Fire It Up is the third studio album by American musician Rick James.[1][2] It was released on October 16, 1979, on the Motown sub-label Gordy Records. The first single was "Love Gun".[3] The album has sold under a million copies, according to Rolling Stone.[4]
| Fire It Up | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 16, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA | |||
| Genre | Funk, punk funk, funk rock | |||
| Length | 37:00 | |||
| Label | Gordy | |||
| Producer | Rick James | |||
| Rick James chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [7] |
The Bay State Banner wrote that "James' vocal style remains functional, and the punk-funk horn section average... His strength is in his torrid compositions and captivating presentation."[8] The San Bernardino County Sun noted that James relishes "loud, rowdy hand-clapping funk straight from the street."[9] Newsday determined that "when James sticks with unadulterated hard stuff ... he is among the most crackerjack practitioners of funk rock."[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the album "secondhand Bootsy Collins."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks composed by Rick James.
Side A
- "Fire It Up" – 3:59
- "Love Gun" – 5:44
- "Lovin You Is a Pleasure" – 4:08
- "Love in the Night" – 6:22
Side B
- "Come into My Life" – 7:10
- "Stormy Love" – 2:05
- "When Love Is Gone" – 7:32
2010 Bonus Track / 2014 digital remaster bonus track / 2014 Complete Motown Albums bonus track
- "Love Gun" (Promotional 12-Inch version) – 10:46
Personnel
edit- Rick James – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Harpsichord, timbales, timpani (tympani), electronic drums [syndrums], drums, percussion
- The Stone City Band
- Levi Ruffin – synthesizer, synthesizer (strings ensemble), percussion, backing vocals
- Tom McDermott – six- and twelve-string acoustic and electric guitars
- Greg Levias – keyboards, Fender Rhodes electric piano
- Danny LeMelle – alto and tenor saxophone, flute, harpsichord
- Lanise Hughes – drums
- Lorenzo Shaw — drums
- Oscar Alston – bass guitar
- Shondu Akiem – electronic drums (syndrums), percussion
- Cliff Ervin – trumpet, flugelhorn
- John Ervin – trombone
- Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Pat Henderson, Jackie Ruffin, Lisa Sarna – backing vocals
- California St. Clair, Cynthia Gable, Cynthia Nettles, Danny LeMelle, Jackie Ruffin, Julia Waters, Keith "Star" Ragin, Lisa Sarna, Maxine Waters, Pat Henderson, Tom McDermott, Winston L. Allen - choir on "Love in the Night"
- John Cabalka - art direction
- Ron Slenzak - photography
Charts
edit| Year | Album | Chart positions[11] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1979 | Fire It Up | 34 | 5 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart positions[12] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance | ||
| 1979 | "Love Gun" | — | 13 | — |
| 1980 | "Love Gun" | — | — | 32 |
References
edit- ^ Palmer, Robert (26 Oct 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C15.
- ^ du Lac, J. Freedom (19 Feb 1995). "Free Fall". The Sacramento Bee. p. EN16.
- ^ Hawthorne, Marc (10 Nov 1979). "James burns on his best disc". The Courier-News. p. B6.
- ^ Goldberg, Michael (Jun 24, 1982). "Rick James: Sex, street smarts and success". Rolling Stone. No. 372. p. 28.
- ^ "Fire It Up Review by William Ruhlmann". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 358, 359.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 180.
- ^ Wynn, Ron (1 Nov 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 2. p. 19.
- ^ Lundahl, Mark (28 Oct 1979). "On the Record". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. C4.
- ^ Robins, Wayne (8 Nov 1979). "Record Capsules". Part II. Newsday. p. 47.
- ^ "Rick James US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ^ "Rick James US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-15.