Fire It Up (Rick James album)
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| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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]
| 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
All 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
- 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
