| Artist | Ric Ocasek |
|---|---|
| Cover | FireballZone.jpg |
| Released | 1991 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Electronic pop |
| Length | 54:46 |
| Label | Reprise[1] |
| Producer |
|
| Prev year | 1986 |
| Next year | 1993 |
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]
Production
The album was produced primarily 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]
Fireball Zone is the only album of Ocasek's nearly 40-year recording career—whether solo, with the Cars, or with his early group, Milkwood—that does not include contributions from multi-instrumentalist Greg Hawkes.
Critical reception
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."[9] 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."[11]
Personnel
- Ric Ocasek – vocals, keyboards, guitars
- Richard Hilton – keyboards
- Larry Mitchell – lead guitar (1–9, 12)
- Nile Rodgers – guitars (1–9, 12)
- Dann Huff – guitars (10, 11)
- Al Berry – bass
- Larry Aberman – drums (1–9, 12)
- Mickey Curry – drums (10, 11)
- Steve Elson – horns
- Stan Harrison – horns
- Matt Collehon – horns
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals
- Dennis Collins – backing vocals
- Curtis King Jr. – backing vocals
- Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals
Production
- Nile Rodgers – producer
- Ric Ocasek – producer, basic track producer (10, 11), other computer photography
- Nile Rodgers – producer
- Rick Nowels – basic track producer (10, 11)
- Jon Goldberger – engineer, mixing
- David Heglmeier – basic track engineer
- Steve MacMillan – basic track recording (10, 11)
- Katherine Miller – assistant engineer
- Hiro Ishihara – assistant engineer
- Justin Luchter – associate engineer
- Dave Schiffman – assistant engineer
- George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Jeff Gold – art direction
- Janet Levinson – design
- Paulina Porizkova – cover artwork
- Marco Glaviano – photography
Charts
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[12] | 119 |
References
- ^ White, Mary-Lynn (30 June 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C15.
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (30 June 1991). "Pop Eye". Los Angeles Times. p. 59.
- ^ "Fireball Zone Ric Ocasek". Newsday. 8 July 1991. p. 34.
- ^ Morse, Steve (27 June 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". The Boston Globe
- ^ "Fireball Zone by Ric Ocasek". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 27. Jul 6, 1991. p. 62.
- ^ Williams, Jeannie (7 Dec 1990). "Ric and Paulina's model Christmas". USA Today. p. 2D.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek, Fireball Zone". Orlando Sentinel. p. 30.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (5 Aug 1991). "Car-Less Ocasek Warms Up". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1D.
- ^ Erskine, Evelyn (6 July 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". Ottawa Citizen. p. D3.
- ^ Kampert, Patrick (18 July 1991). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ Popkin, Helen (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". St. Petersburg Times. p. 21.
- ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing July 29, 1991". Retrieved July 29, 2022.