Taylor, Steve - I Predict 1990
1987, Myrrh
1. I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good
2. What is the Measure of Your Success?
3. Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better
4. Babylon
5. Jim Morrison's Grave
6. Svengali
7. Jung and the Restless
8. Innocence Lost
9. A Principled Man
10. Harder to Believe Than Not To
"Svengali" annoys me. It's repetitive. I don't even know what the point of it is. I also don't care for "Jung and the Restless." I love every other song on this record except those two. "Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better" is the most favorite though. And just so I don't forget - Steve Taylor's lyrics are some of the most creative and unique in Christian music.
Useless Fact: Steve got into a LOT of trouble for this record. First was the album cover. People though it looked like tarot card so everyone freaked out and pulled it from the shelves. "He's obviously endorsing the occult," they said. Then people honestly thought that Steve was endorsing clinic bombings with "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good." How in the world could someone get that impression? I know... by being stupid and not understanding satire or sarcasm. Ugh! I've read that Steve himself called some Christian stores to explain the song to them. How about that all of us Christians make a pact - before we react to something we examine it THOROUGHLY and COMPLETELY before we freak out? Eh? Can we all do that? Maybe then we won't have such a bad reputation as intolerant bigots with no brains.
Ah, my favorite ST album. Not a bad song on it. I think it has stood the test of time amazingly well. I don't even think the production sounds dated.
ReplyDeleteI love nearly every song on the album (even "Jung and the Restless").
"Svengali" means pretty much just what it seems to. It was based on the book, but inspired by teenagers who'd chunk everything (even their faith) for some guy or girl. It's my least favorite song on the album, but I don't dislike it.
Steve, on the other hand, did dislike it. He explains the song, and why it was even on the album at Sock Heaven (http://www.sockheaven.org/discography/taylor/ip1990/06.html). His advice: "skip the song and read the novel."
Like Meltdown, this one also ends on a somber note, with the haunting "Harder to Believe Than Not To".
Don't even get me started on the inability of too many Christians to appreciate good satire or sarcasm. On the other hand, I've known too many non-Christians, who have had the same problem, to think that Christendom cornered the market on such nonsense.
I saw him on this tour. Amazing show. Got my all-time fave autograph from him.
I miss Steve Taylor.
"Svengali" makes a lot more sense after you have read the novel ("Trilby" by George du Maurier) and "Jung And The Restless" is hilarious! I mean, come on, "first came stats pulling habits out of rats"? Genius! (Gotta love the Star Trek reference, too...)
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