IDEOLA TRIBAL OPERA-1987

THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(10-TRACKS)
1-I AM AN EMOTIONAL MAN
2-IS IT ANY WONDER?
3-WATCHING THE SHIP GO DOWN
4-TALK TO ME
5-GO ASK THE DEAD MAN
6-LOVE IS BIGGER THAN LIFE
7-HOW TO GROW UP BIG AND STRONG
8-EVERYBODY DANCES
9-WHY CAN'T WE JUST SAY NO
10-HOLD BACK YOUR TEARS.
"iDeOLA - Tribal Opera" is audio ecstasy for people who don't mind thinking outside the box. The "box" for Mark Heard was primarily acoustic music aimed at a Christian audience. It was all gorgeous, mainly acoustic, musical poetry. What?/A&M gave Mark the freedom to explore new musical boundaries. The result is some of the catchiest pop tunes you'll ever hear. Mark felt there was too much of a shift on this one man band recording to use his name. The iDEoLA name was a clever one for Mark to choose because the recording was like idealistic Payola. What? Records afforded "Christian" artists an opportunity to break out of the confines of expectation. Heard's label mate Tonio K managed to release two recordings which were unlike each other as well as being unlike most of his previous work. The electronic pop of the cleverly titled "Romeo Unchained" album is another example of this artistic freedom. Compare it to the sparse "Notes From The Lost Civilization" and you'll see why What? was such a neat idea. However, neat ideas usually fall by the wayside and such was the fate of What? Records. However, if the T-Bone Burnett produced "Romeo Unchained," "Notes From The Lost Civilization" and (even) an unfinished and unreleased "Ole" can find their way back in print, there is hope for "Tribal Opera, " The hooks will stay with you long past the first listen. "I Am An Emotional Man" and "Is It Any Wonder?" lead off the CD, but the hits just keep on coming. This is the precursor to Mark's final three critically (and fan) acclaimed releases before his death which could said to be eerily foreshadowed in Tribal Opera's "Go Ask The Dead Man." Go get the recording. Better yet, do What? you can do in having this poetic and musical masterpiece re-released to another generation of Mark Heard fans.

This Second Comment Came By One of the managerlavel of What? Records it's Not Only Just A Comment, But A Testimony!! By The Way Of The Company Records reflected And Mark Heard Did

This music is music that struck a chord with my soul at a time when I needed it most. The cool thing is how I happened upon it by just a fluke chain of events. In 1983 I was playng music in a band in Nashville. We independantly released a 45 single and needed a name for the record label. At that time my teenaged stepson was always going around saying "What!" So that's what we named our label. When the record recieved national attention in Billboard Magazine we recieved a letter from What Records in L.A. saying they owned the name. They were nice and expressed an interest in what we were doing,but nothing came of it. Then, when Ideola came out and I saw that it was on the What label, I thought, what the heck, let's see what What has to offer. I was immediately blown away! I wore out my cassette tape, so I found and bought the album, recorded it, to preserve the album, and it remains one of my favorites to this day nearly twenty years later. But this is supposed to be a review right? As a songwriter, I wish I'd written these songs. You can't pay a higher complement than that to a writer. As a person who is passionate about music, this is music I wanted everyone to hear when I first heard it and still do. It is timelessly relevant. I was so moved by Ideola, I had to hear more by Mark Heard. I was not disappointed in the least, but understand how different Ideola is than his other releases. The fact is, Ideola lead me to Mark Heard, but I don't think Mark Heard would have lead me to Ideola. Mark Heard did eventually lead me to a new understanding of what being a Christian means, through his music. Don't miss the point. It's not the production,etc.. It's the message in the music. "Tribal Opera" is a study in the human experience from the perspective of an artist who cares about how we get through it. It's real. And that was rare then and still is today. It nourished my soul then and still does. Thank you Mark. May Grace be with you, my brother. "And the world keeps on turning..."

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