Ice on Fire
Ice on Fire, released in November 1985, is the nineteenth studio album by Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios, it was his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards. George Michael, then of Wham!, appears on two tracks on the album: "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up". Other notable guests include Nik Kershaw, Sister Sledge, Pino Palladino, Mel Gaynor and Millie Jackson, who duetted with John on "Act of War". Roger Taylor and John Deacon of Queen play drums and bass guitar on "Too Young".
| Ice on Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 November 1985 | |||
| Recorded | January - June 1985 at the Sol Studios, Cookham, Berkshire | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, pop rock, new wave | |||
| Length | 46:17 | |||
| Label | Geffen (US) Rocket (UK) | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ice on Fire | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[6] |
The album was met with little praise, and only reached #48 on the US charts, although it reached #3 in the UK. "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up" became top 20 hits, the former reaching #7 in the US and #3 in the UK. In the US it was certified gold in June 1986 by the RIAA.
Track listing
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.
Side one
- "This Town" – 3:56
- "Cry to Heaven" – 4:16
- "Soul Glove" – 3:31
- "Nikita" – 5:43
- "Too Young" – 5:12
Side two
- "Wrap Her Up" (John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Fred Mandel, Charlie Morgan, Paul Westwood) – 6:21
- "Satellite" – 3:57 (4:37 on CD reissue)
- "Tell Me What the Papers Say" – 3:40
- "Candy by the Pound" – 3:56
- "Shoot Down the Moon" – 5:09
- Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD releases.
Bonus track (On the 1985 original CD and the 1992 MCA reissue)
- "Act of War" (Duet with Millie Jackson) – 4:43
Bonus tracks (1999 Mercury reissue)
- "The Man Who Never Died" (John) – 5:12
- "Restless" (Live 1984) – 4:25
- "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Live 1977) (Erroneously listed as "Live 1984") – 3:23
- "I'm Still Standing" (Live 1984) – 4:52
The remastered 1999 version did not include "Act of War"; the 1999 remaster had a longer intro to "Satellite" than the LP and the 1985 CD issue, and has a slightly different vocal mix. The live version of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is not the version found on the 12" single of "Nikita", but is an unreleased version from 1977 (Live at Rainbow Rock in May). It is unknown why the switch occurred. The other two live tracks were recorded at Wembley Stadium during the tour for the album Breaking Hearts.
According to Elizabeth Rosenthal in her book, His Songs: The Musical Journey of Elton John (p. 260; First edition), the LP's closing track, "Shoot Down the Moon", was considered for the James Bond film A View to a Kill, but the producers instead decided to go with the title track as performed by Duran Duran.
"The Man Who Never Died" is a song written about John Lennon, in addition to "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", from Elton John's album Jump Up!
Personnel
Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
- David Bitelli – horn arrangements (1, 3, 6, 9), baritone saxophone (1, 6, 9), tenor saxophone (3, 6)
- Alan Carvell – backing vocals (3, 5, 7-9)
- Kiki Dee – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
- Raul D'Oliveira – trumpet (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Gus Dudgeon – Simmons drums on "Too Young" and "Act of War", horn arrangements (3, 6), arrangements (10)
- Deon Estus – bass guitar (3, 7, 11)
- John Deacon – bass guitar on "Too Young"
- Mel Gaynor – drums (3, 7, 11)
- Millie Jackson – vocals on "Act of War"
- Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano (1-3, 5, 8, 10, 11), Yamaha GS1 piano (4, 5), synthesizer (4, 7, 9, 11), backing vocals (4)
- Davey Johnstone – electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Spanish guitar (2), synth guitar (2, 7), backing vocals (3, 5, 6-9)
- Nik Kershaw – electric guitar on "Nikita", "Satellite" and "Act of War"; backing vocals on "Nikita"
- Katie Kissoon – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
- Fred Mandel – synthesizers (1, 4, 5, 10, 11), keyboards (2, 3, 6-9), sequencer (6), electric guitar (7, 11), finger snaps (7), arrangements (10)
- Dave Mattacks – drums (4, 8, 9), military snare on "Too Young"
- George Michael – backing vocals on "Nikita", featured vocals on "Wrap Her Up"
- Charlie Morgan – drums (1, 2, 6)
- James Newton Howard – string arrangements on "Soul Glove" and "Wrap Her Up"
- Pino Palladino – bass guitar (10)
- David Paton – bass guitar (4, 8, 9)
- Nick Pentelow – tenor saxophone (9)
- Chris Pyne – trombone (9)
- Frank Ricotti – percussion (3, 5), vibraphone (9)
- Sister Sledge – backing vocals on "This Town"
- Paul Spong – trumpet (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Bob Sydor – tenor saxophone (3)
- Rick Taylor – trombone (1, 3, 6, 9), horn arrangements (9)
- Roger Taylor – drums on "Too Young"
- Pete Thomas – tenor saxophone (9)
- Phil Todd – alto saxophone (6)
- Paul Westwood – bass guitar (1, 2, 6)
- Pete Wingfield – backing vocals (3, 5, 6-9)
Credits
- Produced by Gus Dudgeon
- All lyrics by Bernie Taupin
- Recorded by Stuart Epps
- Mixed and Edited by Graham Dickson and Gus Dudgeon
- Additional mix and editing by Tom Pearce
- Mastered by Gordon Vicary
- Design: David Larkham
- Photography: Terry O'Neill
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Belgium (BEA)[26] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[27] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[28] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[29] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[31] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[33] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[34] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- http://www.45cat.com/record/ejs9
- http://www.45cat.com/record/ejs10
- http://www.45cat.com/record/ejs11
- https://www.discogs.com/Elton-John-Soul-Glove/release/9253358
- Ice on Fire at AllMusic
- Archived 2 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "austriancharts.at Elton John - Ice on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- Library and Archives Canada. Archived 12 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-10-29
- "dutchcharts.nl Elton John - Ice on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "charts.nz Elton John - Ice on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "norwegiancharts.com Elton John - Ice on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "swedishcharts.com Elton John - Ice on Fire" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "Elton John - Ice on Fire - hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "The Official Charts Company - Elton John - Ice on Fire" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "allmusic ((( Ice on Fire > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "Album Search: Elton John - Ice on Fire" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "Austriancharts.at - Jahreshitparade 1986" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- "Les Albums (CD) de 1986 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- "Hitparade.ch - Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". Swiss Music Charts (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- "Billboard.BIZ - Year-end Charts - Billboard 200 - 1986". billboard.biz. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- certyear for AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATION for albums/singles must be 1997 or larger
- "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 December 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "French album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'Ice on Fire')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- "Dutch album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Ice on Fire in the "Artiest of titel" box.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Elton John; 'Ice on Fire')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- "British album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Ice on Fire in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "American album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
