Fire (Electric Six album)
Encyclopedia
Fire is the debut album of Electric Six
, released in 2003.
The album received generally positive critical reviews. Rolling Stone
called the album "the summer's most brilliantly demented party record" and Blender
hailed the music as "convincingly ferocious". Detractors of the album included Mike Baker of Splendid, who called the band "[a] novelty act, a misfire and a waste of time", and the reviewer for Uncut
, who said that the album contains "little charm and less real humour".
Three singles were released from the album: "Danger! High Voltage
", which reached #10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
chart and #2 in the UK Singles Chart
; "Gay Bar
", which reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart; and "Dance Commander", which reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart.
Fire went gold
in the United Kingdom
on September 5, 2003. Later that year, the album was re-released with a bonus DVD
containing the music videos for all three singles from the album.
Electric Six
Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
, released in 2003.
The album received generally positive critical reviews. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called the album "the summer's most brilliantly demented party record" and Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
hailed the music as "convincingly ferocious". Detractors of the album included Mike Baker of Splendid, who called the band "[a] novelty act, a misfire and a waste of time", and the reviewer for Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
, who said that the album contains "little charm and less real humour".
Three singles were released from the album: "Danger! High Voltage
Danger! High Voltage
"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by Electric Six, released as a single on 6 January 2003 through XL Recordings. It was the band's debut single, and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was named Single of the Week by the NME. It was also released on the band's debut album Fire .Jack White...
", which reached #10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
chart and #2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; "Gay Bar
Gay Bar (song)
"Gay Bar" is a song written and performed by the Detroit-based rock band Electric Six. It was the second single off their debut album, Fire released in 2003....
", which reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart; and "Dance Commander", which reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart.
Fire went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on September 5, 2003. Later that year, the album was re-released with a bonus DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing the music videos for all three singles from the album.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Tyler Spencer; all music composed by Tyler Spencer except where noted.- "Dance Commander" – 2:37
- "Electric Demons in Love" – 3:06
- "Naked Pictures (Of Your Mother)" – 2:11
- "Danger! High VoltageDanger! High Voltage"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by Electric Six, released as a single on 6 January 2003 through XL Recordings. It was the band's debut single, and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was named Single of the Week by the NME. It was also released on the band's debut album Fire .Jack White...
" (Joe Frezza/Steve Nawara/Anthony Selph/Tyler Spencer) – 3:34 - "She's White" – 3:16
- "I Invented the Night" – 3:17
- "Improper Dancing" – 3:14
- "Gay BarGay Bar (song)"Gay Bar" is a song written and performed by the Detroit-based rock band Electric Six. It was the second single off their debut album, Fire released in 2003....
" – 2:20 - "Nuclear War (On the Dance Floor)" – 1:16
- "Getting Into the Jam" – 2:14
- "Vengeance and Fashion" – 2:46
- "I'm the Bomb" – 4:18
- "Synthesizer" – 4:00
Japanese bonus tracks
- "Don't Be Afraid of the Robot" – 1:40
- "Remote Control (Me)" – 2:21
- "I Lost Control of My Rock & Roll" – 1:47
Bonus DVD
- "Danger! High VoltageDanger! High Voltage"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by Electric Six, released as a single on 6 January 2003 through XL Recordings. It was the band's debut single, and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was named Single of the Week by the NME. It was also released on the band's debut album Fire .Jack White...
" music video - "Gay BarGay Bar (song)"Gay Bar" is a song written and performed by the Detroit-based rock band Electric Six. It was the second single off their debut album, Fire released in 2003....
" music video - "Dance Commander" music video
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 38 |
| UK Albums Chart | 7 |
Reception and use
- As the single "Gay Bar" was released around the time of the American invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, radio airplay changed a line from "Let's start a war, start a nuclear war, at the gay bar" to "Let's do an edit, do a radio edit, at the gay bar!". In the UK and in the official music video for the song, the words nuclear and war were censored by a 'whip' sound effect. - The album track "Gay Bar" has been used in the art film Allah ho Gaybar by artist Sooreh Hera. The film has been taken down from YouTube and stopped from showing in the Netherlands. During a showing in Sweden, the film also provoked attacks by Muslims against artist Lars VilksLars VilksLars Endel Roger Vilks is a Swedish artist. He is best known for his drawings of Muhammed, prophet of Islam.- Personal background :...
during a lecture. - The album track "Dance Commander" was used in the film '"Stick ItStick ItStick It is an American teen comedy-drama film starring Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, and Vanessa Lengies. It was written and directed by Jessica Bendinger, writer of Bring It On; the film marks her directorial debut...
'" starring Missy PeregrymMissy PeregrymMelissa "Missy" Peregrym is a Canadian actress and former fashion model. She made her feature film debut in the 2006 gymnastics comedy drama Stick It. She played a recurring role as Candice Wilmer on the NBC television series Heroes, and starred in the CW television series Reaper...
and Jeff BridgesJeff BridgesJeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
.