Steinmanosity
 

Ok - I didn't mean to make my "Everything Compared To A Single Song" thread sound critical - apologies if it came across that way.

I thought I'd try again and ask a slightly different question...

The impression I get from reading the forums is that, of the non-Steinman penned songs, people tend to like the ones that are most Steinmanesque more. For example, DIST and CHSIB, ILFYATTT, Modern Girl, Alive etc. I am not saying they are Steinclones, but they certainly try to ape the whole Steinfeel...

So, to cut to the chase, are people always looking for a SteinLoaf style experience (therefore less open to experimentation or different styles of music from Meat), or do you think people are open to new approaches?

My feeling is that a lot of fans are looking for Meat's songs to confirm to Steinman style conventions and sounds (which are admittedly awesome), and are therefore less enthusiastic about rockier or more mainstream sounds.

But I could be very very wrong indeed.

It would be interesting to know what Meat feels about this - I wonder if he feels he needs to release Steinman like material in order to appeal, and if so, does this bother him?


Jut so I can set out my own stall on this, I really like many of Meat's "non Steinmanny" songs, eg Midnight at The Lost And Found, Wolf At Your Door, Keep Driving, Promised Land, Monster Is Loose, Do It, Testify, but I do get a special thrill from his "traditional" sound - massive, over the top, operatic rock.

TMIL is very steinman-like. But i am a Meat fan more then a Jim fan.

Modern Girl never sounded like a steinman-type goatcheese to me.

How i look at it is this way: Listening to ANYTHING sung by Meat is better then listening to all this modern shit out there (Lady gaga, Hanna Montanna, ect.)

I hate to admit it, but i rarely skip COM or IGCT on shuffle nowadays cause i never listen to them and they are a fresh experience.

Meat's good thinking music. Music to listen to while you go into another world. No matter what song he just has that magic.

Even Midnight songs do this to me.

I say i hate IGCT, COM, and infamously AFL. But i do listen to them. they are relaxing. And i go into Loafdom and dont return till i decide to.

Please note, being as i have ALOT of live recordings on my ipod, getting a studio track on shuffle is a blessing.

Meat is the man. every song is different and cant be compared.

Except mabey that mexican instrumental thing on WTTN .... dunno WTF that was and it goes into Left in the dark (???)

I think everyone is looking at this the wrong way. Jim wrote the songs. Meat brought them to life. I don't really care what the general opinion is but anything written by Jim and sung by anyone but Meat is a waste. Always leaves me thinking of what could have been if Meat was involved.
My feeling is that Meat does not get the credit for bringing the songs to life.

He does from me ;) .. he made the Bat fly round the world imo ...

And imo some of the songs quoted in the opening post .. CHSIB, DIST, Alive etc .. are not "aping" Steinman .. they're just great songs in their own right .. or indeed write ;) .. brought to larger than life by the passion of a great performer

Caryl

this debate will continue to drag on and on and on!!!!!
jim wrote fantastic songs and meat sang them fantasticly!!!!
and i agree they are great songs

Not much of a debate IMO - I think the majority of fans in the Meat and Jim communities will agree that their best work was together. The difference is that you, Caryl and other Meat fans obviously prefer Meat's non-Jim work to Jim's non-Meat work, whilst I and other Jim fans feel the opposite.

Simple really :lol:

:twisted: Yeah, but you're wrong :p :mrgreen: :lol:

Modern Girl and Alive are Steinmanesque? :wtf:

Sometimes over-simplifying leads one off the mark :) I've never said that I prefer Meat's "non-Jim work" .. just that I don't necessarily view it as somehow lesser work.

I'm primarily a fan of Meat and his performance/delivery, and I happen to think that CHSIB was one of his best albums, so find many of the songs on that very special .. Just as to me, Alive! is one of his best and btw, like Pud, imo not Steinmanesque at all. But there are Steinman songs that I also find very special .. Jim has been an outstanding composer with marvellous music and lyrics to his credit, and there's probably never been a better love song written than FCOL. It's just that I don't view any song Meat records that Jim didn't write in a different way to those that he did.

Caryl

You're kinda misinterpretting what Dave said. He said you and a few others prefer Meats non-Jim work to Jims non-Meat work, think IACBTMN and Celine Dion ;) No one said Meats non-Jim work was lesser, although to a Steinmaniac it probably is viewed that way.

Mea culpa .. indeed it's late and I did. My apologies for that.

But I didn't say anyone had said that Meat's non-Jim work was lesser .. I just said that I did not view it as lesser.

Caryl

I think so, to a degree. Modern Girl probably more so. Modern Girl has the whole "repitition of a key phrase", "backing singers going for it", IGLHFBOU style ending, storytelling...

I don't. :shock:

This isn't an argument... :arrr:

A difference of opinion doesn't make an argument, but you are wrong :))

Lol! Ah well, at least I know now.