Fire of Unknown Origin

Fire of Unknown Origin
Cover art by Greg Scott
Studio album by Blue Öyster Cult
Released	July 1981 (1981-07)
Recorded	Kingdom Sound Studios, Long Island, New York The Automatt, San Francisco, California
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal
Length	39:06
Label	Columbia
Producer	Martin Birch
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
Cultösaurus Erectus (1980) Fire of Unknown Origin (1981) Extraterrestrial Live (1982)
Singles from Fire of Unknown Origin
"Burnin' for You / Vengeance (The Pact)" Released: August 1981 "Burnin' for You / Heavy Metal: the Black and Silver" Released: September 1981

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
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Fire of Unknown Origin is the eighth album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1981. It was produced by Martin Birch.

The album, which included the top 40 hit "Burnin' for You" represented a resurgence of the group's commercial standing after two albums with disappointing sales. Fire of Unknown Origin would be the final studio LP featuring the band's original lineup; during the subsequent tour, the band fired original drummer Albert Bouchard.

The album continues BÖC's tendency to write quirky songs, from the title track (featuring lyrics by Patti Smith) to "Joan Crawford". Many of the songs were intended for the soundtrack of the animated film Heavy Metal, such as "Vengeance (The Pact)", whose lyrics follow in detail the plot of the "Taarna" segment of the movie. However, only the song "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (co-written by science fiction author Michael Moorcock) ended up in the film's final version and soundtrack.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Fire of Unknown Origin" (Joe Bouchard, Patti Smith, Eric Bloom, Albert Bouchard, Donald Roeser) - 4:09
2. "Burnin' for You" (Roeser, Richard Meltzer) - 4:29
3. "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (Bloom, Michael Moorcock) - 4:48
4. "Sole Survivor" (Bloom, John Trivers, Liz Myers) - 4:04
5. "Heavy Metal: the Black and Silver" (A. Bouchard, Bloom, Sandy Pearlman) - 3:16

Side two

6. "Vengeance (The Pact)" (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard) - 4:41
7. "After Dark" (Bloom, Trivers, Myers) - 4:25
8. "Joan Crawford" (A. Bouchard, David Roter, Jack Rigg) - 4:55
9. "Don't Turn Your Back" (A. Bouchard, Allen Lanier, Roeser) - 4:07

Personnel

Band members

• Eric Bloom - lead vocals on tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, bass on track 5
• Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser - lead guitar, lead vocals on tracks 2, 9, co-lead vocals and bass on track 6, percussion on track 3, sound effects on track 8
• Allen Lanier - keyboards
• Joe Bouchard - bass, co-lead vocals on track 6
• Albert Bouchard - drums, synthesizer, vocals, mixing (uncredited)

Additional musicians

• Karla DeVito - background vocals on track 4
• Sandy Jean - background vocals on track 9
• Bill Civitella, Tony Cedrone - additional percussion on track 3
• Jesse Levy - strings on tracks 3 and 8

Production

• Martin Birch - producer, engineer, mixing
• Clay Hutchinson - engineer
• Paul Stubblebine - mastering

• Greg Scott - album artwork

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Billboard 200 (North America)	24
	UK Album Chart	29

Singles

Year	Title	Chart	Position
1981	"Burnin' for You"	Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	1
	"Joan Crawford"		49
	" Veteran of the Psychic Wars "		24
	" Vengeance (The Pact)"		16
	" Fire of Unknown Origin "		11
	" Burnin' for You "	Billboard Hot 100 (North America)	40

Sales Certifications

Year	Country	Organization	Sales
1982	U.S.	RIAA	Gold (500,000+)
	Canada	CRIA	Gold (50,000+)