R E Z
Rez (also known as The Resurrection Band) formed during the height of the Jesus People USA movement of the late '60s and early '70s, comprising vocalists Glenn and Wendi Kaiser, guitarist/keyboard player Stu Heiss, bassist Roy Montroy and drummer John Herrin. The band has released close to twenty studio albums since then plus a few live albums and compilations. Their first demo/album was called "Music to Raise the Dead." I should also mention that guitarist/vocalist Glenn Kaiser has done several projects outside of Rez, including Mansfield, Howard, Kaiser.

Resurrection Band - Awaiting Your Reply/Rainbows End (Star Song) 1978/1979

1. "Intro" (:41)
2. "Waves" (2:57)
3. "Awaiting Your Reply" (4:09)
4. "Broken Promises" (6:57)
5. "Golden Road" (4:57)
6. "Lightshine" (5:21)
7. "Ananias and Sapphira" (2:58)
8. "Death of the Dying" (3:19)
9. "Irish Garden" (4:51)
10. "The Return" (3:53)
11. "Outro" (:06)
12. "Midnight Son" (3:16)
13. "Strongman" (3:41)
14. "Africaans" (3:10)
15. "Skyline" (3:10)
16. "Paint a Picture" (4:47)
17. "Rainbow's End" (3:47)
18. "Concert for a Queen" (3:16)
19. "Sacrifice of Love" (3:03)
20. "The Wolf Song" (3:14)
21. "Everytime It Rains" (4:46)

Two of Rez's earliest albums on one disc. This was a cool find. The music is early 70's hard rock with lots of blues influences. Both of these albums are actually better than some of their late 70's and early 80's albums. A few songs are reminiscent of early Led Zeppelin.

Rez - Colours (Light Records) 1980

1. "Autograph" (4:02)
3. "N.Y.C." (4:59)
4. "Hidden Man" (3:23)
5. "Amazing" (2:49)
6. "American Dream" (2:22)
7. "Benny & Sue" (3:21)
8. "City Streets" (3:23)
9. "Beggar In The Alleyway" (3:57)
10. "The Struggle" (3:47)

A classic record from one of Christian rocks most respected band. There are plenty of great moments here, but without a doubt my favorite song is "The Struggle" which is musically and lyrically one of Rez's finest songs ever. However, the entire CD is a giant step forward from the two albums that proceeded it. I actually prefer this album to more popular albums like "Between Heaven & Hell" and "D.M.Z.". In the mid-80's Rez were beginning to experiment a bit with the new wave sound, whereas on "Colors" they stick to hard rock.

Rez also recorded a stellar live version of "The Struggle" on their "Twenty Years" CD.

Resurrection Band - Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore (Light Records) 1981

1. "Stark/Spare" (3:42) 2. "Elevator Muzik" (1:57) 3. "Alienated" (2:03) 4. "Can't Get You Out of My Mind" (2:54) 5. "The Chair" (5:05) 6. "Can't Do It On My Own" (2:51) 7. "First Degree Apathy" (3:04) 8. "Mommy Dont Love Daddy Anymore" (4:23) 9. "The Crossing" (3:46) 10. "Little Children" (2:36) 11. "Lovin' You" (3:29)

Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore LP.

One of the few great, early, classic hard rock albums from a Christian band. Christian bands that rocked this hard and were of this caliber just didn't exist in 1981. "Elevator Muzik" and "Alienated" are heavy rockers with some smokin' guitar work. "The Chair" is easily one of the best tracks on the album. It is simply an outstanding song that morphs back and forth from heavy guitar riffs to those haunting acoustic guitars. The title song is an emotional song was written from a child's point of view who sees his family life disintegrating and was written out of Glenn Kaiser's personal experience. "Lovin' You" was a glimpse into what direction Rez would be taking on their next couple albums. It seems that Rez felt the need to 'stay relevant' and thus started adapting to the quickly growing 80's synth-rock sound. Otherwise, "Mommy Don't Love Daddy" is a solid hard rock album in the Rez catalog. I own this one on CD and vinyl.

Resurrection Band - D.M.Z. (Light) 1982

1. "Military Man" (3:39)
2. "Reluctance" (2:14)
3. "Babylon" (2:36)
4. "I Need Your Love" (3:24)
5. "Area 312" (3:56)
6. "No Alibi" (4:9)
7. "White Noise" (3:41)
8. "Lonely Hearts" (3:00)
9. "The Prisoner" (2:54)
10. "So In Love With You (3:38)

A friend of mine has been a Rez fan since the early 80's. He considers this disc to be a classic. Well, I guess since this was new to me as of 1995, I don't hold the same esteem. There are a few cool songs, "Military Man" and "White Noise," but otherwise I hardly ever play this one. "DMZ" also features one of the worst album covers of all time.

Rez Band - Live Bootleg (Light) 1984

SIDE ONE
1."Military Man"
2. "Gameroom"
3. "Wendi's Rap"
4. "Playground"
5. "Medley" (Waves, Awaiting Your Reply, Broken Promises, Autograph, City Streets)
6. "Broken Promises"

SIDE TWO
7. "Autograph"
8. "White Noise"
9. "Quite Enough"
10. "Area 312"
11. "Can't Stop Loving You"
12. "Glenn's Rap"

Superb live album showcasing Rez at their very best. I think the live versions are superior to the album version. The live energy is really captured here, plus I think the band was playing most of their better songs from the early years. My vinyl copy, picture above, is signed by Glenn Kaiser. Still searching for a CD copy.

Rez - Between Heaven & Hell (Sparrow) 1985

1. "The Maine Event" (3:03)
2. "Love Comes Down" (3:08)
3. "Zuid Afrikan" (5:20)
4. "Walk On" (3:12)
5. "Talk To Me" (4:25)
6. "I Think You Know" (3:13)
7. "Shadows" (5:00)
8. "Save Me From Myself" (3:30)
9. "Nervouse World" (4:22)
10. "2,000" (4:56)

This was the first Rez album I had ever heard. I bought it for one song, "Shadows," which is not only one of my favorite Rez songs, but one of my favorite songs of all time. The rest of the album pretty much sucks as most of the material has that horrible 80's new wave sound (ie "Talk To Me," "Save Me From Myself"). There are a few decent cuts though. "I Think You Know" and "The Main Event" are both good hard rock songs. Generally the songs that Glenn Kaiser sings are good and the songs his wife Wendy sings are not.

Rez - Silent Screams (Grrr) 1988

1. "Silent Screams" (4:11)
2. "You Got Me Rockin'" (3:13)
3. "Someone Sleeps" (5:18)
4. "Waitin' On Sundown" (4:04)
5. "Presence of the Lord" (4:33)
6. "Light/Light" (3:43)
7. "Rain Dance" (5:03)
8. "Every Waking Hour" (4:05)
9. "Three Seconds" (4:36)
10. "You Get What You Choose" (4:30)

This was about the time I started really getting into Rez. I had heard the song "Shadows" from "Between Heaven & Hell" but the rest of that album was so cheesy, that I never gave Rez another listen. However, at this time in my life, I was desperate for some good Christian music, as stuff like Petra just didn't cut it. I went to a Christian music store and checked out Rez's "Silent Screams." To my surprise it was a solid slab of blues based hard rock and heavy metal. The title cut is a great song that has been covered by Treasure Seeker. "Light/Light" is a concert favorite Rez continued to play through the 90's. "Rain Dance" is an awesome blues rocker with a great message. "Presence of the Lord" is an Eric Clapton cover.

Rez - Innocent Blood (Grrr) 1989

1. "Rooster Crow" (:48)
2. "Alter of Pain" (3:15)
3. "The House is On Fire" (3:25)
4. "80,000 Underground" (3:14)
5. "Fiend or Foul" (7:20)
6. "Where Roses Grow" (7:20)
7. "Right On Time" (5:46)
8. "Child of the Blues" (3:40)
9. "Laughing Man" (3:31)
10. "Bargain" (5:31)
11. "Great God in Heaven" (2:56)

Second killer disc in a row by Rez. This disc is even more blues-based than "Silent Screams," which is apparent immediately by the album opener which is an acoustic blues intro. "Great God in Heaven" is a traditional sounding blues song. Much of the rest of the disc is more blues based heavy metal ("Alter of Pain," "80,000 Underground") or Chicago-style/electric guitar blues rock ("Where Roses Grow," "Child of the Blues"). "Bargain"is a remake of the Who classic. Overall, one of Rez's better albums and probably the disc I have played more than any other.

Rez - Civil Rites (Ocean) 1991

1. "Lovespeak" (3:29)
2. "Mission Bells" (3:36)
3. "Comatose" (3:13)
4. "Deathmachine" (2:57)
5. "Players" (4:17)
6. "Lincoln's Train" (4:$2)
7. "Hot Footin'" (2:54)
8. "In My Room" (2:44)
9. "Little Jeanie" (4:29)
10. "Footprints" (2:37)
11. "Pauper's Grave" (4:30)
11. "Somebody to Love" (3:01)

Rez's last two discs have been pretty consistent."Civil Rites" continues in the same mode as the last two, although the production gives the album a slightly heavier sound. "Civil Rites" containes less blues-based songs and more heavy metal numbers. Favorite songs are "Lovespeak," "Mission Bells," "Players" and the bluesy "Lincoln's Train." "Somebody to Love" is a Jefferson Airplane song.

Rez - Reach of Love (Ocean) 1993

1. "Heart's Desire" (3:50)
2. "If Your Love Grows Cold" (3:22)
3. "Numbers" (2:31)
4. "Sunrise" (4:02)
5. "Dead to the World" (4:23)
6. "Reach of Love" (6:04)
7. "Land of Stolen Breath" (4:07)
8. "Mannequin's Dream" (1:30)
9. "Empty Hearts" (3:17)
10. "Thought I'd Never Love Again" (4:09)
11. "White Lies" (3:58)
12. "On My Dyin' Bed" (4:55)
13. "Heart's Desire (Reprise)" (1:03)

Rez knows what they do best, so they haven't messed with the formula in the last four albums. Rez play hard rock with a few blues based numbers, and they do it well. Not since their fatal attempts at new wave a few albums back have they put out a bad album. Must say though that I never gave this one the play time that I gave "Silent Screams," "Innocent Blood" or "Civil Rites."

Rez - Twenty Years (Ocean) 1992

A great retrospect of band whose career has spanned two decades. There is at least one song from every album on this disc. 'Glenn''s Rap" and "Wend's Rap" are not music, but rather Glenn and Wendi sharing their testimony of how God has worked in their lives. "Bargain" is a The Who song, "Somebody to Love" is a Jefferson Airplane song.

Resurrection Band - Lament (Light) 1995

1. "Parting Glance" (1:12)
2. "Across These Fields" (4:21)
3. "On the Move" (2:10)
4. "Summerthrow" (4:14)
5. "At Land's End" (4:04)
6. "Song and Dance" (4:52)
7. "In Change" (3:18)
8. "Road" (3:51)
9. "Dark Carnival" (2:37)
10. "Mirror" (4:03)
11. "Another Look" (:27)
12. "Surprised" (5:28)
13. "Richest One" 4:12)
14. "Across These Fields (Reprise)" (3:42)

I'm not sure why Rez changed their name back to the Resurrection Band. In any case, this is another solid hard rock album, with a slightly more modern edge. This may be because "Lament" was produced by Ty Tabor of King's X . "Summerthrow" even takes on that King's X heavy groove. Despite this, the band still sounds like themselves and have retained some of the bluesy influence that I enjoyed so much in the past. "In Change" is a cool acoustic number with some nice harmonica jams. "Lament" is a good Rez album but the last one I bought for a while. Will eventually fill up the wholes in this collection.

On vinyl:
Rez - Mommy Doesn't Love Daddy Anymore (Sparrow)
Rez - Live Bootleg (Sparrow)

On cassette:
Rez - Bootleg (Sparrow)

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