Fireball Zone is the third solo album by the American musician Ric Ocasek, frontman and songwriter of the Cars.[2][3] The first single from the 1991 release was "Rockaway".[4]

Fireball Zone
Studio album by
Released1991
RecordedSkyline Studios, New York City
GenreElectronic pop
Length54:46
LabelReprise[1]
ProducerNile Rodgers, Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek chronology
This Side of Paradise
(1986)
Fireball Zone
(1991)
Quick Change World
(1993)

Production

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The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Ric Ocasek.[5] Its title is a reference to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.[6] "Over and Over" and "The Way You Look Tonight" are ballads.[7] In contrast to his Cars days, Ocasek recorded the album live, with his band, rather than part by part.[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Calgary HeraldD[1]
Chicago Tribune    [10]
Rolling Stone     [11]

The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "the main thrust of Fireball Zone is to emphasize a funk element within what has always been Ocasek's music style—cold, lean, electronic pop with a tortured bottom end."[12] The Chicago Tribune opined that Fireball Zone "may not be a masterpiece, but it's better than any album by the repetitive Cars, easily one of the most overrated bands of the '80s."[10] The St. Petersburg Times determined that the album finds Ocasek's "rubber-band voice crawling over indistinguishable over-synthesized tunes set to a maddeningly tedious beat."[13]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rockaway" 4:21
2."Touch Down Easy"Ric Ocasek, Rick Nowels4:12
3."Come Back" 4:20
4."The Way You Look Tonight" 4:38
5."All We Need Is Love" 4:57
6."Over And Over" 5:30
7."Flowers Of Evil" 4:42
8."They Tried" 3:53
9."Keep That Dream" 4:26
10."Balance" 4:42
11."Mister Meaner" 4:50
12."Fireball Zone" 4:24
Total length:54:46

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[14] 119

References

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  1. ^ a b White, Mary-Lynn (30 June 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C15.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (30 June 1991). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 59.
  3. ^ "Fireball Zone Ric Ocasek". Part II. Newsday. 8 July 1991. p. 34.
  4. ^ Morse, Steve (27 June 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". The Boston Globe.
  5. ^ "Fireball Zone by Ric Ocasek". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 27. Jul 6, 1991. p. 62.
  6. ^ Williams, Jeannie (7 Dec 1990). "Ric and Paulina's model Christmas". USA Today. p. 2D.
  7. ^ Gettelman, Parry (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek, Fireball Zone". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 30.
  8. ^ Considine, J.D. (5 Aug 1991). "Car-Less Ocasek Warms Up". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1D.
  9. ^ "Fireball Zone". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  10. ^ a b Kampert, Patrick (18 July 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (6 July 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". Ottawa Citizen. p. D3.
  13. ^ Popkin, Helen (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 21.
  14. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing July 29, 1991". Retrieved July 29, 2022.