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TSR · 17 Oct 2010, 14:57

It has to be Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Simply because, it's not trying to be something it so blatantly is not. A few quick thoughts if I may...

Hang Cool Teddy Bear, is exactly what it says on the tin. It's Meat Loaf working in a positive atmosphere with some extremely talented individuals making the album he has always wanted to make. No big franchise to live up to. No calculator money men interfering in the creative process. No big worries about keeping the Steinman purists happy. And crucially, little or no attempt on the part of the songwriters to do the impossible and replicate Steinman.

By contrast, Bat III is a cynical attempt on the part of the record companies to cash in on a sacred legacy. When profit comes before creativity, you're doomed to fail. The biggest problem with Bat III from the outset, was Bat II - Which is to my mind, the greatest 70+ minutes of music ever committed to disc. Nothing could top that.

With Steinman out of the picture and Desmond drafted in the whole thing became farcical - A hopeless pursuit of something that was never going to be achieved. The seven non-Steinman tracks on the album, aren't bad as such, just painfully out of place alongside the Steinman tracks. The whole lot lumped together and given Desmond's clumsy (at best) production treatment didn't create a Bat record. It created a dis-jointed mess.

So yes, Hang Cool Teddy Bear every day of the week for me. It unpretentious, it's not trying to be something it's not. It's loud, it's proud. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

...I really should post here more often.

17 Oct 2010, 14:57	#19
TSR Junior Loafer Join Date: 22.08.2009 Location: Posts: 38	Hang Cool Teddy Bear - It Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin... It has to be Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Simply because, it's not trying to be something it so blatantly is not. A few quick thoughts if I may... Hang Cool Teddy Bear, is exactly what it says on the tin. It's Meat Loaf working in a positive atmosphere with some extremely talented individuals making the album he has always wanted to make. No big franchise to live up to. No calculator money men interfering in the creative process. No big worries about keeping the Steinman purists happy. And crucially, little or no attempt on the part of the songwriters to do the impossible and replicate Steinman. By contrast, Bat III is a cynical attempt on the part of the record companies to cash in on a sacred legacy. When profit comes before creativity, you're doomed to fail. The biggest problem with Bat III from the outset, was Bat II - Which is to my mind, the greatest 70+ minutes of music ever committed to disc. Nothing could top that. With Steinman out of the picture and Desmond drafted in the whole thing became farcical - A hopeless pursuit of something that was never going to be achieved. The seven non-Steinman tracks on the album, aren't bad as such, just painfully out of place alongside the Steinman tracks. The whole lot lumped together and given Desmond's clumsy (at best) production treatment didn't create a Bat record. It created a dis-jointed mess. So yes, Hang Cool Teddy Bear every day of the week for me. It unpretentious, it's not trying to be something it's not. It's loud, it's proud. It does exactly what it says on the tin. ...I really should post here more often.