Album Review: Read All About It -- The Newsboys

In honor of The Newsboys' recent release of their 14th studio album, Born Again, I have decided to do a full-fledged discography review of one of the most popular Christian pop-rock bands: The Newsboys. I didn't actually get into Christian music until 1999 (and it was dcTalk's Jesus Freak that drew me in). I really didn't know there was Christian rock music. Having grown up in the church, I thought Christian music was hymns and 80's worship writers like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. Boy, was I happy when I heard the news (pun definitely intended).

To give you a little background, the Newsboys officially formed in 1987 in West Orange, New Jersey, after signing with Refuge Communications. The boys hail from Australia, where they had formed a band named The News in Mooloolaba, Queensland. However, when they moved to the States,  they changed the name of the band to avoid confusion with the American band Huey Lewis and the News. The News' lineup consisted of John James (lead vocals), Sean Taylor (bass), Peter Furler (drums), and George Perdikis (guitar). The first album the Newsboys released under Refuge was Read All About It. George Perdikis had left the band (but can still be heard on a few tracks on the album), and was replaced by Phil Yates. So without further ado, here is the review for that album.

The Newsboys
Read All About It
1988 (Refuge)

Line-up: John James (lead vocals), Sean Taylor (bass), Peter Furler (drums), Phil Yates (guitar)

I'm actually pretty biased here. I was first introduced to The Newsboys pretty late into their career. So when I first heard their three albums (which, in fact, are albums that even the band would rather forget ever happened), I was pretty shocked. This was not the Newsboys I was used to. That's not to say they were bad, necessarily, just not up to The Newsboys' current standards. But of course, bands have to hit their stride. The Newsboys couldn't become The Newsboys overnight. One track even made it onto their first greatest hits album released in 2000. Theologian and music lover Mark Alan Powell calls the album  sing-along dance music. The album consists of ten songs.

I Got Your Number
Written by: John James, Sean Taylor, and Peter Furler

This song is simply about prayer. It's the only song from the Newsboys' first three albums to make it onto their 2000 greatest hits album. It's a pretty catchy song in its own right, but in all honesty not very interesting lyrically. Most of the lines that should rhyme, don't. The same word is used again (i.e. I got your number where love can be found/I got your number where truth can be found). The song does have a great bassline.

Listen for the Shout!
Written by: George Perdikis, Sean Taylor, John James, and Peter Furler

This one is about how Jesus will be returning. It reminds me a bit of a surf rock song. Another catchy one. This one has a bit more going for it, lyrically, but still nothing great. In a future song (Boycott Hell), the Newsboys mention "boycotting" dumb lyrics and how certain words shouldn't be used to rhyme with other words. Well, a good number of these songs were probably on their minds when they sang it.

Lighthouse
Written by: Sean Taylor, George Perdikis, Peter Furler

This song seems to be about someone saved by a street preacher. Another upbeat song, somewhere between Brian Setzer Orchestra and a lounge singer.

It's Joy
Written by: Sean Taylor, Peter Furler, John James

There's a lot of good to say about this one. The bass is catchy, there are some tasty organ licks, and the guitar solo is pretty nice. However, the lyrics, again (as is the case with most of their earlier albums) are not that great. Don't get me wrong, it's great to sing about the joy that God gives us. But the lyrics here are very simplistic (which isn't always a bad thing), and not up to the Newsboys' standards. They later released another song called Joy which speaks of the joy God gives us a little more creatively.

You're Still There
Written by: John James

A nice song about how God never leaves us. This one reminds me a lot of The Police. This is probably one of the stronger songs, lyrically speaking, on this album.

Read All About It
Written by: Peter Furler, George Perdikis, and John James

Another Police-esque song. This is another simple song about how you can find good news in the Bible as opposed to the bad news constantly springing up in the morning papers.

Hold on Tight
Written by: George Perdikis, Sean Taylor, and Peter Furler

This one actually rocks pretty hard. Opposite to the previous song, this one is encouraging us not to let go of God.

Never Surrender
Written by: George Perdikis, John James, and Peter Furler

This one had a lot of potential. It rarely ever rhymes, and one of the rhyming couplets is a bit awkward (You've got the power, don't be ashamed/You gotta stand up for the name of Jesus -- it could just as easily have been "You gotta stand up for Jesus' name," and it would have worked better as a rhyme). The pre-chorus and the chorus are fine, though, and the harmonies are nice.

The Big Time
Written by: Tommy Simms, George Perdikis, Sean Taylor, Peter Furler, and John James

This one is a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 3, a little more upbeat than Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds.

He's Coming Back
Written by: (Not listed in the insert)

Another upbeat song about Jesus' imminent return, and to be ready for it.

Closing thoughts: Honestly, I haven't listened to this album in quite a long time. Now upon listening to it again to write this review, it's really not as bad as I remembered it. I would still probably consider their first three albums their three worst, but if you're a Newsboys fan I would definitely say these albums are worth a listen. I don't have much to say about them because they're pretty straightforward. There are some major 80's influences in these songs (I can particularly hear The Police in a couple of their songs), but then again the album was released in 1988. So if you've never heard of the Newsboys, I'd say definitely start with one of their later albums (I'd probably recommend Not Ashamed, Going Public, or Take me to Your Leader). But if you are a Newsboys fan, you should at least check this one out.