Fire Up (album)

Fire Up
Studio album by Merl Saunders
Released	May 1973
Length	39:42
Label	Fantasy
Producer	Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders chronology
Heavy Turbulence (1972) Fire Up (1973) Live at Keystone (1973)

Fire Up is an album by Merl Saunders. It was released in May 1973 through Fantasy Records. The self-produced album features many high-profile collaborators, including Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann alongside Creedence Clearwater Revival guitarist Tom Fogerty.[1][2] It peaked at number 197 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[3]

Six of the album's eight tracks were included on the compilation Fire Up Plus in 1992.

Background

Despite meeting resistance from his label over the album's lyrical content, Garcia encouraged Saunders to write the way he wanted:

Jerry always encouraged me to write material for the group. Fantasy was saying stuff like, 'the music is great, but these words about ecology and whatnot, you gotta tone 'em down.' I said, 'I like the words.' And Jerry's attitude was, 'Yeah, fuck 'em! Do what you want, Merl!' He was really my inspiration to do things the way I wanted to do them.[4]

Reception

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Eugene Chadbourne stated the album "emphasizes [Saunders'] clever songwriting", listing "Soul Roach" and "Chock-Lite Pudding" as highlights.[5]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"After Midnight"	J.J. Cale	4:56
2.	"Expressway (To Your Heart)"	Leon Huff Kenny Gamble	5:20
3.	"Charisma (She's Got)"	Merl Saunders	4:47
4.	"Soul Roach"	Saunders Ray Shanklin	4:24

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Chock-lite Puddin'"	Saunders	4:35
2.	"Benedict Rides"	Saunders Pamela Carrier	3:02
3.	"The System"	Saunders Carrier	3:48
4.	"Lonely Avenue"	Doc Pomus	8:50
Total length:			39:42

Personnel

• Merl Saunders – electric piano, organ, ARP (flute), ARP (band), clavinet
• Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
• Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar
• John Kahn – bass
• Bill Vitt – drums
• Gaylord Birch – congas, drums, tambourine
• Chuck Rainey – bass
• Walter Hawkins and sisters (Tramaine, Lynette, and Freddie) – background vocals
• Mike Howell – guitar, rhythm guitar
• Ken Nash – percussion
• Christopher Parker – drums
• Bill Somers – percussion
• Bill Kreutzmann – drums

References

1. "Fire Up – Merl Saunders". Grateful Dead Family Discography. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
2. "Fire Up". Jerry Garcia. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
3. "Billboard 200 – Week of June 2, 1973". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
4. Jackson, Blair; McNally, Dennis; Peters, Stephen; Wills, Chuck (June 2015). Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-4654-4008-2.
5. Chadbourne, Eugene. "Merl Saunders – Fire Up". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2023.