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| I just read the full thing | |
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rockfenris2005 07:28 pm UTC 06/24/16 |
| In reply to: | Great fan review of Braver - Jacqueline 12:29 am UTC 06/24/16 |
It IS pretty spectacular. Reading this you almost think it's going to go right off. Who knows though? I still think if they release "Who needs the young?" as a single that you might get a really interesting reaction out of that. Anyway, come and post here as well, Stuart. I would be interested to hear more of your thoughts on other things too. > This was sent to Jim via Facebook and he wanted it shared > here. Many thanks Stuart! > > Stuart Lund 3:07pm Jun 23 > There are two kinds of Meat Loaf fans in the world. There > are those who love everything he records, then there are > those who like everything her records but love everything > he records that was written by the man who started it all, > Jim Steinman. I count myself in the latter group. > Since Bat Out OF Hell in 1977, Meat has teamed up with > Steinman, both directly and indirectly, many times, but > there have been three particular milestones on that long > and twisted road that have stood out against the rest – > Bat Out of Hell, Dead Ringer and the epic Bat Out of Hell > II. Despite some questions over the production of the > middle link in the chain, all three of these albums had > one thing in common – all of the songs were written by > Steinman. > > In 2006, lightning should have struck again with the > release of Bat Out Of Hell III, but the powers that be had > other ideas. Steinman was in ill health, a record company > wanted the album complete and Meat went along with > bringing in Bon Jovi producer Desmond Child to fill the > void. It could have worked, but you have to be a certain > type of person to “get” Steinman. Todd Rundgren “got” him > when he produced Bat, Child didn’t. The album ended up > consisting of a handful of Steinman songs, altered and > mostly condensed to make the way for additional tracks by > Child which turned the album into a mishmash of could have > beens, should have beens and should never have beens. > > Jump forward to 2014, when rumours began to circulate that > Meat was planning a new album, and Jim could be providing > one or two new tracks. A year later, the album was now > going to feature more new Steinman material, and in June > 2016, the album was in the can and the cover art bore the > words that fans had waited over 20 years to see. All Songs > by Jim Steinman. At the top of the cover, under the album > title, Braver Than We Are. Combined with the stunning > cover art by Julie Bell – a cleverly crafted montage piece > featuring Meat himself and a youthful image of Steinman > (being the boy who never grew up) facing off against the > four horsemen of the apocalypse, who just happen to be > riding some of the iconic bikes featured on the covers of > previous Meat/Steinman collaborations, and all against a > sky that looks suspiciously like that featured on the Bat > Out Of Hell Cover. Suddenly, this album was very real and > very exciting. > > Prior to release, Meat has cited the album as “different”, > “love it or hate it”, “something that will make you want > to throw it against the wall”, much of which could have > been said about Bat on its release. So just how different > and rage-inducing is the album? > On first listen, there are some things instantly > noticeable – the album is not full of perfectly pitched > vocals like most people seem to want these days. It is not > full of radio friendly pop songs, although it contains > some of the most memorable and catchy songs of Meat and > Steinman’s career. It is an album that all but drips with > raw, passionate drama that would make Wagner (the composer > not the X Factor contestant) weep with anguish. THIS is > the album Bat Out Of Hell III should have been, and THIS > is quite possibly the biggest middle finger to the current > music scene that has ever been released. People are going > to hate this record. People are going to love this record. > But more than that, people are going to feel with this > record. The lyrics tell a story, the music seduces you and > pulls you into the world in which the story is being told. > These are not half-baked pop lyrics about getting boys out > of your hair or saying sorry. They are full on, relevant > and powerful. > As an album overview, the production – by Paul Crook – is > outstanding. Bold and experimental, grand and subtle when > it needs to be, again something that seems to be missing > from much of today’s music. Another highlight is the > stunning backing vocals arranged by Justin Avery, phrased > and produced in an amazing collage of sounds, emotions and > in a couple of cases completely off the wall theatrics. > Musically the album is sound. Each song in its own world, > with its own rules. And then we have the main vocals, a > point which will cause the love/hate factor for many. > > Meat is not thirty years old any more, he is heading > towards an age where many have given up and are soaking up > the easy life. But that has never been his style. Meat has > never sounded his age as much as he does on this album; > gruff at times, frail at others, sometimes resorting to a > low baritone growl. This is not the vocal performance of > two decades ago, this is Meat now, musically presenting a > drama for the ears. His vocal is rough, and in many cases > in a lower range to much of this previous work, but it > works in the context of the album for those who, and we > return to that point again, “get it”. These are not your > regular songs. There is no auto-tune here. It is raw, > unashamed, blood and guts, anguished rock opera that will > likely never be seen again. In a basic, ground level > comparison, I fully expect Meat’s vocals to come up > against the same critical mauling that the likes of Bob > Dylan, Nick Cave and Tom Waits have constantly defied > their whole careers. It is not for everyone, but I > guarantee, let the album play a few times and not only > will you start to see the bigger picture, but there will > be words and melodies that you just cannot get away from > and will linger with you long after. Compared to Meat’s > previous two albums, which while both having their merits > have lacked that special ingredient to make them > memorable, this shows why no one quite does Steinman like > Meat Loaf, but equally no-one brings to Meat Loaf what > Steinman brings to Meat Loaf. > Here is my track by track analysis of the album. > > Who Needs The Young as an opener is just inspired. It's > like a creepy, mishmash circus has just rolled into town > and the ringmaster is stepping up to the crowd. There is a > dark comedy about it – the Steinman touch. It has been > said that the track was originally destined to be part of > the original Bat album, and considering it is one of > Steinman’s oldest pieces that is plausible enough, but it > was considered too vile for the times. Once again, > something that cannot be argued against. Meat’s precise > delivery of every syllable, something that rings through > the album, heightens the bizarre air around the song. > Backing vocals under the arrangement of Justin Avery are > spectacular and not unlike some of Steinman’s own > arrangements of the past, and again they add to this > strange circus of horrors feel and engulf you in a > multi-layered, visual masterpiece for the ears. Sorry for > the repetition but you just don’t get that in any other > music out there today. > > If there was a song to be released as a single (and some > would question whether in today’s convoluted singles > market where everything from celebrity deaths to political > agendas can dictate chart positions), then this massive > beast was always going to be the radio defying track to > break out. Known to followers of Steinman’s other work, > the track is better known as Braver Than We Are, as seen > in a track performed by Karine Hannah (featuring a dance > music backing track) and in the smash musical Tanz Der > Vampire. Partially rewritten, rearranged and boasting an > almost 12 minute run time, Going All The Way Is Just The > Start (A Song In Six Movements) could well be the final > sparkling jewel in the Steinman crown. As Steinman wrote > in Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through, “There’s always > something magic, there’s always something new”, and as > with his previous epics that has never been truer than > here. From a quiet, subtle opening, the song progresses > through its aforementioned movements, falling and rising > similar to 1993’s I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do > That), and building to a six minute culmination that is > quite possibly the most stunning piece of musicality I > have heard in my life. Meat is ably supported throughout > by Ellen Foley (better known as the female vocalist from > Paradise by the Dashboard Light) and Karla DeVito (who > performed Paradise during Meat’s early tours and appears > in its video), who help elevate the song even further. It > is an indescribable piece that is both hopefully > optimistic and devastatingly honest with a melody that > just soars into the heavens and beyond. The song title, > which is a line that also appeared at the beginning of the > music video for Anything For Love, is not only > quintessential Steinman but probably his defining one. He > has gone all the way on many occasions and it just never > seems to be enough. Going All The Way is a song to live > your life by. It's a call to everyone to take all they can > from life, live every moment and push everything to limit > and then push further while you can. A true masterpiece. > > Speaking in Tongues is the album’s Two Out Of Three, > gentle, subtle and containing some of the excellent > wordplay that comes with most Steinman tracks. Meat’s > mellow vocal is complimented by additional vocals to > create something ethereal and emotional. (More to be > added) > > Loving You's a Dirty Job (But Somebody’s Got To Do It) is > best known as a duet between Bonnie Tyler and Todd > Rundgren when it was produced by Steinman for her album. > Here it is given a musically modern twist, again a sense > of building throughout the song to its conclusion. It will > gain obvious comparisons to the previous version, and one > thing of note here is that Meat’s careful and deliberate > pronunciation is one thing that stands out, when every one > of those lyrics is heard and understood, compared to > Rundgren’s original vocal which was sometimes harder to > discern. A completely different arrangement and > performance style, again making this a track that people > will either love or hate. > > Souvenirs is another early Steinman track now getting the > Meat Loaf treatment, albeit with something a little > reminiscent of a late 70s/early 80s Bob Dylan thanks to > some wonderful organ and horns. As with so many songs, > there are links to previously released works – > specifically the melodic similarity to Left in The Dark > which Meat recorded for 1995’s Welcome To The > Neighborhood, which featured on Steinman’s own Bad For > Good album and, for completeness, was also released by > Barbara Streisand. Souvenirs predates these and was > probably the first time the melody was used. This is one > of the things that the album has going for it in > abundance, much of what you hear sounds instantly familiar > yet new thanks to small sections of melody, repeated > lyrics and chord progressions that are all part of the > Steinman trademark. Another lyrical tour de force, > containing the same heart-wrenching grit of classic tracks > such as For Crying Out Loud, and coming in at over 8 > minutes long is another standout piece on the album. > Only When I Feel as the shortest piece is packed with more > passion than probably even Meat has ever recorded and if > it's piano thunder you're looking for then this is where > you will find it. The track was originally destined for > Bat 3 as part of the song that became (If It Ain’t Broke) > Break It – something that seems to have been fated in that > it was discarded from the album where it would not have > been given the Grand Guignol treatment it receives here. > There is something about the track that could almost make > it a prelude to Anything For Love – in that way that all > Steinman songs seem to fit together in a complex puzzle. > Meat went on record as saying he abandoned a perfect vocal > on this as he had to sing it as though he were in pain, > and for me at least that works. Another of those tracks > that some people are going hate and pull apart, but in the > context of the concept of the song, a harsh imperfect > vocal is what is needed. The small sadness is that we will > never know what the full song, including Break It, would > have sounded like done under this production. > > More was originally recorded by the Sisters of Mercy and > has been used in MTV’s Wuthering Heights remake. A modern, > driving rocker which comes in two parts, one of which will > be familiar again to Steinman fans who have heard his > Batman demos. Meat’s vocal again changes throughout the > track, pulling back on some parts and growling through on > others. (More to add) > > Godz is another “long lost” Steinman piece that will sound > familiar to fans of Tanz Der Vampire. The thundering piano > and drum base of the song are based on Bolero, while the > track itself is a choral, theatrical piece that could have > come straight from something like Carmen. It is the type > of track you will struggle to find on any other popular > rock or pop album, mainly because it takes balls to do > anything this different and expect to get anywhere. It is > safe to say that if an unknown artist attempted, they > would have the same struggle Meat and Jim did back in the > late 70s. It also adds to the nostalgia that this album > carries with it, and something of a full circle “end of > show” feel that everything seems to glide towards. The > Bolero theme was used as an introduction in the original > Bat Tour, more nostalgia for those old time fans. > > Skull of Your Country is another track that originated in > the 70s under a different title. Considering in technical > terms this is around 40 years old, Steinman has made a > song that is as relevant now with powerful imagery as > anything released in the last decade. The song also > features a section based on the “Turn Around” lyric from > another Bonnie Tyler hit, Total Eclipse of The Heart. Non > fans may well believe this to be reworking from that song, > where in truth this, or a version of it, predated Total > Eclipse by some time. Its inclusion here once again makes > something unfamiliar instantly recognisable. > > Train of Love is a fun closer to the album. Again based on > a song written back in the 70s, this had that bouncy, > energetic quality of Dead Ringer For Love. A funky pop > rocker that is littered with classic lines from various > other songs to bring the album to a well rounded, rocking > all night close. > > To summarise, this is an album that has been a long time > coming, and if you are on board with the direction and the > style that I has been done, as I was from the first > moment, then this is likely to be right up there in your > estimation with anything the pair have put out in the > past. For me, I would love for nothing more than Meat to > hang up his touring boots and sit down with Steinman every > few months to record a couple of new tracks, unlikely but > we all have our rock and roll dreams. For now, though > Braver Than We Are, with an abundance of bonus materials > including demos and bonus tracks across its various > releases, is something the world has been deprived of for > a long time, and, if only history told a different story, > could have been heard long ago when the promise of more to > come could be realised. | |
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