Fire of Unknown Origin
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Fire of Unknown Origin
| Artist | Blue Öyster Cult |
|---|---|
| Released | July 1981 |
| Recorded | 1981 at Kingdom Sound, Long Island, NY |
| Length | 39:06 |
| Label | Columbia Records |
| Producer | Martin Birch |
Fire of Unknown Origin is the eighth studio album by Blue Öyster Cult. It was released in July 1981 by Columbia Records, peaking at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 on September 19, 1981 and holding for two weeks. It was certified Gold by RIAA in 1982 and is the final studio album to feature the full original lineup as official members of the band, as Albert Bouchard was replaced by longtime road crew member Rick Downey during the following tour.
This album spawned one single, "Burnin' For You" / "Vengeance (The Pact)", which peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held for three weeks. It also peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Personnel
Blue Öyster Cult
- Eric Bloom – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser – lead guitar, vocals, percussion, bass
- Allen Lanier – keyboards
- Joe Bouchard – bass, vocals
- Albert Bouchard – drums, vocals, synthesizers, mixing
Additional musicians
- Karla DeVito – vocals ("Sole Survivor")
- Sandy Jean – vocals ("Don't Turn Your Back")
- Bill Civitella – percussion ("Veteran of the Psychic Wars")
- Tony Cedrone – percussion ("Veteran of the Psychic Wars")
- Jesse Levy – string arrangements ("Veteran of the Psychic Wars," "Joan Crawford")
Production
- Martin Birch – producer, engineer
- Clay Hutchinson – engineer
- Paul Stubblebine – mastering
- Greg Scott – cover art
- Paula Scher – sleeve design
- Inner Tradition Books – back cover
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side one | ||||
| 1 | Fire of Unknown Origin | J. Bouchard, Patti Smith, Bloom, A. Bouchard, Roeser | Bloom | 4:09 |
| 2 | Burnin' For You | Roeser, Meltzer | Roeser | 4:29 |
| 3 | Veteran of the Psychic Wars | Bloom, Michael Moorcock | Bloom | 4:48 |
| 4 | Sole Survivor | Bloom, John Trivers, Liz Myers | Bloom | 4:04 |
| 5 | Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver | A. Bouchard, Bloom, Pearlman | Bloom | 3:16 |
| Side two | ||||
| 6 | Vengeance (The Pact) | A. Boucahrd, J. Bouchard | J. Bouchard | 4:41 |
| 7 | After Dark | Bloom, Trivers, Myers | Bloom | 4:25 |
| 8 | Joan Crawford | A. Bouchard, David Roter, Jack Rigg | Bloom | 4:55 |
| 9 | Don't Turn Your Back | Lanier, Roeser, A. Bouchard | Roeser | 4:07 |
Trivia
- The cover art for Fire of Unknown Origin, titled "Offering", was painted by Greg Scott. Scott would also paint the covers for the two subsequent albums, Extraterrestrial Live and The Revölution by Night.