Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John, recorded at Sol Studios and released on 4 November 1985. It was his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original longtime producer, Gus Dudgeon, who was responsible for John's success in that timespan, but it was met with little praise, and only reached #48 on the US charts, although it reached #3 in the UK. George Michael, then of Wham!, appears on two tracks on the album: "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up".
Despite the mediocre sales of the album in the US, "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up" became top 20 hits, the former reaching #7 in the US and #3 in the UK. Roger Taylor and John Deacon of Queen play drums and bass guitar respectively on "Too Young". In the US it was certified gold in June 1986 by the RIAA.
Contents[]
Track listing[edit][]
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.
Side one[edit][]
Side two[edit][]
- "Wrap Her Up" (John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Fred Mandel, Charlie Morgan, Paul Westwood) – 6:21
- "Satellite" – 4:37
- "Tell Me What the Papers Say" – 3:40
- "Candy by the Pound" – 3:56
- "Shoot Down the Moon" – 5:09
Bonus track (On the 1985 original CD and the 1992 MCA and Geffen reissue)[edit][]
- "Act of War" (Duet with Millie Jackson) – 4:43
Bonus tracks (1999 Mercury reissue)[edit][]
- "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 1985 original CD issue and the 1999 remaster have a longer intro to "Satellite" than the LP 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, 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!
B-sides[edit][]
| Song | Format |
|---|---|
| "Act of War (Part 2)" | "Act of War 7" (UK)/12" (US) |
| "Act of War (Part 3)" | "Act of War 12" (US/UK) |
| "Act of War (Part 4)" | "Act of War 12" (US/UK) |
| "Act of War (Part 5)" | "Act of War 7" (UK)/12" (UK) |
| "Act of War (Part 6)" | "Act of War 12" (UK) |
| "The Man Who Never Died" | "Nikita" 7"/12" (UK)/"Wrap Her Up" 7" (US) |
| "Restless" (Live 1984) | "Wrap Her Up" 7"/12" (UK)/"Nikita" 7" (US) |
| "Too Low for Zero" (Live 1984) | "Wrap Her Up" 7" (UK) |
| "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Live 1984) | "Nikita" 12" (UK) |
| "I'm Still Standing" (Live 1984) | "Nikita" 12" (UK) |
| "Wrap Her Up" (Extended Remix) | "Wrap Her Up" 12" (UK) |
| "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On/I Saw Her Standing There/Twist and Shout" (Live 1984) | "Cry to Heaven" 7" (double)/12" (UK) |
| "Your Song" (Live 1984) | "Cry to Heaven" 7" (double) (UK) |
Personnel[edit][]
- David Bitelli: tenor and baritone saxophone
- Raul D'Oliveira: trumpets
- Gus Dudgeon: Simmons Drum
- Deon Estus: bass guitar
- John Deacon: bass guitar on "Too Young"
- Mel Gaynor: drums
- Elton John: vocals, piano, Yamaha GS Piano, synthesisers, backing vocals
- Davey Johnstone: electric guitar, Spanish guitar, synth guitar, backing vocals
- Nik Kershaw: electric guitar
- Fred Mandel: electric guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, sequencers
- Dave Mattacks: drums
- George Michael: backing vocals
- Charlie Morgan: drums
- James Newton-Howard: string arrangements
- Pino Palladino: bass guitar
- David Paton: bass guitar
- Frank Ricotti: percussion
- Paul Spong: trumpets
- Rick Taylor: trombone
- Roger Taylor: drums on "Too Young"
- Pete Thomas: alto saxophone
- Paul Westwood: bass guitar
Credits[edit][]
- Produced by Gus Dudgeon
- All lyrics by Bernie Taupin
- Recorded by Stuart Epps
- Mixed by Graham Dickson and Gus Dudgeon
- Mastered by Greg Fulginiti
Certifications[edit][]
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[3] | Gold | 100,000
|
| Germany (BVMI)[4] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[5] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[6] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[7] | 2× Platinum | 100,000x |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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Charts[edit][]
Chart positions[edit][]
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Year-end charts[edit][]
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