In 1981, Heard began a recording contract with Chris Christian's Home Sweet Home Records. Although Mark's sales did not attract attention from the major Christian labels, Christian felt Mark's music was unique and fresh and deserved to be heard and funded his projects with no production oversight, which is what Mark wanted. His signing to the label was a departure from the commercial artists that Chris traditionally signed and produced on the Home Sweet Home label. Heard released five albums for the label; 1981's "Stop the Dominoes", 1982's "Victims of the Age"; 1983's "Eye of the Storm"; 1984's "Ashes and Light"; and 1985's "Mosaics". The overall experience was not one that Heard enjoyed, partly due to his personal experiences with record company executives, and partly due to compromises he felt under pressure to make himself and his songs more marketable to Christian audiences.