On the Fritz

This article is about the Christian rock album. For the idiom, see wiktionary:on the fritz.

On the Fritz
Studio album by Steve Taylor
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
Meltdown (1984) On the Fritz (1985) I Predict 1990 (1987)

Professional ratings

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

1. "This Disco (Used to Be a Cute Cathedral)" – 4:06
2. "On the Fritz" – 3:56
3. "It's a Personal Thing" – 2:58
4. "To Forgive" – 3:54
5. "You've Been Bought" – 2:45

Side two

1. "You Don't Owe Me Nothing" – 3:22
2. "I Manipulate" – 5:07
3. "Lifeboat" – 4:35
4. "Drive, He Said" – 4:30
5. "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

1. Cater, Darryl. On the Fritz at AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
2. "This Disco (Used to be a Cute Cathedral) - Steve Taylor | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.