Fastway (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Fastway


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Genre = Heavy metal
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Years_active = 1983 - present
Label = CBS
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Current_members = "Fast" Eddie Clarke
Toby Jepson
John McManus
Steve Strange
Past_members = Pete Way
Dave King
Jerry Shirley
Lea Hart
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Fastway are a heavy metal band formed by guitarist, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly of Motörhead, and bassist, Pete Way, formerly of UFO.

Career

In 1983, both players had been disgruntled with their own bands and decided to work together in a new outfit. They recruited drummer, Jerry Shirley, formerly of Humble Pie, and the then unknown vocalist, Dave King, now a frontman of Flogging Molly. They took their name from a combination of the founding members' names. However, Way then discovered that he could not escape from his recording contract with Chrysalis Records, and then received a tempting offer to play for Ozzy Osbourne, so abandoned the project. Bringing in session bassist, Mick Feat, the band then recorded their debut album, "Fastway".

A critical and commercial success, the band toured to promote the album (with Alfie Agius [ [http://www.alanburridge.freeuk.com/pressandphotos/FastEddieClarke.htm Fast Eddie Clarke] article by Alan Burridge. Retrieved on June 9 2007.] as their session bass player). The band then recruited Charlie McCracken, formerly of Taste as "permanent" bassist, and released another success in the form of "All Fired Up" the following year. After the hardships of touring, Shirley and McCracken subsequently left. In 1986 Clarke and King reformed Fastway with a new line-up. Recruiting Shane Carroll (second guitar), Paul Reid (bass), and Alan Connor (drums) from Dave King's first band Stillwood, this line-up released "Waiting for the Roar". The record took an album-oriented rock approach instead of the driving bluesy-metal of the previous albums. The success of the record was limited, and it disappointed many fans. In 1987 Fastway was approached to make the soundtrack for the heavy metal horror film, "Trick or Treat". The film flopped, but the soundtrack re-established Fastway as a hard hitting metal band. The soundtrack was a moderate success, and stayed on the Billboard Top 200 chart for eleven months. The success of the soundtrack, and the very little money the band received, caused in-fighting and the band disbanded. King took most of the band with him and started Q.E.D., a more AOR styled outfit. They released a two-track single.

King then got a call from David Geffen and Jon Kolodner to come to the United States to head up a heavy metal supergroup, called Katmandu. Katmandu also featured Mandy Meyer from Krokus on guitars. The band was rounded out by Cain Carruthers of the punk rock band The Untouchables, and Mike Alonso of the punk band, The Meanies.

Clarke decided to restart Fastway again from scratch using vocalist Lea Hart and session men, quickly releasing "On Target" in the same year, but it sold poorly.

In 1990 this duo released "Bad Bad Girls", employing various session musicians including members of Girlschool. It was widely ignored and sold poorly. After calling it a day in 1991, they released a perfunctory live album "Say What You Will LIVE" (an older recording, curiously with King on vocals). In 1997 Clarke and Hart reunited and released a reworked version of "On Target", but there was no commercial success.

Vocalist King later returned to his roots and some success in 1997 with Flogging Molly, an Irish inspired punk band, who have sold over a million and a half copies of recorded output as of December 2006. They have recorded 4 studio albums to date and have reached all the way to the #4 spot on the American Billboard Top 200 Charts, #1 on the Billboard Independent Chart, and # 2 on The Billboard Alternative Chart.

On 25 May 2007, Toby Jepson, former lead singer with Little Angels, announced he had accepted an approach from Fastway to perform lead vocal duties during the year's festival appearances. Jepson will also continue with his solo work.As reported on MelodicRock.com on 26 February 2007, an updated line-up for Fastway will appear at this year's Sweden Rock Festival. They will also be appearing at the 2007 Download Festival at Castle Donington. Besides guitarist Clarke, the band features drummer Steve Strange (not the singer Steve Strange) and John McManus (Mama's Boys).

The current line-up appeared at the 2007 Japanese Loud Park Festival in Saitama,Japan on Saturday October 20th 2007. Songs performed were Misunderstood, Steal The Show, Another Day, Say What You Will, Heft, Telephone, Non Stop Love, Feel Me,Touch Me (Do Anything You Want), and Easy Living.

In an interview with Komodo Rock at the Hard Rock Hell Festival in November 2007, Eddie Clark confirmed that he and Toby Jepson would be working on new material. He said "Toby and I are going to sit down and maybe do a few tunes over the winter. See if we can write some tunes." [ [http://www.komodorock.com/interviews/interviews/komodo-rock-talks-with-%22fast%22-eddie-clarke-of-fastway-200711192694/ Komodo Rock | Komodo Rock Talks With "Fast" Eddie Clarke Of Fastway ] ]

Discography

* "Fastway" (1983) #43 UK, #31 U.S.
* "All Fired Up" (1984) #59 U.S.
* "Waiting for the Roar" (1985)
* "Trick or Treat" (soundtrack, 1986) #156 U.S.
* "On Target" (1988) #135 U.S.
* "Bad Bad Girls" (1990)
* "Say What You Will - Live" (1991)
* "On Target Reworked" (1997)
* "The Collection" (2001)
* "Fastway/All Fired Up" remastered (2003)
* "Waiting For The Roar" remastered (2005)

References

External links

* [http://www.rockdetector.com/officialbio,3213.sm Rock detector's band biography]
* [http://www.myspace.com/fastwaymusic Official Fastway myspace page]