On Fire [Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Galaxie 500 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009QN
• Also Available in: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,957 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #25 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Shoegazing
  • #26 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative
  • #45 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Label

Galaxie 500 began to play beyond the Boston limits and their stock rose, especially in the UK where Today wasreceived enthusiastically. In the summer of 1989, the band re-entered Kramer’s studio to record their second album,On Fire, and its companion EP, the UK-only release Blue Thunder, both for Rough Trade. The critical acclaim for these recordings was deafening. Sounds described the album as "utter magnificence," Melody Maker called it "astunning collection of daydream pop," even Rolling Stone gave it 3½ stars.The world was beating its head on Galaxie’s door; the On Fire/Blue Thunder pairing expanded effortlessly on theband’s exquisite base. The plaintive threads of the Galaxie 500 sound had been pulled tighter by the technicalproficiency that had enveloped these ex-amateurs, and unlike so many others, technique had sharpened their instinctsrather than masked them. Playing with flash is superfluous, when you have the moxie to cover Red Crayola’s "VictoryGarden" and Joy Division’s "Ceremony," making both of them over in your own image. With the release of On Fire/Blue Thunder, Galaxie 500 took their playing to a whole new level.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wrist-slitting fun February 10, 2000

By Pedro

Format:Audio CD

You just got dumped by your girlfriend, your dog just died, your really late on your college papers, you never get enough sleep... oh hell, put in G500's "On Fire" and just start crying. Because you're sad? No, no. Just 'cause the songs are just too damn beutiful. I love music, I got hundreds of CDs, but very few touch me like this one. It doesn't matter if you're listening to it in the subway, on bed or on the top of the Empire State Building, it always makes you feel kinda funny, inadequate, really. The world becomes absurd, abstract, deadly at every little corner. "Blue Thunder" is one of the most warm and gutsy song I've ever heard. And "Strange", well...it makes you feel like one. If you want to be a lonely argonaut travelling in a sea of faceless people, then buy this album, lock your door and hide all pointy objects.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I once got beat up to this C.D. September 27, 2002

By hominuslupus

Format:Audio CD

And while it was no fun having a skinny white guy's boot repeatedly assault my groin and lower abdomen, I couldn't help but notice the etheral guittar chords and well written lyrics playing in the background. Until then, I had only been beat up to rap music. They say music is the strongest source of nostalgia, and they are right. This C.D. takes me back to some good times.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Firing on All Cylinders February 27, 2003

By Greg Cleary

Format:Audio CD

Just one year after a very good debut album ("Today"), Galaxie 500 hit the jackpot with "On Fire." This is one of those albums where a band miraculously gets everything right, with all the elements of their sound falling into place. The Galaxie 500 formula was basically pretty simple, and all three instrumentalists contributed about equally. Damon Krukowski's splashy drumming did as much to set the mood as did Naomi Yang's understated bass and Dean Wareham's blaring guitars.

The overall effect is sort of a musical glow, as suggested by the orange album cover, and there are enough earthly concerns in the lyrics to remind us which planet we inhabit after all. "On Fire" is pervaded by themes of escape, isolation, and longing. Though the music has a soothing effect, there is an angst here, a genuine attempt to connect. This is no mere exercise in style.

The Galaxie 500 sound was heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground, especially VU's droniest material, such as "Venus in Furs." Yet somehow, the Galaxie 500 drone does not borrow so obviously from Indian music. It sounds entirely American, with hints of jazz, blues, folk, and rock and roll. But only hints. Mostly, Galaxie 500 sounded nothing like any band that came before it--at least as far as I know. Their music was ahead of its time.

"Blue Thunder" may be the band's best song ever, with a crescendo leading to the chorus: "I'll drive so far away!" "Snowstorm" is a brilliant take on how we experience snowstorms nowadays, watching the TV and maybe hoping we can get out of work early; the music approaches quietly before rushing in and enveloping us. "Another Day" features a haunting vocal by Naomi Yang, and the remake of George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity" is perfect, staying true to the spirit of the song while gently recasting it in the Galaxie 500 mold.

"On Fire" is a classic of its genre, and a great combination of sound and songwriting. This is the place to start if you are interested in the music of Galaxie 500.