The Toy Box: Meat Loaf

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Retro Spins: Meat Loaf - Blind Before I Stop

After years of operatic rock albums, Meat Loaf would finally embrace the 80's, and record the album, Blind Before I Stop. While he wanted to wait and work with Jim Steinman again, once again he found himself being pushed by the label to deliver on his contractual obligation of one more studio album, and live release.

The album is most noteworthy for its inclusion of the John Parr duet, Rock 'N' Roll Mercenaries. However, it would also become infamous for it as well. This was a result of the one and only time the two performed the track together live, wherein Meat Loaf allegedly forgot to introduce Parr prior to him walking on stage, resulting in the co-singer then walking immediately off the stage without a word after it. Despite Meat repeatedly calling Parr to apologize, even purportedly leaving messages, the two never spoke again. More like Rock 'N' Roll Drama Queens.

Firing it up, I immediately noticed the change in musical direction. The heavy guitars made it almost sound like Meat Loaf had gone hair band. Mind you, this wasn't a bad thing. However, as I look to the right, it's ironic that while the singer was finally bringing his musical style into the era he was trying to stay relevant, he opted to go with an album cover that looks straight out of the 70's.

The first two tracks, Execution Day, and Rock 'N' Roll Mercenaries set a tone and expectation that I was hoping could. and would be kept up throughout its entirety. Things did dip a bit for the next track, but quickly course corrected with One More Kiss (Night Of The Soft Parade), and the title track, Blind Before I stop.

Heavy guitar licks, and solos, were definitely the name of the game. Meat Loaf came at this album hard, and frankly, I wish he'd done this more in the past. However, despite this, the back half of the record is seemingly forgettable. I actually found myself tuning it out in large portions. Occasionally, a fantastic guitar solo would bring my ears back to attention, but for the most part, it was just background noise.

To the average onlooker, it would appear that after this album that Meat Loaf disappeared into obscurity until his 1993 comeback, Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. However, this actually isn't true. Between 1987 and 1989, her performed 169 shows across the world. Work on Back Into Hell actually began in 1990, but not to any type of fanfare. Rather, the industry laughed at the thought of anyone focusing on a project long since waned in public interest. Nobody could have expected the masterpiece it would become, and the spark it would ignite amongst a world engulfed in the grunge scene. It turns out people just wanted good music. Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman were prepared, and delivered just that.

Meat Loaf would release is final album of the 90's in 1995, Welcome to the Neighbourhood, but then spent the next several years on the road, performing close to 300 worldwide shows. He wouldn't return to the studio until 2003 for Couldn't Have Said It Better before getting back on the road.

Things started moving in the background in 2005, when a year long contract obligation began with Jim Steinman to return for what would become Bat Out Of Hell III. However, in 2006, Meat Loaf opted to not wait for Steinman any longer, citing the writer's health issues as the reason, and set to work on the album using some of his prior material. Depending on who you talk to, this may not have been the truth, as Steinman's manager would later say that Jim was in good health. Rather, the reason the two didn't work together was because of the lawsuit which came to light in 2006 when the two fought against each other for the rights to the trademark, "Bat Out Of Hell".

Steinman was intentionally not approached for Meat Loaf's next two albums, 2010's Hang Cool Teddy Bear, and and 2011's Hell in a Handbasket. However, the strained relationship would eventually be healed, and the two would collaborate again for Loaf's final album, Braver Than We Are (2011). While Meat Loaf continued to perform live, he didn't do so to the extent he previously had. Sadly, Jim Steinman passed away in April 2021, and Meat Loaf would also pass away less than a year later in January 2022. Hopefully, the two are still writing and recording music in Heaven.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 6, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 6, 1986

Retro Spins: Meat Loaf - Bad Attitude

Down on his luck, but not accepting defeat, Meat Loaf relocated to the UK in 1984. He'd be able to secure a one album deal with Arista, and returned to the studio to being work on what would become Bad Attitude.

Initially, he approached Jim Steinman to provide new songs, and while the writer agreed, the time it would take him to deliver wasn't feasible for Meat's timeframe. This resulted in him using two previously recorded tracks from the writer, and once again seek material wherever he could get it.

The album would focus on a more hard rock style, and included duets with Roger Daltrey (on Bad Attitude, the song), and Clare Torry (on Modern Girl). Both aforementioned songs would become minor hits, and overall, the album would continue Meat Loaf's streak of gold certified albums in the UK. However, once again, things didn't fare well outside of that country.

Something worth noting is that there are variations from the UK and USA releases. This is mainly noted in the mixes that were included for every track, but also the order of the second side. When Bad Attitude was released on CD in 1993, this version included the US mixes and order. However, when it was remastered in 2014 by Cherry Red Records, this included the original UK mixes and order.

I admittedly didn't have high hopes for the album, and as a result was presently surprised for a bit. It starts out with the two singles noted above; Bad Attitude, and Modern Girl. However, in all honesty, if I hadn't read that the title track was a duet with Roger Daltrey, I wouldn't have even noticed the legendary singer's contribution.

It then jumps into the toe tapping, Nowhere Fast. I found myself immediately intrigued, asking myself, "Where did this one come from that it's so good?" I then looked, and saw it was one of the two penned by Steinman, and I was like, "Oh, that makes sense."

This was followed by the second Steinman track, Surf's Up, which closes out side one. It was pretty okay. Not as peppy as the previous, and also more rock opera style, as Meat Loaf is prone to do.

The second half of the album doesn't fare as well as the first. It definitely captures that sound that Meat Loaf envelopes. However, the tracks themselves don't really deliver, with exception of Sailor To A Siren, and Don't Leave Your Mark On Me. The latter was shocking, because in terms of the other songs on this side of the LP, it's so far superior it's not even comparable. It may even be the best on the whole album.

As 1985 rolled in, Meat Loaf took a step back from music, and instead focused on a comedy career. He performed in a few sketches in the UK with Hugh Laurie before trying his hand at stand up. Fortunately, he would return to his true calling in 1986 for Blind Before I Stop. We'll jump into that tomorrow.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 5, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 5, 1987

Retro Spins: Meat Loaf - Midnight At The Lost And Found

It's been a hot minute since I've had meatloaf. It's also been a long time since I've listened to Meat Loaf. I hit his opus debut, Bat Out Of Hell, in 2021, dove into his first 80's album, Dead Ringer, in 2023, and then dug into his 90's comeback, Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, in 2024. Things, however, went dormant for me and the artist.

Meat Loaf has always seemed to be one of those artists that people take or leave. He's either making massive hits, or forgettable fodder. The highs seemed to come when he was paired with writer, Jim Steinman, and the lows when left to his own devices.

The latter was the case for his 1983 released, Midnight At The Lost And Found. Contractually obligated to Epic Records for a second album, Marvin Aday, AKA Meat Loaf, turned to Steinman for material. Unbeknownst to Meat, his collaborating partner had just handed him gold in the form of Total Eclipse Of The Heart, and Making Love Out Of Nothing At All. Unfortunately, these would later be withdrawn when the label refused to pay Steinman for the songs. As I'm sure most of you know, these songs would go on to be massive successes for Bonnie Tyler and Air Supply. Just think; Would the trajectory of Meat Loaf's career could have been if he actually recorded them? Or would the songs have flopped in his hands?

Without a song writer, but needing material, Meat turned to multiple sources, basically anyone who would step in, and even contributed to songs himself. However, he would later go on to say how he felt the material was weak, as he was not much of a writer.

Upon its release, Midnight In The Lost And Found would fail to find a foothold outside the UK. Even then, while it spawned three singles abroad, none of them would crack the top ten; The Razor's Edge (peaking at number 59), If You Really Want To (peaking at number 41), and the title track (peaking at number 17).

Playing through it, it's what I would expect from Meat Loaf. A lot of "dated" operatic rock and roll. He's big on duets, choirs, and layers of vocals. You can definitely pick one of his songs from a crowd. He has his own sound.

The UK listening crowd was definitely on to something. The three aforementioned singles; The Razor's Edge, Midnight At The Lost And Found, and, If You Really Want To are fairly solid tunes. I also kind of liked Keep Driving, and Fallen Angel.

Overall, it's definitely an average album. I don't think there's anything here that I would actively seek to listen to again, but I also won't pan it. I dig Meat Loaf as a whole, and like I said above, when he's on to something, he smashes it out of the park. Sadly, there's none of those kinds of songs to be found here.

Things would unfortunately go downhill fast for Meat Loaf around this time. Poor money management, and over forty lawsuits totaling eighty million dollars, including ones from Steinman left the singer no choice but to file for bankruptcy. In addition to financial loss, he would also lose the rights to all of his songs to date, and to top that mountain off, he even lost his home, and all of his assets.

Still contractually obligated to Epic Records, the label held him in breach for not delivering any further albums, resulting in them ceasing payment to him of any further royalties. This would only serve to dissolve the relationship between the artist and the label.

That's quite a predicament to be in, and I can only imagine how it feels to fall all the way from the top to the bottom, losing everything in the process. But, things for Meat Loaf would ultimately get better, granted not for another decade. For now, we'll have to follow him through the remainder of the 80's. Check back tomorrow for the continuation.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 4, 1982

Retro Spins: Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell

I can't believe it's been seven years of Retro Spins here at The Toy Box. I've talked about a ton of 80's albums during the past six years, and while I will continue to do so for quite some time longer, I think it's also time to advance the calendar a bit. This year, let's also dive into the 90's. You'll still find a post on an 80's album every Tuesday, but I'm going to also try to do one based on a 90's album every Friday. Because I have a somewhat low tolerance for that particular era, let's see how far we get before I just can't take it anymore.

If you couldn't tell from my prior sentence, admittedly, I'm not a big fan, but I have a fair share of albums from artists who were still on my radar during those first few years of the new decade. As such, you probably won't see much here beyond 1996 / 1997. That was about when I finally threw my hands up with music and said, "I'm done." You also won't find a lot of obscure stuff within these posts because I really didn't "experiment" much with 90's music. In fact, you probably won't find much beyond what was frequently on the radio, or from bands who transitioned, successfully or otherwise, to the 90's.

So let's dive in, and see where this goes.

Meat Loaf hadn't released an album since his 1986 Blind Before I Stop. If I'm being honest, he'd even longer since been irrelevant to mainstream music. To date, his highlight had been his 1977 debut Bat Out Of Hell, and from there, sales of his albums continued to drop rapidly.

When 1993 arrived, the world was big into the grunge scene. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and others were mainstay on radio stations, and it seemed the world of music had changed forever. Because of this, it was not only odd to hear the rumblings of the obscure Meat Loaf making a comeback. Yet, it happened - In a big way.

The lead single, I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) not only represented everything grunge wasn't, but it pushed all of those musicians out of the way as the track shot straight to the number one spot on the charts in twenty-eight countries, and stayed there in the USA for five consecutive weeks.

It would be a disrespect to not mention Jim Steinman, the writer and producer of all the tracks on the album. Steinman has long since been a collaborator with Meat Loaf, providing the material for his first album, Bat Out Of Hell. However, as they continued to work together in the 80's, Steinman and Meat Loaf distanced more and more, eventually suing each other over musical squabbles. While Steinman stayed very active in the world of music, Bat Out Of Hell II, still feels like as much of a comeback for him as Meat Loaf.

The album launches off the pad with tracks, I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back and Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through. Unfortunately, it then slams on the brakes for a bit. Tracks become slower paced, very ballad like and honestly fell into background noise for me.

Things do eventually pick back up, but not before a very odd spoken track entitled, Wasted Youth. When I heard this, I truly felt like the entire album had been derailed. Then the rockin' track, Everything Louder Than Everything Else kicked in, and I was back into it.

The average running time of tracks is seven to ten minutes, which gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I suppose that value is only there if you're enjoying the album though. Overall, I did. It definitely got me interested in hearing a bit more of Meat Loaf's later stuff, which isn't something I would normally say. Typically, I would go backwards into the 70's and 80's.

Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell is a well earned comeback for Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. It stands out from the typical sound of the 90's, and it's got a lot of good tracks to offer. I definitely recommend this one to everyone.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Retro Spins: Meat Loaf - Dead Ringer

My introduction to Meat Loaf was a special one for me. I was at my uncle's house with my dad, during one of our just me and him trips across the country. It was on this particular visit that my uncle said to my dad, "Do you like Meat Loaf?" He quickly corrected himself to say, "The singer," less my dad be mistaken for the food. My dad responded that he really didn't know much about him, and therefore, was not.

This answer appeared unacceptable to my uncle, who immediately dusted off his copy of Bat Out Of Hell and fired up Paradise By The Dashboard Light. My uncle laughed with glee during the announcer portion of the song, amused by the whole thing. However, for my dad, something much different was happening in his head. He was getting hooked in a big way.

When we returned home, my dad made it a point to get himself a copy of the album, and from there, his collection grew. I remember helping contribute to this by picking him up Midnight At The Lost And Found and Bad Attitude. Meat Loaf just became his thing. He would sit at his computer and listen to the various albums.

While I paid this little attention, the impact it had on my life, memory wise, was strong enough that when I found all of Meat Loaf's albums at the dollar table during a trip to Timonium, I picked them up. Not because I necessarily knew any of the songs. Rather, because I wanted to have that connection with that memory.

Today, I thought I would pull one of those albums out and have a listen, and it felt appropriate to start with his first entry into the 80's, Dead Ringer. It was okay. I didn't necessarily hear tunes that blew me away. However, I heard some which definitely stood out among the rest. I'll Kill You If You Don't Come Back, Read Em' And Weep and the title track, Dead Ringer - which is a snazzy duet with Cher.

Meat Loaf has his own style and sound, and you can definitely tell when you're hearing his music. This makes it all the more intriguing to hear his tracks because they sound familiar, like they belong together. That's something a lot of artists miss the boat on a lot - They try to cram too many styles into one album, and the whole thing feels lost when that happens. Not the case at all with Dead Ringer.

At the end of the day, I'm no major fan of Meat Loaf, but I can say his album was enjoyable.

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Retro Spins: Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell

He was big. He was beefy. He was Meat Loafy. Nothing about the portly man screamed rock and roll sex symbol. But, there he was. With powerful voice as his ammo, Meat Loaf stormed the stages across America to become one of rock and roll's greatest rockers of the 70's.

His journey began in 1968, when he formed his first band, Meat Loaf Soul. During this era, he would open for the likes of Van Morrison, The Who, Grateful Dead, and The Stooges. However, it was when he joined the stage performance of Hair, that people started to take him a bit more notice. It was with this success that Motown invited him to record with Shaun "Stoney" Murphy. This led to his first album, Stoney and Meat Loaf, released in 1971.

The album was unsuccessful, despite a string of tours with the likes of Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, and Rare Earth, and Meat Loaf would return to the stage, eventually rejoining the cast of Hair on Broadway. It was during one of his auditions for More Than You Deserve that the singer would meet his soon to be longtime collaborator, Jim Steinman.

In 1974, Meat Loaf joined the L.A. Roxy cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show, where he played the role of Eddie and Dr. Everett Scott. The success of the musical led to the filming of the now cult classic film, where he reprises his role of Eddie.

Since 1972, Steinman and Meat Loaf had been working on what would become Bat Out Of Hell. However, his theater life often kept him busy, and it wasn't until the tail end of 1974 that he would commit and concentrate fully on the music. Despite this, fate would intervene once again. This time calling him back to the stage as the understudy of John Belushi for the show, Lampoon. It was here that Meat Loaf would meet Ellen Foley. She would later join the two on Bat Out Of Hell to sing the female vocals for Paradise By The Dashboard and Bat Out Of Hell, the song.

Though they tried repeatedly to get a record deal, both Steinman and Meat Loaf were met with rejection after rejection. It wasn't until Cleveland International Records took a chance on the duo that the album was finally released, and from there obliterated the world from orbit. Bat Out Of Hell has sold an estimated forty-three million copies, and remains the most successful album in Meat Loaf's catalog.

With success flowing, Steinman went to work on the follow up album, Bad For Good. Unfortunately, it wouldn't end up coming to fruition. A combination of exhaustion, hard drug abuse, and continued touring resulted in Meat Loaf loosing his voice. With no singer, but continuous pressure from the label, Steinman opted to record the album himself. It failed as a solo album.

It wouldn't be until 1981 that Meat Loaf would release a follow up album, Dead Ringer. Unfortunately, due to the time that had surpassed, people seemed to have forgotten about the singer, and while it was met with mild success, it paled in comparison to his debut. Noteworthy is the title track, Dead Ringer For Love, which features Cher.

Meat Loaf and Steinman would start feuding amongst each other, leading to lawsuits both parties would file against the other. This led to the singer, who was still contractually obligated to provide an album, looking for new writers. This mishmash of sources would lead to his third studio release, Midnight At The Lost And Found.

With his obligation to Cleveland International complete, Meat Loaf left for England with a new recording agreement with Arista. With two tracks previously written by Steinman in hand, these formed his fourth album, Bad Attitude. However, sales continued to diminish for the singer. His fifth album, 1986's Blind Before I Stop, only contributed to lower sales, which Meat Loaf blames the production for.

Though he continued to tour, Meat Loaf seemingly fell off the radar of the rock scene. But, as we all know, the world loves a comeback story, and that was what would happen in 1993. Steinman and Meat Loaf had come back together late in 1990, and began working on what would become Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. It was labeled a joke by many in the music industry, but not to MCA. They released the record on September 14, 1993, and watched it's lead single, I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) soar to number one in twenty-eight countries.

While his subsequent albums were met with mild success, time once again played a factor, and each one saw less and less sales. Meat Loaf has released six additional albums between 1995 and 2016, but sadly seems to have been forgotten again. He announced in 2020 that he was going to head back to the recording booth to lay down a new album, and Braver Than We Are was actually released just last week, on September 21st. Sadly, Jim Steinman passed away in April of 2021 from kidney failure.

Well, today we remember Jim Steinman by going back to that classic album that put both he and Meat Loaf of the map. 1977's Bat Out Of Hell!

Right off the bat (out of hell) the album smashes you in the face with powerful rock. Hard hitting drums, shredding guitars, and an equally powerful piano and bass. It's title track is here to deliver, and it's not wasting any time. It lays the groundwork for Steinman to craft lengthy songs that manage to never get boring. This is without a doubt helped by Meat Loafs dynamic vocals.

Things mellow down quickly from there, but not in a bad way. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth and Heaven Can Wait show his ability to gracefully sing ballads, before getting a little more aggressive and funky with All Revved Up With Nowhere To Go.

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad delivers another soothing ballad before jumping into the albums iconic piece, Paradise By The Dashboard. It's another example of Steinman's ability to weave together a story through innuendos and hints of humor. The album wraps up with the soothing melody, For Crying Out Loud. It's a perfect end to the record.

Hearing this album makes me think of how amazing it would be if Meat Loaf were to re-record all of the tracks from Bad For Good. Just to hear it how it was intended would be so awesome. Am I a fan of Meat Loaf? Well, let's just say that after hearing this, I'm on the right path to becoming one.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.