Description

In a New World of Time is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Adam Again, independently released on Blue Collar Records in 1986, distributed by Lexicon Distribution. The album was recorded during March 1986 by Wally Grant at Asaph Recording in Anaheim, California; and was produced by band member Gene Eugene with Grant co-producing. Gene Eugene also wrote all the songs and made the drumbeats. The LP sleeve features a custom painting by Rev. Howard Finster. (Finster probably is best known for the album covers he made for R.E.M.’s Reckoning and Talking Heads’ Little Creatures, the latter subsequently selected as “Album Cover of the Year” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Pierce Pettis’ 2001-album State of Grace also features a painting by Finster. Fellow Georgian, singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee, actually wrote a song about Howard Finster, “Glory and the Dream”, recorded by his band the Vigilantes of Love on their album Welcome to Struggleville.)

Cornerstone Magazine called the album “a stunner, a great first record,” and the band’s label, Blue Collar Records, described the music as “mood-inspired vocal harmonies mixed with layers of textured guitar, keyboards and African and Latin percussion.”

Adam Again was the brainchild of singer, songwriter, engineer, and producer Gene “Eugene” Andrusco (April 6, 1961 – March 20, 2000) who also was a founding member of the americana outfit Lost Dogs as well as a member of The Swirling Eddies (credited as Prickly Disco). On their debut album Adam Again featured Gene Eugene on lead vocals, keyboards, as well as guitar, with Riki Michele on harmony vocals, Greg Lawless on guitar, and Paul Valadez on bass. Guest musician Dan Michaels of The Choir fame provides saxophone and lyricon. (Gene Eugene later became the go-to engineer for West-Coast Christian rock bands, and he basically served as the house engineer for Tooth & Nail Records. By many music critics considered the man more responsible than any other for the sound of 1990s Christian alternative rock.)

Blue Collar Records (originally known as Royal Commandment Records) was a California based label owned by Harry Barnes. After releasing four albums – the first two albums by 4-4-1 (the self-titled debut album and their sophomore effort Mourning Into Dancing), Branded by Undercover, as well as Adam Again’s debut album In A New World of Time – it folded. After the demise of Blue Collar, Brainstorm Artists International was started as a partnership between Adam Again’s Gene “Eugene” Andrusco, Joey “Ojo” Taylor of Undercover, and silent partner Barry Hill (who was the sound man for Level Heads, and the one who provided the initial cash) to produce “good music with a spiritual element.” (Brainstorm actually started out by using the Broken record label imprint with a sort of lease-to-own partnership. Broken Records was originally known as a rather short-lived label related to Maranatha! Music featuring albums like Altar Boys’ When You’re a Rebel, Crumbächer’s Incandescent, and Voices in Shadows by Youth Choir.) One of the first albums released by Brainstorm Artists International on the Broken Records imprint was Adam Again’s sophomore album, ‘Ten Songs by Adam Again‘.

Well, we’ve been waiting on this one for a while. In 1986, the time of this daring debut, there were few enough alternative Christian music bands to make modest attempts by bands like Common Bond seem special. ‘In A New World of Time’ was not like that. Not in the least. Adam Again – Gene Eugene, Greg Lawless, Riki Michele, and Paul Valadez – have a unique and compelling artistic vision that, even amidst the deluge of fine offerings now, five years later, makes this album a welcome re-release.

Before Lenny Kravitz and Terrance Trent D’Arby, before rap hit on the mainstream, before Talking Heads got airplay on classic rock stations, Gene Eugene & Co. delivered this funky set of dance tunes with rock guts and intelligent hearts. This is alternative music, in that it is an alternative to boredom and radio-ready, sales-conscious formulas. Adam Again went on to make Ten Songs by Adam Again and Homeboys, while Riki Michele experimented on a solo outing in the Big, Big Town and Gene Eugene has established himself as a producer with his bride Michele, an album for The Reign, and work with Terry S. Taylor on scaterd few and Swirling Eddies. The band is still together, with a Brainstorm Artists release scheduled for whenever Eugene is satisfied that it’s time. Still this is Adam Again’s groundbreaking manifesto, a must have collector’s item, with the original Rev. Howard Finster cover art, even if it was shrunk down to CD booklet size.

The digital mastering makes this re-issue invaluable, even if you have a vinyl original. It sounds, utterly amazing, better than hearing it the first time. Stuff that got lost, or you never heard on the original, guitar bits, keyboard fills, are all here in digital splendor. The Blue Collar Records original only released around 10,000 copies, so this is the first time that this ten song collection (there are no extra tracks as was previously reported) has truly been made available to the populous. Don’t hesitate, get ’em while they’re available. You won’t regret it. [Brian Q. Newcomb, Harvest Rock Syndicate, Issue 5, 1991]

It’s very rare I find an album that causes me to reconsider the often mediocre state of Christian music (within the secular realm, my finicky, progressive rock tastes were always satisfied). Adam Again has released such an album.

From out of sunny California comes a band that is the freshest thing I’ve heard in a while. Sounding somewhere between Talking Heads and recent King Crimson, Adam Again weave their own brand of rhythmic rock with creativity sorely lacking in most “christian” music.

I must admit that I liked all the songs almost equally. Song themes run the gamut from God-centered love to a concern for lost or hard-hearted souls in need of help.

Side one opens with a very joyful tune, «Life in the First Degree». It simply celebrates life in Jesus as the best there can be and features an excellent kick sax solo. «She’s Run» expresses the tragic but frequent situation of the runaway. Adam Again chooses a quickened tempo, wrapped around a quirky, chaotic phrase which projects a feeling of desperation and satisfies the somber scene stylistically.

Adam Again seem most effective when they carry forward an incessantly central beat. Proof of this is evident in «You Can Fall In Love», the longest track on the album. It contains a complex, latin-based rhythm throughout the background, Gene Eugene’s rising and falling vocals, and a haunting synth that fills out the melody.

Side two features two songs nicely based off their own individual guitar riffs. «Morning Star» conveys the simple beauty of the morning – a dedication of sorts between Creator and created. The illusion of happiness “in the world” is related on «(God Can) Change Your World».

Adam Again is a team of talented musicians with a refreshingly, unique style. Between the vocal gymnastics of Gene Eugene and Riki Michele, the solid musical performances, and the eloquent lyrics, ‘In A New World Of Time’ will certainly speak to your heart’s addection. [Eric J. Friedly, Vortexx, Summer 1986 issue]

Retroactive Records Promo, 2025 LP/CD Re-issue

Retroactive Records proudly presents the deluxe collector’s CD reissue of Adam Again’s genre-defying debut, In a New World of Time. Originally released on Blue Collar Records in 1986, this long out-of-print underground classic returns with enhanced audio and packaging worthy of its legacy. Meticulously remastered by Rob Colwell (Swirling Eddies, Sixpence), the CD comes housed in a jewel case wrapped in a high-quality cardboard O-ring sleeve and includes a 12-page lyrics insert booklet featuring rare band photos and a thoughtful new write-up by John Joseph Thompson (True Tunes). Every copy also includes an exclusive, limited Adam Again collector card, available only with this release.

Led by the late Gene Eugene – respected producer, engineer, and poetic visionary behind Adam Again, The Lost Dogs, and The Swirling Eddies – In a New World of Time defies the norms of 1980s Christian music. The album blends introspective lyrics with New Wave textures, funky rhythms, and post-punk edge. Comparisons to R.E.M., Talking Heads, and The Cure are inevitable, but Adam Again carves its own identity – soulful, melancholy, and spiritually resonant.

«You Can Fall in Love» delivers one of the band’s most vulnerable and direct statements of faith: “He was God and nothing less/ He came to fill your emptiness.” Eugene’s expressive vocals, paired with Greg Lawless’s inventive guitar work, Paul Valadez’s (RIP) steady low end, and Riki Michele’s raw, emotive harmonies, form a sound both timeless and daring. The album’s original cover art by folk icon Howard Finster (best known for his collaborations with R.E.M. and Talking Heads) only deepens the record’s artistic credibility.

Ranked #278 on the 300 Greatest CCM Albums of the ’80s, In a New World of Time still sounds like the future – melodic, messy, searching, and soaked in soul. This CD reissue is more than a collector’s item; it’s the restoration of a pivotal release in the history of alternative rock.

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-a-new-world-of-time-remastered/597083247)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Life In The First Degree” – 3:28
A2. “She’s Run” – 3:17
A3. “Your Line Is Busy” – 3:24
A4. “You Can Fall In Love” – 5:43
A5. “In A New World Of Time” – 3:49

Side Two
B1. “Walk Away” – 3:39
B2. “Miracles” – 4:40
B3. “Morning Song” – 3:46
B4. “(God Can) Change Your World” – 3:25
B5. “Reason With Me” – 4:10

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Blue Collar Records. Later re-issued on CD by Adam Again. The album tracks “Life In The First Degree”, b/w “Reason With Me”, were released as a two-sided 7-inch vinyl promo single by Blue Collar Records. Remastered by Rob Colwell and re-issued by Retroactive Records in 2025 on both CD (Deluxe Collector’s Edition, 500 copies) and Limited Edition 12-inch Heavyweight vinyl LP (250 copies) pressed on Jade Green Vinyl (through Limited Run Vinyl/Limited Run Music).

Radio promo interview with Gene Eugene from 1986, conducted within days of the release of Adam Again’s first album In A World Of Time: https://soundcloud.com/thedoctoroflove/gene-eugene-interview-1986

In A New World of Time, Remastered and pressed on Jade Green Vinyl, Retroactive Records 2025.

Adam Again’s guitar player Greg Lawless with the beloved Rev. Howard Finster painting featured as cover artwork on Adam Again’s debut album, In A New World Of Time. Adam Again commissioned the Rev in 1985 for their debut. (Photo shot in Portland, Oregon, 2015)

CREDITS. Produced by Gene Eugene (with Wally Grant) who wrote the songs and made the drumbeats. Recorded by Wally Grant at Asaph Recording, Anaheim, CA, during March 1986.

Musicians: Gene Eugene (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar), Riki Michele (Vocals), Greg Lawless (Guitar), Paul Valadez (Bass). Additional musicians: Dan Michaels (Sax, Lyricon), Marky Schrock (Guitar Solo, track A2 and B3), Smitty Price (Keyboards), Kurt Rasmussen (Percussion), Ron Chase (Percussion).