Customer Reviews

Firehouse

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD back in the late 80's for "Love of a Lifetime" because at that time my fiance and I considered it "our song". I never really listened to the rest of the disc. I just pulled this CD out again today and man is it good! The whole disc is great. All of the songs are catchy, I had forgotten about "Don't Treat me Bad", but some of the other tunes I heard for the first time just really grabbed me. If you are a fan of Bon Jovi or Ratt, or just want to listen to some older pop-metal I highly recommend this album.

The debut album from Firehouse is one of my top 5 favorite albums from the glam/hair metal scene. Even though these guys aren't actually glam artists, they are lumped in with that particular category because they fit much more nicely with that than the alt/grunge rock scene that started in the early 90's. Firehouse is definitely NOT alt/grunge. They are like... like a polished, edgier Dokken-mixed-with-White Lion mixed with Cherry Pie-era Warrant.

Firehouse is simple, straightforward Southern California rock from the early 90's. This album is DEFINITELY the gem of their career. It's solid through and through: the songwriting is VERY tight, the guitar work absolutely blistering and razor-sharp, and there is an amount of party-fun, sass and attitude that are found on Warrant's (Cherry Pie) and Ratt's (Out of the Cellar, Dancing Undercover) best work. There isn't a single filler track on this album. Many bands go an entire career without being able to boast that. Firehouse would only do that on this album, but OH is this album worth a spin in the player.

1. Rock on the Radio: 9/10 Chunky rhythm, awesome guitar work. Check out the transition from the song's chant-like intro to the beginning of the actual "song" part of the song.

2. All She Wrote: 10/10 Never release as a single, but widely believed that it would have been their second-biggest hit on the album after "Love of a Lifetime." The guitars chug and rip throughout, and the songwriting is TIGHT. Vox are good too. One of my two favs on the album.

3. Shake and Tumble: 8/10 As with every single song on the album (save for #8), the guitarwork/distortion sound is blistering and awesome. Got a great stop-and-start tempo.

4. Don't Treat Me Bad: 8/10 Slightly more fluid than the previous song, with a nice chunky groove to boot.

5. Oughta Be a Law: 10/10 Awwww hell yeah! This song is chock full of attitude. IMO, this song is the best on this album as far as the guitarwork. The distortion sound runs rampant throughout, the vox are great, and the did I mention the guitars? BLISTERING! Edgy-- like someone shredding metal with razors, but in a really cool way. My other fav. Buy the album if for no other reason than to hear this song. Three thumbs up.

6. Lover's Lane: 10/10 Fast, driving, bottom-heavy rhythm with sex and sass. Reminds me a lot of "Dancing Undercover"-era Ratt (1986), which, by the way, is also a solid album (see my Ratt reviews).

7. Home Is Where the Heart Is: 7/10 A medium-tempo song, not quite a ballad. The lyrics on this one are a bit campy, but the vox and chugging, sharp guitars make this song worth at least a listen. Not the best on the album, but the musicmanship is far too good for less than a 7/10.

8. Don't Walk Away: 8/10 Powerful instruments, very good vox, and the usual tight guitarwork. Memorable tune-- listen a couple times and you'll be singing it to yourself the rest of the day. (Of course, that's true with most of these.)

9. Seasons of Change: 4/10 This is the one song on this album that I really don't care for. It's an acoustic instrumental, and in its own rite on an album with more acoustic instrumentals it would shine. But on this album it just doesn't fit, though it does serve as a breather between the first 8 songs and the next 3.

10. Overnight Sensation: 9/10 One of the big songs from this album, and it's easy to see why. It's probably the fastest and most driving on the album, has the sharp guitars, and good lyrics. Tied for "most upbeat/fastest song" along with "Lover's Lane."

11. Love of a Lifetime: 10/10 I'm not much of a ballads guy; most are just too stinkin' slow. But this is actually the song that got me interested in the band! The best vocals on the album can be found here, as well as powerful riffs and squeals from the lead guitarist to complement the lyrics. A solid, solid song, and a ballad that even guys that don't care for power ballads (like me) will willingly admit to liking. (My last girlfriend LOVED it!)

12. Helpless: 8/10 This song closes out the album very nicely, and ties things together before the CD ends. Good selection as the last song. It's very up-tempo, and seems to bring the best aspects from every song together. It sounds even better if listened to right after "Love of a Lifetime," as it picks the pace back up from ballad-land.

So there you have it: my review for Firehouse's debut album. If you like Ratt, White Lion, Warrant, 3 Doors Down, Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood, Steelheart, or just general SoCal style rock, I HIGHLY recommend shelling out the 12 bucks for this album (or less for a used copy just to try it). You won't be disappointed.

I'm the biggest Hair Metal fan around but it took me a while to find Firehouse. A lot of Hair Metal at the time was bland and had no heart, Firehouse was one of the few exceptions I've found from the time. Every single song on this album rocks, except Seasons of Change, even the stuff that might be considered filler. Instrumentals just aren't my thing. The first four songs are rockin, it lets up a bit on the next couple of songs, and then it's rockin the rest of the way through. The best songs on the album are "Rock on the Radio," "All She Wrote," "Shake & Tumble," and "Love of a Lifetime."

Firehouse was easily the best new Hair Metal band of 90'.

I consider this album--and this band--somewhat of a copycat effort of others within the "pop metal" genre--bands like Bon Jovi and Europe come to mind. That being said, this is still a very enjoyable listen from the early '90s. "Don't Treat Me Bad" is a great melodic mid-tempo single, and "Love Of A Lifetime" was a big ballad hit. To me, the best track on the album is the single released after these two songs which didn't make it nearly as big--"All She Wrote". Man, what a powerful, melodic, rocking song!

Other tracks are also very enjoyable. "Rock On The Radio" is a bit generic but has a big sound. "Shake And Tumble" and "Overnight Sensation" flat-out rock. "Home Is Where The Heart Is" and "Don't Walk Away" are great slower tempo songs--the latter being a true power ballad. All in all, a very good melodic effort a year or so before rock music was eclipsed by the gloomy grunge.

Although many of us would like to forget the big-hair excesses of the late 80s-early 90s scene, we would be fooling ourselves if we denied the quality of some of the music. Two talented bands, Firehouse and Slaughter, caught the last wave of the melodic-rock era and were denied the earlier acclaim given bands like Poison and Skid Row, whose talent was inferior. Songs on this album like Love of a Lifetime and Don't Treat Me Bad withstood the transition to an acoustic format on Good Acoustics (1996), which I would also recommend. Like any other era, it was originality, not big hair and make-up, that determined which music would survive. This album is still a treat for the ear, and I for one am not ashamed to appreciate it for what it is: a good rock n roll album.

Debut album of Firehouse in 1991 is one of my all time favorites. Just like vintage wine it gets better with age. I happen to miss this excellent rock album when this album was first released. I encountered with Firehouse when I listened to I LIVE MY LOVE FOR YOU in 1996. Since then this rock group captivates me. After I bought 3 where this nice rock ballad is from, Hold Your Fire(1992), Good Acoustics, O2(2001) and this debut followed. This album is no doubt the legend.

The opening ROCK ON THE RADIO is such a thrilling rock track somewhat like the combination of KISS, WHITESNAKE and BON JOVI. Then comes up the first of the catchy rocker ALL SHE WROTE. SHAKE AND TUMBLE is GUN's styled rock anthem. Then they shoot the killer power ballad, DON'T TREAT ME BAD. After a couple of nice rock tracks OUGHTA BE A LAW and LOVER'S LANE comes another heartwarming song HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. Wow this band knows what makes great American rock. With the TNT like instrumental interlude SEASONS OF CHANGE, they burn up with the rocker OVERNIGHT SENSATION and the last perfect ballad LOVE OF THE LIFETIME.

For rock fans young and old this album can never be missed. Also check out their latest effort PRIME TIME.

WOW!THE YEAR IS 1990.Hair metal has started declining,suddenly there's slope in album sales.But here's a band out to prove the critics wrong in this tail-end of hair-metal revolution.Firehouse was one of the best "hair-metal"bands of the era...the fact stamped upon on listening to this awesome album..hey!!let me rate this album song by song-
1.ROCK ON THE ROAD-now firehouse like typical pop-metal bands writes about rocking you,but catchy lyrics,soulful voce n great guitars makes it a standout-10/10.
2.ALL SHE WROTE-song about a girl cheating upon her..u know,her boyfriend..but written in great humour..no sadness in this..type of-back in ur face-8/10.
3.SHAKE & TUMBLE-another typical fast,hard driving pop-metal song..great riffs,pounding drums,catchy solo-9/10
4.DON'T TREAT ME BAD-another song with"baby"...these hair-metal bands hve something for this word..was included in "best of"..an average song-7/10
5.OUGHT TO BE A LAW-another song where firehouse comes strongly over their girl-friends...must be heart-broken..a good song..good lyrics-9/10
6.LOVER'S LANE-another fast song..nothing extra-ordinary-8/10
so side A finishes mostly having fast songs clocking at 23.12 minutes.
SIDE-B-
1.HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS-A ballad..very well sung-soul is there for the taking..a stand out song-10/10
2.DON'T WALK AWAY-another ballad..mostly chorus..good solo though..an average song-7/10
3.SEASON OF CHANGE-a very short instrumental,all of 1.29 min-8/10
4.overnight sensation-one of the faster n heavier songs of side-B.good solo n awesome drumming-9/10
5.LOVE OF A LIFETIME-wow!what do i say..their best song to-date..n probably"ballad of a lifetime"..great lyrics,good vocals,grand solo...perfect song to woo ur girlfriend back-10/10
6.HELPLESS-a mix of a fast n slow song..still pretty good though-8/10.
this side clock at 22.4
i can't praise this album as words are not enough..go get it folks n listen yourself to believe it..this is an almost dead-genre,so go get it before its out-a-stock..grest music in today's listless music scene.
Tuly a hair-metal classic

Many of the late 80's/ very early 90's hair bands were empty sounding, and seemed boring. Firehouse was one of the better bands of the era. This debut, is fun, and has some heart in the music. It isn't plastic and mundane like many of the other bands of the era(Slaughter, Trixter, Winger, etc). This is a decent classic hard rock record. If you like the better examples of 80's hard rock, or the 70's golden era, you will enjoy this.

This debut from the Jersey rockers is a lotta fun! All the tracks on this album are good. Firehouse is right in line with White Lion, Winger and Slaughter putting out good melodies, great vocals, fun rock 'n' roll and great ballads.

All She Wrote, Love of a Lifetime, Don't Treat Me Bad and Oughta Be a Law are very good. If you like this album, pick up their second release, Hold Your Fire. It is just as good.

I must say I'm surprised at how good this album is, I expected extra cheese, however, I was delivered one rocking disc.