You Can Run

I don't know if you're still out there after six and a half years, but I saw your comment today and just had to reply. The Flock was a very good live band. For all the crap they take from people who couldn't get past Mike Score's haircut, they were a strong band. I saw them live on three occasions. I only knew "I Ran" when I saw them open for the Go Go's in 1982, though my girlfriend (long since my wife) had skipped eating for a day when she spent her last few dollars on their EP, so she...

I don't know if you're still out there after six and a half years, but I saw your comment today and just had to reply. The Flock was a very good live band. For all the crap they take from people who couldn't get past Mike Score's haircut, they were a strong band. I saw them live on three occasions. I only knew "I Ran" when I saw them open for the Go Go's in 1982, though my girlfriend (long since my wife) had skipped eating for a day when she spent her last few dollars on their EP, so she knew what we were in for and was appropriately geeked. The band absolutely deafened me with their sound. I had seats right in front of Frank Maudsley, and got a great chance to see how well he kept the beat going, driving the band with his bass playing. I was hooked. I saw them as part of a 5-band show at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago (drove there from Cleveland to see it) . They shared the stage with Ministry (pre-industrial Ministry was excellent!), Joan Jett, and the Fixx...all of whom were opening acts that day on the first show of the Police's "Synchronicity" tour. MTV was there filming, and the air was electric. The crowd was not appreciative of The Flock, however, and they threw stuff at them, and booed as AFOS left the stage. They didn't even play "I Ran" that day, as they were so mistreated by the crowd (who also hated Joan Jett - someone threw a trash can on stage at her - so you can see that 1983-Chicago had no taste in music at all). Also that Summer, I caught AFOS opening for the Fixx - Cleveland audiences rock, and that was an outstanding show. It was really more of a co-headlining date. Their live show was always high-energy, and non-stop. I was soaked with sweat from dancing after each of their performances. The highlight (at least at two of the shows...) was the extended version of "I Ran", featuring Paul Reynolds' amazing guitar effects. You can find a live recording featuring this intro if you look hard enough, and it's just haunting - you'd think it was done with synths, but it's just Paul slowing sliding his fingers down the guitar strings, while playing the notes with his other hand. He was an amazing guitar player, but few people seemed to notice. A sorely underrated band, but one that really hit the nail on the head so far as being in the right place at the right time. They were so completely New Wave just as that genre was starting its peak. It was amazing how well they could create the sound live, too. At the time, a lot of synth-based bands weren't able to get the sound right live, but these four were true musicians - your basic foursome of guitar, bass, synths and drums. They just happened to know how to make it all really danceable, too, which was hugely important at the time. And the sci-fi bent to their early lyrics made it all work.