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Electric Fire is the fourth solo album by Roger Taylor, from the band Queen. It features a cover of John Lennon‘s song “Working Class Hero“. The album came not long before Taylor’s performance at Cyber Barn in the same year. Following the gloomy album Happiness?, Electric Fire also included gloomy elements but was, on the whole, a bit more bright.
With Electric Fire, Roger Taylor put together his strongest set of songs since 1984’s Strange Frontier. Adding light touches of electronica to his highly produced rock sound, Taylor manages to sound somewhat current without bending over backwards to be hip like some artists of his generation.
The former Queen drummer was also wise to stay away from writing as many ballads as he did for the less memorable Happiness?. The result is that, with “A Nation of Haircuts” and “No More Fun,” Taylor wrote his best rockers in years. “Surrender,” a powerful and anthemic duet about a crumbling marriage and spousal abuse, is another highlight. Meanwhile, “People on Streets” finds Taylor advancing some of his well-known populism over a subtle electronic groove. The ballad “Tonight” plays it a bit too safe, and the cover of Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” was a mistake, but mid-tempo tracks like “Pressure On” and “The Whisperers” have a grand reflective air to them.
Lyrically, Taylor still has his shortcomings, but when the music is as strong as most of Electric Fire is, it’s not a major concern.
Track listing
- “Pressure On” – 4:56
- “A Nation of Haircuts” – 3:32
- “Believe in Yourself” – 5:00
- “Surrender” – 3:36
- “People on Streets” – 4:11
- “The Whisperers” (Taylor, Nicholas Evans) – 6:05
- “Is It Me?” – 3:23
- “No More Fun” – 4:13
- “Tonight” – 3:44
- “Where Are You Now?” – 4:48
- “Working Class Hero” (John Lennon) – 4:41
- “London Town – C’mon Down” – 7:13
All tracks by Roger Taylor, except where noted.
Personnel
- Roger Taylor – vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, bass, guitars
- Keith Prior – drums
- Steve Barnacle – bass
- Mike Crossley – keyboards
- Jason Falloon – guitars, bass
- Keith Airey – guitars
- Matthew Exelby – guitars
- Jonathan Perkins – keyboards, vocals
- Treana Morris – vocals
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Nightjar Productions Ltd.
- Copyright © – Nightjar Productions Ltd.
- Licensed To – EMI Records Ltd.
- Marketed By – EMI
- Distributed By – EMI
- Published By – Nightjar Productions Ltd.
- Published By – EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
- Published By – Sony/ATV Music Publishing Ltd.
- Recorded At – Cosford Mill
- Mastered At – The Soundmasters
- Glass Mastered At – EMI Swindon
- Pressed By – EMI Uden
Credits
- Cover, Design – Richard Gray, Roger Taylor
- Cover, Design [Assistant] – Simon Pool
- Engineer – Joshua J. Macrae
- Engineer [Assistant] – Dean S. Crathern
- Mastered By – Kevin Metcalfe
- Painting – Tim Mara
- Photography By – Bob Geldof, Jim Marks
- Producer – Joshua J. Macrae, Roger Taylor
Notes
Release Date: 28 September 1998
Recording Location: Cosford Mill Studios, Surrey, England
Genre: Pop/Rock
Duration: 57:52
Label – EMI, Parlophone
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