The 40th anniversary edition of Alan Goldberg’s Fuel For The Fire is a fascinating meeting point between the music he made in 1984 and the artist he has become four decades later. Originally recorded in a basement studio, the album has been rebuilt around those early performances, with new guitar, drums, keyboards and orchestral touches filling out a sound that clearly owes something to the adventurous progressive rock of the era.
There’s plenty here for listeners who like their instrumental music with a sense of movement. “Spark From The Dark” gets things underway with an immediate explosion of synthesizers, piano and guitar, while “Chasing Stray Flames” takes a more gradual route, building its momentum through shifting textures rather than relying on one big payoff. “Crossroad” is shorter and more concentrated, acting almost as a purposely minimal classical piece from a composer like Carl Orff or Satie.“Changing by Degrees” has a searching, metamorphosing quality that suits the album’s long journey back to its origins, while “Taberah” leans harder into progressive rock, bringing some welcome heat and rhythmic drive.
The pensive and moving closing track “CONSUMED” is the most mysterious piece of the set and perhaps best gets to the core of what makes this album truly rewarding as an experience. Fuel For The Fire works best as a document of an artist returning to his younger self without simply trying to recreate him, and four decades later, Goldberg has given these old recordings room to become something new.
