Track Listing

1. Couldn�t Have Said It Better
2. Did I Say That?
3. Why Isn�t That Enough?
4. Love You Out Loud
5. Man Of Steel
6. Testify
7. Tear Me Down
8. You�re Right, I Was Wrong
9. Because Of You
10. Do It!
11. Forever Young
12. Bat Out Of Hell (Live)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28460 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Running time: 69 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
If it ain't broke then why fix it? Fittingly, Couldn't Have Said It Better--Meat Loaf's first studio album since 1995's Welcome to the Neighbourhood--is squarely in the lung-belting rock-operatic mould of dynamic former classics such as Bat Out of Hell--that's to say none of it is a million miles away from Vegas-era Elvis, The Rocky Horror Show and what German composer Richard Wagner might have sounded like if he rode around on a large motorbike courting ladies in his favourite frilly shirt. Yes, in Meat Loaf's wide-of-girth pop world all songs are super-animated epics in which lusty choirs soar, hearts are thumped and hankies are wrung, where grand pianos are assaulted in a manner which would make Jerry Lee Lewis flinch and where the production work makes Phil Spector's Wall of Sound look like a garden fence. But that's what folks like about the big fella--Meat Loaf doesn't do "understatement". At one end of the scale, the mighty soft-metal title track--one of a number of songs copenned by James Michael and Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx--is so overbearingly beefy it can only be likened to being seduced on the sofa by someone from World Wrestling Entertainment while the rollicking, testosterone-dripping over-exuberance of "Tear Me Down"--replete with a loopy, spoken-word Texan history segment--is essentially Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" in a hairy chest wig. At the other end of the spectrum, even soppy ballads such as "Did I Say That" are about as subtle as an avalanche. Couldn't Have Said It Better is noisy polished fun all round. It is audibly apparent that Mr Loaf still possesses meat in abundance. --Kevin Maidment

CD Description
Larger-than-life, multi-million-selling man-mountain MarvinLee Aday returns with his ninth studio album, the follow-upto 1995's 'Welcome to the Neighborhood'. With tracks by a collection of songwriters including Diane Warren and Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, this solid Meat Loaf album features plentyof the customary theatrical bombast. Includes the title-track single and a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young'.

Customer Reviews

His best album since Bat out of Hell
So far, I have only heard three songs from this album.

Firstly, there is Did I Say That? which is quite frankly the best song Meat Loaf has ever done since Bat Out Of Hell. For those of you who thought that Welcome To The Neighbourhood was an excellent album (and it was) you are going to be stunned by this non-Steinman song, as it would not have looked out of place on the original Bat. Seriously.

Secondly, there is "(I) Couldn't Have Said It Better (Myself)" itself - the title is a nice mickey take of all those bracketed song titles from previous albums. The song itself is fantastic, all the band join in, and Patti Russo sounds great. In fact, she slightly overpowers Meat himself at the end, which is odd, but overall this is a great song, and again, is well up to the quality of Bat.

Thirdly, there is "Tear Me Down", which I have only heard live in Hyde Park, but is also a great little rock song, and has a very funny spoken part.

On the strength of those three songs alone, I would seriously recommend any Meat Loaf-er, whether fan, or just occasional listener, to buy this album. It is also great value, because not only do you get a live version of Bat, but also some videos!

In the words of Meat Loaf, "this is going to be the best album since Bat".

I couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

A stand out album, NO filler!
This is Meat's first studio album since Welcome To The Neighbourhood in 1995. While that may be a greater than usual interval, he has been acting, touring, writing and promoting his biography, and has released VH1 Storytellers, The Very Best Of Meat Loaf, and making this album since then. Meat has taken the time to get it right. And right it is!

There is no filler on this album. The epic title track features Todd Rundgren on background vocals (he produced, played guitar and sang background vocals on Meat's famous Bat Out Of Hell album). "Man Of Steel" is an epic, tear jerking duet between Meat and his daughter Pearl. Bob Dylan fans may be interested in hearing his cover of "Forever Young", and fans of the show "Hedwig and The Angry Inch" may be interested in hearing his version of "Tear Me Down". James Michael and Nikki Sixx wrote some of the songs, so James Michael and Motley Crue fans may be interested in hearing them also. "Testify" is a gospel song (written by Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin) with a kind of funness and rhythm that I'd compare to "Paradise By The Dashboard Light". Kasim Sulton plays bass and arranges fabulous background vocals on most songs, and there are beautiful orchestral arrangements as well.

There are little bits and pieces that are different about this album than previous albums, which makes for a refreshing change. This is most obvious on "Do It", in which Meat tries and succeeds in making a song that borders on rap-rock. He'll leave you thinking that he's the PRO at that sort of thing.

These ain't just a bunch of songs. Meat writes the story, and with the help of great songwriters, tells it in lyrical form. As an actor, Meat doesn't just sing the songs, but performs with unmistakable passion, force and performs them in a way that gets across the meaning of the songs. Everyone is likely to find something of interest here. This album definitely deserves to be one of the stand out albums of the year.

One of the best Meat Loaf Albums Ever!
The moment I started listening to this CD it felt like it should be called 'Bat Out Of Hell 3'. This album is amazing, the title track is a true Meat Loaf style song. The album has some very upbeat style songs mixed with true Meat Loaf ballads, this album is excellent. A great rock n roll album!