''Meltdown'' is the second release and first full-length album by American musician Steve Taylor. It followed 1983's '' I Want to Be a Clone'' and featured a similar kind of style, involving Christian rock incorporating new wave musical influences, while also being produced by

Jonathan David Brown Jonathan David Brown (November 20, 1955 – September 27, 2016) was an American record producer and audio engineer known for his work on albums released in the Contemporary Christian music industry. Brown served federal prison time as an acces ...

. The album did well, commercially, reaching the No. 10 spot on ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' Top Contemporary Christian chart. It additionally received positive critical reviews from publications such as '' Billboard'', saying that "Taylor has an edge and vitality". The album was listed at No. 18 in the 2001 book ''CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music''. Like other works by Taylor, the album's songs touch on many socio-political issues; "We Don't Need No Colour Code" denounces Christian organizations that practice

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

while "Over My Dead Body" calls for more attention to violations of

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

overseas.

Track listing

Side one # "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" – 4:26 # "We Don't Need No Colour Code" – 2:43 # "Am I In Sync?" – 4:32 # "Meat the Press" – 3:48 # "Over My Dead Body" – 5:21 Side two # "Sin For a Season" – 4:14 # "Guilty By Association" – 3:21 # "Hero" – 3:40 # "Jenny" – 4:04 # "Baby Doe" – 3:51 The CD was issued more than a year after the vinyl and cassette versions. It was entitled ''Meltdown and Meltdown Remixes'' and was also released on Sparrow Records. CD track listing # "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" – 4:26 # "We Don't Need No Colour Code" – 2:43 # "Am I In Sync?" – 4:32 # "Meat the Press" – 3:48 # "Over My Dead Body" – 5:21 # "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" xtended version - remix– 6:24 # "Sin For a Season" – 4:14 # "Guilty By Association" – 3:21 # "Hero" – 3:40 # "Jenny" – 4:04 # "Baby Doe" – 3:51 # "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" nstrumental extended version - remix– 4:29 # "Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's)" dited version - remix– 3:35

Song references

The title track alludes to the famous attraction of Madame Tussauds, a

wax museum A wax museum or waxworks usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes. Some wax museums have a special section dubb ...

in London, England. "Baby Doe" was a vocal response to the early 1980 incidents involving the deaths of handicapped newborns that resulted from the withholding of medical treatment. The lyrics go beyond specific criticism to the individuals directly involved in those cases to condemning societal indifference and callousness in general, having lyrics about how "lawyers are bought" and the "presses have run". Taylor later remarked, "I don't like the idea of me just pointing the finger. In the song 'Baby Doe,' I was just as much to blame as the parents, because I wasn't doing anything about it." "We Don't Need No Colour Code" challenged and ridiculed the racial policies of

Bob Jones University , motto_lang = Latin , mottoeng = We seek, we trust , top_free_label = , top_free = , type = Private university , established = , closed = , f ...

, among other institutions. In its style, Taylor intentionally used musical references to African-American musician

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

. More recently, Taylor has explained that he finds joy in the song given the success of

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

efforts worldwide over the years. "Guilty By Association" condemns evangelists that abuse Christian teachings and just seek fame and money for themselves. "Over My Dead Body" called for more attention to be given to international violations of

Personnel

Some Band * Steve Taylor – vocals and backup percussion * Kerry Conner – guitars * Cactus Moser – drums * Chris Richards – bass * Dave Thrush – saxophone * Woody Waddell – keyboards (including the Mighty Farfisa) Production notes * Writer and arranger – Steve Taylor * Producer and engineer –

* Recording location – Sundberg Studios,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

* Mixing location –

Mama Jo's Dave's Room, previously known as Mama Jo's Recording Studio, is a recording studio in North Hollywood, California. History Dave's Room was built in the late 1960s by producer, and engineer Freddie Piro. Originally called Mama Jo's, the studio wa ...

, North.

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

* Mastering – Future Disc, Universal City * Album artwork – The Graphics Studio * Photography – Greg Wigler * Cover coordination – B. Charlyne Hinesley

References

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Meltdown Meltdown may refer to: Science and technology * Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident * Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors * Mutational meltdown, in population genetics Arts and entertainment Music * Me ...

Steve Taylor albums