Fire Merchants

Fire Merchants - Fire Merchants - 1989 - Medusa

Fire Merchants was formed by ex-Brand X guitarist John Goodsall, and drummer Chester Thompson (ex Frank Zappa, Weather Report, & Genesis). John and Chester hired in bassist/percussionist Doug Lunn for their first self-titled album, posted here. Paul Kohler of allmusic.com describes this album as "Uptempo rock fusion, it is a well-executed album". John Goodsall expertly displays his guitar pyrotechnics and improvisations. Bassist Doug Lunn and drummer Chester Thompson underpin John Goodsall's great playing with some brilliant, rock steady performances. This is a great album if you like heavy progressive electric jazz rock guitar with extreme riffs and powerful rhythms. Check out Fire Merchants' "Landlords of Atlantis" album, and Brand X's great "Livestock" album with John Goodsall playing sensational guitar [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 132 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Saladin - John Goodsall 5:28
2. Hamsterdam - Doug Lunn 3:10
3. Conflagration - Chester Thompson 3:34
4. Tunnel Vision - John Goodsall 4:10
5. Last Rhino - John Goodsall 5:17
6. Divisions - John Goodsall 5:01
7. Ignition - John Goodsall 5:22
8. Cancel the Album - Chester Thompson, John Goodsall, Doug Lunn 00:58
9. Nevele - Doug Lunn 5:43
10. Z104 - Doug Lunn 4:51
11. Black Forest - Doug Lunn 7:43

BAND

John Goodsall - Guitar, Guitar Synth.
Doug Lunn - Fretless & 5 String Bass: Extra Percussion on "Last Rhino"
Chester Thompson - Drums

ABOUT JOHN GOODSALL (WIKI)

John Goodsall is a progressive rock & jazz fusion guitarist most noted for his work with Brand X, Atomic Rooster and The Fire Merchants. Goodsall was born in Pennsylvania and has lived in Los Angeles, England, Milan and Minnesota. He began playing guitar at age 7. At 15, he became a professional musician and joined Carol Grimes' Babylon, with members of Joe Cocker's Grease Band, Juicy Lucy and Jon Hiseman's Colosseum. He then toured extensively, first with The Alan Bown Set, then with Atomic Rooster. After Brand X's 1979 world tour (the last with Phil Collins), Goodsall moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician and as a member of the band Zoo Drive(1980-1987) which included Doug Lunn, Paul Delph and Atomic Rooster drummer Ric Parnell (aka Mick Shrimpton of Spinal Tap). Goodsall also performed and/or recorded with Bill Bruford, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Peter Gabriel, Billy Idol, Bryan Adams, Toni Basil to name a few. The Fire Merchants released two albums, Fire Merchants and Landlords Of Atlantis before Goodsall and Percy Jones re-formed Brand X as a trio in 1992 with drummer Frank Katz. Katz was in Jones' band Tunnels with whom Goodsall also recorded on their album Progressivity. This Brand X line-up released X-Communication and Manifest Destiny, which also featured Tunnels' midi-vibes player Marc Wagnon and some keyboards & composition by Franz Pusch. Most of the keyboard/synthesiser sounds however in the Brand X & Fire Merchants trios were triggered by his midi-guitar. In 1997 Brand X embarked on a 3 month tour of Europe & Japan as a quartet with John Goodsall, Percy Jones, keyboardist Kris Sjobring from Goodsall's L.A. based group Trancendental Medication, & drummer Pierre Moerlen from Gong. Later versions of this group released The X-Files and Missing Period, they played the west coast again in 1999 including a headline show at Progfest in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Goodsall has 2 daughters Germaine and Natasha. He played live with John Goodsall's Ghost Society in 2008, performing music of Brand X. Other members included Jim Reiske, Jim Steele & Dave Lemish. Recent albums featuring John Goodsall include Franz Pusch 'Only Visions' and Leon Alvarado 'Strangers In Strange Places'. John Goodsall continues to perform on sessions for international projects in Japan, Germany, England, France, USA etc.

ABOUT DOUG LUNN

Doug Lunn is a multi-instrumentalist performer/composer who specializes on 5 string fretless electric bass. He has appeared on over 100 recordings with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Mark Isham, David Torn, Andy Summers, and numerous film and TV soundtracks. He's been the bassist/percussionist and musical director with Peter Buffett's multi-media show "Spirit-The 7th Fire" on it's PBS special, CD, and 3 national tours. Doug was the co-leader and featured composer for the critically acclaimed band "Fire Merchants" with guitarist John Goodsall(Brand X) and drummers Chester Thompson, Chad Wackerman, and Toss Panos. He also toured Europe in 1997 with the trio "Subject/Object" which included drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and guitarist David Torn. Doug recently recorded music for the movie "Taladega Nights" with guitarists Wayne Kramer(MC5) and Tom Morello(Rage Against the Machine). He is a member of the group "Out Trio" with drummer Terry Bozzio and Austrian guitarist Alex Machacek. In the last year he's performed in the USA and Europe with the Chad Wakerman Trio along with guitarist Mike Miller. They have a new DVD coming out on the Drum Channel. Other artists/groups Doug has performed and/or recorded with include - L Shankar, John Abercrombie, Paul McCandles, Don Cherry, Sting, Chaka Kahn, Steven Stills, Martha Davis/The Motels, Wayne Kramer, Mike Keneally, Reeves Gabrels, Empire Brass, Richard Thompson, Dave Liebman, Nels Cline, Kevin Gilbert, Buddy Guy, Art Lande, Axiom of Choice, Eddie Henderson, Tony Basil, Mick Farren/The Deviants, Patrick Moraz, Mike Clark, Brand X, Bette Midler, Ed Mann, Jimmie Spheeris, Brian Adams, Eddie Jobson, Michael Des Barres, Joey Ramone, John Sinclair/Blues Scholars, Tanzi(the musical-1984), Vida Vierra, Sylvia St James, Zoo Drive, Robert Mirabal, Armen Chakmakian, Left-Right-Left, Lyle Workman, Warren Cuccurullo, Podunk Nowhere, Gilby Clarke, Umphrey's McGee, Lydia Lunch, Jerry Cantrell, Kofi Baker and numerous others. Doug was a member of the house band on the late night "Dennis Miller Show" on over 150 TV shows in 1992. He was also a performer and musical director for the award winning "Friends & Artists Theatre Ensemble"(F.A.T.E.). Doug spent many years as the percussionist and music director for "Swing Brazil Dance Company" and was involved with the organization and production of the 3rd and 4th versions of the "World Festival of Sacred Music" during September/October 2005 and 2008 in Los Angeles. Doug Lunn fronts his own band "Retrophobia". © 2002-2013 AbstractLogix http://www.abstractlogix.com/xcart/product.php?productid=25321

ABOUT CHESTER THOMPSON (WIKI)

Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American drummer and session musician. Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band (as part of the 1973–1974 lineups, which also featured percussionist Ruth Underwood and jazz keyboardist George Duke) and in Weather Report's album Black Market (1976).He played on such noted Zappa albums as Roxy & Elsewhere (Live recording 8-10.12.1973 & 8.5.1974), You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (Live in Helsinki, Finland 22–23.9.1974, released 1988) and One Size Fits All (1975). His longest-standing gig was with Genesis as the touring drummer (1977-2007). His relationship with the band began with the departure of frontman Peter Gabriel. Then-drummer, Phil Collins, assumed Gabriel's role in live shows, but remained behind the drum kit in the studio. Thompson became the touring drummer in 1977, playing on their tours in that year and in 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983/4, 1986/7, 1992 and the 2007 reunion Turn It On Again Tour. Chester is featured on their live albums Seconds Out (1977), Three Sides Live (1982), The Way We Walk Volume 1 (1992) & Volume 2 (1993) and Live Over Europe 2007. He chose not to be involved in the band's Calling All Stations European 1998 tour, following the band's failure to invite him to join the studio band after Phil Collins's departure. Thompson has also worked with Phil Collins on his solo concert tours, drumming on the 1982/83 Hello, I Must Be Going! tour, 1985 No Jacket Required tour, 1990 ...But Seriously tour, The Tarzan Premiere tour of 1999 and The Final Farewell tour of 2004/05. Chester also appears on Phil Collins' Serious Hits... Live! (1990) live album and DVD, and has released his own solo album, A Joyful Noise (1999, Camino Records, CAMCD16). Chester also plays on the Steve Hackett albums, Please Don't Touch (1978) and Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited (1996). Later on, he played on Tony Banks' solo album A Curious Feeling (1979). He also appears on Steve Hackett's live album The Tokyo Tapes released in 1998 (recorded, which features also and John Wetton, Ian McDonald and Julian Colbeck. He was also a founding member of the band Fire Merchants with Brand X guitarist John Goodsall and bassist Doug Lunn and appeared on their first eponymous recording in 1989. Chester has also been credited with playing drums with Santana in 1984 and is credited in the Beyond Appearances album along with Chester D. Thompson on keyboards. Chester's playing style is widely acknowledged and respected, and can be seen on numerous live videos of Genesis, from 1977 up to early 1990s. His live playing with the band is a striking mixture of his own style and Collins' own, being equally comfortable with acoustic and electronic drums. In the past, Chester has endorsed Ludwig Drums (1970-March, 1977), Pearl Drums (April, 1977 - July, 1987), Sonor Drums (1990–1999) and Paiste cymbals (1970–90), but now he endorses DW Drums since 2000 and Sabian cymbals since 1990. He was also a member of Air Pocket, a band centered around the Fowler Brothers. Chester Thompson is Adjunct Instructor at Belmont Universitys School of Music in Nashville/USA.