Customer Reviews

Electric Fire

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Taylor has never been one to stick with the traditional "Queen sound" and that's never been more obvious than with "Electric Fire".Filled with political, social lyrics (and yes, some lighter fare) Roger goes for broke here."A Nation of Haircuts" (a not so good title which Roger loves to come up with) is, on it's surface, an all out rocker but upon deeper inspection is really his take on England and it's people's vanity, as if they're more concerned with how they look than what they're capable of accomplishing ("We don't make ships and we don't make cars but we look real good hanging out in bars.") Funny because it's so true."Surrender" is easily the best track. Taylor, in a duet with the silky voiced Treana Morris (which is perfect contrast to his husky, rough "rock" voice) tackles spousal abuse from a first person point of view, at least in the chorus which they strongly proclaim "You can't hurt me now!""People On Streets" (which was the original title for the Queen hit "Under Pressure") targets celebrities politicians who have lost touch with reality and the common folk (ranging from Madonna to the President) all done in a middle east style beat.The almost required Beatles/related cover comes in the form of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". Not a spectacular version of a song which you'd kind of hope for since this song has been recorded by so many other artists and you'd want it to stand out of the crowd.OK, I'm not going to go song by song here as I think you're getting a decent idea of the quality of the album. Taylor has made a mark for himself with his solo works, letting the world know that he has his own style outside of Queen. He continues to move forward, recording music that you'd never expect (unlike counterpart Brian May, who seems content with living in his musical past.)"Electric Fire" could very well have been titled "Eclectic Fire" as he throws everything from spanish accoustic guitars to middle east rythms. This is by far the most daring Queen solo work and I recommend it highly.

I know, it is a shame that this CD is only available in the more costly import version. Why the record company has not released this in the usa is beyond me. It's a great collection of songs that will surprise Queen fans whether they are already familiar with RT's solo stuff or not. It's not like most of roger's songs with queen. I would liken this music to good bowie or even peter gabriel. Very polished and beautifully produced with intelligent lyrics, sharp instrumentals and tight percussion. Never does the music become routine or boring and all the songs have meaning. The best songs in my opinion are "pressure on", "nation of haircuts" and "surrender". I think surrender is one of the finest songs to come out of the decade of the 90s. It's that good and it is a shame more people have not been exposed to it. "The whisperers" is a gorgeous song and "london town" will get you up and moving. The only song i tend to skip over is the cover of lennon's "working class hero". I just don't think lennon's suicidal, bi-polar songs are a good fit for roger. I like "fun in space" and "strange frontiers" but i like this CD much better and listen to it as much as any in my collection.

...........socks

Excluding the fact that Roger Taylor has one of the most beautiful voices to listen to, this cd definitely came from a part of him that he never really shared before. Much of the lyrics on this cd come from his personal experiences. One would not know this unless they were true Queen fans, or lived in England (I'm the former). This cd makes you feel as if he has opened up to you in a way that most artists can't. An absolute must for RMT fans.

I've been waiting a month for this one. I have the EU version, yet I have "People on Streets" (Mashed) on the "Pressure On" CD5 (he must have spun them off "Under Pressure", I guess). Most people don't realise there's more to the Queen universe than Freddie. Released in Japan by Parlophone/(formerly Toshiba-)EMI.

Roger Taylor, former drummer of the rock band, QUEEN, stepsforward with his fourth TRUE solo album (excluding his work with THECROSS), and in my humble opinion, reflects his best solo work to date. From the beginning track, "PRESSURE ON", Roger does his best to capture your attention with a different style of music that he seems to know all about. Blended with his husky Rod Stewart-like voice, the songs on this album flow rather well. My favorite tracks on this album are "NO MORE FUN", which shows Roger in true ROCK form, as well as reminding me of his heavy work with "THE CROSS". (Roger, please make more music like "No More Fun") "A NATION OF HAIRCUTS" seems to reflect the attitude of self love in that it makes boasts about one's love for their own self..."we don't make ships and we don't make cars, but we look real good hanging out in bars..." Definitely english sentiment...Other tracks on the album include "TONIGHT, is basically an acoustic track which flows very well, very catchy, and reflects Roger's varying writing styles. Same goes for "WHERE ARE YOU NOW?" and "BELIEVE IN YOURSELF"..sort of soft ballads, which give this album balance. Roger includes a John Lennon cover of "WORKING CLASS HERO" that I believe is amazing. If you are expecting the simple version by Lennon, then be prepared for something totally different. All in all, this album is a good reflection of Roger's varying talents and varying music and writing styles. Trust me everyone, this album is better than his "HAPPINESS" album. Not saying "HAPPINESS" is bad, this album is just musically alot better. ENJOY.... END

I've got to recognaize that I bought this CD because it's from a Queen-member, but man, it's incredible!!

The CD needs a bit of time to be tasted, and then, it will become in a "drug"

"A Nation of Haircuts" is plenty of power, "I surrender" is like a poem, "Where are you now? " is a thing of beauty...

It has the same quality as Mr.May's "Another World"...get it, and check it out!

And after listening to "AW" & "EF", I wonder that what would happenned if they join again.

Maybe the result will be a five stars.

I ordered this album along with Strange Frontier and Happiness? Having only heard a few of RT's solo songs, I was interested to hear a full album of his material. The general consensus seems to be that this album is his best. I agree. I will say that upon first listen, I didn't feel that way. While there are some definite standout tracks (Pressure On, Nation of Haircuts, Surrender), many of the others take a second or third listen before you start singing along. Believe in Yourself, Is it Me, No More Fun, and Tonight are all great tunes and RT's voice sounds great throughout the entire album. He sings lots of higher notes (amazing that 25 years after BoRhap, he can still hit them), does the harmonies himself (though Treana Morris does an amazing job singing backup on a few of the songs), and plays many of the instruments. True to RT form, some of the lyrics are on the dodgy side and at times he overuses studio effects (i.e. singing into what sounds like a megaphone and scissor sounds at the end of Nation of Haircuts *sigh*), but the album as a whole is strong enough that these things should be overlooked. If you're interested in giving RT's solo work a listen, start here but definitely give the album a few listens before making up your mind.

At the time of writing, this is Roger Taylor's most recent solo album. There are not as many stand-out tracks as on "Happiness?", but it does have more to satisfy this listener than "Strange Frontier". With Roger, it is quite difficult to describe his material! There isn't too much that is "Heavy" on here, but the intelligence behind the songs elevates them to much more than "pop" music. I am a HUGE fan of Queen, but other than that I listen to classical and the vilest form of Black MeTal, so let that be the perspective that you read this review through. I find all of Roger's releases to be very very listenable, and each one has songs that you will never forget. This one features a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" that is spiteful and morbid, as the lyrics intend. In fact, most of Roger's lyrics are acerbic, with varying degrees of wit. There is nothing that is too "weird" on this album...perhaps the "weirdest" would've been his first, "Fun In Space", but even that was just a collection of very solid pop/rock songs. Many reviewers read far too much into these releases...let me tell you, if a MeTalhead like me doesn't find anything "hard to grasp" on these albums, neither should anyone else. I imagine they are easier to decipher if you are fans of Queen, but more particularly the British sense of humour. For you Queen fans that are unfamiliar with these albums, you will note that they are not too much like Queen...there are some songs similar to "Drowse" or "Rock It(Prime Jive)" or even "Radio Ga-Ga", but usually much more personal and less bombastic(of course, who is MORE 'bombastic' than Queen?). Stand-out tracks on this album include the rocking "Nation of Haircuts" and the tender, airy "The Whisperers", as well as the heart-felt tribute to friendship "Tonight". Another great album from Roger!

I loved 'Fun In Space' and found much to enjoy on 'Strange Frontier' but ironically the only track I liked on this record was 'No More Fun'.

Tracks such as the overly dramatic 'Horse Whisperers' sound like a history lesson put to music. 'A Nation Of Haircuts' attempts to replicate classic Taylor penned Queen tracks such as 'Drowse' and 'Tenement Funster' but this time around the social comment misses somehow and comes off as lecturing - and the repetition of the title too may times gives the impression of a lack of ideas lyrically.

I really wanted to like this release but, like the cover art, it feels half baked - striving for past glories by being too serious and ultimately coming off as being a bit silly.

An absolute excellent CD, his range of vocals is amazing. Great tracks, catchy and fun to listen too. If you are a dedicated Queen fan, this is a must.