“NAKED EYES” LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
By Rob Nagy

In the early 1980’s the synth pop movement was born with groups like England’s Naked Eyes paving the way. Formed in 1981, the band was comprised of childhood friends Pete Byrne (lead vocals) and Rob Fisher(keyboards). After much experimentation and song writing, Naked Eyes made their debut in 1983, the height of the MTV age, with the album “Burning Bridges” yielding the smash hit “Always Something There To Remind Me”, which was recorded in the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Surprisingly, the song was penned by the legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Bacharach was later quoted as saying “It was one of his personal favorites”. Receiving lots of exposure in MTV’s video rotation, “Always Something There To Remind Me”, reached the top ten in Europe, America and beyond. “It is such a fantastic song in any respect”, says Byrne. “It seems to have a mind of it’s own. I really think our version of it gave it new life”. Follow-up singles “Promises, Promises”, which Madonna performed back-up vocals on, and “When The Lights Go Out” continued the groups momentum achieving hit status. Their follow-up album “Fuel For The Fire” yielded a moderately successful single “(What) In The Name of Love”, barely making the “Top 40”, receiving a modest response from fans and radio. In spite of all the airplay and media attention “Naked Eyes” was getting, surprisingly, the band had not done any live concerts and, instead, did the a media rounds to all the radio stations and select TV programs like “Solid Gold”. “We were going to do a tour with ‘Hall & Oates’ which was cancelled”, recalls Byrne. “Then a tour with ‘The Motels’ materialized. We had rehearsed and were ready to ship out of London when ‘The Motels’ lead singer Martha Davis became ill so that tour was cancelled. The record company, in their great wisdom, suggested we go back into the studio, which was a big mistake in retrospect. We needed to get out and play.” Frustration soon set in and “Naked Eyes” future was in question. “Everybody at our record company had changed”, recalls Byrne. “The people that signed us were now gone and the new people had no stake in us so there wasn’t any backing by the label. To further complicate things the label was in London while our management was in New York. Rob and I were at lunch one day and I said, ‘You know what, I think that’s the end of it.’” By 1984 Naked Eyes, a band that had such huge promise broke up. Byrne relocated to Los Angeles in the late 80’s where he did session work with a variety of artists, notably Stevie Wonder, while Fisher joined the group Climie Fisher. In an effort to keep “Naked Eyes” name alive, Byrne was responsible for putting together a greatest hits album entitled “Everything and More” which included all of the 12 inch dance remixes of their hits followed by two solo EP’s of original material “The World In Which We Live” and “Real Illusion”. Byrne and Fisher, who had remained on good terms following the break-up of “Naked Eyes”, began work on a new album in 1999, their first joint effort in many years. Work was abruptly interrupted when Fisher went into the hospital for stomach surgery. “ I kept getting offers to do things and one of the offers was to do a tour of the Far East”, recalls Byrne. “Rob and I had written and recorded some songs and submitted them to BMG Records among others so things were going quite well. Then about a month into the planning of a tour Rob was seriously ill and had to go into the hospital. He survived that but than started to get very weak and helpless after that that.” Rob Fisher died in August of 1999. It took Byrne several years to deal with this devastating loss. Byrne’s desire to move on found him giving serious consideration to forming, a new, “Naked Eyes”. It wasn’t until this year that that desire became reality. “After I did the ‘Everything and More’ album”, says Byrne, “ I started thinking seriously about putting a little band together so I could go out and do the ‘Naked Eyes’ stuff.” Assembling a core of highly talented musicians from the L.A. area, Byrne is once again fronting “Naked Eyes”. “I really didn’t know what it was going to be like”, says Byrne, “ I decided to keep it simple. I just got two keyboard players and a drummer. I had no idea that when we went on stage how incredible it would be. The audiences still know all that songs which is really great. It was hard not having Rob on stage with me”, added Byrne, “ I keep thinking about how much Rob would have loved this. I always make a point to mention that during our shows since most everything we perform Rob and I wrote.” Armed with new material as well as the old “Naked Eyes” standards, the band has been headlining sold out shows. Byrne is currently in the final stages of his latest project. “ I‘m putting together an acoustic album of covers entitled ‘Fumbling With The Covers’”, says Byrne, “Which includes covers of Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stones and some Naked Eyes stuff, ‘Promises, Promises’, ‘Always Something There To Remind Me’ and ‘When The Lights Go Out’. We’re looking at a couple of labels that want to do something with this.” “Fumbling With The Covers” is expected to be released in the Spring of 2006. Re-issues of the first two “Naked Eyes” albums is also in the works. “I’m trying to license the first two ‘Naked Eyes’ releases in their original format and put them out on cd.”, says Byrne, “With the idea of keeping the name alive.” “Naked Eyes” will be performing this New Years Eve at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon, Ca. A handful of dates in Florida and California are scheduled for January 2006 with the hope of doing an expanded tour that will cover the northeast.