Customer Reviews

Strange Fire

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To me, this album epitomizes the work of the Indigo Girls. It's rare and bare boned, and not a lot of people appreciate acoustic music, which is why I enjoy this album all the more. It's wonderful to hear these women's soaring harmonies and vocals without having to swim through all the extra instruments. It seems with every new album, they added more and more, until their lyrics and voices were awash in the background noise (this is why I'm not a fan of their newest album). If you admire clarity, then this is the album for you.

Much has been said about this CD, although not about this remastered version. The real difference has less to do with the remastering and more to do with the two tracks that were added to this version: 1) an old version of "Crazy Game", which stands up fairly well; 2) a rare Amy Ray gem entitled "Everybody's Waiting for Someone to Come Home." It's a simple, haunting, and beautiful ballad that captures Amy's best early songwriting abilities (which, unfortunately, have not improved much in the decade-plus since this album was released). A must-have for Indigo Girls fans who don't already have high-quality (illegal?) bootleg recordings of this great Amy Ray song.

This was the first Indigo Girls album; recorded before the first Epic album "Indigo Girls". There is a very naked live-feel to most of these recordings, most of which very well may be "undubbed first takes" featuring only acoustic guitars and vocals. A few tracks contains additional instruments such as cello, flute and harmonica. Their song-writing at this point is not quite up to the ( very high ) level of their later albums, and the songs are generally not quite as melodic.

For me two tracks stand out; Emily's great ballad "Left Me a Fool" and their cover of "Get Together", the only track to feature electric guitar.

This album was re-released after the band's self-titled "debut" was so successful. I was anxious to get my hands on any new work by the band after buying the first CD, so I picked this puppy up the minute I saw it.

I didn't hear exactly what I was expecting, but I wasn't disappointed. Same voices, same powerful lyrics, but a more toned-down roughness than what you may have been expecting after hearing their self-titled CD, but you'll still be impressed with the sound. Same harmony, guitars and vocals. Excellent early work.

Thank goodness I came across the previous customer reviews of this album. I was beginning to think I was crazy. All over the internet, one can find many references to the review of this album by the "All Music Guide" (for what that's worth!), that gives this album 2.5 stars. I was beginning to doubt my taste or something.

Certainly, there are many other songs by the Girls that I like at least as well as the songs here, but this is - truly - the only IG album I can listen to from top to bottom without programming-out at least one track. ("Chickenman." Are you kidding me? ~shudder~)

Believe me; if I was told I was going to have to live in some limited space and could only take one album from each of my favorite artists, this is the Indigo Girls album that's going with me!

I am shocked there are not more reviews of this album. To me it is the most honest of all the I G albums so far. Everytime I see them live I am praying to hear anything from Strange Fire.

This is one of my favorite IG albums (I have them all), with some of the most deeply personal and touching lyrics you will find. There are no sub-par songs, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Wether you are a fan or not, I think it's a must have.

This initial offering by the Indigo Girls reveals all of the reasons why their fans have come to love them. They have a synchronization that is rarely found in music today. The beautiful harmony and the poetry in the lyrics entice you to buy every album. The fact that this album was produced so many years ago, speaks to their timelessness. They haven't lost that beauty and mystery.

This is the REAL debut album by the girls. If I were to tell anyone about the Indigo Girls, I would tell them to listen to them in the order their music was released. This album shows the girls in a very strong light. Being it was their first, I was impressed by the literacy and the melodies they offered. They are a couple of girls with a strong sense of allowing themselves to grow emotionally and it pours out in the lyrics here. They are not afraid to wear their emotions or their relationships on their sleeves and it shows. Musically it bare bones. Acoustic is the fare of this album and it is quite good. However, not until the next album "Indigo Girls" did they come into their own with blending their heartfelt lyrics with extraordinary melodies.

Songs like "Strange Fire" and "Hey Jesus" are powerful examples of uniqueness of this collection of songs. It may be their best..it has a quality of purity that more commercialized CD's don't.