Where does Braver place?

[Evil One]

After two and a half years where does Meat's last album sit in everyone's rankings?

Bat Out Of Hell
Bat Out Of Hell 2
Dead Ringer
Braver Than We Are
Bad Attitude
Bat Out Of Hell 3
Hell In A Handbasket
Welcome To The Neighbourhood
Couldn't Have Said It Better
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Blind Before I Stop
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Stoney & Meatloaf

[2jaxx]

Bat Out Of Hell 2
Bat Out Of Hell
Welcome To The Neighbourhood
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Couldn't Have Said It Better
Bat Out Of Hell 3
Dead Ringer
Bad Attitude
Hell In A Handbasket
Braver Than We Are
Blind Before I Stop
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Stoney & Meatloaf

[Wario]

Sadly not well. i wish i liked it more. pun intended.


Bat Out Of Hell 2
Bat Out Of Hell
Blind Before I Stop
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Bad Attitude
Couldn't Have Said It Better
Dead Ringer
Welcome To The Neighborhood
Bat Out Of Hell 3
Stoney & Meatloaf
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Hell In A Handbasket
Braver Than We Are

[madagascar]

1. Bat out of Hell II
2. Bat out of Hell
3. Bat out of Hell III & Hang Cool Teddy Bear

5. Dead Ringer
6. Bad Attitude & Couldn't Have Said it Better

8. Welcome to the Neighbourhood
9. Hell in a Handbasket
10. Blind Before I Stop & Braver Than We Are

12. Midnight at The Lost and Found
13. Stoney & Meat Loaf

[Mr. Happy]

1. Bat out of Hell II
2. Bat Out of Hell
3. Dead Ringer
4. Welcome to the Neighbourhood
5. Bad Attitude
6. Couldn't Have Said It Better
7. Hang Cool Teddy Bear
8. Bat Out of Hell III
9. Midnight At the Lost & Found
10. Braver Than We Are
11. Blind Before I Stop
12. Hell in a Handbasket

[AndrewG]

1. Bat out of Hell II
2. Bat out of Hell
3. Welcome To The Neighbourhood
4. Couldn't Have Said It Better
5. Bat out of Hell III
6. Blind Before I Stop
7. Dead Ringer
8. Bad Attitude
9. Braver Than We Are
10. Midnight At The Lost & Found
11. Hell In a Handbasket
12. Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Braver has moments of brilliance but I think the album would have been much better without Who needs the Young at beginning. Perhaps some more production work on the vocals (with Rob Cavallo's engineers) would have helped. Really don't understand why Braver doesn't open the album. It's so epic. The guitar intro sounds heroic and indicates the final return of Meat in many ways.
With the available material I would have preferred some non Steinman songs too (but Steinman esque inspired music on here - just change "Songs by Jim Steinman" to "With Songs by Jim Steinman"). Replace Loving You... with the original Prize Fighter Lover recording. Put it straight after Going all the way... and you'd have one epic 2 track start. End the album with "A Date with Destiny" and then "Souvenirs" perhaps with a new For Crying Out Loud coda recording at the very end and this could have been a masterpiece and would have made my top 3. Throw in What Part of My Body, if managers didn't ruin things and this really would have been special.
Although I appreciate the attempt to make the final album completely Steinman only, in the end I feel that that approach perhaps detracted from the quality that this could have been.

So my fantasy Braver Than We Are version is:

1. Braver Than We Are
2. Prize Fighter Love (original version)
3. Speaking In Tongues
4. Only When I feel
5. What Part Of My Body Hurts The Most
6. More
7. Skull of Your Country
8. Train Of Love
9. Date With Destiny
10. Souvenirs / For That I Love You

[Meat Loaf_fan]

1. "Bat Out Of Hell 2"
2. "Braver Than We Are" :cool:
3. "Hang Cool Teddy Bear"
4. "Dead Ringer"
5. "Welcome To The Neighbourhood"
6. "Couldn't Have Said It Better"
7. "Bat Out Of Hell 3"
8. "Bat Out Of Hell"
9. "Bad Attitude"
10. "Hell In A Handbasket"
11. "Blind Before I Stop"
12. "Midnight At The Lost And Found"



PS. "Braver Than We Are" would be on first place when:
- "Who Needs The Young" - it should have been "piano only" (without other instruments),
- "Godz" - should be replace by other song (for example: "Prize Fight Lover" or another Jim Steinman song like "What Part Of My Body Hurts The Most").

Although "Braver ..." is fantastic album, it has potential to be better than "Bat Out Of Hell 2". ;)

[loaferman61]

1. Bat out of Hell
2. Bat Out of Hell II
3. Dead Ringer
4. Couldn't Have Said It Better
5. Welcome to the Neighborhood
6. Bad Attitude
7. Bat Out of Hell III
8. Braver Than We Are
9. Hang Cool Teddy Bear
10. Midnight At the Lost & Found
11. Blind Before I Stop
12. Hell in a Handbasket
13. Stoney & Meat Loaf

Agreed that "Who Needs the Young" was out of place, I know it was technically first in order of Steinman's work but still kind of "why?" to me.
I think production had to be tailored to Meat's current voice, but I missed the pianos and bombast Meat and Jim were famous for. I don't know if HCTB style vocals could have been achieved today even with Cavallo's people. I would have made the album more like Meat's 1988 tour with the spoken parts and snippets of "Original Sin" by the ladies and the full version of "Skull of Your Country" they did back then even if Meat only did parts because what parts he did include were fine. That '88 version rocked. I think Meat cleaned out the file cabinet on HIAH, it wasn't that bad but anything I ranked after "Braver" is a huge drop-off for me. But hey it is Meat Loaf so even so, I like them all at least a bit.

[Evil One]

I agree with those who question the running order of Braver. I would have done:

Who Needs The Young?
Skull Of Your Country
Godz
Train Of Love
Souvenirs
Only When I Feel
More
Loving You's A Dirty Job
Speaking In Tongues
Going All The Way Is Just The Start

[letsgotoofar]

I agree with those who question the running order of Braver. I would have done:

Who Needs The Young?
Skull Of Your Country
Godz
Train Of Love
Souvenirs
Only When I Feel
More
Loving You's A Dirty Job
Speaking In Tongues
Going All The Way Is Just The Start

Similar to my alternate mix:

Skull Of Your Country
Who Needs The Young
Speaking In Tongues
Only When I Feel
More
Godz
Train Of Love
Loving You's A Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It
Souvenirs
Going All The Way Is Just The Start (A Song In Six Movements)

I started off trying to follow the basic structure of The Dream Engine and/or Neverland since some of the songs came from those shows and others fit the "phase" framework, and then about mid-way through, it switched to focusing on a love story turned bad turned good again.

[RSG]

1. Dead Ringer/Bat out of Hell II/Hang Cool Teddy Bear
2. Bat out of Hell/Braver Than We Are
3. Bad Attitude/Hell In a Handbasket
4. Midnight At The Lost & Found/Couldn't Have Said It Better
5. Welcome To The Neighbourhood
6. Bat out of Hell III

Live arrangements would rearrange my list much.

[Lee B]

Bat Out Of Hell
Bat Out Of Hell 2
Welcome To The Neighbourhood
Couldn't Have Said It Better
Hell In A Handbasket
Braver Than We Are
Dead Ringer
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Bat Out Of Hell 3
Bad Attitude
Blind Before I Stop
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Stoney & Meatloaf