| On Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 1989 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Studio | Noise New York | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:13 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer | Mark Kramer | |||
| Galaxie 500 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from On Fire | ||||
| ||||
On Fire is the second studio album by American indie rock band Galaxie 500, released in 1989 on Rough Trade Records.
In 2010, the album was re-issued and peaked at number 45 on the UK Independent Albums Chart [6] and number 10 on the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart. [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| NME | 7/10 [11] |
| Pitchfork | 10/10 [2] |
| Record Collector | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 [14] |
| The Village Voice | B [15] |
Pete Clark of Hi-Fi News & Record Review described the album as "[sliding] through the speakers, encircling the unwary listener with snaking lines of guitar, restrained percussion and a confessional-style vocal." [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide called it Galaxie 500's "best album by far". [5] In 2002, Pitchfork placed it at number 16 on its "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s" list. [17] In 2013, Fact placed it at number 51 on its "100 Best Albums of the 1980s" list. [18] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked it fourth on its "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums" list. [3]
All tracks are written by Galaxie 500, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Thunder" | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Tell Me" | 3:50 | |
| 3. | "Snowstorm" | 5:10 | |
| 4. | "Strange" | 3:16 | |
| 5. | "When Will You Come Home" | 5:21 | |
| 6. | "Decomposing Trees" | 4:05 | |
| 7. | "Another Day" | 3:41 | |
| 8. | "Leave the Planet" | 2:40 | |
| 9. | "Plastic Bird" | 3:15 | |
| 10. | "Isn't It a Pity" | George Harrison | 5:10 |
| Total length: | 40:13 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Victory Garden" | Steve Cunningham, Mayo Thompson | 2:48 |
| 12. | "Ceremony" | Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner | 5:55 |
| 13. | "Cold Night" | 2:36 | |
| Total length: | 51:32 | ||
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Galaxie 500
Additional personnel
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (MRIB) [19] | 7 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [6] | 45 |
| UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC) [7] | 10 |
| Year | Label | Format | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Rough Trade | LP, CD, cassette | UK |
| 1989 | Rough Trade US | LP, CD | US |
| 1997 | Rykodisc | LP, CD | US |
| 2009 | 20/20/20 | LP | US |
Closer is the second and final studio album by English rock band Joy Division, released on 18 July 1980 by Factory Records. Produced by Martin Hannett, it was released two months after the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 3 in New Zealand in September 1981. Closer was also named NME Album of the Year. It was remastered and re-released in 2007.
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze, and the two genre terms have at times been used interchangeably.
Daydream Nation is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on October 18, 1988. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in New York City, and it was released by Enigma Records as a double album.
Disintegration is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 2 May 1989 by Fiction Records. The record marks a return to the introspective gothic rock style the band had established in the early 1980s. As he neared the age of 30, vocalist and guitarist Robert Smith had felt an increased pressure to follow up on the band's pop successes with a more enduring work. This, coupled with a distaste for the group's newfound popularity, caused Smith to lapse back into the use of hallucinogenic drugs, the effects of which had a strong influence on the production of the album. The band recorded the album at Hookend Recording Studios in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, with co-producer David M. Allen from late 1988 to early 1989. Following the completion of the mixing, founding member Lol Tolhurst was fired from the band.
Nebraska is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on September 30, 1982, by Columbia Records. Springsteen recorded the songs as demos on a 4-track recorder, intending to rerecord them with the E Street Band, but decided to release them as they were. Nebraska remains one of the most highly regarded albums in his catalogue.
Rain Dogs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, Rain Dogs is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years.
The B-52's is the debut album by the Athens, Georgia-based new wave band the B-52's. The kitschy lyrics and mood, and the hook-laden harmonies helped establish a fanbase for the band, who went on to release several chart-topping singles. The album cover was designed by Tony Wright.
Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by the English rock band New Order, released on 2 May 1983 by Factory Records. The album features more electronic tracks than their 1981 debut Movement, with heavier use of synthesisers. The album was met with widespread acclaim, and has been included in music industry lists of the greatest albums of the 1980s and of all time. The cover artwork was by Peter Saville, and in 2010 it was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail.
Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums: Today, On Fire and This Is Our Music. The band was made up of guitarist/vocalist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist and vocalist Naomi Yang.
Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia during July and August 1980. It was the last Talking Heads album to be produced by Brian Eno.
The Smiths is the debut studio album by English rock band the Smiths, released on 20 February 1984 by Rough Trade Records. After the original production by Troy Tate was felt to be inadequate, John Porter re-recorded the album in London, Manchester and Stockport during breaks in the band's UK tour during September 1983.
1999 is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released on October 27, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. It became his first album to be recorded with his band the Revolution. 1999's critical and commercial success propelled Prince to a place in the public psyche and marked the beginning of two years of heightened fame via his following releases.
Funeral is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on September 14, 2004 by Merge Records. Preliminary recordings for Funeral were made during the course of a week in August 2003 at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Quebec, and the recording was completed later that year all in an analogue recording format.
Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming shoegazing genre and alternative rock in general.
Isn't Anything is the debut studio album by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine, released on 21 November 1988 by Creation Records. Its innovative guitar and production techniques consolidated the experimentation of the band's preceding EPs and would make the album a pioneering work of the subgenre known as shoegazing. Upon its release, the album received rave critical reviews and reached #1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
Speaking in Tongues is the fifth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 1, 1983, by Sire Records. After their split with producer Brian Eno and a short hiatus, which allowed the individual members to pursue side projects, recording began in 1982. It became the band's commercial breakthrough and produced the band's sole US top-ten hit, "Burning Down the House", which reached No. 9 in the Billboard Chart.
Today is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Galaxie 500, released in 1988 on Aurora Records.
This Is Our Music is the third and final studio album by American indie rock band Galaxie 500, released in 1990 on Rough Trade Records.
Tim is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band The Replacements. It was released in September 1985 on Sire Records. It was their first major label release and also the last album made by the original line-up of the band: guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out of the band towards the end of 1986.
1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, Swift conceived 1989 to recalibrate her artistry to pop after critics disputed her status as a country musician when she released her fourth studio album, the cross-genre Red (2012), to country radio. She titled 1989 after her birth year to signify a symbolic artistic rebirth and enlisted Max Martin, who produced Red's electronic-influenced pop tracks, as co-executive producer.
Dream pop is so often thought of as downcast and demure, but the blazing guitar solos on "Strange" or the screaming saxophone lines of "Decomposing Trees" make it clear that this is an album of propulsion and weight.
