Stryper - Calling On Holland ~ Dynamo Open Air, Eindhoven, The Netherlands 06-08-1987 (FM)

Stryper
Calling On Holland
Dynamo Open Air
Parking lot Smalle Haven
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
June 8, 1987
FM Broadcast Recording
MP3 320kbps
Cover Art Included

01 Calling On You - 4:02
02 Co'Mon Rock - 5:02
03 Battle Hymn Of The Republic - 2:11
04 Sing-Along Song - 5:20
05 Soldiers Under Command 5:25

Michael Sweet - lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar
Oz Fox - lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Robert Sweet - drums, percussion
Tim Gaines - bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards

This recording catches White Metal giants Stryper on tour to promote To Hell With The Devil, the bands third and most successful release. The album had 3 MTV video hits, "Free", "Honestly", and "Calling on You". During the recording sessions bassist Tim Gaines was fired and replaced with Matt Hurich. Matt didn't work out so he was replaced with Brad Cobb. Tim Gaines returned to the group prior to the 1987 To Hell With The Devil Tour. In Michael Sweet's autobiography he states Tim was let go because Michael thought Tim wasn't the right bass player for the record. However I have an old copy of Kick Ass Magazine where Bob Muldowney (R.I.P) reports that Tim Gaines was fired from Stryper due to his brother Steve Gaines being the singer for the Speed Metal band Abattoir, after the negative reaction from fans at such a non Christian thing to do Tim was reinstated.

MP3

Stryper - M3 Festival ~ Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 05-12-2012 (SBD) DVD Audio Rip

Stryper
M3 Festival
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Columbia, MD
May 12, 2012
TV Broadcast/Soundboard Recording
DVD Audiio Rip
MP3 320 kps
No Cover Art

01 Sing-Along Song
02 Reach Out
03 Calling On You
04 Free
05 To Hell With The Devil
06 Soldiers Under Command

total time: 29m 50s

Michael Sweet lead vocals, lead guitar
Robert Sweet drums
Tim Gaines bass, vocals
Oz Fox lead guitar, vocals

Stryper was the most successful of the so called White Metal bands to spring forth in the 1980's. The movement was in response to all the Satanic imagry that was prominent in Heavy Metal. Stryper's pop sensibility and Glam Metal image brought the band to platinum status with the release of there third album To Hell With The Devil. The first contemporary Christian Music and Christian Heavy Metal album to achieve this feat. The album also brought controversy due to the cover art which depicted Angels battling Satan and casting him to Hell. One of the Angels is depicted ripping off Satan's pentagram necklace. The right wing Christians denounced Stryper for having the pentagram on their cover "just to attract teen metal heads". Stryper recalled unsold copies of the album and changed the cover to a plain black cover.

The band also was picketed by the moral majority as much as Ozzy Osbourne was. The main reason was Stryper's habit of tossing New Testament Bibles to the audience. The bands attempt to spread the word was seen as casting pearls before swine. The bands glam image was also attacked for being too flashy for proper Christians. The band was attacked as well just for using metal music to bring the message to teens because metal was seen as the devils music. The charge against the band was lead by Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, although the band was championed by Swaggart's rival Televangelist Jim Bakker.

MP3