Vision

Demented Perception Vision (Heartland Records) 1985

1. "Dynamos" (4:14)
2. "Lord is My Joy" (3:50)
3. "Old Man" (3:20)
4. "Dedicated" (3:44)
5. "Soldiers Song" (3:46)
6. "Standing on the Rock" (4:28)
7. "Don't Say It's Over" (4:00)
8. "Psalm 23" (3:57)
9. "You Are My Only Lord" (3:26
10. "You're the One" (3:20)

Finally scored a copy of this underground classic on CD. I don't think it was ever officially released on CD, so for now I have this bootleg/vinyl transfer. Vision's big claim to faim is that Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell was part of the band for several years. The band is often described as Southern rock, however, I don't hear much Southern Rock on here. There may be some Southern influences in some of the piano and guitar work. However, for the most part this is 1980's, radio friendly, pop rock. In the mid-80's many Southern rock bands were having success with the pop crossover sound. .38 Special had several hits, Point Blank had a minor hit with "Nicole" and even harder bands like Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot were going for a more radio friendly sound. Vision follows in a similar manner with a light, clean, 80's pop rock sound. In general, the songs aren't overly bluesy, nor are there any extended jams, as one might expect for a band labeled Southern rock. Instead, the band sticks to the three to four minute pop structures with some slight progressive tendencies. "Lord is My Joy", for example, has a sound that reminded me of Kansas. Guitarist and vocalist Rocco Marshall is the main songwriter and has a smooth, tenor voice that works well for the band. It's also important to mention that the lyrics are simple and Biblically based. Vision obviously weren't ashamed of their faith. 

Related collections:
Lynyrd Skynyrd

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