After The Fire – Bright Lights 1974-1983 (6CD Boxset)

In the States, there was only ever one After The Fire album and one monster hit single, the ubiquitous Der Kommissar. So, when the opportunity to explore six discs worth of hitherto unknown music presented itself, I jumped. Not only was there so much more musically to the band whose sole American hit was a cover, there was an interesting story to go along with it. ATF started life as an independent concern who were unabashedly Christian and who happened to play progressive rock, two unfashionable qualities at the time that did nothing to hold them back, and in fact catapulted them to the big time.

Taking their name from a Biblical quote (1 Kings 19:12 – “…and after the fire a still, small voice”), After The Fire began in 1971, developing its following on the pub and college circuit, even headlining the Greenbelt Christian Rock festival several times. The band’s self-funded first album Signs Of Change was a full on progressive rock affair released in 1978. The band members’ shared Christian faith was on full display, but in a casual, matter-of-fact manner. For example, Pilgrim, the 11 minute epic that closed that album, was based on John Bunyan’s allegorical The Pilgrim’s Progress (which the Neal Morse band would later turn into the double concept album The Similitude Of A Dream). The ELP and Genesis influences are obvious in both the song structures and Peter Banks’ liberal use of Hammond organ throughout. Opening track Dance Of The Marionette jumps out of the speakers with a rollicking approach that characterizes much of the first disc. Back To The Light shows that the band already had some pop sensibilities, and Jig is a wonderfully layered violin and synth flute duet that makes for a quick and delightful musical interlude. Several bonus tracks are included from those early days. Dreamaway has some nice guitar and synth that keeps the interest going over 11 minutes, while Hallelujah interpolates the Easter hymn Jesus Christ Is Risen Today. Although this incarnation of ATF was not exactly virtuosic, the songs are well constructed and the performances sincere. A must-hear for the hard-core prog aficionados.

Disc Two contains a few more stabs at prog rock glory (Psalm is especially worthwhile), but much more notable for the band’s shift to the synth pop stylings of the late seventies and early eighties. Time To Think is the first such track, underlining a more democratic blend of instrumentation. Most of the songs (such as One Rule, Like The Power Of A Jet, Suspended Animation) would find their way on to the major label debut. You can hear the band experimenting with different sonic approaches, but the subtle spirituality and the sense of joy from their early days remains intact. Beatles Medley/Help is an example of how the band could make someone else’s music their own.

Disc Three contains the 1979 Laser Love album. Produced by such luminaries as Muff Winwood, Rupert Hine and John Leckie, the upgraded sound makes these songs pop out of the speakers. The most noticeable difference is in the quality of the vocals, which until now never felt more than serviceable. Joy began a run of ecstatic instrumentals that were the high points of their respective albums. One Rule For You was the unusual hit in the sense that it was one of the few midtempo tunes on the album. Timestar leaves no doubt but the songwriting team of Peter Banks and Andrew Piercy could mine a catchy melody. Songs like Take Me Higher and Like The Power Of A Jet are clever and exuberant. A handful of live tracks and B-sides round out the disc. ATF is clearly having fun.

The original version of the following album, 80-F, was initially rejected by the record label, but Queen’s producer Mack was brought in to rework the album, and the results were spectacular. Disc four shows that Mack gave ATF a fuller, brighter sound which, while it didn’t result in any hits in the UK, expanded the band’s popularity in Europe. Can You Face It? shows a Devo influence, Starflight struts in the direction of the dance floor, and Billy, Billy rocks out. Some of the original versions of the songs are included as bonus tracks along with a couple B-sides.

Batteries Not Included, released in 1982 and represented on disc five, was a harbinger of diminishing returns for the band. Generally ignored in the UK, the album continued the band’s artistic arc. The Stranger is an ethereal tune, almost without a beat. Rich Boys, on the other hand, is raw, rocking and bouncy. Gina uses an acoustic piano as its basis, and Dancing In The Shadows flirts with reggae. Carry Me Home carries the band’s message of spirituality, and Bright Lights feels weightier than standard synth pop. B-side Nobody Else But You rounds out the bonus tracks, proving that these were not just throw-aways.

Citing the stereotypical musical differences, the band broke up in 1982 following the recording of Der Kommissar. The single did a slow burn, first catching on in Canada before breaking in the States, but it was too little too late. The additional tracks that ATF recorded around the time of their last hit finally saw the light of day in 2006 under the title AT2F. A mixed bag at best, the album featured updated synth sounds (Cariba), annoyingly repetitive songs where imagination was tossed to the wind (Who Do You Think You?), demo quality tunes (Night Is Still Falling), and a synth pop update of an R&B classic (Stand By Me). The disc ends with both the 7” and extended mix versions of the classic, Der Kommissar.

As much as I enjoyed getting to hear all the music by the band which I had previously missed, it became clear to me why that was so. Whether doing progressive rock or pop music, the band were good at what they did – just not good enough to avoid being overshadowed by contemporaries like Genesis or the Pet Shop Boys or Erasure. Enjoyable as the songs are, they rarely achieve that spark that lights a real fire in the heart of music lovers. Maybe the wrong songs were chosen as singles, maybe it just wasn’t their time, maybe maybe maybe. This is not to say the compilation is not worth a listen, because it truly is; preferably one album at a time.

TRACK LISTING
Disc One: Signs Of Change
01. Dance Of the Marionette (07:02)
02. Back To The Light (04:31)
03. Now That I’ve Found (08:12)
04. Signs Of Change (08:06)
05. Jigs (02:58)
06. Pilgrim (11:20)
~ Bonus tracks
07. Samaritan Woman (11:03)
08. Dreamaway (09:51)
09. Hallelujah (06:30)
10. Back To The Light (Demo) (05:09)

Time – 74:42

Disc Two: Early Demos & Pre-Laser Love Demos
01. Here On My Island * (13:31)
02. Psalm * (5:05)
03. Choice * (6:18)
04. Time To Think ** (3:21)
05. Listen To Me ** (3:58)
06. Check It Out ** (3:51)
07. You Never Told Me ** (3:28)
08. Suspended Animation ** (4:59)
09. Can You Face It? ** (3:45)
10. Your Love Is Alive ** (3:35)
11. Little Sun, Little Rain ** (3:29)
12. Beatles Medley/Help! ** (4:25)
13. Life In the City ** (3:12)
14. Like The Power Of A Jet (Mix 3) ** (3:24)
15. One Rule ** (4:17)
16. Suspended Animation ** (3:40)

Time – 74:18

Disc Three: Laser Love
01. Laser Love (3:29)
02. Joy (3:17)
03. Take Me Higher (4:30)
04. Life In the City (4:02)
05. Suspended Animation (4:50)
06. Like The Power Of A Jet (3:07)
07. One Rule For You (3:25)
08. Time To Think (3:30)
09. Timestar (4:33)
10. Check It Out (3:22)
~ Bonus tracks
11. Your Love Is Alive (B-Side of “Laser Love” 7”) (3:15)
12. Life In The City (12” version) (4:08)
13. Listen To Me (B-Side of “Life In The City” 7”) (3:24)
14. One Rule For You (Live – Rainbow Nov. ’79 Promo) (4:32)
15. Time To Think (Live – Rainbow Nov. ’79 Promo) (3:46)
16. Take Me higher (Live) (B-Side to “Frozen Rivers” 7”) (7:49)

Time – 64:59

Disc Four: 80-F
01. 1980-F (2:35)
02. Love Will Always Make You Cry (3:34)
03. Can You Face It? (3:18)
04. Who’s Gonna Love You (When You’re Old And Fat And Ugly) (4:09)
05. Starflight (4:17)
06. Wild West Show (3:34)
07. Billy, Billy (4:37)
08. It’s High Fashion (3:11)
09. Why Can’t We Be Friends? (2:51)
10. Joanne (4:20)
~ Bonus tracks
11. Why Can’t We Be Friends? (B-Side of “Love Will Always Make you Cry” 7”) (3:50)
12. Every Mother’s Son (B-Side of “Love Will Always Make you Cry” 7” Promo) (2:40)
13. Starflight (’80-F’ Four Track Sampler) * (4:24)
14. Love Will Always Make You Cry (’80-F’ Four Track Sampler) * (3:59)
15. It’s High Fashion (’80-F’ Four Track Sampler) * (3:18)
16. 1980-f (’80-F’ Four Track Sampler) * (2:35)
17. Wild West Show (7” version) * (3:43)
18. Billy, Billy (Live, B-Side of “Rich Boys” 7”) * (6:48)
19. Another World (From unreleased version of ‘80-F’) * (3:36)
20. Operator (From unreleased version of ‘80-F’) * (3:45)
21. Satellite In Orbit (From unreleased version of ‘80-F’) * (3:17)

Time – 78:21

Disc Five: Batteries Not Included
01. Short Change (3:21)
02. Frozen Rivers (3:30)
03. Sometimes (3:09)
04. Sailing Ship (3:55)
05. I Don’t Understand Your Love (2:50)
06. The Stranger (3:44)
07. Rich Boys (3:02)
08. Carry Me Home (3:22)
09. Dancing In the Shadows (3:03)
10. Space Walking (3:11)
11. Gina (1:38)
12. Stuck In Paris (Nowhere To Go) (2:45)
13. Bright Lights (3:34)
~ Bonus tracks
14. Nobody Else But You (B-Side of “Dancing In The Shadows” 7”) (3:14)
15. Starflight (Live) (4:53)

Time – 49:11

Disc Six: AT2F
01. Young Love (3:56)
02. Step By Step (3:32)
03. Don’t Say Goodbye (3:57)
04. Cariba (3:03)
05. Who Do You Think You? (2:54)
06. Dark Side (5:04)
07. 1984-F (2:01)
08. Over And Over (4:12)
09. It’s Over (4:04)
10. Night Is Still Falling (4:36)
11. It’s Over (No Voiceover) (4:04)
12. Genz (3:09)
13. Space Walking (Demo) (4:33)
14. Stand By Me (Demo 2) (3:58)
~ Bonus tracks
15. I’m Bored – Rise And Shine (4:25)
16. Starflight (New version) (4:32)
17. Sternenflug (7” version) (4:29)
18. Der Kommissar (7” version) (4:09)
19. Der Kommissar (Specially Extended Remixed Version 12”) (5:43)

* Previously unreleased on CD
** Previously unreleased

Time – 75:21

Total Time – 415.52

MUSICIANS
Peter “Memory” Banks – Keyboards, Vocals
Andy Piercy – Guitar, Bass, Vocals
John Russell – Guitar, Vocals
Robin Childs – Bass, Vocals
Nick Battle – Bass, Violin, Vocals
Ian Adamson – Drums
Ivor Twydell – Drums
Nick Brotherwood – Drums
Pete King – Drums, Vocals

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 20^th June 2025

LINKS
After The Fire – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Boxset info at Cherry Red Records