| Fireball Zone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | Skyline Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Electronic pop | |||
| Length | 54:46 | |||
| Label | Reprise [1] | |||
| Producer | Nile Rodgers, Ric Ocasek | |||
| Ric Ocasek chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fireball Zone is the third solo album by the American musician Ric Ocasek, frontman and songwriter of the Cars. [2] [3] The first single from the 1991 release was "Rockaway". [4]
The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Ric Ocasek. [5] Its title is a reference to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow . [6] "Over and Over" and "The Way You Look Tonight" are ballads. [7] In contrast to his Cars days, Ocasek recorded the album live, with his band, rather than part by part. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Calgary Herald | D [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "the main thrust of Fireball Zone is to emphasize a funk element within what has always been Ocasek's music style—cold, lean, electronic pop with a tortured bottom end." [12] The Chicago Tribune opined that Fireball Zone "may not be a masterpiece, but it's better than any album by the repetitive Cars, easily one of the most overrated bands of the '80s." [10] The St. Petersburg Times determined that the album finds Ocasek's "rubber-band voice crawling over indistinguishable over-synthesized tunes set to a maddeningly tedious beat." [13]
All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rockaway" | 4:21 | |
| 2. | "Touch Down Easy" | Ric Ocasek, Rick Nowels | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Come Back" | 4:20 | |
| 4. | "The Way You Look Tonight" | 4:38 | |
| 5. | "All We Need Is Love" | 4:57 | |
| 6. | "Over And Over" | 5:30 | |
| 7. | "Flowers Of Evil" | 4:42 | |
| 8. | "They Tried" | 3:53 | |
| 9. | "Keep That Dream" | 4:26 | |
| 10. | "Balance" | 4:42 | |
| 11. | "Mister Meaner" | 4:50 | |
| 12. | "Fireball Zone" | 4:24 | |
| Total length: | 54:46 | ||
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) [14] | 119 |
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.
Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the American new wave band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986.
Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on November 6, 1981, by Elektra Records. It was the last Cars record to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker. A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor, its title track became the band's first Billboard top-10 single. Spin magazine included it on their "50 Best Albums of 1981" list. In 2021, Rhino Entertainment re-released the album on neon green vinyl.
Up to No Good is the third solo album by the American musician Peter Wolf, released in 1990 on MCA Records.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on October 25, 1985, by Elektra Records. "Tonight She Comes", a previously unreleased song, and a remix of "I'm Not the One" were issued as singles to support the album. It was a commercial success, going six-times platinum.
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sung by bass player Benjamin Orr and was written by Ric Ocasek.
Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album of songs by the American new wave rock band the Cars. It features most of the band's singles, as well as many album tracks, non-album B-sides and unreleased songs.
Complete Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on February 19, 2002, by Elektra Records and Rhino Records. It contains 20 singles and notable album tracks in chronological order of their original release. Sales of the album reignited following Ric Ocasek's death in September 15, 2019.
Shake It Up & Other Hits is a budget compilation album of the Cars' songs, released by Rhino Records in 2001.
"You Might Think" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Mutt Lange and the Cars, with Ocasek also providing the lead vocals.
This Side of Paradise is the second solo studio album released by Ric Ocasek, lead singer and songwriter of the Cars. It was released in 1986 by Geffen Records. Though it was a solo album, other members of the Cars played significant roles. Greg Hawkes plays keyboards and bass throughout the album, and also co-wrote "Hello Darkness". Benjamin Orr is on backing vocals for three songs. Along with Hawkes and Orr, the track "True To You" also features Elliot Easton on guitar. Both production and drumming were by Chris Hughes. Hughes had been the recent producer of Tears for Fears most popular two albums. Steve Stevens from Billy Idol's band plays guitar on over half of the album.
Quick Change World is the fourth solo album released by Ric Ocasek, who was the lead singer and songwriter for The Cars. This was his second and final release for Reprise Records.
Troublizing is an album by Ric Ocasek, released in 1997.
"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band the Cars released as the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. Written by Ric Ocasek as a sarcastic comment on rock's idea of good times, the song features layered harmonies courtesy of producer Roy Thomas Baker.
"Dangerous Type" is a 1979 song by the Cars from their second studio album, Candy-O. It was written by Ric Ocasek.
Let It Beat is the second studio album by American rapper Shwayze. It was first announced by Cisco Adler on February 4, 2009, via his Myspace page. He also confirmed the song "Make A Lil Love" in that blog post. A few days later he posted another blog update, which confirmed the track "Livin' It Up," It also confirmed guest appearances from The Knux, and Tabi Bonney. On May 8, 2009 Cisco announced that the album is entitled Let It Beat, and was currently being mixed and mastered. Although Shwayze's previous debut album only had one guest appearance, this album has guest appearances from The Knux, Tabi Bonney, and Snoop Dogg. Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains plays bass on a track called "Crazy For You," and Ric Ocasek of The Cars plays guitar on the same track. Roy Bittan the pianist of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band plays piano on the track Heart and Soul. The first single, "Get U Home" was released on June 28.
"My Best Friend's Girl" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977.
The Cars North American Tour Spring 2011 is a set of eleven concerts in the United States and Canada featuring the newly reunited American band The Cars. Announced in April 2011 prior to the release of the band's album Move Like This, the concerts feature material from Move Like This and from the band's 1970s and 1980s albums.
"I'm in Touch with Your World" is a song by the American rock band The Cars, from their debut album, The Cars. It was written by Ric Ocasek.
The Cars Unlocked: The Live Performances is a 2006 live album and video of American new wave band the Cars released by Warner Music in 2006. The album has received mixed reviews due to the mixed quality of the source material.
