Seventy Sevens ~The 77's | Then and Now
"The 77's will take you on a journey through the past, present, and future of rock & roll" ~ Island Records radio advertisement, 1987
Unfortunately for the 77's, this album was released the same year and on the same label as U2's, The Joshua Tree. This is unfortunate because Island Records had become completely absorbed with the release of The Joshua Tree and had little resources for anything else.
Another harsh reality was that, as Larry Norman put it, the Christian music industry had no idea how to deal with the 77's.
"The 77's - Too Christian for the radio and too radio for Christian music. " ~Larry Norman
Though the album received favorable reviews from Rolling Stone and their single, "The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and The Pride of Life" became a commercial success, radio stations didn't know what to do with these "Christians". And in the days where you were solely dependent on your record label, it was a terrible combination.
Which is sad, because a lot of the world missed out on some really good music, by a really good band. On a happier note, the 77's are still making music for their fans.
The album was listed at No. 82 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.
If you are unfamiliar with the 77's, this is as good a place to start as any, even 30 years later.
