Firefall Part 2 - The Fire Begins To Fall

Firefall Part 2 - The fire begins to fall

Publicly, Firefall was burning hotter than ever in 1979. Behind the scenes, the band members were toast. They'd spent more than five solid years gigging, writing, recording, and touring and had finally made it. Yet their financial situation was in doubt. Relationships - both personal and business, inside and outside the band - were in shambles. One or two band members weren't on speaking terms. The six-headed democracy, with no one in charge, was splitting at the seams. Their bodies, minds, and souls suffered the effects of touring, self abuse, and neglect, typical of the era's booze'n'blow rock'n'roll lifestyle. In short, Firefall needed a break. Attempts to straighten out all the above and more added up to the lengthy delay in getting the next album out. With Joe Lala again as an unofficial member of the group, sessions for Undertow were spread out over several months and both coasts. There was much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth by the band, the producers and the record company. The resulting Undertow was finally launched. The single, Headed For A Fall, put the band back in the Top 40. But much momentum had been lost. The second single, Love That Got Away stalled on the charts during the summer of 1980. Financial troubles increased with a growing Atlantic debt and a lawsuit settlement with their first manager.
Quality : VBR

After the band completed a Japanese tour, Mark Andes and Michael Clarke left the band; Andes would later join the Wilson sisters for great success in Heart. Opting to carry on, Roberts, Bartley, Burnett and Muse quickly replaced them with Kenny Loggins' Grammy winning rhythm section: bassist George Hawkins and drummer Tris Imboden. Out at year's end, Clouds Across The Sun hit the charts in January 1981, followed a few weeks later by the single, Staying With It, which, unbeknownst nor agreed to by the band, ended up featuring a duet between Rick Roberts and Lisa Nemzo. After TV appearances George Hawkins left the band to join Mick Fleetwood's solo band. Boulder bassist Kim Stone was his replacement. Then, just after Firefall hit the road to support the new record, Larry Burnett bowed out of the band due to ill health. On the charts, Staying With It moved into the Top 40 but Clouds Across The Sun never caught on. Negotiations for a new record deal with RCA were in progress, but after a final concert on Maui Rick Roberts told his band mates he was history, and Firefall went into limbo. Later in '81, Atlantic Records, as an afterthought, released The Best Of Firefall before Christmas, then turned the page and dropped the band from it's roster.
Quality: 320 kb/s vinyl rip