All Fall Down released

When Proctor left the band, he was replaced by Aaron Smith , who appeared on the album All Fall Down (1984) and remained with the band until 1995. Smith had been a former sideman with Ray Charles and the Temptations and a member of Vector. The next album, The Seventy Sevens , was released by Island Records in 1987. While the album received favorable reviews, it did not sell as well as it might; the reason being The Joshua Tree by labelmate U2 was released that same year. In his article on the subject, John Thompson (True Tunes) thought it likely that Island put most of its resources into promoting The Joshua Tree while others on the label received less promotional support. The album received a positive review by Rolling Stone critic, Margot Mifflin: “the 77s have come up with a sound that suggests not only that they know where they’re coming from, but also that they’re going places”. Mark Alan Powell called it “an artistic masterpiece – probably one of the ten best albums of the year not simply in the Christian market but in rock and roll, period”.