Question about first 3 Whitecross albums

So in my absence, have I missed these being remastered and re-released? I don't see anything out there indicating they have been.

A "no" will bring me to my next question....why not?


The s/t
Hammer and Nail
Triumphant Return

Those 3 albums were huge, and could use a good remaster to clean them up...not that they sound bad.

I know they did the re-recorded release, but that isnt the same.

The band is still around doing concerts now and then, so it isn't like they are hiding from their past like some 80s bands. Heck, I even got to introduce them in '13 at Skull Fest (what a memorable moment for me).

When the "Originals" series was released for Saint and Bride, Whitecross would have fit in perfectly.

I've never seen anything about them being remastered or even reissued.  Of course nearly all of the self-titled was rerecorded and renamed Nineteen Eighty Seven...but that was so long ago that I'm pretty sure you where still active here when it happened. 

Staybrite wrote:I've never seen anything about them being remastered or even reissued.  Of course nearly all of the self-titled was rerecorded and renamed Nineteen Eighty Seven...but that was so long ago that I'm pretty sure you where still active here when it happened. 

Yep, and I even have that one.


When that re-record was first being announced, they kept promoting that it was the first time that Love On The Line was available on CD. Even though that is not true. Love On The Line was on the Heavy Righteous Metal cd from back in the day, and on at least one other comp too. I think they meant to say first time on a Whitecross cd, but oh well. They eventually changed what they were saying...hahaha

Does it have something to do with the label?  Some record companies have been tight fisted over letting their old catalog get reissued.  I've never seen it in writing anywhere but I suspect Word only loosened their grip a few years ago, which is why we're just now seeing old Guardian, Fear Not, etc. finally come back.

What label swallowed up Pure Metal? Personally I would like to also see Scarlet Red and a ton of other Pure Metal albums remastered and reissued.

Usually it is all about money. Even if the old labels on't exist, some one owns the catalog, and won't let it go until they get paid. I remember reading a blog by the bassist for Guardian, and he showed a bill that they'd get mailed saying they owed thousands of dollars to the label still. So to get these catalogs, it usually costs a lot. That is why some bands rerecord. The label owns that specific recording. So if a band rerecords, they then own it.

eatbugs wrote:Does it have something to do with the label?  Some record companies have been tight fisted over letting their old catalog get reissued.  I've never seen it in writing anywhere but I suspect Word only loosened their grip a few years ago, which is why we're just now seeing old Guardian, Fear Not, etc. finally come back.

MikeInFla wrote:What label swallowed up Pure Metal? Personally I would like to also see Scarlet Red and a ton of other Pure Metal albums remastered and reissued.

Both Bride and Saint had their Pure Metal releases remastered and re-released...


Whitecross was on Pure Metal for those first 3 releases...

I wonder if when Pure Metal went under they got their catalog split up among different companies instead of just one label taking over the entire thing?

I'd head Star Song took Pure Metal just to get Bride and Whitecross.  My copies of two of the three Whitecross cassettes in question are Star Song releases.

And I believe Rich owns the rights to the Saint masters that is why he's been able to re-issue them on his own label over the years. As for the other Pure Metal stuff no telling who has it but I assume Star Song. Would love to have the Pure Metal catalog reissued.

eatbugs wrote:I'd head Star Song took Pure Metal just to get Bride and Whitecross.  My copies of two of the three Whitecross cassettes in question are Star Song releases.

Star Song must have changed the packaging and reissued them after they got them from Pure Metal as all 3 of them say Pure Metal for me.

Since Bride got remastered and reissued, and they were both Pure Metal / Star Song, I wonder if the issue really goes back to the band then.

Star Song had to be about the worst place for the Pure Metal catalog to go

MikeInFla wrote:And I believe Rich owns the rights to the Saint masters that is why he's been able to re-issue them on his own label over the years. As for the other Pure Metal stuff no telling who has it but I assume Star Song. Would love to have the Pure Metal catalog reissued.

I forgot about that....that definitely explains the Saint discs getting remastered

Bought4Life wrote:Star Song had to be about the worst place for the Pure Metal catalog to go

No major CCM label was a good fit for metal.  At least Star Song provided good distribution to Christian bookstores, and they did have a little marketing ability in the rock community (Petra's 80's output).

Star Song's catalog now belongs to Gaither. Yes, that Gaither. They're motivated to release metal albums.    

I only know this because I wanted to download a copy of Messiah Prophet's Master of the Metal online and I sought out the company that held the ownership of that album (along with all the other former Pure Metal and Star Song stuff). Gaither was so surprised by my request. It was funny. I don't think they even realized they owned the album I was asking about. They granted me permission though! 

As for the Whitecross albums...I don't know that I'd buy a remaster. The first album was re-recorded (though I still prefer the original due to the cannon-like drums). The second and third albums stand pretty well on their own as is. A remaster is only going to matter to audiophiles who hear minute differences. Most fans wouldn't hear the difference. Now, throw on some unreleased tracks (that aren't junk) and I'd be interested.

Just curious, do they have Messiah Prophet available for download somewhere? I already have the Cliffy remaster but just curious as to how someone would go about finding it thru Gaither.

MikeInFla wrote:Just curious, do they have Messiah Prophet available for download somewhere? I already have the Cliffy remaster but just curious as to how someone would go about finding it thru Gaither.

I'll be interested in his response..

The way I took it, he found a non-affiliated website with the download available (there are lots of them), and instead of "illegally" downloading the file he went back and asked their permission (as rights owners) if he could d/l it from there.

He did not get the file directly from the Gaither label..

At least, that's how I read it

Follower of Jesus wrote:
As for the Whitecross albums...I don't know that I'd buy a remaster. The first album was re-recorded (though I still prefer the original due to the cannon-like drums). The second and third albums stand pretty well on their own as is. A remaster is only going to matter to audiophiles who hear minute differences. Most fans wouldn't hear the difference. Now, throw on some unreleased tracks (that aren't junk) and I'd be interested.

I think they could use some remastering..always thought the bass and drums needed to be punched up some

Bought4Life wrote:

MikeInFla wrote:Just curious, do they have Messiah Prophet available for download somewhere? I already have the Cliffy remaster but just curious as to how someone would go about finding it thru Gaither.

I'll be interested in his response..

The way I took it, he found a non-affiliated website with the download available (there are lots of them), and instead of "illegally" downloading the file he went back and asked their permission (as rights owners) if he could d/l it from there.

He did not get the file directly from the Gaither label..

At least, that's how I read it

That is exactly what happened.

Follower of Jesus wrote:Star Song's catalog now belongs to Gaither. Yes, that Gaither. They're motivated to release metal albums.    

Where did you see that, btw? 

Not doubting you, just curious, because all I see is that Star Song sold out to Sparrow ( http://christianmusicarchive.com/label/starsong ), and that Sparrow is now part of UMG ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrow_Records ). Gaither Music label doesn't appear to have anything to do with Pure Metal, Star Song, or Sparrow.

Follower of Jesus wrote:As for the Whitecross albums...I don't know that I'd buy a remaster. The first album was re-recorded (though I still prefer the original due to the cannon-like drums). The second and third albums stand pretty well on their own as is. A remaster is only going to matter to audiophiles who hear minute differences. Most fans wouldn't hear the difference. Now, throw on some unreleased tracks (that aren't junk) and I'd be interested.

I don't need a remaster and I don't need bonus tracks.  Just to have them in print to replace my old cassettes would be nice.

Bought4Life wrote:

Follower of Jesus wrote:Star Song's catalog now belongs to Gaither. Yes, that Gaither. They're motivated to release metal albums.    

Where did you see that, btw? 

Not doubting you, just curious, because all I see is that Star Song sold out to Sparrow ( http://christianmusicarchive.com/label/starsong ), and that Sparrow is now part of UMG ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrow_Records ). Gaither Music label doesn't appear to have anything to do with Pure Metal, Star Song, or Sparrow.

That was about 3 or 4 years ago, and I honestly have no idea how I tracked that down. Getting older sucks. I can't remember anything anymore.

So.....

According to a couple of people, including one who I trust explicitly (and is well known here in CMR), the rights to the Messiah Prophet stuff rest with manager/executive producer Ray Fletcher.


(I should clarify that the reason why I am posting this in here is because they were another Pure Metal label band....)

Bought4Life wrote:So.....

According to a couple of people, including one who I trust explicitly (and is well known here in CMR), the rights to the Messiah Prophet stuff rest with manager/executive producer Ray Fletcher.

Was Fletcher behind the reissues when they were done on the quickly defunct U-CAN label?  They reissued both of the original Messiah Prophet albums plus the "Colours" album.  They also released an album by a band called Voyager.  After that, they went bye-bye.

Voyager, while having none of the same names involved, sounded exactly like the band Heroz.  They sounded so much alike that it was rumored that it was the same band.  Unless everyone changed their stage name, I don't think it was.

alldatndensum wrote:

Bought4Life wrote:So.....

According to a couple of people, including one who I trust explicitly (and is well known here in CMR), the rights to the Messiah Prophet stuff rest with manager/executive producer Ray Fletcher.

Was Fletcher behind the reissues when they were done on the quickly defunct U-CAN label?  They reissued both of the original Messiah Prophet albums plus the "Colours" album.  They also released an album by a band called Voyager.  After that, they went bye-bye.

Voyager, while having none of the same names involved, sounded exactly like the band Heroz.  They sounded so much alike that it was rumored that it was the same band.  Unless everyone changed their stage name, I don't think it was.

Apparently, yes.

I tagged you in the Facebook conversation about it