Fire is the sixth studio album by the Ohio Players and the second released through the Mercury label.
| Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1974 | |||
| Recorded | Paragon Studios (Chicago, Illinois) | |||
| Genre | Funk, soul | |||
| Length | 36:27 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Ohio Players | |||
| Ohio Players chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Fire | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
| Džuboks | mixed[3] |
History edit
Fire is the third of five Ohio Players albums that were also available in quadraphonic (4-channel stereo), released as an 8-track tape in the U.S. and on vinyl in Japan. DTS Entertainment released the quad mix as a DTS Audio CD in 2001.
The album's lead single "Fire" was serving in the mid-2010s as the theme song to the US television series Hell's Kitchen. Fire topped both the Billboard Pop Albums chart and the Billboard R&B Albums chart (where it held for five weeks) in early 1975.
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by James Williams, Clarence Satchell, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Marvin Pierce, William Beck
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fire" | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Together" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Runnin' from the Devil" | 4:48 |
| 4. | "I Want to Be Free" | 6:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Smoke" | 5:59 |
| 6. | "It's All Over" | 4:15 |
| 7. | "What the Hell" | 5:38 |
| 8. | "Together/Feelings" (listed as "Together (Reprise)" on back cover) | 1:11 |
Personnel edit
- James "Diamond" Williams – drums, chimes, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Billy Beck – piano, organ, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, ARP, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone & background vocals
- Marshall "Rock" Jones – Fender bass
- Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead & background vocals
- Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpet, trombone & background vocals
- Clarence "Satch" Satchell – baritone sax, tenor sax, soprano sax, flute, percussion, lead & background vocals
Production edit
- Ohio Players – producers
- Barry Mraz, Lee Hulko – engineers
- Jim Ladwig – art director
- Len Willis – designer
- Stan Malinowski – photography
Charts edit
| Chart (1974–75) | Peak [4] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B [4] | ||
| 1974 | "Fire" | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | "I Want to Be Free" | 44 | 6 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Fire review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Vrdoljak, Dražen. "Ohio Players - Fire". Džuboks (in Serbian) (11 (second series)). Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine: 24.
- ^ a b c "US Charts > Ohio Players". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-03-30.