Dinosaurdays - Firefall

Firefall - US country rock outfit Firefall were formed in the mid seventies by ex-Flying Burrito Brothers members, Mike Clarke (drums - also ex-Byrds), and guitarist/vocalist Rick Roberts. They were joined by guitarists/vocalists Larry Burnett and Jock Bartley, ex-Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne bassist Mark Andes and keyboard player/flautist David Muse. They were signed to Atlantic Records and released "Firefall", their debut album, in 1976. It was a refreshing, if laid back album that spawned three charting singles, one of which was a great version of the Chris Hillman/Steve Stills song "It Doesn't Matter". One of Firefall's main strengths was their vocal harmonies, and this was apparent on all of their albums. Their first three albums were fairly strong sellers and helped them establish a strong fan base. Later albums such as "Undertow" and our featured album were excellent ( weak albums were not a Firefall trait, that's for sure!), but they didn't progress significantly and split in the early eighties, having released a total of six albums. A number of well compiled 'Best of" albums were released in the early to mid nineties and are ideal to add to the collection if you'd like to be acquainted with this great band's back catalogue. Jock Bartley revived Firefall in the mid nineties with a bunch of unknown, but fairly competent musicians. The resulting album, "Messenger", was quite a good effort, but not on a par with their earlier efforts, and the only other original Firefall member making a guest appearance was Mark Andes. Sadly, founder/drummer Mike Clarke passed away in 1993. A live album, ''Concert Classics", was released in1 999. Often compared to Poco and the Eagles, Firefall were undoubtedly one of the finest country rock bands in the world.

Firefall
Firefall - Anymore, from "Elan" in 1978. Firefall were a second generation US country rock outfit in the tradition of Poco and The Eagles. They were formed by ex-Flying Burrito Brothers members Mike Dick (a.k.a.Mike Clarke, who died in 1993) on drums (also ex-Byrds) and guitarist/vocalist Rick Roberts, together with bassist Mark Andes, ex-Spirit, guitarists Larry Burnett and Jock Bartley and sax player/flautist/keyboard player David Muse. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1976 on Atlantic Records, featured a great version of the Chris Hillman/Steven Stills track "It Doesn't Matter", with alternative lyrics by Rick Roberts. By the time our featured album came around, Firefall had established a reputation of being one of the best country/rock outfits around, with the stunning "Strange Way" from the album doing big things for them. They released six albums between 1976 and 1982 before being put "on ice" for a while. Mark Andes joined Heart around this time. Bartley "reformed" the band in 1983 with himself as the only remaining original member, the others being guitarist/vocalist/keyboard player John Sambataro, drummer Scott Kirkpatrick and guitarist/vocalist Chuck Kirkpatrick. This line-up recorded the poorly received "Mirror of the World" that year. The band appear to have split again, but re-appeared in the early to mid nineties with a new album, "Messenger", once again with Bartley running the show, complete with five new members. Although they were still sounding quite good, it's their earlier material that they'll be well remembered for.

(If you have more info on this band, please e-mail us)

Biography by Steve Huey
The mellow, easy country-rock sounds of Firefall, coupled with the group's penchant for pop melodies and high-pitched harmonies, produced a series of successful LPs in the late '70s and a series of chart singles, including the Top Ten hit "You Are the Woman." The group was formed by former Flying Burrito Brother Rick Roberts, who handled vocals, guitar, and most of the songwriting duties; he was joined by fellow ex-Burrito and Byrd Michael Clarke on drums, ex-Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne bassist Mark Andes, guitarist/vocalist Jock Bartley, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Larry Burnett, and keyboardist/woodwind player David Muse, who joined in 1977. The group recorded its self-titled debut in 1976; it and its follow-up, Luna Sea, both went gold, and their third album, Elan, went platinum. However, the group's commercial fortunes began to decline, and even though Muse experimented with adding different instruments to the overall sound, Firefall's relaxed, toned-down approach simply wore out its welcome as pop trends moved elsewhere. Jock Bartley reformed the group in 1994 for the album Messenger.

Rick Roberts
Mark Andes
Jock Bartley
Larry Burnett
Michael Clarke
Chuck Kirkpatrick
Joe Galdo
Richie Goldman
Tris Imboden
David Muse
John Sambataro

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