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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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 6, 1980 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 6, 1986 |
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