Songs © Gerald Sharp
Except Father Dear © Anthony Drake - All rights reserved & Inkosi Sikele (Traditional)
About the Album
This was the first pro album, I ever made. I was playing live around that time, in 1985/86 with Tony Drake. I had written a number of songs and my dear brother, John Sharp, agreed to fund an album and Tony agreed to use his keyboard expertise to help make it sound good . One of my songs, Raven Rain, was going down well at the restaurant, "Fudruckers", where Tony and I had a long contract, and so Raven Rain became the "band" name for our duo.
Kevin "Caveman" Shirley , an up and coming Produceer, trained by Tully McCollough, of Spaced Out Studio, agreed to take on the album. Soon after it was comleted, Kevin left South Africa to pursue his carreer and ultimately ended up in Los Angelese, where he has had great success, producing many well known and successful bands of the world, including Led Zepplin.
With the help of Tim Kraft, I re-recorded my vocal track for Raven Rain. which I was then happier with. Tim re-mixed it very well, similar to the original mixed by Kevin. In spite of it being musically very proffessional, the chorus still bothered me and I never persuied commerical release.. It remains the first and only proffessional paid for album I had the privilage of making. I completely changed one song also by singing over the backing track and made that the title of the album: Lift Your Head Up. I hope then, that these decades later, some may enjoy this repackaged album, which shared its birth with the time of struggle that resulted in a New South Africa.l
Credits
John Sharp
Thank you dear brother for spending your hard earned cash on me. I may not have done much with this album, but your confidence in me and our dear mother's has helped me to persue this great pleasure of my life and I know that God has always had a plan in it and to him be the glory and from him your and my exceedingly great and reward.
Tony Drake
This was as much your album as mine. We did it together as Raven Rain. I am sorry I did not make more of it for you and my brother sake. But hopefully, it still has some place in peoples hearts. Your song: "Father Dear" still moves me.
Kevin Shirley
I will never forget the time we had together. I appreciated your respect for our faith during that time and hope that you will find your peace in our God, because without him, all men can anticipate only a fiery judgement, for rejecting the awesome sacrifice he made to save us from the wages of our sin.
The Glee Singers
I never met you, because it was Kevin's idea, just before leaving for overseas, to include Inkosi Sikelele on the album. I thank you for one of best versions I have ever heard. I overlayed some vocals to give it more contex for me and hope i did not spoil it too much. I do believe the recording Kevin made, is on one aother album also, where I trust that integrity was kept.
Many thanks: Jethro Butho - electric guitars. Mike Campbell - Bass. Meinie Grove, Tracey Lee Dogan and Mrs Campbell - femal backing vocals. Andre' De Villers - male backing vocals - Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee - Saxaphone on "Burning Tyres" and Mike Faure saxaphone on "Cry" and all other.
Album Cover - This was designed by me from two images. I thank Wix Free Images and 180 Street Ministries for their contributions. I love doing something creative and without the right source photos album covers are boring. I like this one, thanks to you.