choice

Throughout the Autumn, the band had still been actively pursuing a deal with a secular record company. Finally, in October, they signed a recording contract with the giant CBS label, who were holding the possible option for a single and an album by the band. They foot the bill for the band to go into a 16 track one weekend to record demo's with producer Rupert Hine, from which One Rule For You emerges as the strongest contender for a single.

That month another big chance took place when Banks swapped his C3 for a Yamaha CS80. ATF's seventies moog-sound was consequently transformed into the hi-tech buzz that found it's way onto Laser Love, and on into the eighties.

Piercy was back inside the ICC studios producing the new album by Ishmael United, If You Can't Shout Saved You'll Have To Face The Penalty. It received mixed reviews by both the Christian and the secular press. In the NME, under the headline 'Christians 0, Lions 15', the album was received thus:

"When reviewing 'After The Fire' recently, I made no mention of their Christianity - it's hard enough for new bands as it is. With 'Ishmael United', such discretion is impossible."

"On the evidence of 'Saved', produced by After The Fire's Andy Piercy, those boys should have stayed in the closet. At their best they're a second-rate 'After The Fire', but mostly we're in the sub-Rice / Lloyd-Webber country - tepid 'rock' music subordinated to stilted lyrics."

The first single, One Rule For You, due for early 1979 release, was put back, supposedly to improve its chances of success, but was eventually released on 2nd March, backed with the short instrumental Joy. Issued as a 7" on both conventional black, and trendy red vinyl, it quickly reached the lowest depths of the UK charts (no. 150 in the Sounds charts), before sinking again.

CBS 7025

Normally a record company, might have moved on to another single, but CBS decided to persevere, and re-launched the single during May. One Rule charted again on 9th June, peaking to no. 40 in the BBC charts, and stayed there for six weeks. The band were invited into the BBC studios to film a slot for Top Of The Pops, but unfortunately, after a minor downward fluctuation in the single's chart position, it was held over. The following week the single was moving upwards again, but this time TOTP itself was shortened because of the BBC's Wimbledon Tennis coverage, and the filmed performance was left out. Nevertheless, the single was well received around the country, and appeared in several local radio charts, including Liverpool's Radio City, where it reached the top 30. In London, dozens of calls from fans persuaded Capital Radio to put it at the top of their Hit List. For CBS, it was their first chart success with a UK signed band since The Clash. In the Sounds' chart, it had also reached the top 30. This was a satisfying result, given that One Rule was originally written by Piercy as a rebuff to a cutting reviewer who criticised their Christian faith rather than their music. It pointedly exposed the hypocrisy of those who claimed to be permissive of alternative views, but not if they were Christian views. In an interview with Sounds' Hugh Fielder, Banks complained:

"A lot of people can't tolerate us for being Christians. They put blinkers on us."

Piercy agreed:

"There's a quote somewhere that the only thing not allowed in a permissive society is Christianity; I like that."

For some-time, the band had only being performing in secular venues, rather than for Christian organisations, keen to make their mark on the music scene on their own merits, and not through the artificially enthusiastic support of their Christian audience. Playing the Reading festival in preference to Greenbelt was a notable example. With their first taste of chart success, and the subsequent increase in their secular profile, the band had quickly found themselves under increasing scrutiny, and having to explain their origins.

publicity photo

David Redshaw, writing for Record Business, said of them:

"After The Fire is a band that has declared its Christian beliefs but doesn't try to bludgeon the audience with them, apart from some 'message' lyrics - which in fact sound pretty much like the kind of neo-mystic songs that many late-60's bands used to employ. Other than that, they chat to the audience, make a lark out of tuning up and generally behave like any other rock band."

John Gill was similarly impressed by the band's conviction's, writing:

"Their songs and lyrics reflect their Christianity strongly, but it's Christianity as a philosophy, a lifestyle, rather than some stagnant High Church ritual. They are friendly and talkative but leave it to you to drag up the religion."

As Piercy explained to Gill:

"Our Christianity is a personal thing that can't help over-spilling into whatever we're doing. Hopefully it's never offensive to anyone. If someone's interested we're glad to talk, but if they're interested in the music only, that's okay. It must relate to our Christianity because it's talking about the value of a person."

Though they were happy to admit to their Christian beliefs, they were anxious not to be perceived as a 'Christian' band, but rather as a band consisting of individuals who just happen to be Christians. As Piercy explained to Hugh Fielder:

"We don't want anybody thinking we're the Joystrings Mark II."

But if they were to distance themselves from their Christians sub-culture origins, they again found themselves having to account for what they were now. After so many years gigging as a progressive act, and having gained a reputation for their work in the clubs in the South East, they had emerged into the public eye seemingly out of nowhere. In their favour was that they had appeared at the dawn of the electronic revolution that was about to sweep aside punk and transform new-wave. But apart from the likes of Numan and Toyah, there was little evidence of this. Consequently, no-one knew what to make of the band. Loud, fast, yet with a predominant use of electronic keyboards, they were clearly not a punk band. Yet they certainly unleashed a tremendous energy, such as one might associate with a new-wave band, but were unique in relying so heavily on synthesisers. In spite of all this, however, One Rule For You - as the first single chosen by CBS - proved to be a slow, thoughtful number. This apparent paradox was not lost on Piercy:

"It's a problem in one sense, but it's obviously useful in terms of having a hit. The next single will be Laser Love, which everyone at CBS likes a lot, so that's encouraging."

The question was asked, therefore, just what sort of a band was After The Fire? To Hugh Fielder, Piercy offered the description of 'new wave pop.' Banks tried to amplify this by tackling the question of the use of keyboards:

"In most bands the keyboards are either an accompaniment instrument or else they're a solo instrument. Keyboard players tend to play those fast jazzy riffs, but I don't because I can't. I used to play a Hammond and there's no way you can get away from that Hammond sound. But the two keyboards I use now are synthesisers, and they're touch responsive. I'm a synthesiser player rather than a keyboard player."

Piercy continued:

"Our sound stems from the fact that there's something slightly put of the ordinary in each of our styles. I like a lot of the new wave, but I also like a lot of the Tamla Motown stuff. I don't know exactly what the others are into, but we're fairly individual in our tastes. But we don't play heavy music."

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