The Del Fuegos
Boston, Mass. (1985)

review by: Michael Walls
Date: 11/29/00

Way back in the mid-80s, most people were trying to figure out if Madonna was a "virgin" and whether she was a blonde or brunette. Others were more concerned about Prince's sexual orientation and whether he was going to make anymore movies.

Most or all of these people had never heard of a bunch of kids running around Boston calling themselves The Del Fuegos. Too bad. Because these guys were probably the hardest working musicians during a very busy "new wave" decade.

The Del Fuegos were fighting for stage space and fans during a time when you probably couldn't get a gig unless you had a couple of keyboard players with a lot of mousse in their hair. But they did manage to get gigs and they did develop a loyal following.

Most of their fans were from pure rock n' roll roots. People who enjoyed Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty or anybody who played a guitar and sang about the simple things around them. Songs about their girlfriends, or their town, or their cars. Guitar jams that sometimes lasted forever and never sounded the same at two different gigs.

Even though The Del Fuegos played rock n' roll, they had the most unique sound and style that hasn't been duplicated since. Singer/guitarist Dan Zanes' voice is a combination of Tom Waits' raspy twang and Mick Jagger's energy and emotion. And with brother Warren Zanes playing guitar next to Dan, you can tell you're listening to musicians who have played together for twenty years.

Boston, Mass. is The Del Fuegos finest album and probably the finest rock n' roll album of 1985. I can say that, because there really wasn't a hell of a lot of rock n' roll being produced in 1985. It's a simple, pure, fun album that is still unique after 15 years.

It's a shame that The Del Fuegos only produced a handful of records before breaking up. I think if they had existed ten years earlier or ten years later, they would have survived.

This album and their other three are almost impossible to come by. They are all out-of-print. Neither CDNow or Spun.com has any copies. But you can sometimes get this CD on Ebay or other auction sites. They are real collectors items.