From: robertt@vcd.hp.com (Bob Taylor)
Subject: Re: Steve Taylor's "I Predict 1990" (was Re: Dancing with commitment)
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 21:34:20 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard VCD
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

andrew.j.whitman (ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com) wrote:
: In article <1993Jan21.121304.13900@bsu-ucs> 00sanaylor@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu writes:
: 
: >And by the way, I really loved Steve Taylor's last album, 'I Predict 1990',
: >released in 1989 and produced by the Beaufort twins.  (You mas have wondered
: >when this was going to get around to something worthy of posting in this 
: >group...)
: >
: >That was a great album; some of his best, as far as I was concerned. 
: 
: Hmm.  Let me express some mild disagreement here.  I've been reading
: positive comments about Steve for a long time in this newsgroup, so
: I recently took the plunge and bought my first ST album.  It happened
: to be "I Predict 1990."
: 
: I've only listened to it two or three times, and I really need to give
: it more of a chance, but my initial impression was one of disappointment.
: The problems that I saw:  a lack of interesting melodies, a fairly
: nondescript and uninvolving vocal style, and too many darn keyboards/
: synths.  
: 
: The last point is particularly bothersome to me.  Now, I realize that all 
: of this is highly subjective, but I just don't like synth-pop music,
: and my idea of hell is broad enough to incorporate Depeche Mode and 
: New Order.  Steve's album contained a little too much blipping and
: bleeping for my tastes.

Actually, when I first got into Steve Taylor stuff (gee, anybody
named Taylor must be talented ! :-> :-> <- two smilies just to annoy
Andy), I was really into Depeche Mode, Yaz, etc., so I was glad to 
hear somebody doing that kind of stuff.  "I Predict 1990" is actually
the least keyboardy of his solo stuff and much closer to Chagall Gueverra
than any of his earlier stuff.

: 
: Maybe not so surprisingly, the guitar-based, up-tempo songs worked
: best for me.  "Jim Morrison's Grave" and "I Blew Up the Clinic Real
: Good" worked just fine.  And some of the synth-based songs - "Since
: I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better" and "The Jung and the Restless" -
: were just too clever not to like.  
: 
: And that's why I need to express my disagreement in relatively mild
: terms.  The guy *does* write wonderful lyrics.  And, for reasons
: I can't explain, I feel drawn to someone who does sarcastic send-ups
: of Psychotherapy as Religion and Despair as a Fashion Statement.  
: He manages to be pretty funny, too.
: 
: So it's not all doom and gloom.  But I guess I'm curious as to whether
: "I Predict 1990" is typical of Steve's work.  I'm intrigued enough
: that I'm willing to check out the other albums.  But let's put it
: this way:  if there were more guitars, I might be more intrigued.

If the % of guitars in the mix is what you're looking for, stop right
now - it goes down on the older albums.  There still is lots of
cynicism and cool lyrics, but the tunes are all keyboard based.  If 
you don't like old Depeche Mode (with a big humorous twist), you 
won't like 'em.

It's interesting, though - there are only two things I can throw in the
Honda's tape deck that make my wife hit eject - Steve Taylor & Terry
Taylor/Daniel Amos/DA/Da/Swirling Eddies - "it's too wierd" (but then
she likes Sandi Patti.  At least she'll let me listen to Charlie
Peacock).

: 
: Andy Whitman
: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
: att!cblpn!ajw  or
: ajw@cblpn.att.com

Bob "maybe i should go into music with the rest of the" Taylor(s)
HP Vancouver

Newsgroups: rec.music.christian