| Fire on the Bayou | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1975 | |||
| Recorded | Sea-Saint Studios | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 45:55(11 track release) | |||
| Label | Reprise (MS 2228) | |||
| Producer | Allen Toussaint, The Meters | |||
| The Meters chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [2] |
Fire on the Bayou is the sixth studio album by the funk band The Meters.
This was the band's first album with Cyril Neville as a member. At the time, the band's headlining performances were receiving good reviews. According to a review in The Real Paper , "they could blow virtually any other band in the country right off the stage." [3] The album was released in July 1975, [1] at a time when the band was opening for the Rolling Stones on their U.S. Tour. The album sold 88,000 copies and didn't meet the record label's expectations. According to Rupert Surcouf, the band's road manager at the time, the record label realized "the Meters didn't fit into any conventional mold", and the label had difficulty promoting the music. [3]
Stephen Erlewine of AllMusic had a positive view and wrote "there never seems to be a concession to mainstream funk" and called the music "simmering". [1] Ed Ward of Rolling Stone had a negative view and called the music "aimless" in comparison to the band's early works. [4] Robert Christgau had a mixed view and gave the album a B-rating. [2]
All tracks are written by The Meters (Art Neville, Ziggy Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr.) except as noted [1] [5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Out in the Country" | 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Fire on the Bayou" | The Meters, Cyril Neville | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Love Slip Upon Ya" | 4:59 | |
| 4. | "Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans" | The Meters, Cyril Neville | 3:38 |
| 5. | "They All Ask'd for You" | 4:12 | |
| 6. | "Can You Do Without?" | 3:52 | |
| 7. | "Liar" | Russ Ballard | 5:12 |
| 8. | "You're a Friend of Mine" | 4:11 | |
| 9. | "Middle of the Road" | 7:57 | |
| 10. | "Running Fast" | 1:27 | |
| 11. | "Mardi Gras Mambo" | Frankie Adams, Lou Welsch, Ken Elliot | 2:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Running Fast" (Single Version) | 3:26 | |
| 13. | "Keep On Marching" | 3:20 | |
| 14. | "He Bite Me" | 2:54 | |
| 15. | "A Mother's Love" | 2:19 | |
| 16. | "Jambalaya" | Hank Williams & Moon Mullican | 2:45 |
Credits adapted in part from AllMusic. [6]
The Meters are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.
Rejuvenation is the fifth studio album by the New Orleans funk group The Meters. It was released in 1974. In 2003, the album was ranked number 138 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and 139 in a 2012 revised list.
The Wild Tchoupitoulas is a 1976 album by the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tribe the Wild Tchoupitoulas. While not a commercial success, the effort was well received critically and the experience recording it encouraged the four Neville brothers to perform together for the first time as a group.
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Look-Ka Py Py is the second studio album by the American funk group The Meters. The instrumental album was ranked number 218 on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003, 220 on the 2012 revised list and 415 on the 2020 revised list.
Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste, also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. The Meters' music had a defining role and set the stylistic tone of New Orleans funk. Due to his work with the band, Modeliste is credited as an integral part of bringing New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music.
The Meters is the debut album by the American funk group The Meters. It was released in May 1969, the first of eight albums by the band. The band's early works were developed through improvisation. Band members had spent most of the 1960s performing together in nightclubs of New Orleans. They had a fluid musical style that included elements of R&B, rock, and jazz.
Struttin' is the third studio album by the funk group The Meters. It is the band's first album featuring vocal performances.
Cabbage Alley is the fourth studio album by the funk group the Meters, produced by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn and released in May 1972 by Reprise Records. It was the band's first album for the label, following the demise of Josie Records a year earlier, and the signing afforded the group a higher recording budget and re-introduced organist and keyboardist Art Neville to the lineup, having briefly left the band some time earlier.
Trick Bag is the seventh studio album by the funk group The Meters. The name comes from their cover of the Earl King single of the same name.
New Directions is the eighth and final studio album by the funk group The Meters. Produced by David Rubinson in California, it is the band's only album produced outside New Orleans. The album features the Oakland-based Tower of Power horn section.
George Porter Jr. is an American musician, best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 1960s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk. The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989. The original group played the occasional reunion, with the Funky Meters, of which Porter and Neville are members, keeping the spirit alive, until Neville's retirement in 2018 and death the following year.
Leo Nocentelli is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Pocky A-Way". As a session musician he has recorded with a variety of notable artists such as Dr. John, Robert Palmer and Etta James. He is the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of The Meters.
Fiyo on the Bayou is the second studio album by the New Orleans four piece the Neville Brothers. It was released in 1981 on A&M.
Kickback is a collection of rare and unreleased material by the funk group the Meters.
Uptown Rulers: The Meters live on the Queen Mary is a live album by the funk group The Meters recorded on March 24, 1975. It was recorded at the Venus and Mars album release party hosted by Linda and Paul McCartney on board the Queen Mary ship. It captures the band's live sound at their peak in the mid 1970s. It is the only live recording of the band from that period.
Zony Mash is an album of vintage rarities and non-album B-sides by the funk group The Meters. The album consists of 13 tracks of the band's early works with Josie Records from 1968 to 1971. Eight tracks were originally released as singles, and five tracks were released as bonus tracks on re-issue albums.
Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology is a compilation album by the funk group The Meters. The album was released in 1995 by Rhino Records. It is a comprehensive compilation of the band's work.
The Best of the Meters is a compilation album by the funk group The Meters released in 1975. All tracks had been previously released as singles.
Nocentelli: Live in San Francisco is a live album by guitarist Leo Nocentelli of The Meters. The album was recorded at Slim's nightclub in San Francisco. It was released by DJM Records in November 1997.
