So, once again I present to you another Real Top 10 list. These are compiled based totally on the play count in Windows Media Player on my computer–in other words, these are the songs that I actually listen to the most. Not the songs that I say that I like the most, but what I really do like the most. (Those two things aren’t always the same.)
Posts Tagged ‘Hang Cool Teddy Bear’
Top Ten Songs for Fixing a Rotten Day
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011I always wind up turning to music when I’ve had a bad day. Sometimes it’s a concert DVD, and sometimes it’s just turning on the computer and letting Windows Media Player shuffle until it hits the right song.
So, I present the top 10 songs that I turn to when I’ve had that truly rotten day… (more…)
Random Song: Los Angeloser
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011Artist: Meat Loaf
Album: Hang Cool Teddy Bear
I reviewed Hang Cool Teddy Bear on this blog back when I first got my copy. It’s been several months since then, and somehow this song turned out to be my favorite from the album.
Of Stress and Songs
Friday, February 18th, 2011As you know if you follow this blog, music didn’t mean much to me for a large portion of my life. Through all of high school and most of college, there was very little in the way of music that I felt at all strongly about.
Review: Elvis in Vegas
Friday, July 16th, 2010I promised that I’d be back with a separate review of ‘Elvis in Vegas’ today. After all, it’s not every day that Meat Loaf records a song co-written by Jon Bon Jovi. That warrants a post in its own right.
I don’t know that I would have made this connection if I hadn’t known that Jon was one of the songwriters for ‘Elvis in Vegas’, but the song really reminds me of ‘Right Side of Wrong’ from Bounce. It has the same sweeping narrative feel as ‘Right Side of Wrong’, and it also has the same sort of living, breathing imagery throughout the lyrics. That’s probably Jon’s touch; he’s always been good at that kind of song that tells a story, but this one is an outstanding example.
I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised that ‘Elvis in Vegas’ turned out to be one of my favorite songs off of Hang Cool Teddy Bear–after all, it does have Jon, Desmond Child and Billy Falcon behind it, and those three have been responsible for many of my favorite songs.
But above and beyond that, I like the song because it plays to a lot of Meat Loaf’s strengths. This is one of the few songs on this album that really taps into the expressive range that Meat Loaf can bring to his performances. He can make you believe whatever he’s singing about–and with that power behind the lyrics, this song shines. The chorus on this song is nothing less than a thing of beauty.
This song is definitely a keeper. As a matter of fact, it’s probably going to shape up to be one of my all-time favorites.
Album Review: Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010Meat Loaf has been a longtime favorite of mine. I actually had some trouble finding a copy of this album around here when it was first released–but I finally got around to getting myself a copy.
In all honesty, I can’t rate this as one of his best outings, but it’s quite respectable all the same. (Any new Meat Loaf album has a lot to live up to–it’s automatically in company with albums like Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II–which is august company indeed.)
This album has a distinctly different sound from some of his earlier work, most likely attributable to the absence of Jim Steinman. However, it’s definitely not a bad thing. The songs here are less operatic that Steinman’s work tends to be, but are mostly all still decently well-written songs with good hooks.
My immediate favorite tracks included ‘Los Angeloser’, ‘Like a Rose’, ‘Running Away From Me’, ‘Let’s Be In Love’, ‘If It Rains’ and ‘Elvis in Vegas’.
For me, at least, ‘Los Angeloser’ is where Hang Cool Teddy Bear really hits its stride. This song opens fire, pretty much right away, dealing with classic rock and roll subject material.
Lyrically speaking, ‘Like a Rose’ is classic sleaze rock–which you know I like. But this one comes served up with a side order of Meat Loaf’s style, and it comes out a unique entity. The production here is also excellent–there’s just enough layers mixed into it to make it sound full, but it doesn’t overpower the vocals. This particular song just oozes attitude–and Meat Loaf is one of the few artists with enough swagger to really pull of a song like this.
‘Running Away From Me’ and ‘Let’s Be In Love’ are actually the songs from this album that remind me most of some of Meat Loaf’s earlier work. This probably the most operatic that this album gets. And Meat Loaf is always at his best when presented with material that veers toward the operatic. (I think that’s why his partnership with Steinman was always so fruitful.) ‘Let’s Be In Love’ especially has that expansive sound that I tend to associate with Meat Loaf.
‘If It Rains’ has a little bit more of a pop sound to it. But then again, a lot of Meat Loaf’s work doesn’t veer too far from pop radio, and he brings his distinct voice to bear here. Mix that up with a good hook and it all works out.
I think one of the things that I really like best about this album is that it mixes things up a little more than some of Meat Loaf’s other releases.
I’ll dive a little deeper into ‘Elvis in Vegas’ on Friday.