On Fire: Galaxie 500: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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Product details

Audio CD (28 April 1997)
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Label: Rykodisc
ASIN: B0000009QN
Other Editions: MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,990 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Blue Thunder

2. Tell Me

3. Snowstorm

4. Strange

5. When Will You Come Home

6. Decomposing Trees

7. Another Day

8. Leave The Planet

9. Plastic Bird

10. Isn't It A Pity

11. Victory Garden

12. Ceremony

13. Cold Night

Product Description

Review

Galaxie 500 formed in 1987, when grunge was becoming a major factor in the US music scene. But the sound these three Harvard graduates produced was completely at odds with the fuzzed-up power of their peers. Even on their finest hour, On Fire, Galaxie 500’s music is subtle and slow burning. It doesn’t reveal its secrets immediately.

The group’s stripped-down sound invites inevitable comparisons with The Velvet Underground, particularly their self-titled third album. But Galaxie 500’s individual approach produced some of the most haunting and original rock music of the era.

The rhythm section of bass guitarist Naomi Yang and drummer Damon Krukowski has a peculiar chemistry in which carefully placed notes and rotating drum patterns seem to hover rather than lock into a groove. Dean Wareham provides the forward motion with his propulsive electric guitar strumming, while offering skewed insights into everyday life in a thin, alarmed-sounding wail. “Why’s everybody look so funny / Why’s everybody acting strange?” he asks on Strange.

Released in 1989, On Fire is the group’s second album. With the help of producer Kramer, the songs sound slightly distanced, which has the effect of drawing in the listener to meet them halfway. The majestic Blue Thunder acquires a cumulative power as it moves through a typical succession of verses followed by chorus sections of Wareham’s wordless falsetto. There’s a subtle surge in energy when Yang joins in on backing vocals before the song concludes with a brief, cathartic guitar solo. Krukowski’s rumbling toms and Chinese cymbal crashes vivify Snowstorm, Wareham’s tale of his TV “going wild” as the snow falls outside. He adds psychedelic wah-wah and then cuts loose with some unhinged lead guitar.

The same less-is-more atmospherics and rough-around-the-edges elegance hallmark their debut Today (1988) and their swansong This Is Our Music (1991), which are also part of this current reissue package from Domino. Each album is accompanied by a bonus disc of rare or unreleased material: Today, for example, comes a selection of Peel Sessions, with more sharply focused readings of tracks from the album and idiosyncratic cover versions, including the Sex Pistols’ Submission and Young Marble Giants’ The Final Day. If you’ve not experienced these records before, now’s the time. --Mike Barnes

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Its the Bassist's ear-rings I remember most! 16 May 2002

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

This is their best, probably. Certainly with the additional tracks, the lovely Victory Garden (Red Crayola) and the incredible funeral paced Ceremony (New Order) with amazing Neil Young-esque guitar solo, it pushes past the winning post.
However, this is just a glider of record. Start to finish, you'll not notice how good it is until the flight is over. Gentle electric, gossamer-buzz, dizzy adventure. Fantastic sleeve. Unforgettable sleeve notes. You wanted to be in Galaxie 500, didn't you?

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

A ragged masterpiece 12 Nov 2004

By richard harris

Format:Audio CD

I bought this album in 1989 when it first came out, to very little fanfare. It is the single most played album I have and will ever own.

It has a ragged but beautiful sound, and Kramer's excellent production somehow papers over the band's shortcomings and create a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts. I love every track on here, but the version of Joy Division's Ceremony is worth the asking price alone - as is the cover of George Harrison's Isn't it a Pity.

I can't explain exactly what it is about this album that resonates so much with me, but I will never get bored of listening to it. If you love hearing music that has been overlooked but is really good you should give this unique album a chance.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

lovely 2am album 11 Jan 2006

By Mr. Scott Considine

Format:Audio CD

Get in to your chair, put on headphones, relax. Press Play. Turn off the lights. Open the curtains and stare at the night sky. The stark beauty generated by this three piece was rarely captured as well as it is here. Sparingly produced and beautifully played it becomes a close companion for those 'still awake at 2 a.m.' moments.

Enjoy.

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