''Fire on the Bayou'' is the sixth studio album by the funk band The Meters.

Background and release

This was the band's first album with

Cyril Neville Cyril Garrett Neville (born October 10, 1948) is an American percussionist and vocalist who first came to prominence as a member of his brother Art Neville's funky New Orleans-based band, The Meters. He joined Art in the Neville Brothers band u ...

as a member. At the time, the band's headlining performances were receiving good reviews. According to a review in ''

The Real Paper ''The Real Paper'' was a Boston-area alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation in the tens of thousands. It ran from August 2, 1972, to June 18, 1981, often devoting space to counterculture and alternative politics of the early 1970s. The o ...

'', "they could blow virtually any other band in the country right off the stage." The album was released in July 1975, at a time when the band was opening for the Rolling Stones on their U.S. Tour. The album sold 88,000 copies and didn't meet the record label's expectations. According to Rupert Surcouf, the band's road manager at the time, the record label realized "the Meters didn't fit into any conventional mold", and the label had difficulty promoting the music.

Reception

Stephen Erlewine of

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 databa ...

had a positive view and wrote "there never seems to be a concession to mainstream funk" and called the music "simmering". Ed Ward of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' had a negative view and called the music "aimless" in comparison to the band's early works. Robert Christgau had a mixed view and gave the album a B-rating.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted in part from

. ;The Meters * George Porter Jr. – bass guitar, producer, backing vocals *

Joseph Modeliste Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948), also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. ...

– drums, producer, vocals, graphic design, photo courtesy *

Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Po ...

– guitar, producer, backing vocals *

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...

– keyboards, producer, vocals *

– congas, percussion, producer, vocals ;Additional composition *

Wardell Quezergue Wardell Joseph Quezergue ( ; March 12, 1930 – September 6, 2011) was an American composer, arranger, record producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the "Creole Beethoven". Steeped in Music of New Orleans#Jazz, jazz, he was ...

– horn arrangements ;Production * Allen Toussaint – producer *

Marshall Sehorn Marshall Estus Sehorn (June 25, 1934 – December 5, 2006) was an American A&R man, songwriter, music publisher and entrepreneur who played an important role in the development of R&B and popular music in New Orleans between the 1950s and 1970 ...

– executive producer, remixing *Efram Turchick – project manager *Tim Livingston – project manager *Roberta Grace – engineer *Ken Laxton – engineer, remixing *Bob Irwin – mastering *Al Quaglieri – mastering *

Bunny Matthews Will Bunn "Bunny" Matthews III (February 15, 1951 – June 1, 2021) was an American cartoonist and writer from the Greater New Orleans Area. He is best known for his depictions of New Orleans characters and local dialect, especially Vic and ...

– liner notes *Rich Russell – design *Paul Howrilla (aka Paul Andrew) – graphic design, photo courtesy of Photographique Studios, Inc.

References

{{Authority control 1975 albums The Meters albums Albums produced by Allen Toussaint Reprise Records albums