Twenty Twenty - Altered (CD) Remastered AOR, Ltd. Ed. Trading Card #10

Name: Twenty Twenty - Altered (CD) Remastered AOR, Ltd. Ed. Trading Card #10
Brand: Twenty Twenty
SKU: A2 (Cage - 17)
Price: 7.99 USD
Availability: InStock

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Produced by Billy Smiley of Whiteheart
Both Albums Completely Remastered from Original Sources.
Includes Limited Edition Trading Card with Silver Foil #10
Both Albums are First Time Ever on CD
Superb Art-Rock like STYX or Kansas
Altered Includes Cover Song HOLD YOUR HEAD UP from the band ARGENT
Super rare-hard to find albums.
Original Pressings Demand Serious Dollars and Buyers
Originally released in 1987

If you don't know Twenty Twenty, you'll want to read this in it's entirety because this band just might be the biggest hidden gem of the 80's rock era. Why? Because Twenty Twenty was a surprisingly flashy band, loaded with sure-fire commercial-based sound and a blend of art-rock anthems similar to that of STYX or KANSAS with a dose of straight ahead rock similar to THE CARS, WHITEHEART or even GIANT.

Lets just get one thing out of the way... can we?

These albums were produced by WhiteHeart's Billy Smiley, so expect nothing more than a pristine polished sound. Billy Smiley was/is like the modern day Dave Cobb, Quincy Jones or Rick Rubin. Most of what he touches is pristine flawless pieces of work and these are no exception. Finding either one of their albums, 1985 Self-Titled or their 1987 Altered became a challenge so we were elated that Billy Smiley worked with us directly to get this back out for the first time ever on CD.

The band mixed an interesting blend of pomp AOR with cool new wave melodies, all wrapped by a very Eighties arsenal of keyboards, synthesizers, synclavier and electronic drums. This Synth-AOR stadium rock band from the 80's would have been incredible to see opening up for Steve Taylor or Daniel Amos during their peek years or even as an opening act for MUSE or The Killers, with one exception... they might have stolen the show. They emulated art-rockers such as Kansas and Styx, as mentioned above, yet oddly enough this band escaped notice from Christian Radio and ultimately Christian bookstores because of one simple fact... the had some rather decent attention on mainstream "Secular" radio and the Christians would have no part of mingling those two worlds "Christian" and "Secular" together.

Hold Your Head Up is one amazing rock song made famous by the band ARGENT. Loaded with prog, art-rock and serious grungy guitars, might be the highlight of the album and will rock your face off. It weaves in and out and then hits you with with repetitive HOLD YOUR HEAD UP, HOLD YOUR HEAD UP, HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH... like motivation, even the saddest human will believe they can conquer the world after one listen to this song.

Are They Really That Rare?

Twenty Twenty is a rare album as it is, but Altered – released by Christian label Refuge in 1987 – was evidently scarce even at its first pressing.

I recently read an article that simply stated the follow, "They released their mega rare second album 'Altered' in 1987 (Refuge), and like some other Christian Rock Albums such as Messiah - Going Insane, Malichia - Under the Blade and Emerald - Armed for Battle, it has fallen into the category of must track down at all costs".

In the 80's We Bought It Cause It Looked Cool

Remember when we use to buy albums because of the way the cover art grabbed you? No, it wasn't 'just you' that did that, we all bought albums that looked cool, hoping that the music was just as good as the cover.

Well, the cover of Twenty Twenty’s 1985 self-titled debut makes promises. The hair. The lasers. The futuristic band name and when you played it they make good on their uber-’80s promises. Opener on the self-titled “You Are So True” shows off the band’s hi-tech sound big time. Leading with a new wave keyboard line, the song very easily erupts into a definitively ’80s blend of synthesizer melodies and electronic drums. Guitarist Roscoe Meek even adds heroic chugging guitar lines to the mix. But where this album gets really fun is when keyboardist and Twenty Twenty’s go-to arranger Earnie Chaney let’s loose on synclavier and unleashes rapid-fire synth lines. “Security Code” and “War Games” are paired together at the front end of the album and cloak mentions of Heaven in ’80s concepts of technology. Twenty Twenty's music is hi-tech, and considering it was 1985, there's a lot of electronic percussion a la Simmons and Linn drums, and vocoder blasts throughout.

My favorite verse from “Security Code” may be “Alternating and circuit-breaking/ That will never do/ You might think your life’s in sync/ It’s time to troubleshoot” before heading into the chorus that seemingly tells the listener to enter in their security code to the afterlife. On the flip side, “Danger Zone” continues the keyboard mania but not before opening on Meek’s most righteous guitar line on the entire album, a blend of Cheap Trick’s “Mighty Wings” with a dash of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone.” The song 'He's Still There', will bring to mind all those good vibes you felt the first time you heard the Allies debut album.

Billy Smiley of Whiteheart

The band was certainly in good company for their debut self-titled Twenty Twenty (1985) on Benson/PowerDisc, recorded in Nashville with marathon engineer Brent King (the so-called “Karate Man” who seems to have worked with everyone from Reba to Keith Urban) and fellow Christian band Whiteheart’s Billy Smiley, making Twenty Twenty seem more and more like a proper synthesizer-led stadium rock band.

The professionalism of this album and the production put into it will amaze even the pickiest of critics. Each song sounding nothing like the previous. All unique and very strong. There are a few slower Whiteheart like ballads such as Find Your Way Back, which give it just the breath it needs, slowing down only enough for a quick gasp of air before taking off again with She drove up in a red corvette, the lyrics of Material Things with some serious guitar hooks and jams and one of the better guitar solos albeit short.

Twenty Twenty - Altered (Originally released in 1987)

Fine Line 3:31
Get Altered 3:30
Can't Run From You 4:06
For Heavens Sake 4:43
Eternity In Every Heart 3:44
Hold Your Head Up 3:48
Caught Up In Heaven 3:49
Find Your Way Back 4:47
Material Things 3:52
The Tears You've Cried 3:19

Credits
Lead Vocals – Ron Collins
Bass Guitar – Gerry McAnelly
Drums – Greg Herrington
Guitar – Roscoe Meek
Keyboards – Earnie Chaney

Producer – Billy Smiley

In case you wandered where these guys went, Collins went solo, while Meek ended up as the lead guitarist for fellow Christian act Geoff Moore And The Distance.

One of the best 80’s band that I never even knew about!

I never heard of Twenty Twenty until I stumbled across their two albums on the Girder website….and i’m so glad that I did! I have been on an 80’s kick lately, and these guys are exactly what I was looking for! Twenty Twenty has a definite 80’s sound and feel, but with the high-quality remastering that went into these releases (and with the songs all being brand new to me) it’s easy to forget that these were recorded 35+ years ago! It’s hard to explain this but try to understand, even though these songs are all new to me it feels as if i’ve known them forever! Upon my second or third listen to each album I was singing along and knowing which song came next. The songs are all so catchy and fun, even the ballads, and i’m not usually a ballad guy! Another impressive thing about this band is that even though they are all amazing musicians, nothing is overdone…they use just the right amount of each instrument. There are guitar solos, but not too many and not too long. The same thing goes for the keyboards and synths, everything is done perfectly! A big thank you goes out to Greg and Girder for releasing these long out of print albums onto CD! There are some people that have known about this band for decades, while many of us are just now discovering them for the first time. Twenty Twenty is more than just great vision, Twenty Twenty is also one of the best 80’s bands that I never knew existed! Side note: Has anyone else noticed the irony of Girder reissuing Twenty Twenty in 2020?!

Twenty Twenty - Altered CD

What a treat to finally have this on CD for the very first time. If you were jamming with Petra, Degarmo & Key, Mylon & Broken Heart and WhiteHeart, then you will enjoy this CD. Big 80's rock sound with punchy guitars and keyboard/synths. Pretty catchy Christian lyrics but you will appreciate the included lyric insert to figure out a few of the lines. You will also want to crank up the volume on several tracks. The Argent cover is nicely done. Ron Collins does a great job on lead vocal. He goes on to release a solo CD "Simple Man" in 1992 which is basically David & The Giants with him on lead vocal. I thought the background vocals were exceptional. The credits indicate Rick Florian on backing vocals and Tommy Sims does some bass work (both of WhiteHeart fame). Roscoe Meek (guitars) and Greg Herrington (drums) go on to spend several years with Geoff Moore & The Distance. Herrington has continued career as studio musician in Nashville and Martina McBride's touring drummer. Big thanks to Girder for bringing this 80's CCM gem back to life!!