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The Music of the 77s...
Ping Pong Over The Abyss1982 Produced by Steven Soles (Exit)A Different Kind of Light/ How Can You Love/ It's So Sad/ Falling Down a Hole/ Someone New/ Renaissance Man/ Ping Pong Over the Abyss/ Time Is Slipping Away/ Denomination Blues (That's All) Technically, Ping Pong was recorded by "the savage young Scratch Band," the name Roe and Co. traded under before changing their name literally as the record was being pressed. "It was charity," said Roe of the Scratch Band's work as an outreach of Sacramento's Warehouse church. It wasn't until they started recording, he said, that the band decided they might have any artistic pretensions. Like many bands' first attempts at recording, the 77's reach exceeded its grasp on Ping Pong Over the Abyss. Musically, the record, while eons a head of most christian rock, was less an individual musical statement than a reading of early 80's top 40 power pop sounds. And lyrically, the Sevens were more interested at this point in writing songs that "ministered" than presenting a creative presentation of faith. But the Sevens still managed to pull off a few numbers (namely "A Different Kind of Light," "Someone New," "Ping Pong Over the Abyss") that go beyond the new wave trendiness and heavy handed evangelism that make the record stand out over the years. by Brad Caviness - 7ball |