Fireball Zone
Fireball Zone is an album by the American musician Ric Ocasek, released in 1991.[2][3] The first single was "Rockaway".[4]
| Fireball Zone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | Skyline Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Electronic pop | |||
| Length | 54:46 | |||
| Label | Reprise[1] | |||
| Producer | Nile Rodgers, Ric Ocasek | |||
| Ric Ocasek chronology | ||||
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Production
    
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
    
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| Calgary Herald | D[1] | 
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Rolling Stone | |
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]
Tracks
    
All songs written by Ric Ocasek except where noted.
- "Rockaway"
 - "Touch Down Easy" (Ric Ocasek, Rick Nowels)
 - "Come Back"
 - "The Way You Look Tonight"
 - "All We Need Is Love"
 - "Over and Over"
 - "Flowers of Evil"
 - "They Tried"
 - "Keep That Dream"
 - "Balance"
 - "Mister Meaner"
 - "Fireball Zone"
 
Personnel
    
- Ric Ocasek - vocals, guitar, keyboards
 - Nile Rodgers - guitar
 - Larry Mitchell - lead guitar
 - Dann Huff - guitar on "Balance" and "Mister Meaner"
 - Steve Elson - horns
 - Stan Harrison - horns
 - Matt Collehon - horns
 - Richard Hilton - keyboards
 - Al Berry - bass guitar
 - Larry Aberman - drums
 - Mickey Curry - drums on "Balance" and "Mister Meaner"
 - Tawatha Agee - backing vocals
 - Fonzi Thornton - backing vocals
 - Curtis King Jr. - backing vocals
 - Dennis Collins - backing vocals
 - Katherine Miller - engineer
 - Hiro Ishihara - engineer
 - Dave Schiffman - engineer
 - Justin Luchter - engineer
 - Jon Goldberger - engineer
 
Charts
    
| Chart (1991) | Peak position  | 
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[14] | 119 | 
References
    
- White, Mary-Lynn (30 June 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C15.
 - Goldstein, Patrick (30 June 1991). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 59.
 - "Fireball Zone Ric Ocasek". Part II. Newsday. 8 July 1991. p. 34.
 - Morse, Steve (27 June 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". The Boston Globe.
 - "Fireball Zone by Ric Ocasek". Billboard. 103 (27): 62. Jul 6, 1991.
 - Williams, Jeannie (7 Dec 1990). "Ric and Paulina's model Christmas". USA Today. p. 2D.
 - Gettelman, Parry (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek, Fireball Zone". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 30.
 - Considine, J.D. (5 Aug 1991). "Car-Less Ocasek Warms Up". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1D.
 - "Fireball Zone". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
 - Kampert, Patrick (18 July 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
 - Archived July 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
 - Erskine, Evelyn (6 July 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". Ottawa Citizen. p. D3.
 - Popkin, Helen (2 Aug 1991). "Ric Ocasek Fireball Zone". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 21.
 - "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing July 29, 1991". Retrieved July 29, 2022.
 
