industry. For a few years at least. The industry descended into total chaos with the advent of the .mp3 download, which started in the 90's but really began with iTunes in 2001. The iPod Music Player Came out the same year. The Single was now king, and buying an album was an optional experience.

The Mp3 was credited with the death, just because it was the last cut. The CD, however, was what destroyed the standard two side life that existed since reel to reel tape. The Mp3 just brought in The Wild Wild West, which, ironically, is what will save the industry. That, however, will be another story. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply

Music Video Monday: Mistletoe Meltdown

The Christmas Parade Continues, and we're going a bit silly this time. We begin with A Great Christmas Classic, (no, not that one). I Want a Hippopotomus for Christmas.

Next up we go with Veggie Tales, Oh Santa
And we finish with Matthew Parker. This is Mistletoe Meltdown. I confess I didn't have a Great Aunt Betty, so I can just enjoy the video. Reminds me of Steve Taylor.

We Continue with the Parade Next Week. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: The Parade Continues

The Christmas Parade Continues here on Music Video Monday. We are taking a break from our regularly scheduled Videos to go all Christmas Music. And I hope to keep it up until twelfth night. We begin with a new Christmas Video by Lindsey Stirling entitled We Three Gentlemen, which appears to be a medley of We Three Kings, Carol of The Bells, and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Love the Middle East Arabian Nights feel to it. It is highly appropriate.

We are going to stay with Strings. The Annie Moses Band is a Night Beat Favorite, and this is their take on Carol of The Bells. They May not move as much as Lindsey, but there are more of them on stage.
Finally, we stay with the string motif, but we mix in some lovely electronics as well. Christmas isn't Christmas if you don't have Mannheim Steamroller. This is Joy To The World.

The Parade Continues next week. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply

Music Video Monday: The Christmas Parade Begins

Welcome to the Annual Christmas Parade of Music Video Monday. We switch on the Ho-Ho-Ho's at Night Beat HQ once Thanksgiving Day is over. I just decided to do this when I noticed a new Christmas Video on my timeline. We begin the Parade with Caitie Hurst "When Christmas Comes Around"
Next up, there is no better way to start a Christmas Parade than with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and nothing surpasses Christmas Eve/Sarajevo. Christmas Rock Indeed.

And finally, a little something new, at least to me. I will let Lindsey Stirling close things off with the Carol of The Bells. Love Violin Excellence.

The Parade has begun, and will last until epiphany. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.