161. Delusions of Grandeur – Fleming and John
DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR (1995)
Fleming and John
Husband and Wife duo of Fleming McWilliams and John Mark Painter have only released two full records in their 15 years together, but their debut is one of the great unheralded debuts in the history of CCM. Ben Folds is said to have referred to the duo as a cross between The Carpenters and Led Zeppelin. Mr. Folds is spot on.
Fleming’s captivating voice and dynamic range meets a creative and sizzling guitar attack to merge into one amazing rock band. Painter is a songwriter with few peers as his solo work can also attest.
The opening cut is so damn good it is worth the price of admission. “I’m Not Afraid” builds and spirals into an amazing rock anthem and would most definitely be included in a Best 100 Songs type countdown. But the album does not stop there. It is filled with killer grooves, blazing rock guitars and stellar production. All of it lead by Fleming’s captivating rock vocals.
This is a real must have album that goes beyond just an AYSO and falls into the category mentioned before about determining what one thinks of someone else based on their ownership and opinion of this album!
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I can’t remember but were there separate versions…one on REX and one on Universal? And were they different from each other?
Remixed and remastered. Songs were the same I believe. I actually have both but did the selection based on the REX, which I prefer in terms of the mix.
I had the REX version first….loaned it out and got it back without the CD in the case. Bought the Universal version later. Was never able to listen to them back to back.
To my ears, the only big difference between the R.E.X. version and the Universal version was the way “I’m Not Afraid” was mixed. The Universal version had thicker sounding drums (played by none other than Ben Folds, who has since had a falling out with F&J). Also, the intro to “A Place Called Love” was slightly different as well. Everything else sounded pretty same-ish.
I’d put this in a top 20 CCM related albums without hesitation.