Description
On the Fritz is the third album by the American singer, songwriter, and producer Steve Taylor, released on Sparrow Records in 1985. Also manufactured and distributed by Capitol Records. (Sparrow announced a distribution agreement with Capitol Records during Taylor’s Trans-Atlantic Tour ’85, “similar in many ways to the agreement between Word and A&M” according to the December 14, 1985 issue of Billboard Magazine) The album was recorded by Alan Douches at Grand Slam Studios in West Orange, New Jersey; with Ian McDonald of King Crimson fame and Steve Taylor producing. (When mainstream producer McDonald first was approached with the idea of doing a gospel album, his immediate reaction was; “well I’m not too into tambourines.”) Mixed by McDonald and Douches at Grand Slam Studios. All songs written by Steve Taylor.
According to Steve Taylor, he wanted to escape the west coast sound and thus went to New York to get more of an edge – “I wanted something that I thought was more immediate, had a bit more of an edge to it, and both rocked and grooved a little better.” The album ended up selling more than a hundred thousand copies back in the day.
A new Steve Taylor album is a genuine cause for celebration, an On the Fritz immediately jumps into the running for best album of the year. If I owned a radio station, I’d play the grooves off this baby. He’s always been one of Christian music’s foremost lyricists and satirists. With On the Fritz, Taylor’s found an album-full of melodies to match.
Two songs alone guarantee the success of this release: «To Forgive» and «I Manipulate». «To Forgive» boasts a true epic rock melody, something Pete Townshend of The Who would be proud of. And while some may read the lyrics as promoting pacifism, the thrust is to be Christlike in all we do. Listen for John Curry’s guitar solos and Taylor’s U2-like passion.
«I Manipulate» continues the lyric themes that bind the entire album, as Taylor probes the loss of innocence and the abuse of power. In this cut, over a faintly Amer-Indian motif, he rails against religious leaders who lead for personal, rather than religious, reasons.
Taylor has his targets: in «On The Fritz» and «You Don’t Owe Me Nothing», they’re tv evangelists; in «You’ve Been Bought», it’s a posturing rock star; and in «It’s a Personal Thing», it’s a politician with more ambition than morality.
One more note. That trademark Taylor humor is here, as well. «Drive, He Said» is a mixture of «Uneasy Rider» and ‘The Devil and Daniel Webster’, and «Lifboat» is a perfectly awful/wonderful shot at Reaganomics. I think.
We always knew he could write unbeatable lyrics. Now using David Bowie alumnus Carmine Rojas on bass and a host of talented musicians like Ian McDonald, Hugh McCracken, and George Small, Taylor has crafted an absolutely contemporary album that’s fully as good musically as the best “the world” has to offer. [Bob Darden, CCM, July 1985]
I wanted a different sound. I wanted something that I thought was more immediate, had a bit more of an edge to it, and both rocked and grooved a little better. So that’s why I went to the east coast, because I think the best musicians are out there.
I originally thought about doing the album in London, but I ended up doing the album in New York city with an English producer, Ian McDonald, who had started off – he founded King Crimson back in the late 60s, then went out to found Foreigner with Mick Jones and was with them for five or six years I guess. So it all just kind of fell together for him to do the album. He wasn’t a Christian when he first was approached with the idea of doing a gospel album. He said, “well I’m not too into tambourines.” [laughter] So from those humble beginnings, our relationship ended up being really pretty good.
I wanted to bring people along on this next album in the same way as Meltdown was a pretty big step from the first album I Want To Be A Clone. I wanted this next album to be different enough so that it would challenge the listener. So I kept in a number of issue-oriented songs, a song like «Lifeboat» or «This Disco» or «It’s A Personal Thing», that were dealing with specific issues. But I also wanted to let people know that the struggles – oftentimes even though we look at different issues and say “this is right and wrong” – it all comes down to personal choices. Every person has a decision to choose between good and evil, and that includes people who claim to believe in Jesus as well.
So a lot of the songs have to do with pride – with compromise. It’s just like all those things that are constantly glaring at me all the time on the road, and the choice whether to, you know, give in or to stand firm. In the past I’ve tend to write songs anticipating things that might come up, and that way if I’ve already made a stand with a song, it’s like double incentive to not fall into something, because I’d feel I couldn’t sing the song anymore on stage. In some ways I think this was the same kind of thing with this album. On a more personal level, I was writing about things I had seen on the road, and questions and compromises that might come up in the future, and taking a stand now and saying, “no.”
I wanted to – for the songs to be real honest. If there was a criticism that was valid about the first two albums, it’s that they were too distant, you know? Steve’s pointing the finger at this or pointing the finger at that or whatever. So, yeah, I wanted to open up a little bit more on this album. But there was still plenty of stuff to fuel the other songs as well. [Excerpt from a Crosswalk Syndicated Radio Interview with Steve Taylor, Crosswalk, 1985]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/on-the-fritz/716216383)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral)” – 4:06
A2. “On The Fritz” – 3:56
A3. “It’s A Personal Thing” – 2:58
A4. “To Forgive” – 3:54
A5. “You’ve Been Bought” – 2:45
Side Two
B1. “You Don’t Owe Me Nothing” – 3:22
B2. “I Manipulate” – 5:07
B3. “Lifeboat” – 4:35
B4. “Drive, He Said” – 4:30
B5. “I Just Wanna Know” – 4:40
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Sparrow Records. Re-issued on CD by Sparrow in the Spring of 1986 (the re-issue was actually reviewed in the May 1986 issue of CCM).
Steve Taylor at the Josh Huisman Podcast, 15 Oct 2024 | 40 Years of Meltdown & On the Fritz.
CREDITS. Produced by Ian McDonald and Steve Taylor. Recorded & Mixed at Grand Slam Studios, West Orange, NJ. Engineered by Alan Douches with assistance from Jay Healy and Joey Flamingo. Mixed by Alan Douches and Ian McDonald. Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York, NY. All songs written by Steve Taylor.
Musicians: Steve Taylor (Vocals, Drum Machine Linn Drum 9000 on track B2), George Small (Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming, Keyboards on track B3), Larry Fast (Synthesizer Programming), Ian McDonald (Keyboards on track B3, Percussion, Alto Saxophone on track B1), Dave Thrush (Alto Saxophone on track A3, Tenor Saxophone on track B1), Hugh McCracken (Guitar), Ian McDonald (Guitar), Tony Davilio (Guitar), John McCurry (Guitar Soloist – tracks: A4, A5), Carmine Rojas (Bass), Alan Childs (drums), Cactus Moser (Percussion and Simmons Drums on track B2, Finger Snaps on track B4), Debbie Taylor (Finger Snaps on track B4). Backing Vocals: Beverly Slade, Kitty Markham, Mary Davis.
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