FIRE - FOUR TRACK DEMO 1987
Line-up:
Jessie Galante - vocals
Michael Guy - guitars
Tom Rucci - bass
Doug Allen - keyboards
Jackie Ramos - drums
Tracks:
1. Never Run
2. No No Nikki
3. Lonely Street
4. King Of Thieves
REVIEW FIRE demo:
Background
Bit of an epitaph this one. A great band, 'tis a pity they never kicked on because they certainly had the goods when their flame was flickering brightly. They were the LA based quintet Fire. In essence, the musical vehicle for Buffalo born and bred female powerhouse Jessie Galante, who moved out to LA in search of that big break. Prior to this, she had fronted a local Buffalo outfit called Actor, who were on the verge of inking a deal with A&M. Unfortunately that fell apart due to the sterling efforts of their brain-dead management company who obviously couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. In the interim, Jessie moved temporarily to the HM metropolis of Alabama (!) where the yokel locals persuaded her she might have a better chance of plying her trade in Los Angeles before she got run of town by a lynch-mob of Vince Gill fans!
So, upon her arrival in L.A, not only did she score herself some half-decent musos to join her, but her manager was one Ray Brown (responsible for holding the stud-encrusted hands of Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi), while the evergreen Michael Wagener (Dokken, Accept etc) came onboard to produce their showcase demo. The band were often called to undertake showcase gigs for the major labels, and on the strength of this their only recorded demo, they should have been a compulsory signing then and there! We're not talking some second rate Heart ripoff here, this was classy LA metal leaning more towards melodic rock. The band also included ex Shark Island pairing Mike Guy and Tom Rucci, and with their combined musical and songwriting fusing with Galante's, a virtual witches brew of melodic metal was to unfold. With Brown and Wagener onside, it couldn't be anything else but.
The Songs
'Never Run' starts out with some swirling Tour De Force type keyboards before the crunch kicks in on the bridge and chorus. Michael Guy's guitar struts its stuff on the absolutely stinging 'No No Nikki', the essential riff keeping the track on edge all the way through - topped off by the killer solo. Check out this lyrical line from Ms Galante: ..Do you remember yesterday - Nikki baby/you stood there laughing in my face - Nikki baby/You used to tell everybody to go to hell but now you're crying - No Nikki/so whaddya want from me.. Equally persuasive lyrics yeah? Personally I'd be telling Nikki to fuck off! Anyway, track three sees Fire change tempo for the compelling power-ballad 'Lonely Street' before setting us alight with the dramatic and intense 'King Of Thieves', without doubt one of the best unsigned demo tracks I've heard (alongside Odessa's 'Bad Woman'). The grinding heaviness of it still makes a great listen nearly twenty years later.
In Summary
For whatever reason, the band could not string anything substantial together, and eventually came to a frustrating end. The power which is evident on these four tracks would put many major label bands to the sword. I can say quite categorically, this is one band that 'got away'. What a damn shame! Mike Guy later ended up in House Of Lords, while Jackie Ramos played in Hericane Alice and Bangalore Choir too if my memory serves me correct. These days, Jessie is a busy solo artist, now vocalising in the great tradition of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin, though still with an infusion of vocal power that skirts around the fringes of Led Zep and bands from that era. She has a handful of solo albums out, and is quite popular now in Europe. Check out her website:
www.jessiegalante.com for more info. thanks to Glorydaze !
Pedazo d Rareza!!
Muxas Gracias por recordarlos Estimado Jesus!!!
Le veo un tema estandar de estribilliguo repetitivo-dejavucero...
