Strange and Beautiful

Strange and Beautiful is the album Crimson Glory released in 1991, through Atlantic Records in the United States and Roadrunner Records in Europe. Under the heading "Crimson Glory is", the booklet names four musicians: Midnight on lead vocals, Jon Drenning on guitars, Jeff Lords on bass guitar and Ravi Jakhotia on drums and percussion. Two founding members, guitarist Ben Jackson and drummer Dana Burnell, are not on the record, and the same booklet includes a farewell line from the band wishing the two of them well. Mitch Goldfarb and Jon Drenning produced the album, with Goldfarb as its engineer. The sessions took place at Kajem Studios in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and at Kajem/Victory Studios in Philadelphia; the two producers mixed the record at Kajem Studios, and George Marino mastered it at Sterling Sound in New York. Several guests appear: John Avarese on keyboards, Ric Sandler on grand piano, Ron Kerber on saxophone, Daryl Burgee on percussion, and Annette Hardeman, Charlene Holloway and Paula Holloway on background vocals. The voice heard at the start of "Promise Land" belongs to Babatunde Olatunji. The cover illustration is by Justice Mitchell and the photographs are by Roxy Rifkin. Midnight shares the writing credit with Drenning and Lords on most of the songs and is the sole writer of the closing "Far Away". Marcy Rauer co-wrote "Promise Land" and "Song for Angels", while "The Chant" came from outside the band and is credited to M. Fredricksen and M. McKinley. Roadrunner released "The Chant" and "Song for Angels" as CD singles in Europe, and Atlantic pressed "Promise Land" as a promotional CD single in the United States. The American back cover prints the eighth title as one word, "Starchamber", while the European pressing spells it "Star Chamber".