[CarylB]

Ok .. forgive me if I duplicate anything that Michael's said ... but this is what I can gather together of my tumbling thoughts .. It's long .. if you don't like long just pass me by :) But I felt so very privileged to be there, and so lucky .. and I know some of you will want to share the experience if only vicariuosly :)

I get there very early, am made welcome and allowed to choose my seat .. front centre of course .. lol. The charming girl who welcomes me says "It'll be very loud there" .. I say "And that's how I like my Meat!!"

I wait downstairs in the foyer for the refreshment phase to begin with some music journalists .. chance to ask if they have heard the single. They haven't, so we talk about how new a direction this is for Meat .. this won't be something they're expecting .. and their interest perks :) When Meat comes in he comes over and says hello and gives me a big hug, before scurrying off with so many things to do :)

During the refreshment party Angi and I work the room a bit .. talk to some music journalists and someone from Universal who says they are excited about this Meat/Cavallo collaboration.

And .. we're called in .. we take our seats (they've invited 100 plus people .. this is London :) .. and there's a big crowd in there. Then Meat arrives .. He works the room wonderfully with a mix of humour, good natured naturalness, and real belief and conviction.

He looks at the audience .. says Hi .. and then seeing how many were way back, says "You wanna move forward from the back? No need to be scared of me!" He tells us he's going to hold us captive for the next hour plus ..

He starts by using the big picture of the album cover .. first time he's had it. He explains the three styles (impressionist, fantasy and realism .. the girl in black is a photo that the artist has painted) .. says of the name Meat Loaf .. I'm still working on that one .. sometimes I look and say to myself .. why the ~~~~ did I .. ? .. gets the audience relaxed and laughing with him. Says there have been many comments about the little creature down here (the bat) .. and explains he'd seen a frieze of them at the bottom of the columns of a church in Lisbon, "old .. built in .. one thousand or something", had photographed them and sent them to the artist. Said .. and there's a little something there round it's neck, but I'll let you figure that one out.

He talks about the title .. he told Rob who said "Yeah .. and what are you really going to call it?" .. but eventually all realised he was serious .. and goes though the explanation .. ".. but, I've got your attention for 3 seconds!"

He talks about this being the most important album of his life .. this is Meat Loaf. Always before, although he's been involved in the records, they've never felt really his. He'd say "how about?" and someone would say "NO, that won't work" etc .. with Rob he says How about? And Rob says "Yeah .. go with it!" He says "Colould we?" .. Rob says "Why not?" Rob says "Can I come in?" and if Meat says no .. Rob says OK and potters off :) Rob says "You want to stop it THERE?" Meat says Yes .. Are you sure? Yes .. Because I know that Steve Vai will come in there with a "THWWWWWAAAAANNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG"

Rob does not put his ego in the mix .. he lets Meat run as far and fast as he wants .. and then he makes it work! :)

Meat talks of how they reached a point where they had 23 tracks and Rob says we have three good ones and the rest suck! Meat goes home .. he can't bear to think of waiting 7 months to come up with other songs .. thinks and thinks .. "and this will sound weird .. but suddenly I had this CD in my hand .. and remembered the idea for a short story that a good friend of mine, Killian Kerwin (who's also a GREAT film producer!) had outlined to .. a soldier, lying wounded in battle, visions his life in flash forward rather than backwards .. Meat talks on the phone to Killian for two hours and the idea is born. They call in a team of songwriters .. but "I know you writers!! If we tell you too much you get too literal .. if we tell you a tree is important .. well we've all seen those musicals where some guy is singing .. and Meat parodies a little tree song .. "This is a tree .. It's a beautiful tree .. I'm standing by the tree" .. and we're (the audience) all saying .. Yes, we can all SEE it's a ~~~~in' tree!!!" So we get in a group of writers, but we don't tell them the story .. and the songs finally chosen all fit together as the soldier, who can't rise or crawl, looks at the blood flowing from him and sees a series of flash forwards about how his life could have been .. all the scenes centre on the same women save one, who's a hooker .. and we won't BELIEVE some lines in that .. we'll say "Whoa! Did Meat Loaf say THAT????" And all of them have links to the one before and after .. but he wants us to figure that out ..

He says to us we think we know what's in it? Well we don't!!!!!!! And he didn't understate .. not one bit!

He finally says it will be loud, because he likes it loud .. lol "But if you're really having trouble to raise your hand and say Meat my ears are bleeding! and we might turn it down" .. lol .. He says he will be listening to it with us because he loves to hear it .. and sits down right behind me.

Over all what strikes me is .. yes there's humour, huge enthusiasm .. he's persuasive, informative, interesting .. but mainly it's this clear and honest conviction .. a genuine belief he has in it. Meat and this album are bonded somehow .. it possesses him, he has put his soul into it. I think of the train analogy he used about getting BOOH accepted .. that has always described so well his drive, guts and determination .. head down, keep pushing until that sucker wins through!

This time it seems somehow different to me .. Evangelistic is not the right word, with all its connotations of tub-thumping hallelujah merchants .. but that's the word that keeps coming to me .. This presentation may be easy, entertaining and accomplished .. but it's not slick. There's a raw honesty to it that is compelling.

To me Meat's saying this record is ME .. I AM this record. You may love me or hate me .. but I believe this is special, different, new. I've finally been able to put me into an album, and I'm asking you to listen because I want you to believe too.

That's as far as I've got .. lol ..

As I sit there listening to the album I am just lifted away. From the crash at the start through the angry noises of war, the tracks roll on, one after another, and I am stunned. In part lifted away seeing what the soldier sees as he lies there .. in part feeling as if I am there hearing Meat and a group of incredibly talented musicians deliver each one live, as in concert.

He's sitting right behind me .. and I'm a little conscious of that, but I have to go with the music, although stay in my seat :) But I think he is just sitting there, eyes closed, head nodding .. as he said, he loves listening to it, and I can understand why now!

I'll need time to try and piece together something of the songs .. but the sounds, the colours are still whirling round in my head .. and Meat's voice, which is so REAL as well as powerhouse on this album that has been produced to perfection. It's rining in my head still .. I feel like I do after a concert .. taken somewhere else for a time and still not wanting to come back .. But this time was to a new place .. and it was amazing!!

Caryl