I debated taking a break from Elton John to dive into something a bit more obscure today. However, as I perused the short list of albums I'd written down to select from, the task just felt daunting, a bit like work. So, instead, I turned my attention back to John. Specifically, his 1985 released, Ice On Fire.
As he set to work on what would become his nineteenth studio album, John felt a desire to change his sound. This led to him firing the rhythm section of Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, both of whom had performed on the preceding two albums. He turned his attention to multiple lineups consisting of session musicians, including Fred Mandel, David Paton, and Charlie Morgan, as well as guest appearances by Nik Kershaw, Sister Sledge, George Michael, and members of Queen, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.
The album marked a departure from pop rock, instead focusing on elements of soul and rhythm and blues music, while also exhibiting a contemporary 1980s sound, emphasizing synthesizers and electronic percussion. Lyrically, it focuses on themes of war, economic decline in working-class communities, and personal themes to both Bernie Taupin and Elton John.
Depending on the version you picked up, you may or may not have gotten a bonus track. While the LP contained ten tracks, both the cassette and CD versions included the Millie Jackson duet, Act Of War. Additionally, if you picked up the re-issue of the CD, the track, Satellite, has a runtime of 4:37, versus the original 3:57 version.
Okay, so with all the details out of the way, let's actually hit the play button, and be on our way through Ice On Fire.
This Town is a good start, but as a whole, thing taper off pretty quick for me. It's not that the album is bad, not by any means. It just lacks any real sound that made me as invested as I was in prior works.
Candidly, while Nikita may be a top ten Billboard hit, it's not one of my favorites. This is a bit ironic, because it's the song I initially bought the album for. However, this was more so to check a box, versus necessarily wanting it.
In review of the production credits, I think part of the problem may be too many people in the room. By this I mean, too many contributors. Between other established artists and session musicians, there were over thirty individuals contributing to the recording of songs. It would be difficult to have consistency in that environment. Especially if its your first time working with those individuals, or creative egos clash.
I don't particularly see someone like Roger Taylor coming into a studio, and simply playing drums. He strikes me as the type of person who would want creative control over what he was doing. Mind you, that's not a knock against the guy. He's certainly established himself as an artist who knows what he's doing, especially when it comes to writing and recording hits. I just don't see him taking that stance that he was there to work "for" Elton John.
Of course, all of those theories are just speculation on my part. Maybe the recording sessions went smoothly, and the final result was all Taupin's and John's creative vision. Regardless, the end result, for me, is that Ice On Fire falls a bit flat. By the time I reached the second to last track, I had kind of had enough, and skipped it midway. The final track started off slow, and I immediately lost interest, and turned it off.
Admittedly, I don't have high hopes for his next release, 1986's Leather Jackets. Though, that's not because of how I felt about Ice On Fire. Rather, it's from John himself stating he feels its his worst release in his entire career. From what I've read up on it already, critics were none to pleased with it either. That doesn't exactly scream, "must hear record" to me.
Well, I guess we'll see. I've favored albums before that people (including the artists) considered the worst. Who knows. Maybe it will be a pleasant surprise.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 24, 1981 |
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 24, 1987 |
No comments:
Post a Comment