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| re: from tbnweekly.com on BAT III | |
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Wilbury 01:59 am UTC 04/01/07 |
| In reply to: | re: from tbnweekly.com on BAT III - Conas 01:01 am UTC 04/01/07 |
| Meat Loaf's PIG sucks. I used to kind of like it, but having familiarised myself with jim's version so much and then kind of picking and choosing the bits I liked best for my Merciless Nite thing, Meat's version is severely lacking!! not to mention the complete lack of urgency in his vocals. It's a real stinker. Low point of the abum, and this journalist wasn't to know better that in fact it's a Steinman number that was then raped by Meat and co. (Just like Break it, really, but she hapened to like that one). > Don't agree with her slamming of "PIGS" it's the best song > on the album. > > But I agree that the first song doesn't blend too well > with the Bat formula, having said that "Cry Over Me" and > "If God could talk" should have been fired off the album > from the start, they are bloody horrendous. I'm shocked > that they didn't get a mention because of their sheer > brutality. > > > > > > from tbnweekly.com > > > > Meat Loaf’s latest ‘Bat’ chapter brings out diamonds, duds > > > > > > Meat Loaf returns to his roots with “Bat out of Hell III: > > The Monster is Loose,” a mixed bag of musical winners and > > losers framed by the evocation of his most successful > > endeavor to date. > > > > It has been 30 years since Meat Loaf joined forces with > > rock composer Jim Steinman and guitarist and producer Todd > > Rundgren to create the original “Bat out of Hell,” one of > > the best-selling albums of all time. > > > > Although it languished on the charts initially, it > > gradually became a cult classic and continues to attract > > new audiences today with its Wagnerian rock opera approach > > and memorable songs including “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad” > > and the classic “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” > > > > “Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell” produced the > > chart-topping “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do > > That),” as well as the singles “Rock ’n’ Roll Dreams Come > > Through” and “Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear > > Closer Than They Are.” Because of Steinman’s involvement, > > the album faithfully reflected the style and tone of its > > predecessor. Though it failed to achieve the acclaim > > heaped upon the original “Bat,” it pleased most fans while > > reaching out to a new generation of listeners. > > > > And then came “Bat out of Hell III.” > > > > While the model remains untouched, the players have > > changed. Specifically, due to some unfortunate litigation > > which has since been resolved, Steinman did not contribute > > directly to the album’s construction. Out of the 14 tracks > > on “Bat out of Hell III,” half were written by Steinman – > > for use in other projects. New faces on the album include > > John 5, formerly of Marilyn Manson and currently with Rob > > Zombie; Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe fame; and producer > > Desmond Child. > > > > It’s no surprise that most of best tracks are Steinman’s > > songs. The first single to be released, “It’s All Coming > > Back to Me Now,” was recorded by Pandora’s Box, a group > > Steinman produced, and in 1996 became a commercial hit for > > Canadian pop singer Céline Dion. However, it was actually > > written for Meat Loaf’s “Bat out of Hell II.” It was > > shelved for that project in anticipation of a third > > installment. > > > > Another highlight is Steinman’s “Bad for Good,” featuring > > the talents of Queen guitarist Brian May. Pairing May with > > Meat Loaf proves to be one of the few moments of artistic > > genius on the entire album. > > > > For ’70s rock aficionados and fans of the Steinman’s pop > > pomposity and operatic bombast, there can be no better > > treasure than the pretentious “Seize the Night.” Clocking > > in at almost 10 minutes in length, this epic gem derives > > from Steinman’s German musical “Tanz der Vampire” and is > > well suited to Meat Loaf’s vocals. > > > > When “Bat III” fails, it fails miserably. Case in point: > > The title track, “The Monster is Loose,” written by 5 and > > Sixx, is a nu-metal monstrosity that just doesn’t mesh > > with the Meat Loaf persona. One Steinman flop is the > > haughty “In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King,” an > > overproduced, overstated inflated number that strives only > > to overcome its own mediocrity. In contrast, “If it Ain’t > > Broke, Don’t Break It,” also strays from the traditional > > Meat Loaf model but works well with a heavy dose of horns, > > screaming guitars and a mantra-like refrain. > > > > While “Bat III” doesn’t live up to the standards set by > > the original “Bat out of Hell,” it isn’t all bad. > > Admittedly, it’s nearly impossible to improve upon > > perfection, and anything Meat Loaf ever produces will be > > measured against the success of his masterpiece. Keeping > > that in mind, then, this latest offering resonates with > > the wizardry of the first Steinman-Meat Loaf > > collaboration, even if the enchantment is a little less > > magical. > > > > | |
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