Fireboy

Last updated

Fireboy
McLennan fireboy.jpg
Studio album by
Released1993
RecordedParadise Studios, Sydney, Platinum Studios, Melbourne
Genre Alternative rock
Length52:42
Label White Label [1]
Producer Dave Dobbyn
Grant McLennan chronology
Watershed
(1991)
Fireboy
(1993)
Horsebreaker Star
(1994)

Fireboy is the second solo album by Grant McLennan, a member of the Go-Betweens. [2] [3] It was released in 1993. [4] In the album's liner notes McLennan said the songs were for Gloria Swanson, Kenneth Slessor, Brett Whiteley and Dean Martin. Produced by Dave Dobbyn, it was recorded in Woolloomooloo. [5] The first single was "Surround Me". [6]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Calgary Herald B+ [7]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [8]

Trouser Press called the album "a near-perfect convergence of observant, passionate words and jangly, surging tunes." [9] The Calgary Herald wrote that McLennan "sings with conviction [and] poetic insight." [7]

AllMusic wrote: "If there are hints of older rock styles here and there, McLennan's singing in particular still has the sharp, modern edge that helped make the Go-Betweens great, all while not losing his trademark warmth." [10]

Track listing

All tracks written by Grant McLennan, except where noted.

  1. "Lighting Fires" – 3:36
  2. "Surround Me" – 3:55
  3. "One Million Miles From Here" – 3:45
  4. "The Dark Side of Town" – 3:46
  5. "Things Will Change" – 2:45
  6. "The Pawnbroker" – 8:12
  7. "Whose Side Are You On?" – 3:09
  8. "Fingers" (Grant McLennan, Dave Dobbyn)– 3:34
  9. "Signs of Life" – 4:23
  10. "The Day My Eyes Came Back" – 4:08
  11. "Bathe (in the Water)" – 3:30
  12. "When I Close My Eyes" – 1:24
  13. "Riddle in the Rain" – 6:29

Personnel

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References

  1. Forster, Robert (14 August 2017). "Grant & I: Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens". Omnibus Press via Google Books.
  2. "Grant McLennan Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. Mathur, Paul (6 March 1993). "Fireboy by GW McLennan". Melody Maker. 69 (10): 29.
  4. Buckley, Peter (20 September 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides via Google Books.
  5. Wilson, Bridget (21 May 1992). "PRINCE TAKES SHINE TO SOME LOCAL TALENT". Eastern Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 5.
  6. Kearns, Lisa (2 April 1993). "Dancing towards oblivion". News. The Age. p. 10.
  7. 1 2 Muretich, James (4 April 1993). "G.W. McLennan: Fireboy". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  8. "Robert Christgau: CG: Grant McLennan". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. "G.W. McLennan". Trouser Press. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  10. "Grant McLennan - Fireboy Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.