''Fire Up Plus'' is an album by Merl Saunders and Friends. It contains most of the songs from two

LPs LPS may refer to: Science and medicine * Lipopolysaccharide (Endotoxin) * Levator palpebrae superioris muscle Schools * Leighton Park School in Reading, England * Lexington Public Schools, a school district in Massachusetts, USA * Lincoln P ...

from the early 1970s — ''Heavy Turbulence'', and ''Fire Up''. It was released on CD by

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its invest ...

on July 9, 1992. ''Fire Up Plus'' features

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Polyte ...

on keyboards and vocals,

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

on guitar and vocals,

Tom Fogerty Thomas Richard Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Biography ...

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

on guitar,

John Kahn John Kahn (June 13, 1947 – May 30, 1996) was an American electric and acoustic bassist. From 1970 to 1995, Kahn was Jerry Garcia's principal musical collaborator outside of the Grateful Dead. Biography John Kahn was born in Memphis, Tennessee ...

on bass, and

Bill Vitt Bill Vitt (May 6, 1943 - July 16, 2019, aged 76) was an American drummer and keyboardist. He worked extensively as a live performer and as a session musician. In the 1970s he played with Brewer & Shipley, Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, and the So ...

on drums. ''Heavy Turbulence'' was recorded in the fall of 1971 and released in 1972. All six tracks from that album are included in ''Fire Up Plus''. ''Fire Up'' was recorded between November 1972 and January 1973, and released in 1973. Six of the eight tracks from that album are included in ''Fire Up Plus''. The songs "Charisma (She's Got)" and "Chock-Lite Puddin'" were omitted due to space considerations.

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, Lindsay Planer said, "Here, aunders, Garcia, Fogerty, Kahn, and Vittlay down their substantially funky existence onto a considerably eclectic mix of cover tunes and highly inventive originals. Saunders' arrangements — particularly with the

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the ...

brass on "Man-Child" and "Soul Roach" – reveal a hidden talent for the keyboardist. That blending of styles results in a hearty

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

sound with the horn section taking a backseat to no one. Saunders alternates between the rubbery funk of "Expressway (To Your Heart)" through to a comparably leaner sound on their redux of JJ Cale's " After Midnight." The lead vocals are split between Saunders and Garcia. On The Best Of Website, Barry Small wrote, "There are many solid moments on this release, though none better than the lovely blues inspired riffs that Garcia lays out on "

Lonely Avenue "Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that was a No. 6 rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles in 1956. Background The song drew the attention of the music business to Doc Pomus, who had previously had little success as a songwrit ...

". I generally prefer the cover versions to the original Merl compositions. John Lennon's song " Imagine" is done instrumentally. The rendition of JJ Cale's "After Midnight" is top notch.... Merl Saunders' ''Fire Up Plus'' is a more than worthwhile addition to a CD collection. Writing about ''Heavy Turbulence'' on Allmusic,

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twe ...

said, "This is pretty much a straight rock and funk effort... Since ogertyis such a terrific rhythm guitarist, it is really no surprise that he and Saunders could create such a pumping oil well; this is an album in which the rhythmic feel of each song can never be faulted, no matter how different the approaches might be. The band is really well recorded, the tones thick and fat, and the grooves trembling from the fine organ fondling.... Lead guitar fills by Jerry Garcia are a musical inspiration, as well as probably stimulating much of the original album's sales." Writing about ''Fire Up'' on Allmusic, Chadbourne said, "With both the chops and musical background to lead the somewhat younger rock neophytes on a vision quest, Saunders became something of a galvanizing force, bringing out some of the tightest and strongest performances of the players featured here.... the program wisely emphasizes the leader's clever songwriting; fans of the good ol' boogaloo should enjoy both "Soul Roach" and "Chock-Lite Puddin'." The range of material is narrowly focused into the areas where these players really excel, rather than attempting to be jaw-droppingly eclectic."

Track listing

:From ''Heavy Turbulence'': #"My Problems Got Problems" (

, Pamela Carrier) – 4:29 #"

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and originally recorded by the Canadian-American roots rock group the Band in 1969 and released on their eponymous second album. Levon Helm provided the lead vocals. T ...

" (

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel i ...

) – 4:03 #"Save Mother Earth" (Saunders, Edmund Lewis) – 7:18 #" Imagine" (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

) – 2:36 #"Welcome to the Basement" (Saunders, Eddie Moore) – 6:12 #"Man-Child" (Saunders, Lewis) – 12:30 :From ''Fire Up'': #

" After Midnight" ( JJ Cale) – 4:58 #"

Expressway to Your Heart "Expressway to Your Heart" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by the Soul Survivors. It appeared on their 1967 album, ''When the Whistle Blows Anything Goes'', which was produced by Gamble and Huff. The song reached # ...

" ( Kenneth Gamble, Leon A. Huff) – 5:14 #"Soul Roach" (Saunders, Ray Shanklin) – 4:24 #"Benedict Rides" (Saunders, Carrier) – 3:03 #"The System" (Saunders, Carrier) – 3:55 #"

" (

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...

) – 8:42

Personnel

Musicians

– keyboards,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, vocals *

– guitar, vocals *

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

; electric piano on "Soul Roach" *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

*The Hawkins Singers (

Edwin The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (die ...

, Walter, Tramaine, Lynette, Feddie, Carol) – vocals *

– horns *Eddie Moore – drums on "Welcome to the Basement" *

Kenneth Nash Dr Kenneth C. Nash (born 1964) is an American psychiatrist and professor who is certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He practices at the University of Pittsburgh The Univ ...

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

on "Welcome to the Basement" *Bob Drew – alto saxophone on "Welcome to the Basement" *

Gaylord Birch Gaylord G. Birch (March 10, 1946 – April 14, 1996) was a drummer for the bands Santana, Graham Central Station, Cold Blood, Pointer Sisters & Herbie Hancock. History Birch was the drummer for the Pointer Sisters during 1974 and performe ...

–

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s on "Expressway (To Your Heart)" *Mike Howell – guitar on "Soul Roach" *Christopher Parker – drums on "Soul Roach" *

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

– drums on "Lonely Avenue"

Production

*Produced by

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and danc ...

*Engineer: Brian Gardner *Assistant engineer: Eddie Harris *Digital remastering: Phil De Lancie *Art direction: Phil Carroll *Design: Jamie Putnam *Photos: Tony Lane

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire Up Plus Merl Saunders albums Jerry Garcia albums 1992 albums