Fire Dances is the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in July 1983 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It was the band's first album to feature new bass player Paul Raven, recorded at Basing Street Studios in London between February and March 1983.[1] According to Paul Ferguson the band's drug use contributed to the original mix of the album being "tinny".[2]
Release
Fire Dances was released in July 1983 by E.G. Records. It entered number 29 in the UK Albums Chart, on 23 July 1983.[3]
The album was remastered and reissued in 2008, with eight bonus tracks: the non-album single "Me or You?", an alternate version of "Dominator" (B-side to "Let's All Go (To the Fire Dances)"), an unreleased early version of "The Gathering" and four tracks from a John Peel session from 1983.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| NME | favourable[5] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[6] |
| MusicHound Rock | [7] |
Fire Dances was generally well received by music critics. NME called it "their best [album] yet, and also likely to be their biggest."[5] PopMatters and Trouser Press both qualified the album as "superb",[6][8] with the latter describing the album's mood as "brighter" and "more joyous" than previous records.[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Paul Raven and Geordie Walker).
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Gathering" | 3:11 |
| 2. | "Fun and Games" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Rejuvenation" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Frenzy" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Harlequin" | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feast of Blaze" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Song and Dance" | 5:13 |
| 3. | "Dominator" | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Let's All Go (To the Fire Dances)" | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Lust Almighty" | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Me or You?" | 3:11 |
| 12. | "Wilful Days" | 5:01 |
| 13. | "Dominator (Alternate Version)" | 5:33 |
| 14. | "The Gathering (Original Version)" | 3:25 |
| 15. | "Dominator (John Peel Session, 12/07/83)" | 5:40 |
| 16. | "Frenzy (John Peel Session, 12/07/83)" | 3:40 |
| 17. | "Wilful Days (John Peel Session, 12/07/83)" | 6:00 |
| 18. | "Harlequin (John Peel Session, 12/07/83)" | 3:56 |
Personnel
- Killing Joke
- Jaz Coleman – vocals, synthesizer, production
- Kevin "Geordie" Walker – guitar, production
- Paul Raven – bass guitar, production
- Paul Ferguson – drums, vocals, production
- Technical
- John Porter – co-producer on "Let's All Go (To the Fire Dances)", "Me or You" & "Wilful Days"
- Nigel Mills - recording engineer, mixing
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | UK Albums Chart | 29[3] |
References
- ^ Fire Dances (Reissue liner notes). Killing Joke. Virgin Records. 2008.
- ^ Hämäläinen, Jyrki "Spider" (2020). Killing Joke: Are You Receiving?, p. 87-88. Milton Keynes: New Haven Publishing. ISBN 978-1912587407.
- ^ a b "Killing Joke | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Fire Dances – Killing Joke | Albums, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ a b Snow, Mat (20 August 1983). "He Man and All That Jaz: Killing Joke". NME. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b Begrand, Adrien (30 April 2008). "Fun & Games: Killing Joke in the Mid-'80s | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ Holtje, Steve (1999). "Killing Joke". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (loan required). Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 629–630. ISBN 978-1-57859-061-2 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Grant, Steven; Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "TrouserPress.com :: Killing Joke". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
External links
- Fire Dances at Discogs (list of releases)