Description
John Wayne, sub-titled Orange Grotesques Part 1, is the third solo album by the American singer, songwriter, and producer Terry Scott Taylor of Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies and the Lost Dogs fame, released on KMG Records in 1998. The album was recorded by Gene Eugene of Adam Again fame and Terry Taylor at The Green Room in Huntington Beach, California; with Taylor producing. Mixed by Eugene.
The full-length album John Wayne was released at the Cornerstone Festival July 4, 1998, though not scheduled to hit stores before late August. A preview pre-release of John Wayne, a 6-track EP entitled Ten Gallon Hat printed in 1000 copies only, had actually been released at Cornerstone the year before.
No Doubt’s ‘Tragic Kingdom’ was inspired by the post-modern crush of Orange County, Calif., but Terry Scott Taylor’s ‘John Wayne’ takes that concept to a more deliciously sour fruition. Taylor is a Christian music veteran. His first Daniel Amos album dates to 1976, and his resume includes work with Lost Dogs and The Swirling Eddies among many others, but his musical and lyrical sensibilities on John Wayne reveal an artist poised on the cutting edge. Whether attacking stylings that are Celtic («You Told Them Exactly What I Didn’t Say») or cowboy («Ten Gallon Hat»), Taylor reflects the familiar through his fun-house mirror mind, resulting in twisted shapes of song that make the listener laugh and think at the same time.
Works of inspired mayhem like «Big Shot and Miniature Girl» are harder to describe: Imagine Philly soul strangled by a fuzzbox that morphs into a mod rock stomp. Taylor’s style and vocal mannerisms recall another bitingly funny Taylor (Steve, that is), but Terry Scott’s tendency to crank up the crankiness, both with voice and pen, gives him an acid stamp of uniqueness. At the epicenter is the brilliant, snarly title cut, mapping out Southern California like a vast wasteland as it pays mock homage to the cowboy movie star. If nothing else, Taylor deserves a star for rhyming “carcinoma” with “my Sharona.”
Backed by an all-star lineup that includes Mike Roe (77s), Derri Daugherty and Tim Chandler (The Choir) and Phil Madeira, Taylor especially hits the mark on «Mr. Flutter», a jangly pop ditty that tackles wavering faith. While Taylor’s voice, guitar textures and attitude might sound a tad harsh for some ears, John Wayne is an album that easily rewards after repeated listens. We can only hope that there’s more in the hopper; the disc’s subtitle is ‘Orange Grotesque, Part 1’. [Lou Carlozo, CCM, October 1998]
It must be nice to have so many songs floating around inside you. Terry Taylor, the man behind the bands Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies, Lost Dogs, and the music for the videogame Neverhood has released John Wayne, a collection of ten songs under his own name. Stylistically, John Wayne is a mixture of the raw sound of Bibleland and the introspective lyrics of Songs of the Heart, both released by the band Daniel Amos. The album opens with «Writer’s Block», an ominous, orchestral, epic song backed by aggressive strings. «Mr. Flutter» is a Byrds-influenced rock piece continuing the theme of the previous song with “I’m tryin’ to write a song but I don’t have the words and my kids need a doctor but I’m not insured and my wife she looks pale, she got the check in the mail and it’s not the amount we were thinking about.” «Boomtown» is a rolling rocker that is rounded out perfectly by the slippery, noodling bass line of Tim Chandler, my personal favorite bassist. «You Told Them Exactly What I Didn’t Say» shows the influence of Dylan while «Big Shot & Miniature Girl» has a John Lennon meets Beachboys feel to it that would have made it at home on the Zoom Daddy Swirling Eddies album. «Ten Gallon Hat» is a humorous country song about having “a ten gallon hat over my devil horns” with a simple, sticky melody and the obligatory slide lap steel guitar. As a compliment to the dark «Writer’s Block», Taylor answers his own questions with the profound «Chicken Crosses the Road», a sad, resigned song where he contemplates his position in life, ending with the lyrics “find what you need in what you’ve got.” While this would have been a perfect album closer, Taylor does one better, showing his ability to craft songs that are not only catchy but beautiful as well with the breathtaking «You Lay Down». While not his best work, this is a solid release with scads of rich Beachboys/Beatles harmonies, horribly memorable melodies, Tim Chandler’s incredibly creative bass work, and honest lyrics, all combined into ten energetic, enthusiastic songs that reveal the amazing songwriting abilities of a man proving he is more than a musical footnote. [Jason A. Hoffman, October 2001]
At the John Wayne Airport in Terry Scott Taylor’s home Orange County, California, there is a life-size statue of The Duke greeting the huddled masses. It’s something of a landmark, a pre-millennial antithesis to the understated grace of Michelangelo’s David.
To Taylor, this statue of John Wayne became an archetype. “I started writing the song in the middle of the Orange County bankruptcy,” he says of the title track. “It was a real shock not only to the nation, but around the world, to hear that Orange County which was supposedly very stable, and then one day the headlines are ‘Orange County-Bankrupt!’ I thought, That’s a very interesting parallel to our lives and the discovery of our spiritual bankruptcy. We discover in certain circumstances we have nothing to draw on, no source of peace or tranquility in crisis. I just had this picture of people in Orange County running, driving, whatever, to get down to the John Wayne Airport, running toward the statue and saying, ‘John, we’re in big trouble – what are we gonna do?'”
The concept of people looking for an icon to rescue them is not new for Taylor; what is different is the touch of genuine humanity and concern that marks it, as it has begun to mark much of Taylor’s later work. Consider «Mr. Flutter», also from ‘John Wayne‘; “Mr. Flutter is that tinge in your gut when you realize you can’t pay this months rent, or you’ve got concerns of everyday life. Those feelings are at odds with our faith in God to see us through situations. It taps into the male fear of not being relevant, the need to be validated.”
While Taylor has been mislabeled a pessimist or cynic, deep in his gut the man believes it’s all going to work out all right. “A bad rap for me for a number of years was I was down on the Church,” Taylor admits, his voice pained. “I never felt that way at all. I have a song on ‘John Wayne,’ «Chicken Crosses The Road», Basically says It’s all going to be all right. I’m talking to the Church; it’s like, ‘we’re all in this together.’ I’ve always had the sense, ‘He who began a good work in you will be faithful.’ That’s always been part of the message.” [Terry Scott Taylor interviewed by 7-Ball Magazine, July/August 1998]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/john-wayne/390176365)
CD tracklist:
01. Writer’s Block – 5:58
02. Mr. Flutter – 3:51
03. Too Many Angels – 3:46
04. Boomtown – 4:17
05. You Told Them Exactly What I Didn’t Say – 3:11
06. Big Shot & Miniature Girl – 4:02
07. Ten Gallon Hat – 3:16
08. Hey John Wayne – 4:03
09. Chicken Crosses The Road – 4:44
10. You Lay Down – 4:23
Notes: The album tracks “Mr. Flutter” and “You Lay Down” were released as a CD Maxi-single, also featuring a non-album bonus tracks; “As Long As I Live”.
CREDITS. Produced by Terry Scott Taylor. Recorded at The Green Room by Gene Eugene and Terry Scott Taylor and produced at Stunt Records. Mixed by Gene Eugene. Music and words by Terry Scott Taylor. Photography by Anna Cardenas. Illustration by Doug TenNapel.
Musicians: Terry Scott Taylor (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar), Andy Prickett (Guitar), Derri Daugherty (Guitar), Michael Roe (Guitar), Phil Madeira (Accordion, Lap Steel Guitar, Keyboards), Gene Eugene (Keyboard), Tim Chandler (Bass), Ed McTaggart (Drums), Burleigh Drummond (Percussion).
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