What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MEAT LOAF "deadringer" 1981, vinyl. #45 US, #1 UK, #5 Aust.

the long anticipated follow-up to "bat out of hell", which doesnt dissapoint, which IMO is better than the fore mentioned debut.
the same style of lengthy ballads that build up to thunderous rock ballads, and straight rock songs. the one thing that really stands out to Steinman's songs are the titles...theyre almost as epic as his songs!
the only difference between the two albums is that the guitars are heavier here, much in the same vein as Steinman's "bad for good" album, reviewed on the previous page. Steinman's songs on his album contain better lyrics than this one, but the Loaf's vocals are far superior to his, thus lifting this one with a higher rating.
the big single off this one, "deadringer for love" contains female vocals by Cher, and even though it still gets "**" it is the worst song on the album, as with Jim on his solo album, there is a spoken piece as an intro to a song, Steinman's is a better spoken word track, but this one leads nicely into the above mentioned Cher track.
why is there a lack of "live" Meat Loaf clips around???
not sure what else to say about "deadringer" other than "MEAT LOAF x STEINMAN = MAGIC"!!

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: deadringer for love
best track: i'll kill you if you dont come back

tracks:

1. peel out***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KPVfFAyPw audio
2. i'm gonna love her for both of us*** #84 US, #62 UK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_v1QX-obCU video
3. more than you deserve***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DcTJ3gxPis video
4. i'll kill you if you dont come back***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcnd3mSdG1w video
5. read 'em and weep***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sRDL_OkSWI video
6. nocturnal pleasure**
7. deadringer for love** #5 UK, #5 Aust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy_XrSLG4gg video
8. everything is permitted**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VKxm5In9jA audio

3s=5
2s=3
1s=0

rating 2.6

[Music Head]

^^
probably right on target with the grade
loved that song with Cher, probably the last good thing I remember her doing
the video probably made it though
thanks for that flashback

[CRAZY-HORSE]

i agree over the "last good thing Cher did" comment.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MEAT LOAF "bat out of hell" 1977, vinyl/cd. #14 US, #9 UK, #1 Aust.

this was actually the Meat's second album, he released one in the early 1970s before he met Steinman bacxkstage at a stage musical he was working on. this one has sold inexcess of 40 million copies worldwide and according to Wikipedia still sells an average of 200,000 copies per year. but had the record companies that Meat and Jim took their demo's to had their way it would never have been released, the major companies in 75ish didnt like it, they didnt like the song structure or the way Steinman wrote, they told him he couldnt write proper songs in a traditional way and the length of the songs were too long.
how wrong they were.
we all know the songs, they are still played on AM and FM radio with regularity to this day.
as with the other two albums reviewed up and over the previous page, this one is full of epic rock ballads and pure guitar based rock.
ive always found the lyrics to be quite immature when stacked up against the mature sound of the music, i guess its a counterbalance that works mainly to the feeling and expression in the Loaf's vocals.
"paradise by the dashboard" is probably the most immature of all the lyrical content,yet, we as guys understand it perfectly, i mean we've all been with girls as teenagers and wondered which 'base' we would be able to get to with them, and adding baseball commentry not only makes this even more 'camp' but signifies the importance hormonal teenage guys place on these things, and it works to perfection on all levels. the lyrics in most of Jim's songs ebb and flow creating not just paintings but entire landscapes,through vallays and over mountains and the music reflects that,theres even twists and turns in the lyrics like the twists and turns of streams and rivers.
it wont happen, but i'd like to see "idol" and all these other reality singing shows do a Meat Loaf night...not for dinner after the show, but as a theme for contestants to show their vocal skills.

I LOVE THIS ALBIM

worst track: for crying out loud
best track: paradise by the dashboard light

tracks:

1. bat out of hell** #15 UK, #26 Aust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4MFxcFofkY live
2. you took the words right out of my mouth*** #33 UK, #3 Aust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEhSBN-VZlw live
3. heaven can wait**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_3EhTlAa0k live
4. all revved up with no place to go**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwVq-ADbVeo live
5. two out of three aint bad*** #11 US, #32 UK, #11 Aust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quOGuEvTX...ure=fvwrel video
6. paradise by the dashboard*** #39 US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NTDHjVKQyo live
7. for crying out loud**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffSeQPc1rkU audio


3s=3
2s=4
1s=0

rating: 2.4

[Music Head]

lol
I think my grades for each song would be exactly the same
these I can play in my head

[vrdwebservices]

Great music i love it....

[TraceNspace]

Now I'm going to have to dig out my Meatloaf and probably the Rocky Horror soundtrack too!

[Guns & Roses]

The Cranberries

[Music Head]

from my library (vinyl)



I think this may be a first. One of my own albums that scores a perfect 1.0, and it even has vocals. Happens to be their last album also. Go figure. Usually Hollies harmonies carry me through, but not here. Not one thing on here I could bring myself to like. The last track was just starting to catch on, but I figured, why ruin a perfect score. It's like they were trying to do a latter day Bee Gees thing, going disco, heavy on the synthesizer. This was the return of Graham Nash to the group after a 15 year absence. Most of the song writing credit goes to Paul Bliss, who is listed as playing keyboards on the album. Wondering how they came to use his songs. No songs were written by group members. A cover of Stop In The Name Of Love is cringe worthy. They even cover one of their own hits from two decades earlier, Just One Look, and manage to screw that up. Hard to figure how you can screw up your own hit, but they did it. The album went to #90 on the U.S. charts, with that Supremes cover at #29.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Stop In The Name Of Love

Best Track - Having A Good Time

You read the stars
Everyday in the paper
And believe every word they say
You want to know
If I'll always love you
But I can't see tomorrow today

So, I can't guarantee
A happy ending
The story is always unwinding
But right here and now
It doesn't matter
Are you having a good time

You know that I'm no fortune teller
I can't predict
How it will be
You need a love that lasts forever
That far ahead
I just can't see

So, I can't guarantee
A happy ending
I don't know what might've happen
But this me and you in this situation
Are you having a good time

If everything's perfect
What more could we ask for
We're here and now

Are you having a good time

You're somewhere off
Into the future
Imagining how it will look
Will we last another chapter
Can we make it last 'til the end of the book

So, I can't guarantee
A happy ending
The story is always unwinding
But right here and now
It doesn't matter
Having a good time

1) Casualty - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qlfu1PyHOQ
2) Take My Love And Run - *
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ3KHOd4MBo
3) Say You'll Be Mine - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jERFvtHlRBY
4) Something Ain't Right - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bgXkn7HBlY
5) If The Lights Go Out - *
6) Stop In The Name Of Love - *
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfuFZfL7qps
7) I Got What I Want - *
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7LUgPUJCYE
8) Just One Look - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQFoNGO1QM
9) Someone Else's Eyes - *
10) Having A Good Time - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hh6dSbU2hg

3's - 0
2's - 0
1's - 10

Grade - 1.0

[CRAZY-HORSE]

look at it this way...six years to play your whole collection...could be twelve years till you have to get back to this one.

also, thought you may need some aural soothing after that version of "just one look"

[video=youtube;32VWELcZUMM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32VWELcZUMM[/video]