Description

Live Fireworks is a live album by the American rock band Fireworks fronted by Marty McCall, released on MCA Songbird in 1980. The album was recorded by Fanta Professional Services live at The Lord’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee; with the band producing for Chris Christian Productions.

Featuring Marty McCall on lead vocals and piano, Jerry Gaston on guitar and vocals, as well as a rhythm section consisting of Bob Sinkovic on bass and Lanny Avery on drums. Interestingly, the live album features new material only.

Fireworks is hot. Their new in-concert LP, Live Fireworks, is well-written and well-produced Christian rock’n’roll. By far the best feature of the band itself is vocalist Marty McCall. His resonant Irish tenor displays an expressive ability unusual in most Christian rock vocalists.

The group has grown considerably in its understanding of the possibilities of electric instrumentation since its last LP (one of two on the Myrrh label.) Unlike some other Christian artists, they obviously spent time and effort arranging their material. Keyboards, guitars and percussion work together and avoid the irritating shallowness, empty air space and painfully slow guitar licks which typify so many religious renditions of rock’n’roll.

Rhythmically, the band goes for the somewhat frenetic sound now commonly identified with new wave, and to some degree the hard rock cuts on the album lack variety. A few of the cuts are slower, softer rock – one is balladic – and a couple use heavy bass and the minor gypsy scale.

This album of all new tunes was recorded live at the Lord’s Chapel in Nashville, Tenn. Live Fireworks may serve as some kind of landmark in musical professionalism in Christian rock, and the LP’s combination of intelligent Christian lyrics and rich rock’n’roll could be downright explosive. [CCM (Records – What’s New), July 1980]

On Live Fireworks Marty and band pulled out all the stops and proved that they were more than capable of performing straight-ahead rock-n-roll. Looks like there were some changes in the line-up as they’re now an all-male foursome (although you can sometimes hear a female backing vocal assisting). The live concert setting is the perfect vehicle for showcasing the group’s heavier side on this collection of all new material. Jerry Gaston’s electric guitar work in particular adds a hard edge to the band’s sound on «Rescued», «Listen», «Target Practice», «Toll Free», «Rusty Burdens» and «Ready For The Rest Of You» – all powerful rockers that undoubtedly would have been watered down had the band done another Myrrh studio recording. Ballads like «Someone’s Got A Hold Of Me» and «It All Comes Down To You» are also quite effective in the live environment. Recorded at The Lord’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s a fairly serious Afro that Marty’s sporting on the back cover photo. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Rescued” – 3:25
A2. “Listen” – 4:30
A3. “Target Practice” – 2:48
A4. “Someone’s Got A Hold On Me” – 3:30

Side Two
B1. “Toll Free” – 3:25
B2. “Good Thing” – 3:09
B3. “Rusty Burdens” – 3:31
B4. “It All Comes Down To You” – 3:37
B5. “Ready For The Best Of You” – 3:46

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by MCA Songbird.

A full-page advertisement for various new releases on MCA Songbird Records, including Fireworks’ live album, was featured in the July 1980 issue of CCM Magazine.

Fireworks, Live at Koinonia Coffeehouse & Bookstore, Nashville: (L-R) Jerry Gaston, Lanny Avery, Marty McCall, Bob Sincovic.

Fireworks Tribute. I toured with Marty McCall and Fireworks for almost 3 years as the Bass player . Played on the live album. Got to together with some friends to recreate “Shatter the Darkness” and “Resuced.” – Bob Sinkovic, 31 Jul 2018.