After the Fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| After The Fire (ATF) | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock New Wave Progressive Rock |
| Years active | 1974 - present |
| Label(s) | Rapid CBS Records Epic Records RoughMix |
| Members | |
| Peter Banks John Russell Ian Niblo Tim Turner |
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| Former members | |
| Matthew Russell Keith Smith Andy Piercy Nick Battle Ivor Twidell Pete King Nick Brotherwood Ian Adamson Robin Childs |
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After the Fire (or ATF) is a British rock band that went from playing progressive rock to New Wave over the twelve years it was together, while having only one hit in the United States ("Der Kommissar") and one hit in the United Kingdom ("One Rule for You").
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[edit] Early career
Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the early 1970s in London, England. After The Fire then went through several personnel changes before settling on Banks, guitarist and vocalist Andy Piercy, bassist Nick Battle, and drummer Ivor Twidell. This lineup enjoyed local success in London, and released an album, Signs of Change, in 1978, on their own label. Having become a highly-priced collectors' item, it was reissued on CD in 2004 with several bonus tracks. At this time, the band's sound was similar to bands like Genesis and Yes.
[edit] Success beckons
After Battle left, Piercy switched to bass, and John Russell joined on guitar. The group signed to CBS, and released their second album, Laser Love, in 1979, which marked the band's move towards new wave, with shorter, more catchy pop rock tracks. Drummer Nick Brotherwood took over for Twidell briefly, after Laser Love was recorded. Brotherwood left to become an Anglican cleric. Banks changed his name to "Memory" Banks to not be confused with the ex-Yes guitarist, around this time. As these changes took place, After The Fire's single, "One Rule for You", entered the UK Top 40. The group were scheduled to perform it on BBC TV's Top of the Pops that week, a move which would have been almost certain to see it rise much higher, but their appearance was cancelled when live sport overran by a few minutes, resulting in a shortened programme.
The band's third and fourth albums, 80-f and Batteries Not Included, were released in the early 1980s to little fanfare, with Pete King (formerly of the Flys) on drums. They came back into the U.K. spotlight when their English-language cover of Austrian musician Falco's song, "Der Kommissar", rocketed in to the U.S. top ten in 1983, though it only just made the top fifty in the United Kingdom. This was followed by the release of their first and only U.S. album, ATF, a compilation of their career.
[edit] Dissolution and aftermath
This success had come too late as After The Fire had been slowly coming apart in 1982. Musical differences, the grueling tour with Van Halan (including a backstage fight that left Piercy's hand badly damaged) and breakdown in relationships led to the splitup. The single "Der Kommissar" which had been a hit in Canada finally took hold in the American charts but CBS failed to patch up the band. All rights to the band name were signed over by Banks to Piercy and CBS and a final album, Free Heat, was scheduled to be the first CD relase by CBS, but wasnever released. Banks went on to build his own studio before becoming managing director of Maldon Computer Company, a software and networking enterprise. Russell worked in a music shop following the split and later was involved in youth work, while Piercy became a record producer. King, who joined the German Rockband BAP in 1986, died of testicular cancer in 1987. Twidell released three solo albums after leaving the band, and then became a police officer. Battle became a successful songwriter/producer/ A&R man.
[edit] Rebirth
In 2004 at the Friends Reunion, Pete and John were joined by Ian Niblo on bass and Matt Russell (John's teenage son) on drums to perform a karaoke set. Pete was later talked into the (now famous) capacity reunion gig at the Greenbelt Festival, Keith Smith completing the lineup on lead vocals.
In 2005, they re-worked and released the song "One Rule" for Trade Justice, a new recording of their 1979 U.K. hit. They released the second track from the current line up, "Forged from Faith", as a digital download in October 2005.
In January 2007, Keith Smith's departure from the group was announced. The vocals at their first gig in Harrow after Keith's departure were handled by Pete Banks and John Russell and gave the band an "authentic" vocal style. Before Keith's departure, there had been plans to re-enter the recording studio. In May 2008, the band announced the arrival of Tim Turner as drummer, fresh from Titian Red (so, what happened to Matt?).
[edit] Discography
| (1971-1972) |
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|---|---|
| (1974-1974) |
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| (1975-1977) |
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| (1977-1978) |
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| (1979) |
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| (1979) |
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| (1979-1983) |
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| (2004-2006) ATF2 |
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| (2007-2008) ATF2 |
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| (2008-present) ATF2 |
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[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Signs of Change | - | - |
| 1979 | Laser Love | - | - |
| 1980 | 80-f | - | - |
| 1982 | Batteries Not Included | - | - |
| 1982 | Der Kommissar | - | - |
| 2004 | Signs of Change (special edition) | - | - |
| 2005 | Der Kommissar - The CBS Recordings | - | - |
| 2005 | Live at Greenbelt | - | - |
| 2006 | AT2F | - | - |
[edit] EPs
| Year | EP | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Life in the City | - | - |
| 1981 | Frozen Rivers | - | - |
| 1982 | Rich Boys | - | - |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | UK | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "One Rule For You" | 40 | - |
| 1979 | "Laser Love" | 62 | - |
| 1979 | "Life in the City" | - | - |
| 1980 | "Love Will Always Make You Cry" | - | - |
| 1980 | "Wild West Show" | - | - |
| 1981 | "Dancing in the Shadows" | - | - |
| 1981 | "Frozen Rivers" | - | - |
| 1982 | "Rich Boys" | - | - |
| 1982 | "Der Kommissar" | 47 | 5 |
| 1983 | "Dancing in the Shadows" | - | 85 |
| 1983 | "8 Ball in the Top Pocket" | - | - |
| 2005 | "One Rule (For Trade Justice)" | - | - |
| 2005 | "Forged From Faith" | - | - |
[edit] DVDs
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | "You Had To Be There" Live at Greenbelt 2004 Cat no 985900-4 ROUGHMIX Ltd |
[edit] References
Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th edition
