Fire

Performer: The Ohio Players
Engineer: Barry Mraz
Producer: Ohio Players
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Ohio Players: Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion); Clarence "Satch" Satchell (vocals, saxophone, flute); Billy Beck (vocals, keyboards); Jimmy "Diamond" Williams (vocals, drums, percussion, flugelhorn); Marvin Pierce (trumpet, trombone, percussion); Ralph "Pee-Wee" Middlebrookes (trumpet); Marshall Jones (bass). Recorded at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois. This is a DTS CD, which features DTS 5.1 Surround Sound technology and is playable on a DTS-capable 5.1 Surround Sound system. Ohio Players: Leroy "Sugar" Bonner (vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion); Clarence "Satch" Satchell (vocals, saxophone, flute); Billy Beck (vocals, keyboards); Jimmy "Diamond" Williams (vocals, drums, percussion, flugelhorn); Marvin Pierce (trumpet, trombone, percussion); Ralph "Pee-Wee" Middlebrookes (trumpet); Marshall Jones (bass). Recorded at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois. It took the Ohio Players numerous albums to make their funk masterpiece, but when FIRE was released in 1974, it proved the culmination of the hard-driving, bass-and-horn-heavy formula they'd been refining since the late '60s. The title cut, which became one of the band's biggest and best-loved hits, starts off with a fire siren and doesn't cool down from there, dropping into a thick, irresistible groove that deepens with added layers of keys, horns, guitars, and overlapping vocals. These classic funk arrangements also power "Runnin' from the Devil" and the slinky "Smoke," which features a jazzy guitar and scat vocal interlude. Ohio Players' records usually give equal weight to smooth R&B ballads as they do to funk workouts, and FIRE is no exception. The sunny, romantic medley "Together/Feelings" and the break-up song "It's All Over," with its funny-sad lyrics, are excellent examples of the Players' skill with smooth '70s soul, laying on lush arrangements, velvety backup singing, and falsetto leads. On the strength of its musicianship, tunes, and freewheeling energy, FIRE went straight to the top of the charts (its notably sexy cover art didn't hurt either). It remains one of the seminal funk albums of the era.

One of the most important and successful funk bands of the '70s, the Ohio Players made effective use of aggressive horns and big, butt-shakin' bass lines. The group produced a wide variety of great, sex-savvy soul music, many of their biggest hits were sex-related novelties. Unfortunately, the Ohio Players are now remembered almost as much for their erotic cover art as for their music.

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