A sticker on the front of
Racially Yours proclaims it "The Most Controversial Album of All Time," but, like most of what
the Frogs do, that statement is quite over the top. Sure, the album's topic is inherently controversial and the cover art features drummer
Dennis Flemion costumed in blackface. But upon listening to the record -- and, more importantly, reading its lyrics, which are included -- it becomes obvious that
the Frogs aren't crazed racists filled with hate. No, they're just a pair of white guys interested, as always, in examining the limits of what is socially acceptable. Rather than making fun of blacks, on many of the songs, they simply pretend to be black, much like they pretended to be gay on their landmark album,
It's Only Right and Natural. And, on close inspection, it's clear that the majority of the songs are intended to be quite anti-racist, although in a bizarre fashion. "Now You Know You're Black" asserts that God is black; "Massa" is a first-person account of a slave murdering his keeper. In fact, "Prejudiced" is the only outright offensive song, but it's so obviously over the top and not serious that it becomes simply another joke -- albeit a joke, like most
Frogs' jokes -- in poor taste. Which leaves very little to recommend this album, except to
Frogs completists. It's certainly not their funniest work (that'd be the fantastic
My Daughter the Broad) or their most politically engaging. Recorded in 1993,
Racially Yours sat unreleased for almost seven years, supposedly because no one wanted to be associated with such controversial material. Now that it's been exposed to the light of day, it becomes clear that the album isn't only not terribly controversial, but not terribly interesting either.