∎ 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. The album was supported with live appearances with The Police, Joe Jackson, Blondie, The Ramones, The Psychedelic Furs, and Public Image. An EP, GREEN WITH ENVY, followed featuring The Doors song, "Break On Through," which suggests some of the band's roots. (Universal Music digitally re-released The Reds, and Green With Envy, August 2012.) In 1980 A&M 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, receiving critical acclaim internationally. They next recorded a tense and powerful album for Sire/WB 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 Miami Vice, then hired Shaffer and Cohen to write songs and score for two motion pictures, Band Of The Hand (Tri-Star) and Manhunter (De Laurentiis), based on the novel "Red Dragon." Soundtrack albums from both films were released on MCA, a Manhunter CD, with an added Reds® track, “Jogger’s Stakeout”, was released by Intrada Records (2010), and Universal Music digitally released both albums (2012).
∎ During this time, solo projects for Cohen were writing score for the productions, "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" and "Down The Road" at Philadelphia's Walnut Theatre; "The Speckled Band," starring Quentin Crisp, and Charles Busch' play, "Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom" for NYC's Pulse Theatre Company; and a forty minute electronic film noir piece, "Goodbye Johnny Staccato." While solo projects for Shaffer included recording guitar tracks on a Marianne Faithfull album (Island); Hilly Kristal's, "Mad Mordechai" (Stereo Society); Peter Murphy's, "Holy Smoke" (Beggars Banquet/BMG); and Marc Almond's, "Fantastic Star" (Some Bizarre/Mercury). While Shaffer wrote and recorded, "Looking For Right," for director Michael Mann"s film, "Collateral."
∎ The Reds® next album, CRY TOMORROW reunited them with British producer Mike Thorne. 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" (New Line), directed by Jack Sholder, along with a searing non-stop groove of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter."
∎ 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 is still a possibility as soon as Shaffer and Cohen can be in the same location at the same time. See their entire discography below.
■ PLEASE NOTE: The Reds® is a Registered Trademark, with the first use date of March 17, 1977.
THE REDS® OFFICIAL WEBSITE is TarockMusic.com
DISCOGRAPHY
∎ RICK SHAFFER
2017 • STOLEN MOMENTS (Tarock Music #TM-CD15)
2016 • OUTSIDE OF TIME (Tarock Music #TM-CD13)
2015 • JITTERBUG SHAKE (Tarock Music #TM-CD11)
2014 • HARD TIMES SIXTY — Single (Tarock Music)
2014 • LINK — Single (Tarock Music)
2014 • MISADVENTURE (Tarock Music #TM-CD10)
2013 • STACKED DECK (Tarock Music #TM-CD9)
2012 • IDIOT FLATS (Tarock Music #TM-CD8)
2011 • HIDDEN CHARMS (Tarock Music #TM-CD6)
2010 • NECESSARY ILLUSION (Tarock Music #TM-CD5)
1971 • JUST THE BEGINNING — RICK SHAFFER & FREIGHT TRAIN (Fly By Night #LPFBN1001
∎ BRUCE COHEN
2017 • FOUR BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD14)
2015 • THREE BC — IN A TRANCE (Tarock Music #TM-CD12)
2014 • BIG FUN 3 — FADEOUT Bruce Cohen, Peter ”Babe” Lucas, Tony Foster (RopeADope #N/A)
2013 • BIG FUN 3.2 — Bruce Cohen, Peter ”Babe” Lucas, Tony Foster (RopeADope #N/A)
2011 • TWO BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD7)
2010 • BIG FUN 3 — Bruce Cohen, Rik Myers, Brandon Cruz (RopeADope #N/A)
2009 • ONE BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD4)
∎ THE REDS®
2009 • EARLY NOTHING (Tarock Music #TM-CD3)
2007 • FUGITIVES FROM THE LAUGHING HOUSE (Tarock Music #TM-CD2)
2001 • CRY TOMORROW (Stereo Society #SS004)
1992 • CRY TOMORROW (Tarock Music #TM-CD1)
1986 • MANHUNTER — FILM SOUNDTRACK (MCA #6182)
1986 • BAND OF THE HAND — FILM SOUNDTRACK (MCA #6167)
1986 • WAITING FOR YOU — SINGLE (Music Action - France #N/A)
1985 • SHAKE APPEAL (Music Action - France #MAP9009)
1984 • SHAKE APPEAL (Sire/Warner Bros #21-04261)
1983 • FATAL SLIDE (Helter Skelter - Italy #HS93CD26)
1982 • FATAL SLIDE (Stony Plain - Canada #SPL10481981)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Helter Skelter - Italy #HS93CD26)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Stony Plain - Canada #SPL1037)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Kingdom - UK #KVL90051981)
1981 • THE DANGER / DO YOU PLAY THE GAME — SINGLE (Kingdom - UK #KV8019)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE — EP (Ambition #AM1981)
1980 • PROPAGANDA (A&M #SP4786)
1979 • GREEN WITH ENVY — EP (A&M #SP3301)
1979 • WHATCHA′ DOIN' TO ME — SINGLE (A&M #N/A)
1979 • WHATCHA′ DOIN' TO ME — GREEN VINYL (A&M - UK #N/A)
1979 • JOEY / VICTIMS — SINGLE (A&M #SP3178)
1979 • THE REDS — GREEN VINYL (A&M #SP4772)
1979 • SELF REDUCTION / VICTIMS — SINGLE (EKE #N/A)
1977 • JOEY / AUTOMATIC BOY — SINGLE (Go Go #00011971)
Terror in My Heart
The Reds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swaying to the groove with an endless soul
Laugh at time, hardly rolls by
ct the end of the reign, there's clear blue sky
There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long c pain so hard, trying to stay strong That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide
c stain on my part, please help me to survive
Walking down the path of an empty park
Cries of the birds singing through the storm
Shaping up the size of an endless form
There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long
c pain so hard, trying to stay strong
That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide
c stain on my part, please help me to survive
Laying with the pines, a summer's ease
Stepping through the cold of seaborne breeze
Life moves on, time to find
The days I lost, the nights that I cried
There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long
c pain so hard, trying to stay strong
That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide
c stain on my part, please help me to
c stain on my part, please help me to
There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long
c pain so hard, trying to stay strong
That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide
c stain on my part, please help me to survive
The Reds' song "Terror in My Heart" describes the pain and struggle of an individual who is trying to come to terms with a significant loss in their life. The opening lines of "Nights so hot, Days unfold / Swaying to the groove with an endless soul / Laugh at time, hardly rolls by / At the end of the reign, there's clear blue sky" seem to describe a period of hedonistic enjoyment, with a carefree attitude that disregards the passing of time. However, the next verse "There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long / A pain so hard, trying to stay strong / That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide / A stain on my part, please help me to survive" reveals that this carefree attitude only serves to mask a deeper pain and anguish.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of loneliness even when surrounded by nature or walking through empty parks. The lyrics "Listen to the bells, ringing after dark / Walking down the path of an empty park / Cries of the birds singing through the storm / Shaping up the size of an endless form" evoke a sense of isolation and despair, with the individual struggling to find meaning or connection in the world around them. However, the final lines "Life moves on, time to find / The days I lost, the nights that I cried / There's a hole in my heart, nine miles long / A pain so hard, trying to stay strong / That hole in my heart, I'm trying to hide / A stain on my part, please help me to survive" seem to express a desire to move on and heal, with a plea for help and support from others.
Line by Line Meaning
Nights so hot, Days unfold
The days are long and sultry, stretching on endlessly.
Swaying to the groove with an endless soul
Dancing without a care in the world, completely in the moment.
Laugh at time, hardly rolls by
Time seems to stand still, with each moment stretched out and eternity lasting forever.
At the end of the reign, thereu0027s clear blue sky
Even when things seem darkest, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Thereu0027s a hole in my heart, nine miles long
A deep, unending sadness that seems bottomless and soul-crushing.
A pain so hard, trying to stay strong
Enduring the agony of heartbreak, with the weight of the world on one's shoulders.
That hole in my heart, Iu0027m trying to hide
Keeping one's pain and heartache hidden from the world, trying to appear strong and unaffected.
A stain on my part, please help me to survive
Desperately seeking relief from the crushing weight of one's emotions, hoping for someone to help them through this trying time.
Listen to the bells, ringing after dark
The mournful sound of the bells serves as a reminder of the darkness and despair in the world.
Walking down the path of an empty park
The loneliness and isolation of one's journey through life, with no one to turn to for comfort or support.
Cries of the birds singing through the storm
Even in the midst of turmoil and chaos, there is still beauty and hope to be found.
Shaping up the size of an endless form
The enormity of the emotions being felt, so overwhelming that they seem to take on a form of their own.
Laying with the pines, a summeru0027s ease
Finding comfort and solace in the beauty of nature, with the warmth and ease of summer providing temporary relief from the pain.
Stepping through the cold of seaborne breeze
Braving the harshness of life, with the salty, chill of the ocean serving as a reminder of one's resilience.
Life moves on, time to find
Despite everything, time marches forward, and it's up to the individual to find their own way in the world.
The days I lost, the nights that I cried
The sorrow and pain that has been endured, with each day and night feeling like an eternity of suffering.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind