Riveting synths and glittering arpeggios highlighted "Burning", (as Coelho has always called it) and the song almost didn't make it to a release. When given an original cassette (there were no CD's back in the day !), Degiorgio went to work furiously to attempt to find the right lyric for it. Originally titled "Call Me", producer Rudd wasn't happy about the combination or lyric and gave the original to Doust to re-interpret. Under intense pressure, Barbara's re-write and delivery became "Burning With Fire". Today, it stands as one of her great performances, with the DaCosta/Coelho combination delivering the magic once again. It would be the last collaboration between Tapps and producer Bob Rudd. Driven by the pressure of the experience, Doust departed the act without ever performing with them. On the European cover, which features Allan and Tony, they were fronted by a model who was not a vocalist. The pictures were taken in the Eglinton Street subway station to the chagrin of the supervisors of Toronto Transit Commission.
Despite another top ten single in Holland in the clubs and another chart hit to boot, "Burning With Fire" became more of a cult classic than the success reached by the band with its debut single. For a moment, each of the creative principles went their separate ways. DaCosta, the quiet and determined counterpart to Coelho's "left hand high and right hand playing the hook" energy, piloted and co-produced "Take Me Now", written with clubgoer Terry Lottman, who was one of the group's most ardent supporters. In collaboration with Barbara Doust, their collaboration generated some international attention as well. Grittier and more emotive than his work with his partner, Tony's urgent more dramatic intensity has made the song an underground classic.
Coelho's bright and poppy interpretation was the perfect ebb and flow bookend to DaCosta. Sung and co-written by ex-Harlow lead vocalist Yohanna van der Kley ("Take Off"), "Star struck Lover" almost mirrored the success of "Take Me Now". Released in Canada as was the aforementioned on Power, "Star struck Lover" was steeped in true disco fashion by its melodies, and Coelho's stabs and uplifting music track made it another hi-NRG hit. Not only did it strike a chord as a pathway for Allan as a producer in the future, it also marked the beginning of a long and enduring friendship with the late Toronto disco legend, Peter Frost.
As a former buyer and enthusiast, Frost was to the knowledge of disco what Freud was to philosophy. A giant of a man in size, Peter's well-developed ear endeared him to Allan's intense need for a fulfilling record. "I was pretty burned out after the first album we did never got released. It was disappointing..,..I mean, you want people to hear your music and I feel we could have done more. Peter didn't ask for anything but to be involved. So I gave it a shot on "Star struck" and I felt comfortable. He was more of an advisor than a full-on producer. And I think that's what Tony and I wanted to do on whatever record we did next. No egos, just passion. Bob did great things with the first record, so you have to give credit where credit is due. But this time, we wanted to call the shots".
And call them they did. Using the same formula, DaCosta and Coelho collaborated once more, and the earlier stages of the track's performance leaned a little bit heavier on the synth side. When recorded on a four track, it had a different flavor. When the synth arpeggios were removed, Tapps essentially went pop. Driving to the distribution office where Power was, Allan brought his trademark enthusiasm to the office. "Where's Vinny?", he asked the people in the building. After locating Degiorgio, who's Power label was now releasing singles in quantity with some level of success and huge acclaim in the Hi-NRG market, they sat at the review table of Power's distribution company. "I have the next one" was the first thing Coelho said. It was quickly followed by "and I have to leave in 15 minutes!”
"Allan has proven time and time again that he almost stands alone when he feels what has done" says Degiorgio, who has gone on to sign groups such as NSync,Sweetbox and was responsible for breaking Real McCoy and La Bouche in North America. "I will always believe that if we didn't have one of his infamous 'songs on the clock' sessions, it never would have sounded this way". During the first run through of the song, Allan started sing a hook in the chorus. "I was just trying to feel the song. It was beautiful and primitive as it was only a rough mixdown of about six tracks. Then Allan sang 'Runaway Runaway..la la la"..and 15 minutes later, a story based on unrequited love from a personal experience Degiorgio had years before landed on tape. Degiorgio: "Runaway (With My Love)" is probably the best song Allan, Tony and I ever collaborated on. Today, it stands as something that you can play, and the result is instantaneous. Another hit for Tapps, another international release for Power and another step up the ladder of success.
While no one has ever taken credit for it, and some are afraid to, the picture sleeve for "Runaway" was actually shot on the outside deck of Toronto's famed CN Tower. In a recent conversation, Coelho couldn't stop laughing about the fateful night when the wind was blowing 600 miles an hour (his words) and the group was dressed in alternating black and Candy in white. "I wasn't sure if we were supposed to sing or serve dinner" Coelho recalled. In the end, it was another connection that would soon bear fruit, where the stylist would become a lyricist.
The winds of change blew even more at the start of 1986. In a market such as Canada, the promises of bigger and better things had Tapps close their chapter as an act on the Power label. "While it was always a question of the group wanting to do an album, the truth is that Tapps was actually never a direct signing to my label", stated Degiorgio, "and for that reason, most of the records were independently made and then sold to us. So, unlike the majors, we as a dance label never saw the artist development angle in the state of our musical youth as a company, so actually the artist was free to go. Personally, I know I was disappointed, however, I also knew that no matter what, Power had retained a great part of the Tapps legacy. They made us, and we made them".
The group didn't have to venture much further, as the company that distributed Power actually started the label was in the same building, calling itself "Boulevard".Coelho recalled: "The funny thing about leaving Vince's label as that to this day, I'm not sure why we did. As crazy as that sounds, we were growing together. Maybe it was that we felt we had grown as much as we could with Power and had to do something new, with a fresh perspective.
That "something new" became collaboration between the group and Fairlight programmer/producer John Forbes. Working in his studio in North Toronto, the group embarked on a new sound that would have them enjoy new hits that ended up as classics as a part of "Turn It On", the group's eventual debut album. Unlike previous recordings, the DaCosta/Coelho/Degiorgio troika, save for a cover version of "My Forbidden Lover" was nowhere to be found. "Tapps was more than my involvement in the group as a writer and A&R person" said Degiorgio. "Even though you're bitter when success moves on, it was going to be an adventure to see where the group would end up creatively".
