Steve Taylor’s second full length album was 1985’s ON THE
FRITZ (Sparrow Records). It was produced
by Foreigner’s Ian McDonald along with Taylor.
It was Taylor’s first album to use all studio musicians rather than his
usual backing group. Musicians on this
album include: Tony Davillo, Hugh McCracken, and Carmine Rojas.
The title track, ‘On The Fritz’, is a great rock song. It warns of the dangers of celebrity: “So the
crowds grew and their praises did too/And a mailing list sent you money/So they
love Jerry Lewis in France/Does that make him funny?/It’s too late for
apologies when trust has been betrayed/Now victims of your double life are
naming names.” ‘This Disco (Used to Be a
Cute Cathedral)’ is a stellar, fast paced dance number. It was inspired by the New York Limelight
Club, once known as the ‘Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion.’ The song laments the deflection of many of us
from church: “Got no need for altar calls/Sold the altar for the mirror balls/Do
you shuffle? Do you twist?/Cause with a hot hits playlist now we say/This disco
used to be a cute cathedral/Where the chosen cha-cha every day of the year/This
disco used to be a cute cathedral/Where we only play the stuff you’re wanting
to hear.”
‘Lifeboat’ is a humorous story song with Steve doing his
best female voice impression. In the
song, a teacher helps her class determine who is really worthwhile to society
and who isn’t. It is, of course, meant
to be an absurd notion: “Throw over grandpa cause he’s getting pretty old/Throw
out the baby or we’ll all be catching its cold/Throw over fatty and we’ll see
if she can float/Throw out the retard and they won’t be rockin’ the boat.” ‘I Manipulate’ is a dark rock song. It takes aim at Bill Gothard and other heavy
handed Christian leaders: “Does your soul crave center stage?/Have you heard
about the latest rage?/Read your Bible by lightning flash/Get ordained at the
thunder crash/Build a Kingdom with a cattle prod/Tell the masses, it’s a
message from God/Where the innocent congregate, I manipulate.”
‘It’s a Personal Thing’ is a mix of talking and singing by
Steve. He critiques politicians who
don’t stand up for their beliefs in the political arena: “It’s a personal thing
and I boldly state/That my views on morality will have to wait/’Till my personal
life’s out of the public eye/And the limitations statute can protect my
alibi/I’m devout, I’m sincere, and I’m proud to say/That it’s had exactly no
effect on who I am today/I believe for the benefit for all mankind/In the total
separation of church and mind.” ‘To
Forgive’ is a great pop song inspired by the personal appearance of Pope John
Paul II with his attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca: “I saw a man/He was
holding the hand/That had fired a gun at his heart/Oh, will we live to
forgive?/I saw the eyes/And the look of surprise/As He left an indelible
mark/Oh, will we live to forgive?/Come, find release/Go, make your peace.” The song also speaks of Christ’s forgiveness.
‘Drive, He Said’ includes finger snaps by Cactus Moser and
Debbie Taylor. It is a memorable story
song that has the devil interacting with an individual in a car in the
desert. The song has Carman-style
lyrics: “Scratch! Dressed in red-pointy
tail and a horn-rimmed head/And a widow’s peak like Eddie Munster sat frozen in
my seat-‘We haven’t had the chance to meet/Are you a singing telegram or
something?’/He just flashed a hellish smile-‘Let’s go driving for a while’/He
held something in his hand I’d never seen before/It was my Chevrolet’s pink
slip.” Taylor sings ‘You’ve Been Bought’
with attitude. He takes aim at less than
noble rock stars: “We don’t need another manufactured rebel/We don’t want your
twisted doctrines of despair/If your music’s saying nothing save it for the
dentist chair/You’ve been bought/Interests are conflicting/You’ve been
bought/Chemicals addicting/You’ve been bought/What goes around comes
around/You’ll get caught.”
Ian McDonald plays alto sax on ‘You Don’t Owe Me Nothing’¸while
Dave Thrush plays tenor sax. On this
song Steve sets his sights on prosperity teachers: “There was a time in
Christendom/The road to God was hard to tread/Till charlatans in leisure
suits/Saw dollars dancing in their heads/You don’t owe me nothing.” Steve says we need to rely on God, not wealth:
“I know You’ll give me what I need/They say I need a shopping mall/I claim the
victory over greed/Lord Jesus, I surrender all/You don’t owe me nothing.” ‘I Just Wanna Know’ is a ballad with a slow
groove. It finds Steve desiring to be a
pure vessel for God: “Search me Father and know my heart/Try me and know my
mind/And if there be any wicked way in me/Pull me to the Rock that is higher
than I/I just wanna know, am I pulling people closer?/I just wanna be pulling
them to You/I just wanna stay angry at the evil/I just wanna be hungry for the
true.”
ON THE FRITZ really sees Steve hitting his musical and
lyrical stride. By now his
tongue-in-cheek craft was near perfected.
He proved that Christian music could have a bite to it. His intent was not to hurt people but to
challenge the status quo. I’m rating ON
THE FRITZ 95%.