Electric Eye is the second studio album by the Christian rock band Prodigal, released in 1984.[1]

Electric Eye
Studio album by
Released1984
GenreChristian rock, new wave
LabelHeartland Records
ProducerJon Phelps
Prodigal chronology
Prodigal
(1982)
Electric Eye
(1984)
Just Like Real Life
(1985)

The band created promotional music videos for "Scene of the Crime", "Fast Forward",[2] and "Boxes",[3] which were featured on Trinity Broadcasting Network's music video show Real Videos at the time of the album's release.

In a 2009 interview, frontman Loyd Boldman said "we put a 'stop-groove' at the end of Side Two that would 'catch' the vinyl record and wouldn't allow it to eject on an automatic turntable. If you picked up the needle and set it down again on the other side of the stop-groove, you’d hear a packet of computer code that could be deciphered by a Commodore 64, the most popular computer of that time. If you used a cassette drive, the Commodore would show you lyrics and graphics and some facts about the album."[4] In 2019, it was demonstrated that the contents were a short BASIC program displaying a quote by Albert Einstein and a quote by Jesus.[5][6]

Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age.

— Albert Einstein[7]

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

— Jesus Christ[8]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Scene of the Crime"Lloyd BoldmanBoldman4:44
2."Fast Forward"BoldmanRick Fields4:43
3."Masks"BoldmanBoldman4:05
4."Just What I Need"Dave WorkmanWorkman, Boldman3:08
5."Emerald City"BoldmanWorkman3:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Electric Eye"BoldmanBoldman5:00
2."Bobby"BoldmanFields3:18
3."Shout It Out"BoldmanBoldman3:25
4."Neon"BoldmanBoldman5:15
5."Boxes"WorkmanWorkman3:35

"Boxes" fades into a verse of the early 20th-century hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus", sung by producer Jon Phelps. This track is listed on the inner sleeve but not on the record label or album jacket.

Band members

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  • Loyd Boldman: Keyboards, vocals
  • Dave Workman: Drums, vocals
  • Rick Fields: Guitars, saxophones, vocals
  • Mike Wilson: Bass guitar

Production

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  • Producer: Jon Phelps
  • Recording engineer: Greg McNeily:
  • Engineers: Rytt Hershburg, Brad Kuenning, Paul Thompson
  • Mixer: Gary Platt
  • Mastering: Mike Fuller

References

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  1. ^ "CMA entry for Electric Eye". Archived from the original on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  2. ^ "YouTube: "Fast Forward"". YouTube.
  3. ^ "YouTube: "Boxes"". YouTube.
  4. ^ "Dw. Dunphy on... Prodigal".
  5. ^ "35 Year-Old C64 Easter Egg Hidden On Vinyl" – via www.youtube.com.
  6. ^ Sage, Vic (2019-11-26). "35 Years Later A Commodore 64 Program Was Found On This 1984 Album!". Pop Culture Retrorama. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  7. ^ "The Common Language of Science", a broadcast for Science, Conference, London, 28 September 1941. Published in Advancement of Science, London, Vol. 2, No. 5. Reprinted in Ideas and Opinions (1954)
  8. ^ John 14:27 (KJV)