Gold City - First Class

This is another of those projects that kinda got lost in the shuffle due to label workings, politics, money, and even line up, yet was still a pretty strong release, given the circumstances.

According to Brandon Coomer's GC Discography, this project was originally to be titled Gospel Truth (a title which I like better anyway), but for one reason or another, was changed to what we know today. It was GC's second release with Todd Payne's short-lived Cathedral Records (which, by then, was in it's second incarnation as well), and from what I can tell, they were ready to pull out all the stops to promote the project, complete with a mini poster within the CD insert.

The first hiccup came with the departure of Jay Parrack. I distinctly remember seeing pictures of Jay in the studio during the early staged of production on this album, as well as Jonathan mentioning that both he and Jay were battling colds at the time. With Jay leaving the group, the tenor part needed redone before the CD could be released. Steve Ladd came in and redid the vocals, and we had a completed project.

Another change came with the retirement of Tim Riley. Although I don't think it was designed to be his final album with GC at the time, First Class was indeed Tim's last full effort with the group in the studio (some very nice liner notes were included at the time of the release from Tim, as well). This kinda put a strange twist on the CD, as Bill Lawrence was already singing with Gold City by the time this project was released (and some promo photos included both Tim and Bill in the group), but even though Steve Ladd's voice was added to the mix, Bill's was not (owner priveleges, I guess!).

A lot of initial publicity was put into the album, but it was released just as Cathedral Records began their big downfall financially, and no where near the money was put into pushing it as should have been. Granted, two fairly successful singles came out of First Class ("That's Just Another Red Sea" and "He Threw Out A Lifeline"), but in the end, the singles were just about all that was left of Cathedral Records. Legacy Five had already left for Daywind, Ivan Parker and Mark Bishop jumped ship back to Crossroads, and [soon-to-be-Ernie Hass &] Signature Sound were quickly floating toward the Gaither Music gang, so all that was really left of the label roster was Gold City and the Cathedrals' back catalog. Within months of the release of First Class, Cathedral Records closed their doors for good, making the project hard to find in stores (when the store I worked in at the time finally got copies of it, it was with a bunch of other discontinued products at a discount as part of a massive bundle).

On its own merits, the project seemed like the beginning of the transition period for Gold City. It was the second project produced by the late Doug Riley (the first being Walk the Talk), but its more reminiscent of GC's Daywind albums than it's predecesor (heavy horns, more traditional arrangements, less modern-country sounding). The title track could've easily been produced by Mark Trammell with the same effect, while others, like "Red Sea," seemed tailor-made for the Christian-Country sound. It's almost as if the group was aware of a shift that needed to take place, but were not quite sure as to where to go.

I will say, one of my favorite Doug Riley songs came from this project, the Jonathan Wilburn-lead single, "He Threw Out A Lifeline." While not necessarily a marvel of modern production, the song's lyrics and powerful message hit a chord with me. I also greatly enjoyed "The Gospel Truth," which tells quick, short stories from each of the authors of the first New Testament books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in a mid-tempo country feel. The most interesting cut (to me, anyway) is "About A Cross." I'm not sure if it was originally designed this way, but Steve Ladd sings the entire first half of the song (including a full chorus) solo, which from a production standpoint leaves it sounding almost half-finished. Granted, this was probably originally done by Jay Parrack in the studio, but I can't help but wish I heard some background vocals on that first chorus. It is worthy of a listen if only to hear Steve's first studio sessions with the group (compare it to "Preach The Word" and you can see just how far Steve has come with Gold City).

I believe that you can still order this CD through Gold City, and although not their strongest project, is worth a listen from a historical standpoint.