JAG - Fire In the Temple (CD) AOR Hard Rock, WhiteHeart & GIANT members
- Remastered and Reloaded
- For Fans of Whiteheart, Giant and Journey
- 6 Panel fold in Jewel Case
- Includes Lyrics
- Enhanced Cover, Photos and More
JAG - FIRE IN THE TEMPLE
A quick listen to the first few songs off their 3rd album, FIRE IN THE TEMPLE (1992), and you’ll realize that they found "it," putting out their best album to date. Those early guitar notes on the first song, "Stand by Love" almost have a King’s X vibe but take a quick leap to mountain-top-like screaming. "Streams in the Desert", the 3rd song, was later recorded by the Imperials and written by Billy Smiley and David Martian. Song 8, "Land of the Living" was going to be a Whiteheart song. That should give you enough reason to buy it, however there are actually 10 reasons to buy it. Every song from start to finish will make you wonder why this wasn't on your top want list.
In 1992, JAG toured as the opening act for WhiteHeart, drawing on their ever-increasing band of supporters both for their high-octane rock and the exceptional lucidity and intelligence of their material.
These remastered albums are dedicated to John Gaires who lost his life to Liver Disease in August of 2007. As for the other members, Michael Lusk plays now for Loretta Lynn, Chuck Conners played with Geoff Moore, Richie Biggs now works for Facebook.
Lead Vocals: John Garies (Jag)
Lead Guitar: Paul Brittain
Drums: Chuck Connor
Bass: Michael Lusk
- Stand By Love
- Invisible Man
- Streams In The Desert
- Long Lost Friend
- I Keep Coming Back
- Fire In The Temple
- Mine, Mine, Mine
- Land of the Living
- 1000 Words
- A Circle Unbroken
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).
