Steve Taylor

Item: Liver
Author: Roger Appelinski

Liver

(1995)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

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Label Warner AllianceThe LighthouseMay 1995

alternative rock punk rock

Steve Taylor loves to make a statement. With his latest release, he is questioning the honesty of live albums that are overdubbed and edited in the studio. Thus the title, Liver--it's more live than other live albums. Or, is it really named after Taylor's favorite after-concert snack?

However you pronounce it, it is an exciting album.

After a quick introduction--very quick, in which you get to hear Steve's hello to every city on the Squinternational Tour pressed down into about 30 seconds--the project starts at full-speed with a one-two punch of "Jim Morrison's Grave" and "The Lament." Taylor's voice is a little rough in the early going, but sharpens nicely as the concert moves on.

After the blazing opening, Taylor announces that he will next perform 2 cover tunes: one from I Predict a Clone and the other from his favorite band--whose name he can't pronounce. The first is "I Wanna Be A Clone" in the arrangement by Dig Hay Zoose on I Predict a Clone, which pushes the speed of the players and Taylor's motor-mouth to the limit. The second "cover" tune is "Escher's World" from his Chagall Guevara days. Both are well done with few surprises. The fifth song, however, is a total shocker. A slow, downbeat introduction is puzzling as to its identity at first, but leads to a re-make of "On the Fritz." The verses are very down-scaled with a simple bass and drum beat accented by a few electric guitar notes, while the chorus is very aggressive, forming an interesting contrast.

After telling how no one takes him seriously after all his satirical work, he offers his tribute to those "brave banner men and women," "Bannerman," which for me, was one of the most accurate renditions on the project. Taylor then slows the pace for a few tunes, the first a very slow, almost melancholy remake of "Hero." The first verse sports only Taylor singing with a distorted electric guitar. To me, it sounded more like something you'd hear him perform sitting around a campfire than on stage--well, maybe if it were an acoustic guitar... The pace remains moderate for "Jesus is for Losers" and "The Finish Line" before picking up again on "Violent Blue."

The album lives up to its name. It is as "live" or even Liver than any I've heard. Most live albums show serious limitations in the recording quality, vocal reproduction, and lacking background vocals--but this project suffers only slightly on the technical end and Taylor's vocals only falter in a few spots in the early going. I had hoped for a little more--like another song or two--but that's just me.