The Best Albums You Probably Haven't Heard

Andy MacCarroll & Moral Support “Zionic Bonds”

Reviewed by Ian Eastman

I do a lot of writing, but never about music. I tried to write a music review once for a school assignment but gave up in frustration and defeat, so normally I would pass on a request like this. Mark’s invitation intrigued me because I love getting tipped off to good stuff, whether a book, film, or album, and contributing a column to this series seemed like an appropriate way to pay it forward.

That, and the note I got from Mark when I tossed out my selection for consideration: “Ian—There are very few people I know that can come up with an album I have never heard or known of, but you have done it!” Very few people have an encyclopedic knowledge of Christian rock like Mark’s, and I was afraid hinting about this album and not delivering the goods might throw Mark into an existential crisis. I just hope that I can do the album justice, because the album Zionic Bonds by Andy McCarroll & Moral Support deserves the recognition.

There was very little innovative Christian music in 1980. If you went to your local Bible bookstore to buy some music of a “youthful” nature you’d probably be handed something like Keith Green, the Imperials, Evie, or Silverwind. It all sounded like something you’d hear on easy listening radio. Rarely in stock, but available through special order were things of a more contemporary nature like Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, and Resurrection Band. It was an improvement, even though those artists seemed stuck in the previous decade (at least in my 12 year-old perception).

To the few people that heard it in 1980, Andy MacCarroll & Moral Support’s “Zionic Bonds” was like an atom bomb going off in the Christian music scene. They were a high energy Irish band that encompassed everything exciting about punk and new wave circa 1977 – 1980. The combo was musically diverse, as evidenced by its one-and-one album: Sin is a great punk anthem, I Am Human takes things in a more new wave direction, and In Control has a nice reggae groove. One thing that sets this album apart from other Christian alternative albums of the 80s is that it has real heart. The lyrics ooze love and concern for the kids listening to the music.

I was heartbroken when my cassette was eaten by my boom box after 24 years. This band and album is so obscure that I thought I had lost the music forever. I was elated to snag a Dutch import on eBay several years ago and hardly a week goes by that I don’t listen to it.

I’d recommend buying a copy if you ever see one for sale, especially if you are a fan of Christian alternative music. There’s some real history here--these guys were alternative when Daniel Amos was still wearing cowboy hats!