Wide-Eyed Wonder

Wide-Eyed Wonder
Studio album by The Choir
Released	March 24, 1989
Recorded	1988
Studio	Neverland Studios, Los Alamitos, California
Genre	Christian alternative rock
Length	41:04
Label	MyrrhLA / A&M
Producer	Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong, Mark Heard
The Choir chronology
Chase the Kangaroo (1988) Wide-Eyed Wonder (1989) Circle Slide (1990)
Remastered Cover
The 2017 remastered release.

Professional ratings

Review scores
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Allmusic

Wide-Eyed Wonder is the fourth studio album from Christian alternative rock band The Choir, released in 1989.

Recording history

The band added its first female member in Robin Spurs, who joined The Choir as their new bassist after a stint with local Los Angeles band The Toasters.

In the year that Wide-Eyed Wonder was recorded, drummer and songwriter Steve Hindalong and his wife Nancy had their first child, Emily. Most of the songs on the album deal with Hindalong's joy over new fatherhood ("To Cover You," "When She Sees Me" and the title track) or the importance of family life ("Happy Fool," "To Bid Farewell").

After assisting with the recording of Chase the Kangaroo, Mark Heard came on board to produce two tracks for the album, including the band's first cover song, "Behind That Locked Door", by ex-Beatle George Harrison. This choice didn't sit well with many critics at the time, who pointed out that the song didn't fit with the rest of the record. The Choir never recorded another cover song until after Mark Heard's death, when they contributed their version of "Tip of My Tongue" to two tribute albums dedicated to him. Several years later, they covered "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for their Christmas album Peace, Love & Light.

In October 2016, The Choir announced that the original Wide-Eyed Wonder-era line-up, complete with Robin Spurs on bass, would reunite and tour in Spring 2017, performing the album in its entirety. A remastered version of the album on both CD and vinyl was released April 22, 2017 with revised cover art.

Track listing

All lyrics by Steve Hindalong. All music by Derri Daugherty and Hindalong, unless otherwise noted.

1. "Someone To Hold On To" (Music by Daugherty, Hindalong, Tim Chandler) – 3:50
2. "To Cover You" – 2:31
3. "Robin Had A Dream" (Music by Robin Spurs, Hindalong) – 4:17
4. "Spin You Around" (Music by Daugherty, Hindalong, Chandler) – 4:11
5. "When She Sees Me" – 4:11
6. "Wide Eyed Wonder" – 3:35
7. "Happy Fool" – 3:29
8. "Car, Etc." (Music by Daugherty, Hindalong, Chandler) – 6:17
9. "Behind That Locked Door" (Lyrics and music by George Harrison) – 3:02
10. "To Bid Farewell" – 4:38
11. "Car, Cont." – 1:03

Personnel

The Choir

• Derri Daugherty - Lead vocals, guitars
• Steve Hindalong - Drums, percussion
• Robin Spurs - Bass guitar, vocals, fabulous hats
• Dan Michaels - Saxophone, lyricon, fabulous sunglasses

Additional musicians

• Greg Lawless - Guitar solo ("Spin You Around")
• Mark Heard - Bass guitar and autoharp ("Behind That Locked Door"), background vocals ("Someone To Hold On To," "When She Sees Me," "Behind That Locked Door")
• Gene Eugene and Riki Michele - Background vocals ("Spin You Around")
• Marc Sercomb - Background vocals ("Car, Etc.," "Car, Cont.")
• Nancy and Emily Hindalong, "Squeaky Bear," Dave Hackbarth, Orlando Conchola - Background vocals ("Car, Etc.")

Production

• Executive producer: Tom Willett
• Producers - Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty, except for "Wide-Eyed Wonder" and "Behind That Locked Door" by Mark Heard
• Additional production - Dave Hackbarth, Mark Heard
• Recording - Dave Hackbarth
• Mixing - Mark Heard at Neverland Studios, Los Alamitos, California
• Mastering - Steve Hall at Future Disc
• Design: John Flynn, F2 Design

Videos

• The video for "Someone to Hold On To" and the black-and-white documentary of the band's recording of Wide-Eyed Wonder were directed by photographer Linda Myers-Krikorian, wife of Tonio K.
• The video for "Robin Had A Dream" was directed by Mark Heard. According to the band, the video cost $3000 to produce.

Promotions

Myrrh Records's promotion of Wide-Eyed Wonder included a Christian radio special, advertisements in Christian magazines, promotions in Christian bookstores, and the band's first CCM Magazine cover story. The Choir produced two music videos and a making-of documentary in conjunction with the album. The band openined for Russ Taff on a national tour.

Daugherty's grandmother, in a still taken from the Wide-Eyed Wonder documentary, was featured on one of the shirts offered on the band's tour with Russ Taff.

Covers

The song "To Cover You" was later re-recorded by Derri Daugherty with The Lost Dogs on the band's 2004 album, MUTT.