JAG - The Longest Road (CD) AOR Hard Rock, WhiteHeart & GIANT members
- Remastered and Reloaded
- Includes the 45 single SHAKE IT OFF from JAG AND THE BITE (circa 1989)
- For Fans of Whiteheart, Giant and Journey
- 6 Panel fold in Jewel Case
- Includes Lyrics
- Enhanced Cover, Photos and More
If you like Whiteheart, Idle Cure, The Brave, Journey and Foreigner, you'll want to keep reading...
JAG is similar to bands like Liason, Whiteheart, Nouveaux, The Brave, Idle Cure and Fighter. They are polished with a slick sound but also enough grit and guitar crunch to make them a favorite among Christian rock fans. They just might be the best under-promoted and under-appreciated AOR Hard Rock band of that era.
Strong songs loaded with powerful vocals and killer lead guitars solos thanks to Dann Huff (Giant, Whiteheart). It helps when you have Billy Smiley at the helm and David Martin, Phil Maderia doing song writing alongside. But the big surprise is you’ll actually swear you are listening to a Whiteheart album or even some reincarnation of a GIANT / WHITEHEART supergroup like Mr. Big, none of which is a bad thing. Anytime you can have members from such great bands helping you form your sound it can only be a plus. Billy’s hands on the throttle and Dann Huff (GIANT) handling most of the guitar work, both founding members of Whiteheart, helped put these albums in a different league.
Had these albums been released five years earlier, in the mid 80's they would have been all over the radio and the band would have played main stage at all the Christian rock festivals. We are grateful for the opportunity to have these remastered 30 years later. They deserve your attention and will command your respect.
Just listen...
THE EARLY BEGINNINGS
JAG started in 1987 when John Allen Garies released an independent cassette called IT’S YOUR CHOICE on the private label Steady Wind Records featuring 10 songs. It was released without much fanfare but just 2 years later, JAG, as John was known by, released SHAKE IT OFF by JAG AND THE BITE on 45rpm 7" Record (shown below) in 1989. 
This is where the story would normally say “That record got the attention of Billy Smiley, founding member of Whiteheart.” However the truth is JAG didn't cut his teeth in the insular CCM scene. Before becoming a Christian in 1979 he made his living "playing bars as a drummer/vocalist in Texas, playing blues by ZZ Top, Johnny Winter and Zeppelin." In 1986 John Allen Garies (JAG) released his first independently recorded album mentioned earlier and it did open a door for him when attended a Whiteheart show and somehow made his way onto the Whiteheart tour bus and gave Billy his SHAKE IT OFF tape.
Billy, impressed with what he heard, went on to produce 3 albums for the band, THE LONGEST ROAD (1990), THE ONLY WORLD IN TOWN (1991), and FIRE IN THE TEMPLE (1992).
JAG - THE LONGEST ROAD
THE LONGEST ROAD (1990) starts off strong, with a very GIANT-like guitar intro and a serious Whiteheart-like rhythm. Again, the influence of both of these bands abound through the album. However, SHAKE IT OFF, that was on that 45rpm made it onto this album and sets it apart. It’s got a feeling and movement more like a great U2 song. The actual song on the 45rpm is the exact version that was already on this original CD however the CD version had an extra 15 seconds of guitar added to the end that the 45rpm did not have. The 45rpm was 4:37 but the CD version was 4:52rpm.
Lead Vocals: John Garies (Jag)
Lead Guitar: Paul Brittain
Guitars: Dale Oliver (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10)
Drums: Chuck Connor
Rhythm Guitar / Keys: Joel MeCreight
Guitars: Dann Huff on Shake It Off
- Highest Place
- The Longest Road
- Smile Minded
- Shake It Off (From the 45rpm single (1989)
- Empty Spaces, Quiet Places
- 21 Reasons
- Father Forever
- Even the Hardest Heart
- Follow His Heart
- The Other Side
