BONFIRE CRACKERS
Teutonic rockers bonfire want to hit the big time but won't compromise to get there. Their latest LP, Knock Out, displays a new found versatility for the band, as Lyn Guy found out recently when she punched the air with vox-man Claus Lessman.
In 1988, I bought a ticket to see a band I hate, purely for the pleasure of witnessing German rockers BONFIRE on their first visit to this country. Despite risking being crashed to pulp during the headliners set, I had no hesitation in pronouncing the expense and discomfort well worth while. Bonfire [as support] were right up my alley.
Three years, another album (1989's Point Blank) and a headline UK tour later, the band are preparing to trailblaze around Europe in support of RCA release number three, the Reinhold-Mack-produced Knock Out. In fact, when vocalist Klaus Lessman calls me, Bonfire are in Dortmund on the final leg of a home-based promotional tour; Knock Out having already hit the stores in Germany.
Unlike its predecessor, the new opus was written and recorded with just one guitarist, the band now being stripped down to a basic fourpiece. Is this, I ask Klaus, how they intend to remain?
"We hope so. It felt good on the record, and I don't see any reason to have a 5th member of the band. I'm kind of fed up with line-up changes and stuff like that, you know. We feel great as a four-piece band and the only problem we have is getting used to it when we play live, because we never played as a four-piece band. So that's still a thing we have to handle, but it shouldn't be a problem, I think."
Nevertheless, when Claus and Co get out on the road later this year there will be a 5th person on stage with them. Despite basing most of their music around Angel Schleifer's combustible guitar work, Bonfire still augment their sound with keyboards courtesy of a long time friend and associate.
But we're losing the thread here. Knock Out represents a major shift for the band in more ways than one. Whereas both Fireworks and Point Blank were recorded in LA under the aegis of Michael Wagener, the new album was laid down in Munich with legendary producer Mack (whose credits include QUEEN and the ROLLING STONES) at the controls. So why the change?
"Well, we wanted something new, because otherwise this would have been the third record we'd done with Michael Wagener. Also, he is booked until 1993 or 94, so there was no chance for us to make a production with him. I think it was a pretty good move for us because we had a lot of new influences and fresh ideas to work with through Mack. Also, the way we recorded the album was a lot different. With Michael we wrote the songs, recorded the demos, and did pre-production before we started recording. With Mack, we started from scratch with the songs. Sometimes it happened that the song, compared to the demo, was not the same anymore. That was a good move as well, because it all sounded so fresh then."
In general, then, do you think it's better to vary producers?
"Er, I dunno! I think it's just the chemistry, you know. If the chemistry is right, it can last a very long time, but I just think you should do it the way you feel, and we felt like changing producers."
This has resulted in a real homegrown product, Bonfire being from the Munich area and Mack of German nationality himself. One wonders whether the band were conscious of any leanings towards an American hue in their music.
"I think anywhere you work you get influenced by something," Claus Ventures, "and the time we spent in the States sure influenced Bonfire's music and the way we think, write, and do our stuff. But I think it always comes back to the roots. I mean, we are from Germany, we are from Europe, we are doing European rock. And that was the idea behind this album, not to be another American band, because they've got millions of them. We've tried to get a little more European feeling on it."
Strangely enough, whilst no outside writers were involved this time, Knock Out is a widely varied and at times a downright wacky collection of songs, which takes its time to achieve maximum aural effect. A grower perhaps?
"Yeah, I agree," gushes Claus. "It has to grow, and I'm happy with that. It's not too obvious and we don't give it all away the first time you listen to it. There are so many bits and pieces that you will hear as you get deeper into listening, and all those bits and pieces, they have their reasons. I'm really satisfied with it."
Over eleven songs, the band cover 50s style rock n' roll, pre-war-era jazz shuffles, and modern day funk, in addition to their usual brand of melodic metal and overblown, hard rock ballads. For instance, the funky groove of "The Stroke" is a considerable departure for them.
"First of all, we didn't want to record a cover version on this album," the vocalist explains. "But Mack made the suggestion that we cover BILLY SQUIER's 'Stroke' because he produced that song 10 years ago. Everybody likes the song. and it's one of those songs that you hear in every club you go. I think it was never covered before. and also everybody knows it, but it never made a big hit in Germany or Europe, so we decided it wouldn't be the worst idea to do this song."
"'The Stroke' was the first single" (in Germany, as RCA have no plans for a 45 release in the UK), he continues, "and we didn't do an A side and a B side. We did a double A side with 'Dirty Love' because people always have to think, you know, A is good and B is bad, so we said, 'Let's do it double A,' because I think 'Dirty Love' is also a very good song."Personally, I'm not so sure about "Dirty Love." Either "Rivers of Glory" or "Fight For Love," both touching melody-laden ballads, are far better suited to the singles market than a balls-out sleazy rocker. Indeed, the second German single is said to be "Rivers of Glory," on which Claus clearly has mixed feelings.
"You know, the radio situation, where you've got to have airplay. Some people may say we're only releasing a ballad to get airplay on the radio, but I think it's kind of good that they play ballads on the radio, because a lot of people get the chance to know something about a rock band, then buy the album and find that there are more good songs. It's not that easy for a rock band, whatever you do, whether it's the stuff we do or even harder, to get airplay on the radio. And that's a kind of shitty situation for everybody, the band and the fans. It's just not right."
Very true, though there is another reason for the emergence of this song.
"We've always had to listen to people who've said we sound a little bit like THE SCORPIONS. So, with the Scorpions right now having a big hit with 'Winds of Change,' we wanted to do a ballad that does not sound like that song. Because otherwise people could say, 'Well, now they're trying to do a ballad like the Scorpions again,' you know. So we did a ballad with piano and cello so that it sounds real different, because every band right now is doing their ballads with acoustic guitars and stuff like that. The funny thing about 'Rivers of Glory' is that I can't play piano but I wrote the song on piano and sent a demo of it to Angel and asked him to play it on guitar, which he did. Then Mack came in and said it would be good on piano the way I wrote it."Mack was also a powerful instigating force behind the CD bonus track "Tonmeister." As wacky as they come, this "song" (I use the term loosely) careers through several minutes of wild crazy sounds and yodelling vocals. Claus explains:
"Well, the story behind that is that, whenever you record an album, the record company and the management come up to you and say, 'Well guys, we need a bonus track,' which is only on the CD or used as a B side. We said we can't do that, then we thought about it, and said that most times a bonus track is a song that's not good enough to make it on the album, so it gets to be the bonus track. That's not what we wanted to do, so we decided that if we had to do a bonus track it must be completely different and out of this world, maybe. So, we took a day off and just went into the studio. Mack told us to play what we'd always wanted to play or were never allowed to play; so Edgar [Patrik] started with the drums, Angel came in... and the first minute of the song still sounds like a rock song. Then comes in all these...whatever it is!!" He concludes, laughing at the memory. "But we had a real good time in the studio doing it because in some parts we were really lying on the ground laughing. That's Tonmeister."
And I've heard people say the German race has no sense of humour! Though yer don't survive for long in the music business without a highly developed sense of the ridiculous.
Naturally, the next step for Bonfire is to take their music to the people. Though I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for "Tonmeister" live! Beginning in Germany on November the 7th, the band will be concentrating on Europe initially, which is set to include a seven-date stint in the UK during late November/ early December. Claus elaborates:
"I'm really looking forward to visiting the UK. A lot of people in Germany have asked why we don't play more shows in Germany, and the answer is just we have some responsibility also for our European fans, because they buy the albums too. So the plan is to do some European dates after the German tour and then come back after Christmas for the second part of the tour."What about the reputedly lucrative American market?
"Well, that's kind of a problem for us now. I don't know it, but we are out of the contract with RCA in America now, because it was just not a good situation for both parties really. They didn't give us any support and we were pissed off about the work they were doing because there wasn't work at all. So, we said it's just senseless to stay together for another two years or whatever, so we tried to get out of the contract, and we finally succeeded and are right now negotiating with various record companies to release our record in America. On the other hand, I must say that it's a pretty cool situation for us because we don't feel under any pressure to go to the States or have the need to tour or be in the States. So we can concentrate on our market in Europe."At this juncture Klaus and I wind down our conversation, though he can't resist a final joke as we say our farewells.
"I'll see you before Christmas. Santa 'Claus' is coming to the UK!"I can hear the sleigh bells jingling already!
Lyn Guy
Riff Raff
November 1991
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