Here is a song called “Through Birds, Through Fire, but Not Through Glass” by Carl Gustav and the 84s. I got the song from Andrew and really enjoy it.
I only know a little about the band. The song dates from 1981, and the band hails from Norwich in the UK. It was helmed by a guy named Jon Ward, who may be somewhere in this picture:
It’s a photo of the band The Painkillers, which Ward had previously led. I don’t know which of these guys, if either, is Ward. He later went on to found the band Kamikaze Sex Pilots.
The title of the song is taken from a painting by the born-French, naturalized-American surrealist Yves Tanguy.
Yves Tanguy (1900-1955) Through Birds, Through Fire, but Not Through Glass, 1943
And the name of the band? There isn’t anyone in it named Carl Gustav. Carl Gustav (apart from being the first and middle names of a man whose last name was Jung), is the name of an 84mm recoilless anti-tank rifle introduced in 1946 and still in use today.
Here’s a video of some soldiers loading and firing a Carl Gustav:
Look at all that stuff you learned from one song!
It is an excellent little number, isn’t it? And bravo to you for your research skills, too.
Jon Ward is the guy in the background playing guitar with the little round glasses on, he was a very talented songwriter musician,probably the most original from Norwich.