Robert Gordon - Fire (1978)

[mm040462]

His version of Red Hot was a great & first hit in Belgium & Holland. This song was already on the Lp. A year later it was a great hit for the Pointer Sisters

[DM313R]

This song is Fire 

[801liveable]

A CROSS BETWEEN ELVIS AND BRYAN FERRY..GOOD COVER THOUGH...

[stiglathpileser]

about thirty years ago I heard Robert open for the B52s. The ignorant fans booed as probably the greatest voice they would ever hear graced them with three songs before he quit. They only wanted to hear the headliner. This also happened to me where the ignorant audience booed captain beefheart off in order to hear jethro tull.  Beefheart was an acquired taste you might say, but ? I also watched an audience for Linda Rondstadt boo her band(Andrew Gold) off the stage when it opened for her.

[jerseytarzan2]

@stiglathpileser It happens unfortunately. One time I went to see the Police in a Stadium and the opening act was ignored (partially because it was raining). They had a new song that was getting some airplay. The band? REM. Three years later, I went to see REM headline and my friends refused to go early to see the opening act. The band? 10,000 Maniacs which was about to breakthrough with the "In My Tribe" CD.

Saw Robert Gordon open for Southside Johnny. He was great!

[gringott12]

Saw this cat with Link Wray back about 1978 or so in Chitown. Link Wray, now there was a rockabilly rebel that could make Gene Vincent blush!

Ha I'll be a rockabilly til the day I die.

[Wargoat6]

Some comedian did this song in the voice of Elmer Fudd. Quite funny. "Girl I know you a wiar."

[baby69ization]

The BOSS originally wrote this tune for The KING and one night tried jumping the wall to go give it to him unfortuanetly he got caught and never did get a chance to meet ELVIS , so he ended up giving the tune to his buddy ROBERT GORDON who i think should have had a huge hit but the music biz is very fickle there loss, And another tidbit at the time BRUCE was jumping the wal he was on the covers of both TIME and NEWSWEEK , Pretty cool dude in my books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[52barney]

In the late 70's early 80's Robert was the King.......The Queen

was the lead singer for Blue Angel.......there's some on YouTube

and worth checking out as they made good use of music vids

when they were thought of as record promo/short films.

[RichardHell1959]

Saw at Strathclyde University Union in '78 : great night .....

[PhattMatt77]

he sounds like elvis. but not.

[Themawechsel]

such a great song :)

[psytortoise]

he aven :)

[tabulaerasae82]

great great song....love that base line! is link wray on this one?? great post!!

[MehefinHeulog]

guitar - Link Wray

[davesharonpoky]

Read on Wikipedia that Bruce Springsteen wrote this song originally for Robert Gordon!

[nrobnas43]

@davesharonpoky not only that, Bruce played piano on Fire studio recording on RGs album. Bruce thought RG was amazing or is. Then came the pointer sisters and made it an international top seller. great for Bruce, not for RG.

[tnb35]

@davesharonpoky

actually he wrote it for Elvis

but Elvis never sang it, and Robert Gordon took it

no offence to Elvis... old Elvis wasn't what he was when he was young

[bobrat]

Next best version is bty Elmer FUD

[glenmann62]

I did sound for robert gordon at connections in clifton n.j. he was great , i ran a recording and the the asshole manager of the club confiscated it for his own use ! ...what a cunt!

[SushiOnFries]

His own use? Hmm... He's probably selling copies all over ebay as we speak.

Just kidding :-) Too bad you lost the recording, thou.

[DrewBludd]

@glenmann62

God, I miss Connections. I saw Steve Zing there on Halloween one year

[GypsyKing7]

Frist time i heard Robert Gordon was on the Radio, It was a King Biscuit flower Hour, and i've Been Hooked Ever Since  Roberto Gordoni Is The Man!

[SushiOnFries]

Back in the day Robert Gordon got a lot of air time - at least in here.

It was allways The Way I Walk - and was allways waiting for The Red Cadillac. Not that I am still bitter or anything :-)

[haraldthune]

Robert rocks. Thanx for posting.

[greenerfaith]

which local band from Hawaii did the cover for this song? I can't remember the name...

[GaXiTin]

Sorry Gordon, but i prefer the Bruce Springsteen's version :P

[bwworld]

Pointer Sisters? Feh. Bruce? Props to the author. But IMHO, Robert Gordon's is the definitive version of "Fire"

[duglethegreat]

I bought the 8 track of Robert Gordon in Toronto in 1978 or 79. It was 99 cents from Radio Shack! I was already hooked on American Grafitti, Sha Na Na, and lots more Rockabilly stuff. Red Hot is AMAZING, as is most ALL of Robert Gordons stuff! I never knew the Springsteen connection though!!!WOWOWOW! how cool is that!

[SushiOnFries]

Have to make a confession - it was only1990's when I realised "the Bruce Connection" :-)

I hope you still have the 8-track!

[LittleDragon2000]

@duglethegreat

Radio Shack and 8 tracks? What language are you speaking, Grandpa? ;)

Saw Robert Gordon at the Danforth Music Hall. Must have been summer of 79. So I heard his version of Fire before the Pointer Sisters version.

Robert does it better than Bruce or the Pointer Sisters

[Erkele]

Perkeleen hienoa ! - Erkele

[5277088]

The best version of Fire, bar none. Love the intro especially.

[SushiOnFries]

Totally agree. Have to say that Bruce's version isn't that bad, either.

If you want to see how easy it is to get things wrong, just listen to the single version of Fire.

[OL55CADDY]

By the way, it's Bruce Springsteen on piano on this studio version.

[SushiOnFries]

Yeah - just think where Bruce is today :-)

I still think Robert G. is much better singer thou - IMHO only as usual.

[TheJohnny990]

@OL55CADDY kewl

[OL55CADDY]

Written for Robert Gordon by Bruce Springsteen.

Covered by the Pointer Sisters.

Had they not covered this Robert Gordon would be a household name.

A great performer and talent.

[0213kay]

Hi !!

such a great voice !

how exciting !!

ive not heard it before , and i relly like it :))

see you later

Kay

[SushiOnFries]

Oh yes - Robert Gordon is really one of the great ones.