Fireboy Explained

Fireboy
Type:studio
Artist:Grant McLennan
Cover:McLennan fireboy.jpg
Released:1993
Recorded:Paradise Studios, Sydney, Platinum Studios, Melbourne
Genre:Alternative rock
Length:52:42
Label:White Label[1]
Producer:Dave Dobbyn
Prev Title:Watershed
Prev Year:1991
Next Title:Horsebreaker Star
Next Year:1994

Fireboy is the second solo album by Grant McLennan, a member of the Go-Betweens.[2] [3] It was released in 1993.[4] In the album's liner notes McLennan said the songs were for Gloria Swanson, Kenneth Slessor, Brett Whiteley and Dean Martin. Produced by Dave Dobbyn, it was recorded in Woolloomooloo.[5] The first single was "Surround Me".[6]

Critical reception

Trouser Press called the album "a near-perfect convergence of observant, passionate words and jangly, surging tunes."[7] The Calgary Herald wrote that McLennan "sings with conviction [and] poetic insight."

AllMusic wrote: "If there are hints of older rock styles here and there, McLennan's singing in particular still has the sharp, modern edge that helped make the Go-Betweens great, all while not losing his trademark warmth."[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Grant McLennan, except where noted.

  1. "Lighting Fires" – 3:36
  2. "Surround Me" – 3:55
  3. "One Million Miles From Here" – 3:45
  4. "The Dark Side of Town" – 3:46
  5. "Things Will Change" – 2:45
  6. "The Pawnbroker" – 8:12
  7. "Whose Side Are You On?" – 3:09
  8. "Fingers" (Grant McLennan, Dave Dobbyn)– 3:34
  9. "Signs of Life" – 4:23
  10. "The Day My Eyes Came Back" – 4:08
  11. "Bathe (in the Water)" – 3:30
  12. "When I Close My Eyes" – 1:24
  13. "Riddle in the Rain" – 6:29

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grant & I: Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens. Robert. Forster. 14 August 2017. Omnibus Press. Google Books.
  2. Web site: Grant McLennan Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic.
  3. Mathur . Paul . Fireboy by GW McLennan . Melody Maker . Mar 6, 1993 . 69 . 10 . 29.
  4. Web site: The Rough Guide to Rock. Peter. Buckley. 20 September 2003. Rough Guides. Google Books.
  5. News: Wilson . Bridget . PRINCE TAKES SHINE TO SOME LOCAL TALENT . The Sydney Morning Herald . May 21, 1992 . Eastern Herald . 5.
  6. News: Kearns . Lisa . Dancing towards oblivion . The Age . April 2, 1993 . News . 10.
  7. Web site: G.W. McLennan . Trouser Press . 20 September 2022.
  8. Web site: Grant McLennan - Fireboy Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic. www.allmusic.com.