The Reds(I)
- Soundtrack
- Composer
- Music Department
The Philadelphia band's first album on A&M, self-entitled The Reds, produced by David Kershenbaum, showed the band's impressive sound - a blend of Rick Shaffer's guitar and Bruce Cohen's keyboards into an interestingly textured drone, short guitar, and keyboard figures, rising then disappearing back into the drone, while Shaffer's voice provides the punch and definition for their overall sound. Other band members were Tommy Geddes on drums, and Jim Peters on bass. The album was supported with live appearances with The Police, Joe Jackson, Blondie, The Ramones, The Psychedelic Furs, and Public Image. Their album and performances garnered reviews by Kurt Loder (Rolling Stone), Robert Christgau (Creem Magazine), Robert Palmer (The New York Times), to name a few, An EP, Green With Envy, followed featuring The Doors song, "Break On Through," which suggests some of the band's roots. (Universal Music Group digitally re-released The Reds, and Green With Envy, August 2012.) In 1980 A&M Records released a compilation album, Propaganda, that included tracks from The Reds, The Police, Joe Jackson, The Granati Bros, Bobby Henry, Shrink, David Kubinec, and Squeeze.
After leaving A&M, The Reds went forward with two indie albums, Stronger Silence and Fatal Slide (Stony Plain/RCA), that continued The Reds sound. Stronger Silence was well received by David Fricke (Melody Maker UK), Jon Young (Trouser Press), among others, and added to Billboard's Recommended LP's. While Fatal Slide caught the attention of writers J.D. Considine (Musician Magazine), Rob Petterson (On Music & Media) and more. Tarock Music released Stronger Silence (Remastered) in 2020, and Fatal Slide (Remastered) in 2021. The band then went forward with founding members, Shaffer and Cohen. In 1984, they signed with Seymour Stein's Sire/WarnerBros label releasing a tense and powerful album entitled, Shake Appeal, produced by Mike Thorne (Blur, Soft Cell, Wire). This forcible record led the band to work with director/producer, Michael Mann. Mann incorporated numerous songs by The Reds into episodes of Season 1 of Miami Vice, then hired Shaffer and Cohen to write songs and score for two motion pictures, Band Of The Hand (Tri-Star Pictures) directed by Paul Michael Glaser and Manhunter (De Laurentiis Entertainment) directed by Michael Mann, based on the novel "Red Dragon." Soundtrack albums from both films were released by MCA Records. In 2010 Intrada Records released a limited edition Manhunter CD, with an added Reds track, "Jogger's Stakeout," and both albums were digitally re-released by Universal Music in 2012.
The Reds next album, Cry Tomorrow, reunited them with British producer Mike Thorne, released by Tarock Music in 1992, and re-released on Thorne's label, The Stereo Society, in 2001. It captures the driving intensity of earlier albums and the ambient, atmospheric feel from their film scores, resulting in a stark, surreal album, with a sense of mood and mystery. The pulsing opening track, "Terror In My Heart," was featured in the film, "Nightmare On Elm Street 2 - Freddy's Revenge" (New Line Cinema), directed by Jack Sholder, along with a searing non-stop groove of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter." The album also contains an alternate version of "Waiting For You."
In 2007, Fugitives From The Laughing House was written and produced by The Reds. The album is a straight forward raw nerve reflection of life in America. The Reds February 2009 release, Early Nothing, was also written and produced by Shaffer and Cohen. The album has a hypnotic quality, that leaves the listener free to let their subconscious play itself out, no matter where it goes. With the release of Early Nothing, The Reds, shamans of dark, brooding, loud rock continued to explore and define their sound. At this point in time, both Shaffer and Cohen began releasing solo albums. Bruce released One BC in 2009, and Rick released Necessary Illusion in 2010. Although they have been recording separately, a new album by The Reds remains a possibility as soon as Shaffer and Cohen can be in the same location at the same time. In the meantime, in the fall of 2018, the duo met-up in Miami to write and record "High Point" released as a single in February 2019, ending their ten-year hiatus.
(The Reds® is a Class 009 Registered Trademark #4076101 with the first use date of March 17, 1977)
After leaving A&M, The Reds went forward with two indie albums, Stronger Silence and Fatal Slide (Stony Plain/RCA), that continued The Reds sound. Stronger Silence was well received by David Fricke (Melody Maker UK), Jon Young (Trouser Press), among others, and added to Billboard's Recommended LP's. While Fatal Slide caught the attention of writers J.D. Considine (Musician Magazine), Rob Petterson (On Music & Media) and more. Tarock Music released Stronger Silence (Remastered) in 2020, and Fatal Slide (Remastered) in 2021. The band then went forward with founding members, Shaffer and Cohen. In 1984, they signed with Seymour Stein's Sire/WarnerBros label releasing a tense and powerful album entitled, Shake Appeal, produced by Mike Thorne (Blur, Soft Cell, Wire). This forcible record led the band to work with director/producer, Michael Mann. Mann incorporated numerous songs by The Reds into episodes of Season 1 of Miami Vice, then hired Shaffer and Cohen to write songs and score for two motion pictures, Band Of The Hand (Tri-Star Pictures) directed by Paul Michael Glaser and Manhunter (De Laurentiis Entertainment) directed by Michael Mann, based on the novel "Red Dragon." Soundtrack albums from both films were released by MCA Records. In 2010 Intrada Records released a limited edition Manhunter CD, with an added Reds track, "Jogger's Stakeout," and both albums were digitally re-released by Universal Music in 2012.
The Reds next album, Cry Tomorrow, reunited them with British producer Mike Thorne, released by Tarock Music in 1992, and re-released on Thorne's label, The Stereo Society, in 2001. It captures the driving intensity of earlier albums and the ambient, atmospheric feel from their film scores, resulting in a stark, surreal album, with a sense of mood and mystery. The pulsing opening track, "Terror In My Heart," was featured in the film, "Nightmare On Elm Street 2 - Freddy's Revenge" (New Line Cinema), directed by Jack Sholder, along with a searing non-stop groove of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter." The album also contains an alternate version of "Waiting For You."
In 2007, Fugitives From The Laughing House was written and produced by The Reds. The album is a straight forward raw nerve reflection of life in America. The Reds February 2009 release, Early Nothing, was also written and produced by Shaffer and Cohen. The album has a hypnotic quality, that leaves the listener free to let their subconscious play itself out, no matter where it goes. With the release of Early Nothing, The Reds, shamans of dark, brooding, loud rock continued to explore and define their sound. At this point in time, both Shaffer and Cohen began releasing solo albums. Bruce released One BC in 2009, and Rick released Necessary Illusion in 2010. Although they have been recording separately, a new album by The Reds remains a possibility as soon as Shaffer and Cohen can be in the same location at the same time. In the meantime, in the fall of 2018, the duo met-up in Miami to write and record "High Point" released as a single in February 2019, ending their ten-year hiatus.
(The Reds® is a Class 009 Registered Trademark #4076101 with the first use date of March 17, 1977)
