Jars of Clay (1995)
Jars of Clay is the self-titled debut album by the American rock band Jars of Clay.
It was released by Essential Records/Brentwood Music around May 1995 and then in October 24, 1995 by Silvertone Records for the mainstream market. The album was released to critical acclaim, becoming one of the few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status. The band produced eight tracks with multi-instrumentalist Adrian Belew producing "Liquid" and the band's debut single "Flood."
"Flood" was cited by critics as the band's debut and breakthrough hit. It was a Christian multi-format smash in Christian rock and CHR becoming a Top 5 hit on The CCM Update's Rock and CHR charts. Some Christian AC stations were playing "Flood" but not enough airplay to chart in that format. "Flood" started gaining mainstream airplay in the spring of 1996 (by way of Silvertone), where it was a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 37, and also going Top 5 on the Triple A chart, while it was in the Top 40 in other charts. The song was played over the closing credits of the 1998 motion picture Hard Rain. The music video of "Flood" was in two versions: original 1995 version and the 1996 MTV version. "Flood" was named as one of the 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music by CCM Magazine in 2006, at No. 7.
The rest of the album's sound is a combination of adult alternative airplay, alternative rock and folk pop featuring drum loops and acoustic guitar strumming with strings used prominently in most of the songs. The album features sonic influences as diverse as Gregorian chants, mandolin, and gothic layered vocals. Other Christian radio hits include "Love Song For a Savior," "Like a Child" and "World's Apart." Their further single "Liquid" was written while the band members were students at Greenville College. The first recording of the song appears on the band's 1994 demo album, Frail. At the end of "Blind" there is 2 minutes of silence before "4:7 (Four Seven)" starts. Immediatley after '4:7' there is outtakes of the string recording sessions from 'Blind' for nearly 19 minutes.
Jars of Clay had a slow start on the Billboard album charts but eventually peaked on the following:
-#1 Top Christian Albums for 22 weeks in late March 1996
-#46 Billboard 200 in June 1996
The album was Gold certified in late April 1996 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Platinum certified in September 1996 and then Double Platinum in January 1999, selling over two million copies. In 2001, CCM Magazine named the album as one of the 100 Greatest Albums of Christian Music, listing it at No. 22.
In 1996, Jars of Clay earned their first Grammy Award nomination for Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Later, they were nominated for five Dove Awards including Group of the Year, but winning two for New Artist of the Year and Short Form Music Video of the Year for "Flood" at the 27th GMA Dove Awards. The following year, the band was named Group of the Year at the 28th GMA Dove Awards. The band was also awarded a BMI Award for "Flood" as the most performed song of 1996.
Track listing
1. Liquid (Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Bronleewe, Josh Cougle, Miguel
DeJesus) -3:32
2. Sinking (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark) -3:48
3. Love Song For a Savior (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt
Bronleewe) -4:47
4. Like a Child (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Bronleewe)
-4:35
5. Art In Me (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Bronleewe) -3:59
6. He (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Bronleewe) -5:18
7. Boy On A String (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt
Bronleewe) -3:32
8. Flood (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark) -3:32
9. World's Apart (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark)
-5:19
10. Blind (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark) 4:00
[2 minute silence]
4:7 (Four Seven) (hidden track) -2:42
"Blind" outtake string session -18:43
Personnel
Jars of Clay:
Dan Haseltine -lead vocals, programming
Charlie Lowell -organ, acoustic piano, backing vocals
Stephen Mason -acoutic guitar, mandolin, bass guitar, backing vocals
Matt Odmark -acoustic guitar, programming
additional musicians:
Tim Smith -drums, percussion
Matt Bronleewe -acoustic guitar on track 6, arrangements (tracks 1, 4-7)
Adrian Belew -mandolin, bass guitar and string orchestrations on track 1,
cello on track 8
Noah Evens -string orchestrations and violin on track 1 and 8
John Catchings -cello (tracks 2, 3 and 9)
Jonathan Yudkin -mandolin (tracks 3 and4), fiddle (tracks 4 and 7)
Sam Levine -recorded (tracks 3 and4)
Bobby Taylor -oboe (tracks 5 and 10)
Ron Huff -string orchestrations and conductor (tracks 5 and 10)
Craig Nelson -bass (tracks 5 and 10)
Bob Mason -cello (tracks 5 and 10)
Jim Grosjean -viola (tracks 5 and 10)
Pamela Sixfin -violin (tracks 5 and 10)
Marianne Osiel -oboe (track 9)
Mancy A'lan Kane -backing vocals (track 9)
Carl Gorodetzky – violin (track 10)
Production credits
Jars of Clay -producers (tracks 2 -7, 9 and 10)
Adrian Belew -producer (tracks 1 and 8)
RIAA certifications
Gold certified in 1996.
Platinum certified 2x in 1999.
Accolades
Dove Award -1996 New Artist of the Year
1996 Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Flood")
1997 Group of the Year
BMI Award -"Flood" is the most performed song of 1996.
Radio singles
1995 -1996 "Flood" -#4 Christian CHR, -#37 Billboard Hot 100, -#16 Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks, -#12 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, -#4 Billboard
Adult Alternative Airplay, -#29 Billboard Adult Pop Airplay, -#32 Billboard
Radio Songs, -#20 Billboard Pop Airplay
1995 "Love Song For a Savior" -#1 Christian CHR, -#19 Christian AC
1995 -1996 "Like a Child" -#2 Christian CHR, -#29 Christian AC
1996 "Liquid" -#1 Christian CHR
1996 "World's Apart" -#13 Christian AC
1996 "Blind" -#3 Christian CHR
Previous release: Frail (1994) (demo release)
Next release: Drummer Boy (EP) (1995)
Watch the original music video of "Flood" here:
Watch the MTV video version of "Flood" here:
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