Saturday, November 04, 2006

More Meaty Updates!

... but first: did you hear about this important pice of news?
A British company is developing computer chips which store music, to be implanted in women's breasts.

This is viewed as a major breakthrough as, up until now, women have complained that men were staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

Okay, that's not for real lah... but on a related note... guess what I'm listening to while typing?
BAT OUT OF HELL III!
[thanx Kosh hunny!]

So far is ok lah: I *am* just at song #4 right now... it's titled "Bad for Good", it's one of the Jim Steinman songs, and, well, it's obviously a Steinman song - very recognisable typical style *and* unfortunately it has whispers of other, better, Steinman songs from Bat II. We'll see how the rest of the album goes. Right now all I can say is it's not resonating like CHSIB did: heck, that resonated with me on so many levels that my hair was standing on end at my first listen-to!

Anyways.

I am gong to surf aimlessly while letting the music wash over me.

Cheers!

= = = =
UPDATE: decided to do a sort of "live blogging" thing while listening... here are my first rxns to the songs.
Track #1: The Monster is Loose = eh. NOT a song that hooks you, not the best thing to start the album [esp compared to BatI, even BatII]

Track #2: Blind as a Bat = definitely singalongable... but some lyrics seem totally lifted from older songs!

Track #3: It's All Coming Back To Me Now = yes, that song by Celine Dion is a Steinman creation, here sung as a duet with Marion Raven. I hate to say it, but this doesn't seem as stirring as the Celine Dion version. Bummer. I had such high hopes for this one!

Track #4: Bad for Good = reminds me of that song from Dead Ringer [I think] that goes how do you do it let me count the ways, how many hours baby how many days. Also reminds me of springsteen's baby we were born to run at one point! Actually *SO* many whispers of songs here! I'll have to reserve judgement on this one.

Track #5: Cry for Me = singalongable. Kinda sappy and slow :p

Track #6: In the Land of the Pig, The Butcher is King = wow that reminds me of an Iron Maiden like song, LOL! pretty cool :-)

Track #7: Monstro = a short little pseudo-instrumental orchestral blurb. eh. better than some of those interludes on Neighbourhood.

Track #8: Alive = a-ha! this sounds more like a track I'd play over and over :-) "I'm a runaway train on a broken track i'm the ticker on the bomb that you can't turn back..."

Track #9: If God Could Talk = also another that definitely clicks with me, melody-wise. Lyrics too.

Track #10: If it ain't Broke Break It = reminds me of a song or two from BatII, but y'know what, I don't care, this is one of them fun anti-establishment type songs, great beat rhythm guitar riffs too :-)

Track #11: What About Love = heh this sounds like a typical commercial pop type song. Oh okay nvm, it picks up @ 2:50 or so. Not too bad. Having Patti Russo as a counter-voice is nice too.

Track #12: Seize the Night = a-hah! This sounds like the operatic [?] song I've come to expect from Mr Loaf. of course, the guitar riff is totally lifted from BatII

Track #13: The Future Ain't What It Used To Be = another singalongable that's right up my alley. But the voice supplied by Jennifer Hudson doesn't complement Meat's like Patti Russo's does.

Track #14: Cry to Heaven = mega-slow, perhaps it's supposed to be inspirational, but it set me laughing my a** off "cry like heaven,, if it doesn't do it for you, go ahead and cry like hell!" Okay maybe I'm weird :-)

Just an observation: BatIII doesn't have any of them fun mono-/dia-logues like the "blood of the guitar was Chuck Berry red" thingy in BatII, "i bet you say that to all the boys" in Bat I, and there's something similar in Dead Ringer too. Pity - that's something I really enjoy on those albums.

And it's kinda disappointing that the artwork isn't by Michael Whelan like it was for BatII. The cover sure looks like it - at first glance only. The inside pix are rather disappointing.

So: the bottom line? Definitely worth replaying many times over just to really familiarise myself with its contents. however, only time will determine where BatIII will rank against the BatI, BatII & CHSIB albums.

Cheers!

P/S> I "owe" Kosh a game or two of Magic now. Urgh.

P/S#2> According to this playlist of the Concert we attended last year, it looks like "Only When I Feel" was the song from BatIII that Meat Played for us. However, that particular title doesn't exist on the album. I'll have to listen again to figure out which one it was, and what the title got changed to... or whether that song ultimately got dropped from the final song selection. omg am I a freak! :-)

signing out @ 6pm

3 comments:

  1. Hmm... I have to say I didn't know Marion Raven, or Ravn which is her real name, sang a duet with him. (she is Norwegian you see) Cool. Not my favourite artist, but she is nice enough. Had some good songs all right, but I liked her better while she was in the M2M group. Also I have to admit that I've never really gotten Meat Loaf. Perhaps I should give him another go... Yes.

    Hugs Monsoon

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  2. Great summary review - thanks! It seems there's enough "good ones" on the list to warrant a listen. Perfect for the old Christmas list!

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  3. Monsoon> yes, do give Meat another go... I like him for the operatic songs that can last almost 10mins, PLUS the awesome lyrics! Of course, those are not his work, he just sings 'em, but not too many other people can be associated with such bombastic Wagnerian music and pull it off :-)

    Harmonica Man> cool! Just keep in mind I *am* quite biased for Mr Loaf. But if you do get your hands on it, do tell me what you think of it, k?

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about two months later...

 ... hi again. This return to blogging is really not working out, is it? Actually, I am writing, three pages of mind vomit and affirmations ...