RECOMMENDED ALBUM: Meat Loaf - Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Meat Loaf
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Mercury Records/Roadrunner Records
Available worldwide, in stores and digitally.

Common wisdom has it that Meat Loaf is only worth listening to when Wagnerian piano-pounder Jim Steinman is behind the music and lyrics. It is true, the majority of the Texan rock giant's well known songs were penned by Steinman, and even other hits like 1995's Diane Warren ballad 'I'd Lie For You (And That's The Truth)' noticeably ape his style.

As it's title indicates, with his new album 'Hang Cool Teddy Bear', Meat aims to throw the rulebook out of the window. Produced by Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls and Switchfoot collaborator Rob Cavallo, the album simultaneously disposes of the cliches that have riddled Meat Loaf's career, all the while playing to his strengths as an unparalleled interpreter of hard rock.

'Hang Cool Teddy Bear' is based around Killian Kirwin's short story of the same name (excerpts of which can be read here) and concerns the plight of a young soldier dying on the battlefield. The jaw-droppingly energetic opener 'Peace On Earth' sets the mood, and the songs that follow are visions and dreams of the young man's life as it could be if he survives. Meat Loaf's voice, which hit a low ebb on tour 3 years ago is back in full force displaying a gutsy confidence missing since at least 1993's 'Bat Out Of Hell 2'.

The album is pleasingly eclectic, taking in the southern-rock shuffle of 'Los Angeloser', the Sabbath-like 'Song Of Madness' and the heartfelt 'Did You Ever Love Somebody'. In any one else's hands a song like this would be at best forgettable fluff. Fortunately Meat's method approach to singing loads the song with enough emotion to be genuinely affecting.

There is a raucous, fun-loving vibe to the album despite it's heavy subject matter. Meat brings in his on-screen son, 'Tenacious D: Pick Of Destiny' co-star Jack Black to jam on the funky and foul-mouthed 'Like A Rose'. Meanwhile the chorus of the tongue-in-cheek Sunset Strip romp 'California Isn't Big Enough' simply has to be heard to be believed.

Numerous guests appear throughout including Justin Hawkins, Steve Vai, Brian May and Hugh Laurie (yes, that Hugh Laurie) but thankfully they're contributing to the overall sound rather than being blatantly showcased.

The album ends with the terrific 'Elvis In Vegas' - a nostalgic anthem that will be loved by anyone who remembers the excitement of sneaking out of the house as a teenager to catch their first gig. Like all of 'Hang Cool Teddy Bear', it's sung with thrilling conviction and enthusiasm that would take a conserted effort to not be swept up in.
It's difficult not to gush about 'Hang Cool Teddy Bear'. Simply put, it's fantastic. At 62 years old, Meat Loaf has produced an album equal to, yet so different from his earliest and most recognized work. Don't let this one pass you by.




Meat Loaf's tour begins in the US in July. Visit www.meatloaf.net for dates.
Visit www.hangcoolteddybear.com to learn more and download the free bonus track 'Prize Fight Lover'.

Meat Loaf - Hang Cool, Teddy Bear

Meat Loaf
Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Coming April 2010

Some people think big. Some people think huge. And then there's Meat Loaf.

For the past 35 years, the man born Marvin Lee Aday has been a towering monument on the musical landscape. His legendary 1977 album Bat Out Of Hell transformed this former high school football player, nightclub bouncer and stage actor into one of the great American rock 'n' roll icons. That record, with its staggering operatic sound and impassioned vocals, has sold more than 43 million albums worldwide - still one of the biggest-selling records ever.

Meat Loaf's reputation as one of music's greatest artists was underlined by such masterpieces as Dead Ringer (1981), Bad Attitude (1984) and the Bat Out Of Hell sequels Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell (1993) and Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006). Other artists might have tried to match his scale and copy his sound, but no one has come close.

Now, more than 30 years after he exploded onto the world stage, Meat Loaf is back with a new record, Hang Cool Teddy Bear (a title taken from a line in the classic Russ Meyer trash movie Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls). From opener Peace On Earth to closer Elvis In Vegas, its 13 tracks drag the classic Meat Loaf sound kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

"I wanted it big, I wanted it dramatic, I wanted a rock record," says Meat Loaf. "Yes, it sounds like a Meat Loaf record. But it sounds different too - it sounds new, it sounds fresh. It speaks to you in a different way."

Much of this newfound energy can be put down to Meat Loaf's working relationship with his new collaborator, producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance Paramore, Fleetwood Mac). For the singer, it was a chance to work with one of the hottest producers around. For Cavallo, it was an opportunity to work with a childhood hero and a proper rock 'n' roll legend.

"Rob is the Number 1 rock producer in the world because he leaves his ego out of the equation and gives an artist his voice, making it sound better than the artist could even imagine," says Meat. "I was like a fisherman looking for a big mouthed bass. I put on the right worm. The first song I played to him, I hooked him. The second song, I nailed him."

The pair hit it off immediately, and this electrifying creative partnership immediately raised the bar several feet. Meat Loaf brought more than 40 songs to the table, which the duo whittled down to the 13 that appear on the final record, including the furious ‘Living On The Outside’ and hilarious first single LosAngeloser.

But there was one other piece to the jigsaw: Los Angeles-based screenwriter and director Kilian Kerwin, a long-time friend of the singer. As with every classic Meat Loaf album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear has a bigger concept. It was one of Kerwin's short stories that inspired the singer to come up with the album's striking narrative.

"It's the story of a soldier," reveals Meat Loaf. "He's been in battle and he's lying face down on the ground. He can't move, but he turns his head and starts to see blood run across the ground, and so he thinks he's going to die. They always say you see your life flash backwards you when you're about to die. But his life flashes forward - into what possibly could happen. He sees what his life could be - the good and the bad. The songs are the different scenarios he finds himself in. It's not always the same time or the same place - but it's always the same woman. But I don't want to give too much away - I want people to work it out for themselves."

To flesh out his vision, Meat Loaf enlisted a set of elite musicians to play on the album, including guitarists Tim Pierce, Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins (who co-wrote two songs for the album), Paul Crook and Randy Flowers, legendary bass players Chris Chaney and Kasim Sulton, genius keyboardist Jamie Mulhoberac and the world’s greatest rock drummer (just ask Rob Cavallo) John Micelli. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features a stellar array of big-name guests, including Steve Vai (who appears on Love is Not Real), former Queen guitarist Brian May (who appears on Song Of Madness and Love Is Not Real), American Idol presenter Kara DioGuardi (who co-wrote and sings on If I Can't Have You) and Hollywood star Jack Black, who duets with Meat Loaf on Like A Rose.

But the most surprising guest is Hugh Laurie - the English actor famous for starring in Blackadder and hit US TV show House. It was while making a guest appearance on the latter that Meat Loaf met Laurie and discovered that he was a classically-trained pianist. What else could he do but ask the actor to play piano on the song If I Can't Have You?

"He was really nervous at first," recalls Meat Loaf. "It was strange seeing someone so confident on a TV set walk into the studio like he's a quivering mess. But he nailed it. He's talking about playing it with us if we ever go on American Idol."

"What I love about Hugh, Jack and Kara," says Meat Loaf. "Is that sometimes you get people coming to the studio, and they have their manager and a bodyguard and an entourage - it's this endless stream of people. The 3 of them, they just drove up to the studio in their own cars, no bullshit no fronts, just real people. And I love real people."

But for all the star guests, Hang Cool Teddy Bear is Meat Loaf's album – his own dirty little secret. More than four decades into his career, the man - and his voice - is as big, bold and important as ever.

"How do I keep the fire burning?" he asks. "I don't know. I just do. I'd bet in advance that if I sat with somebody in a room and said to them, 'I'll give you five pounds if you don't go 'Whoah!' after the first song', they'd forget about the five pounds and they'd go 'Whoah!'. You can't help it. And it's like that across all the songs. This record is spectacular!"

Podcast Updates

Hi everyone. We're currently at work on a one-off special of the Insomnia Cafe podcast to be made available towards the end of May. A full series may follow later in the year.

In the meantime, here are a few updates:

Eilen Jewell, our guest on Season 2, Episode 1 has a new album out entitled 'Sea Of Tears', on Signature Sounds. Visit www.eilenjewell.com for more info.

Sharon Robinson appeared on Season 2, Episode 3 and can currently be seen/heard on the critically acclaimed Leonard Cohen DVD/CD 'Live In London'. She continues to tour with Leonard (see leonardcohen.com for details) and her solo album 'Everybody Knows' is currently available now on iTunes and will soon be re-released in stores in the UK/Europe. Visit sharonrobinsonmusic.com for more info.

Finally, Patti Russo (our guest on Season 2, Episode 4) has had her Cher ambitions mentioned in the show both fulfilled and excelled! You can currently catch Patti onstage with Cher at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas. Head to cherworld.com for dates, and Patti-Rocks.com for the latest news on Ms. Russo. Congratulations, Patti!

Remember, these episodes and more are currently available for free on our iTunes page.

More news soon!

PLAYLIST: Insomnia Cafe: Season 2, Episode 4: Patti Russo Special

Originally posted on the old site, November 2008.

Yes folks, our long-awaited new episode is finally available (or should be within a few hours of this post), and we've devoted the whole episode to one of my favorite women in all of music - known for her powerful, gutsy singing and equally knockout stage prescence, star of We Will Rock You, Queen collaborator, and Meat Loaf's leading lady for close to 15 years in his touring band The Neverland Express, the one and only Miss Patti Russo!



It was a real treat to be able to interview Patti earlier this year at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall, following an excellent performance from Meat and The Neverland Express as part of the Casa De Carne tour. She's every bit as warm, funny, insightful and ballsy as you'd expect, and the interview (originally intended to be 15 minutes) absolutely flew by. In fact, I decided that rather than including it as a section of a regular show, we'd bookend the conversation with a couple of her solo songs and put the whole thing out on its own.

The two songs of Patti's included in the podcast are:

Bring Me A Bible And A Beer (currently available to hear on her myspace - see below) and

Here We Are (available to purchase on iTunes)

My apologies for the poor sound on the actual interview. I made the mistake of thinking that the 120 euro digital recorder from Philips, bought especially for the occasion, might have some sort of quality surpassing my 15 year old micro-cassette dictaphone. I was wrong. Hopefully that won't spoil your enjoyment of what is, in my opinion, a very lively and fun interview. We discuss everything from her work with Meat Loaf, the time she met Cher, her favorite Queen songs, bibles, beer and much more.

Head over to our iTunes page right now to download the full episode for free!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=208833379

For more info on Patti, check the following links:

Patti-Rocks (fan site)

Patti Russo's myspace

If you enjoy this episode, please consider making a small donation to Insomnia Cafe via Paypal at locusceruleusmedia@gmail.com - Insomnia Cafe is, and always has been an ad-free, non profit making blog and podcast. All travel expenses, equipment costs, etc. come out of my own somewhat thinly lined pockets. Donations will go towards helping us buy our own server space for the podcasts, a dot com domain, and yes, a functioning, decent quality digital-recorder.
- Michael