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 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 5, 1987 |
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