Fire - Father's Name Is Dad (2021)

A must for psychedelic and prog fans – a complete anthology of cult band Fire.

• Led by future Strawbs guitarist Dave Lambert, Hounslow-based trio Fire failed to break through in their lifetime, but have posthumously been championed by two slightly different elements of the collector network: mod/psychedelic pop admirers love their much-covered 1968 single ‘Father’s Name Is Dad’ and their collection of similarly-styled demos from the same period; while progressive rock fans have made the 1970 Pye album ‘The Magic Shoemaker’ a hugely valuable artefact.

• Finally, all of their work is now available under one roof with the 3-CD set ‘Father’s Name Is Dad: The Complete Fire’.

Disc One rounds up their 1967-‘68 work (including both Decca-issued versions of the title track single).

Disc Two contains the album ‘The Magic Shoemaker’ plus sundry out-takes and alternative versions from the same period.

Disc Three is the original trio’s triumphant staging of an extended, revamped live ‘The Magic Shoemaker’ over two nights in 2007.

Assembled with the aid of chief Fireman Lambert, the 3-CD set features many rare delights, such as all four tracks (including the previously unreleased ‘It’s Not Easy Falling Out Of Love’ and ‘Boys And Girls Together’) that the band recorded in mid-1967 at the RG Jones studio under their original name of Friday’s Chyld, plus two tracks (‘Live To Love’ and ‘Back There Again’) that were recorded in late 1970 by a revised line-up, and which have never previously appeared on a Fire package.

Featuring every Fire recording known to exist, and with a booklet that includes a full band history, rare photos and new quotes, ‘Father’s Name Is Dad: The Complete Fire’ is the final word on one of the most fascinating bands working on the late ‘60s British pop scene.