After the Fire (ATF)
classic After the Fire in 1980 (l to r: Andy Piercy, Pete King, Pete Banks, and John Russell)
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Rock New Wave Progressive Rock
Years active	1974 - present
Label(s)	Rapid CBS Records Epic Records
Members
Peter Banks John Russell Keith Smith Ian Niblo Matthew Russell
Former members
Andy Piercy Nick Battle Ivor Twidell Pete King Nick Brotherwood Ian Adamson Robin Childs

After the Fire (or ATF) was a British rock band that went from playing Christian progressive rock to Christian new wave over the twelve years it was together, while having only one hit in the United States ("Der Kommissar") and the UK ("One Rule for You"). Image File history File links After_The_Fire_in_1980. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock is a form of popular music from the mid 20th century which typically features a vocal melody (often with vocal harmony) that is supported by accompaniment of electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, often with a strong back beat. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Progressive rock (sometimes shortened to prog, prog rock, or progrock) is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, but continues as a musical form long afterward. ... See also: 1973 in music, other events of 1974, 1975 in music, 1970s in music and the list of years in music // January - The Ramones form. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... A singer-songwriter who came to prominence in the Christian acoustic guitar duo Ishmael and Andy together with Ian Smale (Ishmael). ... Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as Christ. ... Progressive rock (sometimes shortened to prog, prog rock, or progrock) is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, but continues as a musical form long afterward. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863 Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian. ... 33â…“ LP vinyl record for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour album from the 1960s. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A CD (Compact Disc), is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Genesis is a Grammy Award winning English progressive rock band formed in 1967. ... Yes are an English progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. ...

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. CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Pop rock is a genre of music that combines elements of both pop and rock. ... Peter Banks is the stage name of Peter Brockbanks (April 8, 1947—). He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... Top of the Pops was a long-running British music chart television programme and indeed the longest-running music show in the world shown each week on BBC and now licensed for national versions around the world. ...

The picture cover of the 1983 "Der Kommissar" single

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 UK 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 UK. This was followed by the release of their first and only US album, ATF, a compilation of their career. ImageMetadata File history File links After_The_Fire_-_Der_Kommissar_single_picture_cover. ... ImageMetadata File history File links After_The_Fire_-_Der_Kommissar_single_picture_cover. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Falco (Johann Hölzel), Austrian pop-star whose albums became #1 multiple times on the charts in both Europe and North America during the 1980s Falco (February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998) was the stage name of the classical music prodigy turned Austrian rock star, Johann (Hans) Hölzel. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

>>>>>>>>>This "bio" has several inaccuriecies" m,ainly the fact that ATF was not a Christian band- but a band that sang songs of christian influence AND- Der Kommissar was an ATF song- Falco was lead singer of ATF (an alias) and went solo and did Rock Me Amadeus long after ATF did Der Kommissar -then got killed in a car wreck in 1997 (?) -got hit in his convertible in Italy going around a curve by a semi- truck@ !

Dissolution and aftermath

This success had come too late, however, as After the Fire had been slowly coming apart in the year leading to "Der Kommissar", and they officially split soon after it peaked in the top ten. A final album, Free Heat, was scheduled but never 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 died of testicular cancer in 1985. Twidell released three solo albums after leaving the band, and then became a police officer. Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... A computer network is a system for communication between computers. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... Testicular cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the testicles (singular testis), a part of the male reproductive system. ...

Rebirth

In 2004 at the Friends Reunion Pete & John were joined by Ian Niblo on bass and Matt Russell on drums to perform a karaoke set. Pete was latter talked into the (now famous) capacity reunion gig at the Greenbelt Festival, Keith Smith completing the lineup on lead vocals. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Greenbelt festival is the largest Christian arts and music festival in the world, taking place annually in England during the last bank holiday weekend in August. ...

Recently they re-worked and released the song "One Rule" for Trade Justice, a new recording of their 1979 UK hit. They released the second track from the current line up, "Forged from Faith", as a digital download in October 2005. There are plans to re-enter the recording studio. Trade justice is a movement of Non-Governmental and Private Voluntary organisations that lobby for certain standards in trade that include; the adherence to human rights, the universal right to economic growth and the balance of trade and justice. ...

Discography

Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is mostly a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... A singer-songwriter who came to prominence in the Christian acoustic guitar duo Ishmael and Andy together with Ian Smale (Ishmael). ... Different kinds of guitars The guitar is a fretted and stringed musical instrument, used in a wide variety of musical styles, and is also widely known as a solo classical instrument. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Singles

• "One Rule for You" (1979) - CBS
• "Laser Love" (1979) - CBS
• "Life in the City" (1979) - CBS
• "Love Will Always Make You Cry" (1980) - Epic
• "Wild West Show" (1980) - Epic
• "Rich Boys" (1982) - CBS
• "Dancing in the Shadows" (1982) - CBS
• "Der Kommissar" (1983) - CBS
• "One Rule (for Trade Justice)" (2005)
• "Forged from Faith" (2005) - RoughMix; available as a digital download

Albums

• Signs of Change (1978) - Rapid
• Laser Love (1979) - CBS
• 80-f (1980) - Epic
• Batteries Not Included (1982) - CBS
• Der Kommissar (1982) - Epic - the band's only U.S. album release (a compilation)
• Signs of Change (2004) - RoughMix - CD re-mastered version of the 1978 vinyl album (plus demos from that era)
• Der Kommissar - The CBS Recordings (2005) - Edsel - all the band's vinyl releases on a double CD collection
• Live at Greenbelt (live at the 2004 Greenbelt Festival)
• AT2F (2006) - Angel Air - 1982 CBS demos finally released

Signs of Change is a progressive rock album by After the Fire. ... Signs of Change is a progressive rock album by After the Fire. ... Der Kommissar - The CBS Recordings is a primarily new wave music album by After the Fire. ...

DVDs

• You Had to Be There!: Live at the Greenbelt Festival (2005) - RoughMix

References

Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th edition The cover of the 1989 7th edition of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles Guinness World Records - British Hit Singles & Albums is a music reference book, published in the United Kingdom, by Hit Entertainment, the company that owns such childrens entertainment brands as Bob the Builder and Thomas...

External links

• Official website
• The band's record label website