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As a fan of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, I was ecstatic when I heard that they were teaming up once again for a full album’s worth of Steinman-penned songs. I preordered as soon as the album was available on Amazon and had been counting the days to release day. Well, here we are, and with the album now in my hands, here is my track-by-track review of this AWESOME addition to Meat’s and Steinman’s catalogue.
1. Who Needs the Young – I love this song! So Steinman-esque. It definitely has a musical-feel that doesn’t conform to the traditional timing of a rock song. So far we’re off to a pretty good start with this album!
2. Going All the Way is Just the Start – Oh. My. God. This is the Jim Steinman epic I’ve been waiting for for years! This song is right up there with classics like “I’d Do Anything for Love,” “Bat Out of Hell,” and “Bad for Good.” The melodies are ridiculously catchy, the lyrics are awesome, and it’s so excessively spectacular in every way! Meat does an awesome job in this duet with both Ellen Foley (“Paradise by the Dashboard Light”) and Karla DeVito (“Dance in My Pants”). This song alone is worth the price of the album!
3. Speaking in Tongues – “You’ve got a spark, I’ve got wood.” Jim Steinman at his lewd, humorous best! This is a classic ballad that you can’t help but repeat time and time again. The one thing I didn’t care for in this song was that Meat’s voice was drowned out in parts – he wasn’t whispering; he was just too low in the mix at times.
4. Loving You’s a Dirty Job (But Somebody’s Gotta Do It) – Bonnie Tyler did an awesome job with this song years ago and I’ve longed to hear Meat Loaf cover the song. That time has now arrived, and Meat has certainly delivered! Hearing this as a duet with Bonnie herself would have been superb, but this duet with Stacy Michelle is still pretty darned good.
5. Souvenirs – You have to love the horn arrangements on this song. And of course there are the references to prior Steinman songs in the lyrics. Some of the vocal melodies at parts also remind me of “Left in the Dark”. Anyone else notice this, or am I hearing things?
6. Only When I Feel – This has to be one of Steinman’s shortest songs ever. Don’t let that discount the fact that it’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve listened to this song several times now and I’ve fallen in love with it more and more each listen.
7. More – Maybe it’s just me, but this song tends to drag on. To my ears, there’s nothing really catchy about this song and it doesn’t really pull me in at all. First clunker of the album (in my opinion) and contender for my least favorite song on the album.
8. Godz – It wouldn’t be a Meat/Steinman album without a little rock opera! The beat of this song really sets a dramatic tone. Despite getting older and having questionable vocals at times recently, Meat really shines on this track in my opinion.
9. Skull of Your Country – Hot on the heels of Godz, Skull of Your Country is another little catchy ballad/mid-tempo rocker. The throwbacks to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” are a welcome addition, but to me they prove to be more of a tease than anything. I would love to get a proper “Eclipse” cover by Meat before he hangs up his hat. (Wishful thinking, I know!)
10. Train of Love – If this song doesn’t get your foot tapping, I’m not sure what will! Train of Love almost sounds like a song out of the 80s, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! I really like this song – it’s a good song to close out the album-proper.
Overall I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this album! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Meat Loaf and/or Jim Steinman. This album will be getting a decent rotation from me in the coming weeks, and I can see some of the songs (“Going All the Way,” “Speaking in Tongues,” etc.) topping my most-played lists in short order!
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Reviews with images
A little piece of Meatloaf lives on!
I actually saw this product being promoted by Meatloaf himself on social media and had to pre-order a copy for myself.The best part about this was all pre-orders he hand signed. I love the album! The music is amazing and I also framed my double album copy to preserve the autograph.It's hard to imagine he's no longer with us at this time, so it's something I have from an artist I adore and get to enjoy all the time.
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