With being all about the new, I don't often go back to the past, but After The Fire have a special place in my heart.US listeners won't have heard a lot of this stuff, but will have heard the band's cover of Der Kommissar. I was introduced to them by one of my favourite school teachers, unusual as that may sound.
Steve Brown was our History teacher, he awakened my interest in History through O and A Levels. The school had a cottage in Capel Garmon and a group of us were taken there for a welcome few days. It was 1979 and listening to music was a big part of the few days.
I remember the girls playing Rumours a lot, but "Mr" Brown played a couple of albums that we had never heard. One was from Writz, the other was the Laser Love album by After The Fire. I had no idea that either were Christian Rock acts, I'm not sure that I would have gone looking for them, knowing that.
It didn't matter because the pop was so great. I was smitten with what I heard of the Laser Love album and soon after bought it. Songs like the title track and One Rule For You were great New Wave Pop, a little synth heavy, but this added to the joy as this was before the Synth bands and it was slightly unusual to hear them away from Prog.
Indeed, although unknown to me at the time, their debut album, Signs Of Change, was essentially a Prog album and this 6 Disc set reveals beautifully the journey from Prog to the great Pop of the follow up, second album, Laser Love. Disc 2 in this set is a wonderful adventure. I only got a hold of Signs Of Change after the release of the next album, 80-F.
........and what a wonderful album 80-F is. One of the great lost Pop Rock albums. Every song a winner, bravely opening up with an instrumental and then followed by pure joy. Killer choruses on the wonderful Only Love Will Make You Cry, Wild West Show and Billy Billy.
Then there is the magnificent keyboard runs on Starflight, Peter Banks finest moment. It really is an album that should be reassessed and many will hear this for the first time. I never knew that the album was initially refused by CBS and was largely re-recorded using some of the songs from the Laser Love sessions.
Some of those initial recordings are featured here. The big time seemed to be calling, the BBC featured them as part of the Rock Goes To College TV series and a support slot to Queen in Europe should have helped. But the follow up album, Batteries Not Included had a strangely low key release. A shame because it is a really good album, perhaps not as strong as the previous two, but still a fine listen.
Then the Der Kommissar cover version took off in Canada and the States. It was a song on the ATF album, the first released in the States and featured tracks from the previous three albums. The label tried to get the band to reform without success.
The story didn't end there, Studio Sessions, essentially demos from 1982 were released in 2006 under the album title AT2F and that is included here on Disc 6. This is a really splendid collection that will interest both fans and newcomers,
My story doesn't quite end there. In the My Space days, maybe 2006 ish, I conversed regularly with Peter Banks who was happy to talk about the band and what he was doing then. He remained so likeable and keen to share his love of music and experience as the founder member of After The Fire. Both he and Andy Piercy are interviewed in the booklet.
You can buy the set here. Cherry Red have, as usual, dome a fine job. If that is beyond your budget, please do try and grab 80-F. As I say, it is one of the great lost albums.
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