Please Release Me: Christian Rock Edition

Welcome to another edition of “Please Release Me,” in which your Idolators request–nay beg–that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued Stateside:

Artist: The 77s Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Album: The 77s, 1987 What is it?: The 77s are one of the Christian rock acts of the ’80s that few people seem to find embarrassing (check out the commenters here). Formed in 1979 as the Scratch Band, the 77s have resided on the outskirts of Christian contemporary music; aside from a video on 120 Minutes, they remain largely anonymous, even among the church-going crowd. This self-titled album was released on Island Records the same day as U2’s The Joshua Tree, ensuring obscurity from day one, despite some tracks that resemble the Alarm more than Sandi Patti. Where is it?: Like most of the Christian rock catalog that isn’t by Amy Grant, nearly all The 77s’ catalog is out of print, although this disc appeared in a now-unavailable 1995 box set. Now, we just need to find a Christian musician with some money to burn to start a vanity label and reissue this album, as well as some others lost to time. We’re looking at you, dude from The Fray.

The 77s – The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes, and The Pride of Life [MP3, link expired] The 77s – Frames Without Photographs [MP3, link expired] 77s.com (Official site)