FROM THE FIRE: Thirty Days And Dirty Nights CD. Original, 1st press ACTIVE RECORDS 1992 BRILLIANT A.O.R. /melodic rock CD. Check AUDIO (whole album)

Year : 1991
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : United States

From the Fire formed in 1990, and within a few weeks, found themselves in the studio recording their debut album. “Thirty Days and Dirty Nights” was recorded at Fortress Sound in Los Angeles, produced by Jean Beauvoir, and engineered by Pat Regan, for New York indie label Metropolis Records. The album featured Tommy Lafferty on guitar, Mike Sciotto on drums, Nadine Arel on keys, Paul St. James on bass, and J.D. Kelly on keys and lead vocals. The songs – with the exception of Eric Carmen’s “Go All The Way” and Lafferty/Beauvoir’s “Same Song”, were all written by Arel, Kelly, and the band. The recording took a month – hence, the album title – and featured the band’s tight, melodic arrangements and deep, yet edgy, production. More often than not, that meant Lafferty’s hard-edged guitar and Sciotto’s powerful drumming were set against multi-leveled keyboards and lush harmonies. Beauvoir’s sense of drama and Pat Reagan’s mastery of keyboard engineering gave the finished collection a resonance and quality that showcased the band’s musicianship and songwriting to great effect, while retaining the live feel that the band would later demonstrate at performances in New York. With a selection of ballads and powerful rock anthems – even a strong duet between Kelly and “Harlow” vocalist Theresa Straley – the album garnered acclaim from artists like Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, who stopped in to hear its progress during production. During their stay in LA, the band also attended several press parties and performed live for industry insiders. A year after its production, “Thirty Days and Dirty Nights” was released in Europe and placed well on the charts in most markets. The band, still in America, had little idea as to what was happening overseas. Critics regarded the album as a true landmark in AOR, and routinely praised the recording as a must-have for fans of the genre. Eventually, as other opportunities arose, two members went their separate ways, but remained friends: Paul Morris replaced Nadine Arel, and Thaddeus Castanis took over on bass from Paul St. James so that the band could continue playing live. Lafferty, Sciotto, and Kelly remained as the core of the band.

This melodic rock outfit was founded in New York in 1991 and originally comprised J.D. Kelly (lv, k), Tommy Lafferty (g), Michael Sciotto (d) and Nadine Arel (k). Best known at the time was Lafferty, who had been a member of Voodoo X. So, it didn’t come as a surprise when he contacted his former bandmate Jean Beauvoir and sounded him out about producing From The Fire’s debut album. Although “Thirty Days Dirty Nights” contained only 9 tracks, it was a real gem that , to this very day is still considered a classic in the melodic rock genre. All tracks are of a high quality, but the absolute best tunes are the ones penned by Nadine Arel, namely “Hold On” (featuring Harlows Pat Regan on keyboards), the ballad “Take My Heart” and “Spark And Flame” (a wonderful duet between J.D. Kelly and Harlows Theresa Straley). The album ends with two songs that Eric Carmen had written in 1972: the uplifting up-tempo “Go All The Way” and the power ballad “Where Are You Now”. A pity the band only released one album. Lafferty would later join Jean Beauvoir in Crown Of Thorns! If you don’t own a copy of this classic, don’t hesitate to order one now. You won’t regret it! Here we talk about CLASSY AOR, heavenly made. Big hooks, huge choruses, dripping wet keyboards and vocals with more layers than a wedding cake. Imagine a perfect mix of Red Dawn/White Sister/Strangeways and Drive She Said, plus a fat, top notch production. There are some true melodic pearls, like “Hold On”, “Over Your Head”, ‘Where Are You Now”, “Same Song” and the stunning power ballad “Take My Heart”. When AOR is done well, nothing else will ever come close. Essential record. Enjoy!

Line Up:

J.D. Kelly – vocals, keyboards
Tommy Lafferty – guitar
Thaddeus Castanis – bass
Paul Morris – keyboards
Michael Sciotto – drums

other musicians on album:

Pat Regan – additional keyboards
Nadine Arel – additional keyboards
Paul St. James – bass
Jimmy Z – sax
Theresa Straley – vocals on track 7