Dream Command - Fire On The Moon

Fire on the Moon is the Comsat Angels' seventh album, released in 1990 on Island Records. It was issued under the alias Dream Command, and in limited quantities in the United States and the Netherlands only. A promo-only single of "Celestine" was released in similarly small quantities. Frontman Stephen Fellows was once asked which of the Comsats' albums was his least favorite. He replied, "Least favourite is not a Comsats album, but a Dream Command one [Fire On The Moon] – what the hell were we thinking about?"

Not a fire, but more like the rubbing of two waterlogged twigs. The final creative lapse in the Comsat Angels' up-down-up story, the best thing about Fire on the Moon is that it wasn't credited to them in name -- the band was going through intensive legal troubles with the Communications Satellite company, whose legal threats became serious enough to warrant a temporary change of name. Though Fire's predecessor, (Chasing Shadows) saw the band regain their footing after the disappointing Land and dull Seven Day Weekend, Fire on the Moon was completely misguided. It saw the group make the all-too-common mistake of the British band aiming their sights on the States for the good of the label. Neither label nor band ended up being happy with the end result, so it's a wonder why Island decided to put the record out at all. Wisely, it didn't get distributed in the U.K.; in the States it was released and quickly deleted. The opening guitar riff of "Celestine" is telling. Much like the rest of what follows, it's stuck in late '80s/early '90s rock clichés. Another bad sign is the opening lyrics: "This may come as a surprise, but I've got X-ray eyes." And just when you thought it couldn't get worse, the track contains a lifeless guitar solo. The remainder is equally plain and flat, signaling to most bands what would appear to be the end. Little would anyone expect the band to resurface two years later with the excellent My Mind's Eye.

Ripped to MP3 @ 320

A1 Celestine 3:49

A2 Whirlwind 3:30

A3 Sleepwalking 5:09

A4 Reach for Me 4:52

A5 Ice Sculpture 4:41

B1 Venus Hunter 4:37

B2 Phantom Power 3:41

B3 Transport of Delight 3:23

B4 She's Invisible 3:55

B5 Mercury 2:19