After The Fire– Radio Sessions 1979-1981
Angel Air
http://www.angelair.co.uk/Rating: B+
While the roots of British based outfit After The Fire (or ATF) stretch all the way back to the early 70’s their only real taste of mainstream North American success came by way of a song called “Der Kommissar” in 1982. Their reworked version of a song that was originally recorded by Austrian singer Falco a year earlier turned out to be ATF’s swansong as by the time their take on the song was charting in North America the band was essentially nonexistent. American audiences did get to see the band that same year as they landed the rather unenviable task of opening for rock giants Van Halen. Prior to their posthumous victory ATF had a handful of records under their belts that found them initially moving through progressive rock until settling on shorter songs that had more in common with elements of pop and new wave.
The Radio Sessions released by Angel Air Records is a fantastic single disc collection that brings together portions of three concerts recorded by the BBC between 1979 and 1981. Although the band was a virtual revolving door in the early days with members coming and going, by the time these concerts were captured for posterity ATF’s lineup had pretty much stabilized to include, along with founding member Peter Banks (keys, vocals),longtime bassist / lead vocalist Andy Piercy, guitarist John Russell and drummer Pete King. What you get here are nineteen, tight sounding, melodic gems highlighting the real strengths of what was definitely an energetic and exciting live band. Their sound is propelled throughout by Piercy’s soaring vocals, Banks’ shimmering synthesizer work and Russell’s articulate guitar solos.
While they might not have been a household name on these shores this collection is very solid indeed and definitely worth checking out. If you’re already a fan you’ve probably got this one on your CD rack, but if you’re new to the band I honestly couldn’t think of a better place to start than right here.
-Ryan Sparks
