...of the week 5

Band of the Week: After the Fire
I didn't see this lot live, unless you count Andy Piercey joining John Russells Press Any Key at a mid-eighties Greenbelt for a rendition of 'Laser Love', but my brother Clive followed them around and, of course, I bought 'One Rule For You' and still have the promotional flyer.

The move from the excellent, prog-rock tinged, self-financed triumph of 'Signs of Change' to the New Wave, cut-down, hyperactive 'Laser Love' was remarkable but carried off with aplomb. The story is told on the web by others of how, after three studio albums for CBS, flirting with the top 40 in the UK they finally hit big in the US with a cover Falco's 'Der Kommissar', just as the were calling it a day. In the recent past the have, as a lot of those bands do (and why not?) reformed and play here and there even as we speak. For me, one of their best offerings was a live recording of one of the tracks from 80-f, 'Billy Billy', originally issued on the b-side of the 'Rich Boys' 12-inch. Here is a video of the track every bit as good as ever. More >>

Titter of the Week: Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (again) 'Father and Son'
I'm not going to apologise, as each sketch from these two is a gem. One of my all-time favourite films of all-time is their original version of 'Bedazzled'