Circle Slide

Circle Slide is the sixth studio release, and fifth full length studio album, from alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1990. Considered by some critics to be the band's best album, Circle Slide was listed at No. 53 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. This would be the final album the Choir would record for Myrrh Records.

Despite Wide Eyed Wonders positive themes of new fatherhood and family relationships, Myrrh Records' substantial promotion of the album, and the resultant high profile tour with heavy media coverage, it was a period of personal turmoil for every member of the Choir. The extensive time spent in a crowded van for months at a time took its toll on the band's relationship with bass guitarist Robin Spurs, who quit the Choir during the recording of Circle Slide. She initially returned to her custom jewelry business, then later joined Rachel Rachel on tour to support their debut album. While drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong initially claimed that Spurs would "ultimately hate us," expressing fond affection for one another, and performed together for the Wide Eyed Wonder anniversary tour in 2017. Hindalong's marriage was also under considerable strain due to his extensive time on the road away from his family, and that would be reflected in the lyrics of Circle Slide, which would musically return to the moody soundscapes the band first explored on Chase the Kangaroo. Saxophone and Lyricon player Dan Michaels, who at that time lived in an area of Pomona, California with a high incidence of illegal drug activity, was struggling financially to the point where he was forced to search sofa cushions for spare change so he and Adam Again frontman Gene Eugene could play racquetball at a public coin operated facility late at night.

After the Choir's support of Russ Taff on his tour for The Way Home had concluded, the band once again returned to Neverland Studios in May 1990 to self produce their next album with long time Choir engineer Dave Hackbarth as co producer. After Spurs' official departure, the band was once again left without a full time bassist, prompting Hindalong to later joke that "bass has been the revolving door in this band." Circle Slide was a return to "longer, ethereal jams that conveyed a sense of longing for rest, for peace of mind, [and] for security." Originally envisioned with an extended opening sequence of guitar feedback, the band abandoned that idea and kicked things off with a programmed snare roll instead. Inspired by a technique used by the Church on their album Starfish, sampling Daugherty's vocals into a synthesizer that was then played by Hindalong on "A Sentimental Song"; and using alternating acoustic guitar lines that went back and forth between the left and right speakers on "Merciful Eyes." Although the album was not as radio friendly as Wide Eyed Wonder, both Hindalong and Daugherty claimed that, in regards to "A Sentimental Song" in particular, "if there’s one thing that’s the strength of our band, the Choir, it would be the melodies." A non stop circular slide that didn't require climbing back up to repeatedly ride would be "the closest thing to heaven that I could imagine," Hindalong said. Hindalong initially drew out the idea on a napkin for art director John Flynn, who then worked with photographer Susan Goines to bring the tableaux to life, as this was prior to the common use of digital tools for photo editing and compositing; it was "an expensive proposition" that the band estimated cost $3,000. As he did with the liner notes for Chase the Kangaroo, Hindalong hand wrote the lettering for the front and back cover of the album. For the remastered 25th Anniversary Edition of the album released in 2015, the CD cover art featured an alternate full color photograph of the diorama, while the vinyl release simply reproduced the original cover art.

The original title for the album was Laugh Loop, and this was even written on the final master tapes delivered to Myrrh. "an amazing feat for a song six and a half minutes long."

In 2015, Circle Slide was remastered and released as a 25th Anniversary Edition. It was issued on vinyl for the first time, and the CD release was a two disc set that featured a second CD with audio commentary on every track from Daugherty, Hindalong, Michaels and Willett, the latter of whom originally signed the Choir to MyrrhLA.

Sauerbrey officially rejoined the Choir as bass guitarist when the band began touring in support of this album, and he remained an official member of the band for the next two years.

Circle Slide is listed at No. 53 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. John Joseph Thompson in his book Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll agreed, saying that with Circle Slide, the Choir "simply soared." Mark Allender, writing for AllMusic, called Circle Slide the band's "strongest effort" with "lyrics that are stronger than ever," and summed up, saying, "the only thing wrong with this recording is that there is simply not enough of it. Clocking in at under 40 minutes, the music leaves the listener hungry for more." A Circle Slide T shirt was worn by actor Brandon Call in a two part episode of the Hulk Hogan led TV series Thunder in Paradise, as well as the CD interactive video game based on the series.

All lyrics by Steve Hindalong. All music by Derri Daugherty and Hindalong.