Next album: 13 Roads To Bat

[AndrewG]

Well it's official. Meat says he is doing another album with Paul and the guys on his Facebook page. And he is planning on doing storytellers type shows too.



Let's get the hype train a-rollin'!

[letsgotoofar]

Per a Steinman fan who spoke to him at an earlier con, this promises to be more "previously unheard" Jim material along the lines of Braver, including some really... thought-provoking song choices, let's say.

[jmfreeman]

I don't mind an album of old Jim stuff. let's not forget how much of Bat 2 was old Jim songs, and I quite like Braver (apart from the Pinky & Perky background vocals). Meat seems happiest recording Steinman, and whatever he puts out is always compared to Steinman anyway. I'm just glad he's fired up and ready to go again.

The shows are an exciting prospect, too. I've long said that a more laid-back approach would help Meat keep going, and a mixed singing/talking format is probably the only way to slow him down! He's such a great storyteller that it would work well. Who knows, maybe we'll even hear some rarer tunes and tales. Would this sell out arenas? I don't know, and I don't care. Judging by the queues of fans wanting to see him at Comic Cons, surely smaller venues would sell out, at least.

I wish him well in it all, and I'm looking forward to what comes of it.

[jcmoorehead]

I'm very interested in what the song choices might actually be. I'm going to guess that one of them won't be What Part Of My Body, despite how much we all want it :P

Anyone got any ideas what the other songs might be?

Either way very excited to see what comes of this. I do think that with a good relaxed environment and the proper production he does have the songs in him. We all know he was in a lot of pain during Braver which I think held him back a bit vocally, I'm certainly not expecting Bat quality vocals from him but I think he'll sound a bit fresher her.

[letsgotoofar]

Per the Steinman fan who spoke to him, he mentioned four songs in particular, but the fan remembers only two: "Safe Sex" ("a new version," reportedly; what exactly that means is anyone's guess) and another very early Steinman tune from the late Sixties, early Seventies called "You've Got to Love Me with the Sun in Your Eyes." Lyrics to the latter are here, and a demo recording is here. (I include lyrics only because the recording itself is a bit murky.)

If he stuck "Body" and "Not Allowed to Love" on there in addition to these four, I wouldn't care what the rest of the album was, with six strong Jim tunes in the lead.

[jmfreeman]

Safe Sex is a fine song. I haven't heard it for some years but I think it would need a little more reworking than merely changing 'girl' to 'boy' in order to work here, though.

This is all good. Who thought we'd be discussing a new Meat album so soon?

[jcmoorehead]

I know we already have it them on Bad Attitude but I'd be totally down for a new recording of Surfs Up and Nowhere Fast as well. I'd love to see Surfs Up given another chance as a single or something, amazing song.

[Danny L]

Ddin't Meat say he wanted to re record the vocals to Dead Ringer?

[letsgotoofar]

Originally Posted by jmfreeman

Safe Sex is a fine song. I haven't heard it for some years but I think it would need a little more reworking than merely changing 'girl' to 'boy' in order to work here, though.

Yeah, that was kind of my initial reaction to hearing that choice as well. Meat may understand a song one way as an actor, but Jim certainly has his own entirely separate character-related intentions when he writes it, and -- in my opinion -- he didn't write "Safe Sex" for a guy at all.

(Warning: strong opinion follows. I do not claim it's the right or the only opinion, just how I see it.)

There's a way Steinman writes 'guy' songs and a way he writes 'girl' songs, and in my observation, they almost never intersect. For that reason, you could make one of either kind into a duet, maybe, but completely switching gender is tough.

In his songs, the men are heroes, or at least someone insecure who desperately wants to be the male power fantasy he projects, whereas Jim's women are "a twist on the Madonna/whore complex" personified; they're either powerful (or self-empowered), mysterious, playful women who know what they want and how to get it, someone to be put on a pedestal (think, say, the narrative voice of Bonnie Tyler's "Rebel Without a Clue" or "Good Girls Go to Heaven" as performed by Pandora's Box and in the early version of Bat-musical), or fragile, vulnerable, more-than-a-titch broken women, not to be admired but pitied (at best), who are a shiner and abusive mate away from a TV movie drama (a good example is any version of "All Coming Back" that's not a duet), with very little nuance in between.

You can't really take a song written in the 'female' Steinman style and give it to a male performer, unless they're gay and owning the non-stereotypical male aspect (read: Tyce Green, to name at least one), it's a heavily tweaked duet, or it has a new lyric. In my opinion, Jim never puts men in the position the singer of "Safe Sex" is in, so just swapping gender in the appropriate lines isn't a big enough shift. It would really need to be a duet or have a new lyric.

[Evil One]

Safe Sex might work as a male song if it's rocked up a bit. As long as Meat does Body and Children I don't really give a toss what else he chooses to sing. A song with the 'blessed are the lovers' bit would be nice though.

Blessed are the lovers just beginning to learn
Blessed are the fires just beginning to burn
Blessed are the lovers who’ll inherit the Earth
Blessed are the lovers who discovered it first

[letsgotoofar]

Originally Posted by Evil One

Safe Sex might work as a male song if it's rocked up a bit.

It needs a little more than that, c'mon...

[PanicLord]

So excited to have new Meaty things coming, and so glad he's well on the mend.

[Danny L]

The Steinman songs I hope Meat gets to record aere:

What Part of My Body Hurts The Most?
The Graveyard Shift
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Not Allowed To Love
Still The Children

[Roger]

Is Jim involved? I wondering that there is no report who shows that Jim did visit the musical.I hope he is well!

I would like to have

Faster than the speed of night
Rebel without a clue
Graveyard shift
Ravishing
A kiss is a teribble thing to waste
What part of my body hurts the most
Dead is such a od thing
Hear the screams
tonight it was it means to young
We still the children

And as Bonus

Total eclipse of the heart and making love

on the album

Some songs needs alternate lyrics

[Evil One]

Before we all get carried away, has Meat publically stated that this will be an all-Steinman album?

Originally Posted by letsgotoofar

It needs a little more than that, c'mon...

Ideally yes. I do agree it's a woman's song.

Originally Posted by Danny L

The Graveyard Shift

This would definitely need some new lyrics!

[letsgotoofar]

He's definitely interested in at least four songs from him, and I would wager that there's enough stuff lying around (including two from the musical, one of which Meat bitched about not being able to record for Braver) that it could be, but no, he has not stated that it will be all Steinman.

While I'm here, though... can we please stop insisting Meat record every other song Steinman wrote for Bonnie Tyler? What is the logic in this, exactly? As much as I occasionally like listening to them, it was daft enough hearing Meat attempt "All Coming Back" and "Loving You's a Dirty Job," which were already very successful for other female artists and just barely squeaked by. Do we really need him to cover every memorable Steinman song that ever made the hit parade?

[Evil One]

Originally Posted by letsgotoofar

can we please stop insisting Meat record every other song Steinman wrote for Bonnie Tyler? What is the logic in this, exactly?

I agree. They'll constantly be compared to the originals and they're mostly women's songs anyway. The only one I think Meat should attempt is Making Love Out Of Nothing At All and do it more like the Rory Dodd demo where the verses get faster and faster. That would be interesting.

[CarylB]

Originally Posted by Evil One

Before we all get carried away

Originally Posted by jmfreeman

He's such a great storyteller that it would work well. Who knows, maybe we'll even hear some rarer tunes and tales. Would this sell out arenas? I don't know, and I don't care. Judging by the queues of fans wanting to see him at Comic Cons, surely smaller venues would sell out, at least.

Storytellers was a brilliant format for Meat, probably my favourite tour, because it showcases his range of talents .. but like Rocktellz & Cocktails it is a theatre show; it demands intimacy, and would lose so much if it were even attempted in a arena. At this stage I think he's dipping his toes in the water. Given his recovery continues, later if he were to get backing for theatre shows in the UK/Europe, I'm sure they would sell out!

I wish him well in it all, and I'm looking forward to what comes of it.

Me too!! And last week in NYC, finally back on stage for a few minutes working an audience, he looked SO happy .. like a man who has finally fought his way out of pits and chasms, through thorns and brambles, and finally found his way home

[PanicLord]

Originally Posted by Evil One

I agree. They'll constantly be compared to the originals and they're mostly women's songs anyway. The only one I think Meat should attempt is Making Love Out Of Nothing At All and do it more like the Rory Dodd demo where the verses get faster and faster. That would be interesting.

I agree. The Air Supply version of Making Love is hardly the dramatic emotional masterpiece Meat could have made it. Bonnie and Meat would make a great duet on Body.

[FrancineCyclesTheUS]

OMG, I am so excited!!!!!! :)

I'd love him performing

- Making Love Out Of Nothing At All

&

- What Part Of My Body Hurts The Most

<3
Best news for a long time !!

[loaferman61]

Originally Posted by letsgotoofar

He's definitely interested in at least four songs from him, and I would wager that there's enough stuff lying around (including two from the musical, one of which Meat bitched about not being able to record for Braver) that it could be, but no, he has not stated that it will be all Steinman.

While I'm here, though... can we please stop insisting Meat record every other song Steinman wrote for Bonnie Tyler? What is the logic in this, exactly? As much as I occasionally like listening to them, it was daft enough hearing Meat attempt "All Coming Back" and "Loving You's a Dirty Job," which were already very successful for other female artists and just barely squeaked by. Do we really need him to cover every memorable Steinman song that ever made the hit parade?

Some of Jim's earlier stuff to me at least, is not very memorable and didn't make the hit parade. Some of it was just plain weird (as were some of his hits, ) but a lot of that 60's stuff he was still coming into his own as a writer. Then again he wrote "Heaven Can Wait" and Bette Midler made a caterwauling demo in a country music style ( I suppose) and Meat managed to achieve greatness from it. According to rumor Bette needed some money but she hated the song and made it as badly as she could.

[tonyloaf]

exciting times!!!!

[Sebastian.]

Looks like this place is about to wake up.

[anotherday]

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

HES DOING BODY!!!!!!

https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmenter...AsodyVamvAJLEo

And a NEW Jim song?!

[letsgotoofar]

The new song he refers to, "Sun in Your Eyes," is one I discuss above. Dates from the late Sixties/early Seventies, though the demo he had may have been of a newer version Jim reportedly recorded when he was in better shape. It's "new" like, say, "Going All the Way" or "It Just Won't Quit" were "new."