audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) … Meat Loaf

audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) ... Meat Loaf

Bat Out Of Hell 3 came a decade too early. This should be it. The first two Bat albums consisted of Jim Steinman songs. The third broke that tradition. Braver, the title of which comes from a song I’ll get to shortly, takes it back. Every song is composed by Steinman, though they’re not really new. Most were performed years ago by other singers, the oldest going back to the 1970s. That makes this a Meat Loaf cover set.

Listen for an epic entitled Going All The Way Is Just The Start, a quote of which also titles the album. It’s one of the best songs Meat Loaf has ever sang and Jim Steinman has ever composed. Why it doesn’t Start the set like the similarly majestic Anything For Love did on Bat 2 is a mystery to me. Godz, a quirky military anthem, is fun, but Going All The Way is in a class by itself. Everything else here pales in comparison.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

Going All The Way Is Just The Start ( song lyrics ) … Meat Loaf

Going All The Way Is Just The Start ( song lyrics ) ... Meat Loaf

Sometimes it’s the night and the way it seems to cry and whisper terrifying secrets in your ear.
Sometimes it’s the day and the sun has got no mercy, lighting up and burning everything that’s in its way.

There are times I got to run, times I got to hide,
things I’ve left undone, things I’ve cast aside.
So many things to try. So many things denied.

If I ever tell you the truth, I’d swear you would leave me.
I need the proof that you would believe me.

You think I fly like an angel without any tears,
higher and higher above the world and all its fears.

Everybody’s ready to fly, but the storms are never so very far.
And you think my life is shining like a star, but the fears are never very far.

We always seem so much braver than we ever are.
We always dream we seem braver, but we never are.

Let’s run away. Let’s go so far.

There are secrets I never can tell.
There are shadows of darkness and Heaven.
There are so many suburbs of Hell
and their hours are 24-7.
There are so many wounds you can’t heal.
So many nightmares are turning too real.
So much of paradise lost and you added the cost.
But there’s nothing to be sorry for.
Now we can feel so much more.
Now we can be loving you.
Nothing that we’re scared to do.

You see me smile and you swear that I could walk on air.
You see me dancing; the moonlight glancing at my hair.

You see me as powerfully strong, but the nightmare’s never so very far.
And you think my life is shining like a star, but the tears are never very far.
The fears are never very far.

We always seem so much braver than we ever are.
We always seem to be braver, but we never are.

Let’s fly away. Let’s go too far.

Sometimes it’s the flesh and the way it seems to yearn
for all the magic of the single perfect touch.
Sometimes it’s the soul and it’s waiting for salvation.
You’ll know when you get it. There can never be too much.

There are times I’ve gotta run, times I’ve gotta hide,
things I’ve left undone, things I’ve cast aside.
So many things to try. So many things denied.

If I ever tell you the truth, would you ever believe me?
Show me the proof. I’m so scared you would leave me.

You think I fly like an angel without any care,
higher and higher as if I’m breathing sacred air.

Everybody’s ready to fly, but the storms are never so very far.
And you think my life is shining like a star, but the fears are never very far.
The nightmare’s never very far.

We always seem so much braver than we ever are.
We always dream we seem braver, but we never are.

Let’s run away. Let’s go too far.

Say a prayer for those who crawl.
Say a prayer for those who run.
Say a prayer, so, all and all,
there’s a better life to come.

Say a prayer for those alone.
Say a prayer for those apart.
All the golden boys and girls;
the crusaders of the heart.

Say a prayer for all the lost.
Say a prayer for thee unborn.
Say a prayer for all the young.
It takes a fire to keep them warm.

Say a prayer for those obsessed.
Say a prayer for those enslaved.
Say a prayer to beat the drums
from the cradle to the grave.

Say a prayer for all the saints.
Say a prayer for all the sins.
Let the dancing never end.
Let the future now begin.

Say a prayer to all the gods.
Some are near and some are far.
Say a prayer to all the Gods
to make us braver than we are.

How far is too far, baby?
Come on and take me. Take me.
We’re crusaders of the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

How far is too far?
How far is too far, baby?
Take me deep inside the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

How far is too far, baby?
Come on and take me. Take me.
We’re crusaders of the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

There’s no such thing as too far.
I’ve got to be where you are.
Going all the way is just the start.
The crusaders of the heart.

How far is too far?
I’ve got to be where you are.
Going all the way is just the start.
Make us braver than we are.

How far is too far, baby?
Come on and take me. Take me.
We’re crusaders of the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

How far is too far?
How far is too far, baby?
Take me deep inside the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

How far is too far, baby?
Come on and take me. Take me.
We’re crusaders of the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

How far is too far?
How far is too far, baby?
Take me deep inside the heart
and going all the way is just the start.

Say a prayer to all the gods.
Some are near and some are far.
Say a prayer to all the Gods
to make us braver than we are.

Say a prayer to all the gods.
Some are near and some are far.
Say a prayer to all the Gods
to make us braver than we are.

2016

audio review : Going All The Way Is Just The Start ( song ) … Meat Loaf ( featuring Karla DeVito + Ellen Foley )

This is an epic power ballad that rivals Anything For Love from Bat Out Of Hell 2. This is how part 3 should’ve began. Both songs have Meat Loaf on the main stage, singing his heart out with the help of, in this case, two female guests. Karla DeVito and Ellen Foley actually come close to stealing the show with their vocals, which are decidedly stronger than that of their leading man.

The best chunk of the song comes at about the final third, starting with the “prayer” bit; one of what sounds like three uplifting chorus sections. The magic is in the melodies, though the anthemic lyrics are also well composed. Both are credited to the legendary Jim Steinman with input from sidekick Don Black. This is Broadway musical music; a near-twelve-minute extravaganza.

my rating : 4 of 5

2016

audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) ... Meat Loaf