Fire of Unknown Origin is the eighth album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1981. It was produced by Martin Birch.
The album, which included the Top 40 hit "Burnin' for You" (#1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart) represented a resurgence of the group's commercial standing after two albums with disappointing sales. Fire of Unknown Origin would be the final studio LP featuring the band's original lineup until 1988's Imaginos; during the subsequent tour, the band fired original drummer Albert Bouchard.
The album continues BÖC's tendency to write quirky songs, from the title track (featuring lyrics by Patti Smith) to "Joan Crawford". Many of the songs were intended for the soundtrack of the animated film Heavy Metal, such as "Vengeance (The Pact)", whose lyrics follow in detail the plot of the "Taarna" segment of the movie. However, only the song "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (which, ironically, was not written for Heavy Metal), co-written by science fiction author Michael Moorcock, ended up in the film's final version and soundtrack.
Track listing
| 1. |
"Fire of Unknown Origin" |
Joe Bouchard, Patti Smith, Eric Bloom, Albert Bouchard, Donald Roeser |
4:09 |
| 2. |
"Burnin' for You" |
Roeser, Richard Meltzer |
4:29 |
| 3. |
"Veteran of the Psychic Wars" |
Bloom, Michael Moorcock |
4:48 |
| 4. |
"Sole Survivor" |
Bloom, John Trivers, Liz Myers |
4:04 |
| 5. |
"Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver" |
A. Bouchard, Bloom, Sandy Pearlman |
3:16 |
| 6. |
"Vengeance (The Pact)" |
A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard |
4:41 |
| 7. |
"After Dark" |
Bloom, Trivers, Myers |
4:25 |
| 8. |
"Joan Crawford" |
A. Bouchard, David Roter, Jack Rigg |
4:55 |
| 9. |
"Don't Turn Your Back" |
A. Bouchard, Allen Lanier, Roeser |
4:07 |
|
Total length:
|
39:06 |
Personnel
- Band members
- Eric Bloom – lead vocals on tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, bass on track 5
- Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser – lead guitar, lead vocals on tracks 2, 9, co-lead vocals on track 6, percussion on track 3, bass and sound effects on track 8
- Allen Lanier – keyboards
- Joe Bouchard – bass, co-lead vocals on track 6
- Albert Bouchard – drums, synthesizer, vocals, mixing (uncredited)[3]
- Additional musicians
- Karla DeVito – background vocals on track 4
- Sandy Jean – background vocals on track 9
- Bill Civitella, Tony Cedrone – additional percussion on track 3
- Jesse Levy – string arrangements on tracks 3 and 8
- Production
- Martin Birch – producer, engineer, mixing
- Clay Hutchinson – engineer
- Paul Stubblebine – mastering
- Greg Scott – album artwork
Charts
Album
Singles
Sales Certifications
| Year |
Country |
Organization |
Sales |
| 1982 |
U.S. |
RIAA |
Gold (500,000+)[7] |
| Canada |
CRIA |
Gold (50,000+)[8] |
References
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