69. Home By Now/No Matter What
 

This is the START OUT OF HELL & ARRIVE TO HEAVEN topic.
Let's Go to Rock 'n' Roll!!!!!!!

Home By Now/No Matter What (10)

This song is from the heaven. Jim writes God into his songs just a few times (for example "For Crying Out Loud") but it is here. I love those songs where God's getting words.
I love the first part of this song. "Home By Now" is very amazing. In the WDTW musical two children are singing it very well but Meat's performing is with deeper emotions.
I've heard a Boyzone interview where the riporter asked what was their opinions about Meat's version. They said Meat's performing was too mawkishly sentimental. Yes! And? If Meat is singing about God he has to sing so.
I have a question. On the cover you can read there is only one instrument: keyboards. Is it true? At the beginning I hear an orchestra. Is it by keyboards? If is it true I must say people can very good music with one instrument. But I don't think...

My score: 10



Average: 8.54 (205/24)

An 8 for the album version

A 10 for the NOTP version

Did you know this song was Meats. Jim promised for Meat but some months before Andrew Lloyd Webber gave to Boyzone in secret. Maybe Meat would sang it before he already came back in 1998...

It is a nice song, but not worthy a 10. Ofcourse it is a beauty, but no Bat 2 look a like, so to speak.

So i will give it an 9/10

Very good song. Especially the NOTP version. That's the way this song needs to be performed.

My score: 9

This is probably one of my favourite slow Meat songs, i love turning the bass up really loud and then the stereo for the line "The thunder is rolling" especially in the car on the way to school, the whole car shakes, it is awesome!!

:twisted: allthough it's not a real Meat classicer
it sure is way better than the boyzone version, meat sings with much more passion

7.5/10

Hafta admit..this isn't one of my faves, i actually find it quite bland. 8O

Each to thier own. 4/10

Heat
xxx

I always think Meats voice sounds operatic on this one - thats why I like it so much - It should have been Meats release first AND NOT BOYZONE Ukk :!: 8/10

Can't say I Love this one. Like it though.
Was kind of 'dissapointed' Meat sang this one at the Proms.
Meat has SO many 'better' songs, imo.

7,5/10

Mariella

Don't care for this one at all, can't get into the mood off this song.

5/10

It's okay. 6/10.

I love this song and Meat's voice sounds great when he gets to the chorus. Great Steinman lyrics as well.

10/10

YTTWROOMM :) :lol:
9/10

Only recently I discovered that Boyzone had sung this.........wish I hadn't!
Didn't even come close to this!!!!!!!!!


8.5/10

I couldn't agree more Evan :)
Absolutely amazing !!

10/10

Vicki

The Locusts are singing...............
 

I can't deny what I believe, I can't be what I'm not.
I maybe 16, but I know good stuff when I hear it. And
that is a 10\10, i'd go higher, but seeing 10 is as high as it can go.
I used to not like it, but I realized how powerful his voice really is, and incredible when he goes soft, to that rising part of the song.

you know, I kinda wish this goes on BAT III, because, it continues where BAT II ends

You can give 11 if you want, but not higher. But only if you think it's better then the border of heaven...

i do like this song hmmm i give it 8/10

I love this song and the way Meat sings it, so much emotion and that wonderful voice. The Boyzone version is feeble in comparison.
10/10

I always liked this song. I first heard the boyzone version and I admit I liked it then. But then I heard the Meat Loaf version and instantly thought it better than the boyzone version. Love this song.

9/10

..love this song...i get goosebumps when i hear it...

honk honk...

10/10

and i have the live version from NIGHT OF THE PROMS..and it's WONNNderful...little pause...in the beginning...where he says verrry quietly..."home by now"... i love Meat's live stuff..and i pause whatever i'm doing and wait for him to say it...."home by now"...

in fact..i think he says.."shoulda been home by now".... uh oh..i'll have to pull it out and listen to be sure....

tough job ..listening to the Sex God..but SOMEbuddy's got to do it...lol....

tink..XO

Love this one!!
 

This is definately one of my most favorite!!
The way Jim Steinman is able to describe emotions about live in general; and then Meats GREAT voice perform it the way it is supposed to!

Ankie, ( my friend Thea totally agrees ! ))

Long time no see Ankie :D

Wasn't too keen on this song (boyzone ruined it) unitl Meat opened with it in sheffield 99 and I have loved it ever since, 10/10

When I heard it for the first time - on VERY BEST OF MEAT LOAF - I thought the album had (literally) transformed into BAT OUT OF HELL 3.
This, IS NOTHING SACRED and A KISS are the most enchanting songs ML has done in the 90s - besides BAT 2. HOME BY NOW / NO MATTER WHAT is compelling. 1500 / 10 !!!

BOYZONE SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE THEM FOR DOING THAT SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USED TO LIKE THEM, WENT OFF THEM, DIDN'T LIKE NMW WHEN FIRST HEARD THEM DO IT, LATER FOUND OUT ABOUT MEAT DOING IT AND WAS SO PISSED OFF WITH THEM, EVEN MORE SO WHEN i HEARD MEAT'S VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil:

Has anyone seen a production of Whistle Down The Wind? I've seen it twice at the Empire Theatre, and HBN/NMW is my fave part of the whole musical! The children are standing with the man bathed in yellow light singing the words we know from Meat's version, then the adults come on and are bathed in a red light while the children are put into darkness while the adults sing the different, sinister lyrics about tearing the man limb from limb, then they are plunged into darkness as the children are lit up again, and it alternates between the two. I had tears in my eyes watching it on Thursday 20th Nov. this year.

Personally, I like Boyzone's version better than Meat's. I think that Meat's version is too 'heavy', and Boyzone's lighter approach works better for me.

its a heaven jimmy meat song. thats pretty close to heaven. so nice

Are you drunk? :lol:

Far better than Boyzone, heard Meat's version also on the radio on holiday in Ibiza in 2000, so the spanish must prefer Meat's version too, 9/10. :D

No, you?

Down with Boyzone!!! My girlfriend's mum says she thinks Meat's version lacks "edge"????


WHAT????

BOYZONE'S VERSION LACKS ANY REDEEMING FEATURE!!!

Sorry about that...[Breathes deeply]

Anyway, I love Meat's version, is so theatrical (SURPRISE huh?).

9.5/10.

No. 8)

I have to confess that I like Boyzone's version of the song and was therefore quite surprised to see it on a Meat Loaf CD. I wondered how Meat Loaf would do this song and must admit I prefer it to the Boyzone version. You can feel the emotion when Meat Loaf sings the song, he just gives it so much more depth.

9/10

Shells

Well, I like Boyzone's version is better. Big deal. I simply find Meat's version too "heavy" for the subject. For me, the song is about hope, faith and more "happy things". If I had to choose a way to convey in a song, I wouldn't prefer a sad, almost depressing ballad over an upbeat pop-song.
Also, I don't like the way Meat's version is arranged. Look at the credits: Keyboards and Programming, with some backing vocals. There is no 'real' instrument involved... everything is from a box. And then you have the backing vocals (I don't like 'em. Lets keep it at that). Boyzone's version is, however, graced with real instruments (guitars mostly) - which I find to be a redeeming value for a song...

In conclusion, it is all a matter of taste. I like Boyzone's version better than Meat's, and it seems to me I am hugely outnumbered. Big freakin' deal, right? Whatever rocks your boat :)
Some say: you can't argue about taste. I say: discussing and argueing about taste can lead to different insights, so it can't be all bad.

No Matter What
 

Suprises come in suprising packages!

Rooting around through my mam's CD collection I stumbled across a current chart CD entitled "The Best Musicals Ever". Being highly cultured and sophisticated (hold back the sniggers a moment), I decided I should listen to it (If only for Time Warp ;) ). Routing through there are the obvious choices on there, but I was I guess a little bit suprised to see that Jim Steinman had got himself a song on there!!

Excellent! ... one might presume. But consider the possibilities when you find out that that song is actually No Matter What from the Whistle Down The Wind musical.

Meat did a version of this, but when it got to the Very Best of Album, it was morphed with 'Home By Now' (much to it's benefit if you are interested in my opinion :roll: ). However, Boyzone's version made the 'Songs From Whistle Down The Wind' compilation above Meat's (we'll not talk about that atrocity (both in terms of how that was dealt with, and how it was sang)). There is one other version that I like though, and its to be found on the Cast CD, and its different words and changes that really add to the cute factor of it. A wonderful version!

So I skiped on through until I hit the No Matter What track. And it started (sadly, there was no Orchestra, ruling out Meat Loaf's Home By Now/No Matter What version). It continued. I knew the cast version, and this didn't sound like that at all. 10 seconds had passed and I hadn't heard Ronan Keating do his Rolf Harris impressions yet. Maybe this wasn't boyzone afterall! (big relief!). I figured the people who had made the album would recover it, as they might had done for the other songs on the 2 CD set if I'd have listened to them.

Then it happened. I was shocked. The thought hadn't occured to me at all!

Meat Loaf's unreleased single edit of No Matter What had made this album!! The version of No Matter What without the Home By Now orchestral score pre and surfix! Excellent!!

Through some way or other, I think a MLUKFC Auction a while back. I had a copy of the Promo for No Matter What, so this was nothing of complete newness to me. But more of a great suprise. Someone at this record company chose Meat Loaf above the sure sales of Boyzone, and I would presume through quality alone, Meat pipped the irish boytrash to the post!!

If anyone is interested in the single edit, the album is good for other reasons and might well be worth a dabble. Maybe a few hints in the right places might see Santa get the picture and your stocking on Christmas morning with a strange square shape bulge in it!

Hope you don't mind me posting this! I was so shocked, I though people should know that if you want the single version of No Matter What! It's available!!!

Take care!!
Enjoy your concerts!
Alex

They probably would have to have paid Boyzone too much, so they decieded to go with Meat instead.

:twisted: Meat's single version of No Matter What was also the b side of Is Nothing Sacred :wink:

Oh yeah! That was silly of me. Can't believe I didn't remember that. :)

Ahh well! Still a good suprise as it might get non-Meat fans to appriciate that Meat's version is better than Boyzone. From what I remember at the time, even the critics who slated the Very Best Of, still complimented No Matter What as a superior version. :)

Boyzone cost too much, don't wanna believe thats the excuse.... because mine is better :lol:

It's a weird song...

There's two parts.
The first half sounds like the extension of "Lost Boys and Golden Girls" and the second half sounds musical.

It's a very honorable song but too much pathos...
Meat's voice is already passionate, and passionate voice + sentimental lyrics = pathos!

5/10

:??: How many times did I post it?

Can anyone cancel it?

:??: Help!

its a class song in aleague of it own the boy zone veirson was cheesy

8/10

There's a cover of No Matter What on the new Def Leppard album Yeah! (it's all cover versions).

Nope. Def Leppard covered the Badfinger song 'No Matter What'.

mixed emotions:
I really like the hbn part at the beginning and at the end, but the nmw part is horrible.
It might be a good song, but I knew the Boyzone version so much earlier. and (just imo) I HATE BOYZONE!!! (sorry to all fans).

It is also a very bad radio song, You can´t really play it.
The only two-parts-song that´s playable is Aquarius/Let the sunshine from the Hair musical (sung by "fifth dimension")

I decided to do something nearly blasphemic: I cut it! :shock:
I made two songs out of them.
So I got my personal Home by now, which I can listen to whenever I like, and the No matter what for my show, where I play a cover of a well known song each time. (Yes, I know that it is no cover)

6/10 just because of boyzone :evil:

Yeah the Boyzone version is well cheesy. I do prefer Meat's rendition. However each time I listen to it I have this feeling the "Home by Now" bit is really building up to a climax. I would have preferred if Steinman was able to write a longer version of "Home by Now" and just have Meat sing that. That would have been Bat quality for sure I think. Still it is a good song and the first couple of minutes are a great start to Meat's greatest hits.

I really CHSIB myself!

I'm going to disagree again: Boyzone's version (which is still the best version I've heard) was released first. So it is cover.

Oops :oops: I did think it a bit strange that Leppard would have covered a Boyzone/Meat song but there are a few other surprising ones there too.

My personal definition of cover is:
A song, sung by an artist on the base of the version of another artist.
Meat didn´t cover the Boyzone version.
Both ML and BZ sung a song from the WDTW musical by JS and ALW.

i like the idea of a longer home by now!

Okay. So Meat and Boyzone both covered a song from Whistle Down The Wind. Still a cover ;-)

And another thing, the church organ is a nice touch in the Home by Now bit. Although the choir sounds are quite convincing, a less synthy / sampled version of this song would have been more timeless in my opinion.

It was a great version. I love it, I to give it 10/10. Same for Is Nothing Sacred Anymore. Both from 1999 ( ? ) Meat did a couple of BBC2 radio shows both extremely memorable.

I always loved the Home By Now bit, and as I heard it before WDTW, I always wondered what it was like in the show. (I had guessed that NMW was the Act 1 closer)

I was quite dissapointed that it was just a minor bit of recicative in the show, much scaled down from the way Meat did it. ( and yes I know the show arrangement came first... )

I don't consider Meat's version a cover since Jim Steinman produced it (and it sounds like the way BAT 3 should be / have been).

It was going to be on "Songs from Whistle Down the Wind" but was cut at the last minute, something that always infuriated Meat Loaf, because it robbed him of (potentially) kicking the crap out of Boyzone's version and getting No. 1 instead

Which he deserved, in this case...

His version, with the exception of the weird "noowwwwww" at the end, is so much better than Boyzone

IMO

Hmmm interesting.

So is Barry Manilow's Read'Em & Weep not classed as cover then, since Jim Steinman produced that. What about It's All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion? And what about Taylor Dayne's - Original Sin, is that not classed as a cover either?. We could also mention Barbra Streisands - Left In The Dark, as that's no the original version but Steinman did produce it. Making Love and Two Out Of Three by Bonnie Tyler would then not be classed as covers since Steinman produced those. Half of Bat2 wouldn't be classed as covers, when clearly they are, as they're poached for B4G and P-Box.

I don't think we can pick and choose what is or isn't a cover version or not to suit are own beliefs. Either a song is a remake of a previously released song, therefor classifying it as a cover version, or it isn't.

Pud :twisted:

pfff Pud, nothing better to do :mrgreen:

I had a spare couple of minutes :D

Pud :twisted:

Well, the way I look at it is... (at least when it comes to Loaf & Jim)

If, say, Tony Bennett recorded this song and it was produced by George Martin, I'd call that a "cover". However, if Tony Bennett recorded this song and it was produced by Jim Steinman, well, you know what I mean...

Don't you?

If it was produced by Desmond Child I'd call it a cover, but it was produced by Jim Steinman with even some of the track from the original version.

See above

Meat's version is a cover, Barbra's is not. Steinman produced the song

No, I just see those as weird tributes.

I tend to see those as "recycling"

If Steinman worked on it, when he worked on the originals, I don't see it as a cover. I know... this is being technical... there needs to be another definition

i.e. C.V. & Loaf's LITD are covers.

I think the term is used too loosely. I'd call the Steinman versions "remakes" not mere covers

So you´re trying to say that a cover is a cover when it is produced by someone else than the original production? And when it´s "only" recorded by someone else then it wouldn´t be a cover?

Interesting definition...

Anyhow...

I really like this song - listened to it in the car today in fact. A really powerful and emotional song. I reckon 8/10.

But, my mother-in-law-to-be nearly gave me a heart attack, when she said Meat's version "doesn't have the edge of Boyzone's version"!!!! :nuts: :sick: :silence: :tard: :doh: :retard: :panic: :confused: :shrug:

WTF???? Maybe she misses the "jigga jig ha ha ha" bits. :retard:

Lol.

Interesting journey of emotions you went through!

That's the mother-in-law-to-be for you :sneaky: :mrgreen:

Well we all like a bit of jigga jigga now and again :shock:

Seems Ryan's definition of a cover version bares no merit, as he's put songs got songs that do and songs that don't even when they have the same criteria.

Pud :twisted:

Too complicated to explain, I'll go crazy trying at this time of day

It's not complicated at all, you're crazy interpretation of what a 'cover version' is might be complicated but the true definition of what a cover version is isn't.

Pud :twisted:

:lmao:

This is true - I had not considered that. Perhaps Meat could remix his version with additional jigga jigga? Actually no, I don't like remixes lol.

Anyway, listen all:

A cover version is when an artist releases their own version of any song that has already been released by someone else.

So, Barry's version of Read Em And Weep IS a cover version - it had already been released by Meat Loaf at the time.

Bonnie Tyler's constant re-releasing of Total Eclipse Of The Heart is NOT a cover version. They are more like remakes, as she did the original song.

In my opinion, the best cover versions are when it sounds completely different from the original song. For example, The Beautiful South's cover of You're The One That I Want - great stuff, a cover version for sure, but with their own unique sound and style about it.

Yeah, that´s the way I understand it, too.
The best example for what you said is IMO mad world.
I don´t like the Tears for Fears version, but some years ago the cover by Gary Jules (produced by Michael Andrews) made a whole different song out of if.


But seeing the danger to slide off-topiic I may just add, that IMO HBN by Meat and by Boyzone are both no covers, because they didn´t record it after somebody else did, except WDTW. You could see it at the point of the release time of both songs, but that´s not important, becuase neither Meat nor Boyzone knew (as far as I know) of the other artist recording it.

Agreed, irrespective of who the producer is.

Correct

I agree. Nicki French did a cover of the song and it wasn't too bad. Incidentally she's releasing the song again and calling it Total Eclipse 2006, with 7 remixes of the song to go with the 2 dozen other remixed versions of the song.

I agree with this statement also. If somebody's going to just add vocals to a sound that already exists, then all it is, is just glorified karaoke.IMO If however there are changes made i.e. from a rock sound with lots of guitars, drums etc to a more say acoustic sound, then to me those are the best covers.

Pud :twisted:

So you say that both, completely and barely changed, versions of songs are covers, but well or bad done.
I could agree with that

For Crying Out Loud, if I may use such a shameful excuse to get a song title in :roll: :lol:

Please could someone write Bonnie Tyler a whole new song? It's not that I don't like the song - it's great - but you could fill a whole ALBUM with the remixes of that song.

Perhaps she might get one of TDE's new songs? I hope she does SOMETHING decent and NEW!

I was actually referring to Nicki French, karaoke singing gay icon of icons :shock: But saying that, Bonnie, the other gay icon of icons has flogged the same donkey for long enough.

Personally speaking I hope she doesn't get to touch any half decent new TDE song.

Pud :twisted:

You don't like her, Pudding?

I never said that, of course I like her, I just don't think she's what she used to be.

Pud :twisted:

Lol. The voice isnt getting smoother with age, that much is true. I thought she did a great job on Tyre Tracks and Broken Hearts though, although admittedly that is a scarily long time ago.

About Nikki French, I didn't realise she was also constantly re-releasing the song.

Do you think a) for some unknown reason the royalties are surprisingly low, therefore the song can be covered (Nikki French), or remade (Nikki French AND Bonnie Tyler) alarmingly cheaply, or b) it has been so long since either artist had a hit in the UK or USA that they are desparate to reclaim some former glory?

Wow, I'm kind of bitchy at this time in the morning (can't sleep!!)

It's funny to notice that in 2003 (year of these posts) moderators were already lazy. :bump:


Pat

one time at the dentists i heard the radio from the hygienists' room (they're all female and like the radio!). could just about hear what was on, sounded like a woman singing a song i'd never heard, but it turned out to be boyzone's no matter what!!!!!!!!!:shock: :lol:

I like this a lot. The backing track is very Phil Spectre-ish. When the keychange comes and the backing vocalists and drums all come in it's a proper shiver-down-the-spine moment. 8

8

Average: 8.33 (250/30)

When I first heard Boyzone's version I didn't mind it and at the time, assumed that they wrote the song and there were no other versions. I was about 12 and all my friends loved Boyzone. We were their target market I suppose and my friends probably would have bought anything by them even if it had have been rubbish.

My friends went on about what a beautiful song it was but looking back, if Meat had released it first, they wouldn't have paid it any attention. After all Boyzone had those voices that teenage girls love and they looked good.

It was a couple of months before I heard Meat's version and I preferred it as soon as I heard it. As well as having a better voice, his version has far more passion which is something I really love.

I love this song it get's a 10

love it too. 10 out of 10 :D

From me too ;)

I had been thoroughly put off by Boyzone's version playing everywhere I went .. but when I heard Meat's I was blown away. Suddenly I heard the full song in all its richness, with the important introduction, rather than a light poppy nasal delivery that had me running for cover every time I heard it :lol:

At the opening of every Best Of show, Meat was sitting centre of a stage in total darkness, and this thunderous organ music would roll round the arena before he started to sing Home By Now, with just a single spot picking him out; it was one of those moments when the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Then as he moved into No Matter What the lights on stage gradually revealed a woodland behind him picked out in colours of flame. Meat puts such thought and effort into bringing out the drama of a song. This was no exception; in fact one of his best ever stagings imo. The impact was huge, and ever time I play the song that's the image I can see. For me the most dramatic opening to a show ever, and a song I absolutely love.

Caryl

8
I especially enjoyed the NOTPs performance of this song.

Yes, it was one of the more memorable openings to a show ( perhaps just eclipsing Do It! ;) )

As usual I'm going to be the difficult one in the room and say I never thought much to No Matter What live. Meat singing to a prerecorded orchestra instead of the live band just felt a bit wrong somehow. I'd rather have seen A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste instead. I think that would have made a much better opener. :twisted:

I wouldn't have expected them to have full orchestra and organ in place for one song, and it was followed by an entire show of Meat singing with a live band.

I think it made a stunningly dramatic opening, Meat's vocals were incredibly powerful and perfectly pitched, and a live band would have simply cut the rug from under it completely. As it was, for this fan it made one of the best openings to a show ever, and the contrast as the lights went up, the backdrop raised to reveal the band setting and the NLE came charging on stage to perform Dead Ringer was superb.

He laid a stunning pearl before us that night imo.

Caryl

Neither would I, but I didn't feel that starting the show by singing along to taped music set the right tone. Perhaps if the band had played the song instead it would have worked better.

Life Is A Lemon actually. :-P

Incidentally the best live arrangement of Lemon, with the tribal drumming intro. :twisted:

I think it would have lost all the dramatic impact without the organ and orchestra. The tone was DRAMA!! You make it sound like a cheery karaoke .. and that demeans it utterly. The organ music rolling round the completely dark arena, then the single spotlight on Meat as he sang Home By Now, still on a darkened stage, with such passion and pitch perfect, the last "now" lingering in the air, before leading into No Matter What, with the orchestral strings swelling as the lights came up on stage. It was one of those moments when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck imo, and I think the case for many. Real depth, soul, passion and drama .. which seems not to have ruffled your parting .. :lol:

And at Sheffield I could have sworn they played Dead Ringer .. I remember them coming on with opened bottles of beer in party mood, handed one to Meat, who raised it to the audience

Caryl

do you have a parting, evil one?

I shall create one as a tribute to Caryl :lol:


From Kasiminfo.com:
Regardless of a taped No Matter What and Caryl's faulty memory it's still a cracking setlist. :twisted:

more than you deserve on the second night - awesome
that would be a treat on this tour.

He sang that he said because he'd been asked at the M&G before the show, explained the context of the song and off he went ;) A very nice surprise :D

Caryl

I agree with all the above statements about 1999 shows. ^

The only album never covered was BBIS in those shows lol. guess if you ignore it on VBO the tour wouldnt be that different.

Home By Now is terrific, studio gets a 9/10 from me.

My favorite version is the NOTP version on the CD. thats an easy 10/10

Absolutely love this song :) Gets replayed a lot too ;)