Boy in the Box was huge. To say otherwise is silly. Corey Hart to me was a bit of an enigma. He was a poster boy which meant he had no credibility, and was right up there with Platinum Blonde (another band I begrudgingly liked when no one was looking).
Fields of Fire was Corey Hart's third album and people were expecting big things ... and others were waiting for him to fall flat on his face.
I can't imagine the pressure he must have been under. He was still in his early '20s and was already a seasoned artist by 1986. For a pretty poster boy Corey Hart was the real deal, writing his own material and co-producing his own albums. The songs on
Fields of Fire seem to pick up where he left off with
Boy in the Box. There was a consistency to the songs that made them feel familiar, but it never felt like he was just flogging a dead horse and recycling himself. The band was again comprised of Russell Boswell on bass, Gary Breit on keys, Andy Hamilton on saxophone, the incredible Michael Hehir on guitar and Bruce Moffet on drums. These guys were awesome. It still boggles me that Michael Hehir isn't a household name. He's the sonic thread that runs through everything.
Of course this is also the album with
that song. The wee elephant in the room, "Can't Help Falling in Love" that emphasized Corey's vocal ability but was also the one where he leaned into his audible pout that could come off a little like Marlon Brando stuffing his cheeks with cotton. You either loved it, or wanted to find a bucket and do your best Mr. Creosote. It was the fall of 1986 when it was released as a single and I was out having a beer with my old friend Lawrence when this song came on. He put down his beer and rolled his eyes. I wish I knew why this memory has stuck with me. He just sat there looking like he'd been told his dog and fallen into a wood chipper and the vet bill was going to be a tad expensive. When the song ended, he finished his beer, wiped out the glass and then stuffed it in his jacket. He must have seen me looking and he merely smiled, "I'm collecting a set."
For a long time I didn't really think much of the song, partly based on Lawrence's reaction, but also because it was a cover that felt like an after thought. With so many good songs on the album it just felt cheap. Still here I am coming on forty years later still listening to the song, and have to admit there was something about it that's hard to put your finger on.
Corey Hart was at the height of his prowess here, with five of the eleven songs charting here in Canada through the middle of 1987. I don't think he ever really broke into the US market which was their loss. This was pure unadulterated '80s cheese and Mister Hart wasn't following the trends he was cutting a swath through the rest of the noise and frankly if cream rises to the top, Corey was the just the right amount of head on a Guinness (screw you metaphors, I'll mix you anyway I see fit).
Lifted from his wiki:
- "I Am By Your Side" released: September 1986
- "Angry Young Man" released: September 1986
- "Can't Help Falling In Love" released: November 1986
- "Dancin' With My Mirror" released: February 1987
- "Take My Heart" released: May 1987
The album covered a lot of ground, and frankly when Corey wanted to he could rock. Michael Hehir's guitar work propels "Is it too Late" while still maintaining that Corey Hart sound. The song is a banger. This should have been a single, but it seems like the mellow ballady shit was what sold, although "Dancin' With My Mirror" was a decent rock song.
Fields of Fire was in many ways as good as it would get commercially for Mister Hart. It was also the last album to feature the classic line up. This isn't to say that it was the end of the line, just the end of an era. He released four albums in the '80s, and he'd release another four through the '90s (that I liked by the way) and a couple more after that.
He's no longer a kid, but then again neither am I and he's a year older. There was a time he set the world on fire and not just the occasional field.
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