After the Fire
After The Fire were formed in the UK in 1972 by keyboard player Peter Banks, Andy Piercy (guitar, bass), Ivor Twidell (drums) and John Russell (guitar). The market was responsive to UK adult-orientated rock during the early 70s but the band's mixture of "pomp Christian pop" was slow to break through. They eventually secured a contract following the release of their debut album on their own label. CBS Records invested in them and they were rewarded with a UK Top 40 hit, "One Rule For You", in 1979. The accompanying album, although polished, sold only to the converted. The band's subsequent recordings were minor hits until the unexpected major success of "Der Kommissar". Originally recorded by Falco in his native Germany, After The Fire's version went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, and made the US Top 5. However, by the time it charted, the group had already broken up, frustrated by record company indecision and the Christian ethos that "made things worse, as we couldn't have a good old swearing and slanging match." Banks built his own studio before becoming managing director of Maldon Computer Company, a software and networking enterprise. Twidell released three Christian rock solo albums, Waiting For The Sun (1981), Secret Service (1981) and Duel (1983), after leaving the group following the debut album. He then became a member of the Bedfordshire police force. Russell was last sighted working in a hi-fi shop. Piercy retained the rights to the name, although it was now abbreviated to ATF. Still a practising Christian, after submitting an unreleased solo album for CBS he went on to do production work for the Truth, T'Pau (when they were known as Talking America) and Gary Numan. (Source : VH1)
Bright Lights
Young boy comes searching for the bright lights
He’s looking for those “streets of gold”
He never finds them
Down an alley there’s a back street gang
They say "Kid you shouldn’t walk down here alone"
They really take him to the cleaners
They turn his pockets inside out
Then they cut him
Leave him lying in a pool of blood
In the city no one hears you when you shout
No friends, no home, no food, no money
He learns to scavenge to survive
He becomes an animal
See him running through the streets at night
You can almost see the jungle in his eyes
His mum and dad wait for a phone call
They’re never going to see their son again
Something’s changed him
Don’t go near him he’s a wild boy now, this moth is dying in the flame
He’s an animal, see him running through the streets at night
He’s an animal, beneath the dirt his skin turns white
He’s a wild boy
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