On the Fritz
| On the Fritz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Studio | Grand Slam Studios, West Orange, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Christian rock, new wave | |||
| Length | 39:53 | |||
| Label | Sparrow | |||
| Producer | Ian McDonald, Steve Taylor | |||
| Steve Taylor chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
On the Fritz is the title of the third release and second full-length album by Christian rock singer-songwriter Steve Taylor. It was released in 1985 on Sparrow Records. Produced by musician Ian McDonald (who co-founded the bands King Crimson and Foreigner), Taylor arranged and wrote all of the tracks on the album.
After its release, the album peaked at the No. 8 slot on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian album chart.[1]
Track listing
Written and arranged by Steve Taylor.
- Side one
- "This Disco (Used to Be a Cute Cathedral)" – 4:06
- "On the Fritz" – 3:56
- "It's a Personal Thing" – 2:58
- "To Forgive" – 3:54
- "You've Been Bought" – 2:45
- Side two
- "You Don't Owe Me Nothing" – 3:22
- "I Manipulate" – 5:07
- "Lifeboat" – 4:35
- "Drive, He Said" – 4:30
- "I Just Wanna Know" – 4:40
Song details
"To Forgive" was inspired by the personal appearance of Pope John Paul II with his attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, and the Pope's message.[citation needed]
"This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral)" was inspired by the Limelight,[citation needed] which was in operation from 1983 to 2003. It was once known as the "Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion."
Track "This Disco (Used to Be a Cute Cathedral)" later appeared on the Taylor releases Limelight, The Best We Could Find (+3 That Never Escaped), and Now the Truth Can Be Told, which came out in 1986, 1988, and 1994 respectively.[2]
"I Manipulate" is a criticism of the controversial teachings of Bill Gothard, which were considered to be legalistic, if not abusive.
Personnel
- Steve Taylor – vocals, Lin Drum 9000 on "I Manipulate"
- Ian McDonald – percussion, guitars, keyboards on "Lifeboat", alto saxophone on "You Don't Owe Me Nothing"
- Tony Davilio – guitars
- Hugh McCracken – guitars
- George Small – keyboards
- Alan Childs – drums
- Carmine Rojas – bass
- John McCurry – guitar solo on "To Forgive" and "You've Been Bought"
- Cactus Moser – percussion and Simmons drums on "I Manipulate"
- Dave Thrush – alto saxophone on "Its a Personal Thing", tenor saxophone on "You Don't Owe Me Nothing"
- Mary Davis – background vocals
- Beverly Slade – background vocals
- Kitty Markham – background vocals
- Cactus Moser – finger snaps on "Drive He Said"
- Debbie Taylor – finger snaps on "Drive He Said"
- Produced and engineered – Ian McDonald and Steve Taylor
- Synthesizer Programming – Larry Fast and George Small
- Engineered – Alan Douches
- Recorded and Mixed at Grand Slam Studios, West Orange, New Jersey
- Assistant Engineers – Joey Flamingo and Jay Healy
- Mixed – Ian McDonald and Alan Douches
- Mastered – Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City
References
- ^ a b Cater, Darryl. On the Fritz at AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ "This Disco (Used to be a Cute Cathedral) - Steve Taylor | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
