Blind Before I Stop
Blind Before I Stop is the fifth studio album by Meat Loaf released in September 1986. The album was produced in Germany by Frank Farian and was the first to fully embrace the '80s sound. Critics were concerned about the album missing the characteristic Steinman-influenced sound by incorporating synth chords and samples. According to Meat Loaf's 1998 autobiography, he would have preferred to wait to work with more Steinman material, but his contractual obligations with Arista required him to complete two more albums by the end of the 1980s, including this album and a live album. As of 2020 physical CD copies of 'Blind Before I Stop' are becoming rare collector's items.
Blind Before I Stop | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1986 | |||
Genre | Rock, synthpop, heavy metal[1] | |||
Length | 48:33 | |||
Label | Arista Atlantic (US/Canada) | |||
Producer | Frank Farian | |||
Meat Loaf chronology | ||||
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Alternate US album cover | ||||
Alternate cover used for the US release |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Kerrang! |
Meat Loaf co-wrote three of the songs on the album. One of them, "Blind Before I Stop", was performed live on Saturday Night Live, with Meat Loaf playing guitar. "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries", a duet with rock singer John Parr, was released as a single in the UK. Meat Loaf sang the song live with Parr on only one occasion and did not do so again after an incident just after the release of the single. During a sold out show in London, the singer failed to introduce Parr onto the stage and Parr walked off after the song was over. Despite leaving dozens of phone messages begging for forgiveness, Meat Loaf never heard from Parr again. During his late 1980s tour of Europe, Meat Loaf picked up pianist Frank Doyle. Richard Raskin had made contributions to arrangements on previous musical tracks some years before and his style can still be heard on bass.
Music videos were created for several singles from the album, including "Getting Away with Murder" and "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries".[4] Several songs from the album were featured as bonus tracks on the 1998 CD re-release of Bad Attitude in lieu of their inclusion on The Very Best of Meat Loaf compilation album released the same year.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Execution Day" | Meat Loaf, Dick Wagner | 6:30 |
2. | "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries" | Michael Dan Ehmig, Alan Hodge | 5:00 |
3. | "Getting Away with Murder" | Terry Britten, Sue Shifrin | 3:49 |
4. | "One More Kiss (Night of the Soft Parade)" | John Golden, Meat Loaf | 5:40 |
5. | "Blind Before I Stop" | Paul Christie, Golden, Meat Loaf | 3:33 |
6. | "Burning Down" | Billy Rankin | 5:00 |
7. | "Standing on the Outside" | Steve George, John Lang, Richard Page | 3:57 |
8. | "Masculine" | Rick Derringer, Jake Hooker, Bernard Kenny | 4:23 |
9. | "Man and a Woman" | John Harris, Jerry Riopelle | 4:11 |
10. | "Special Girl" | Eddie Schwartz, Dave Tyson | 3:54 |
11. | "Rock 'n' Roll Hero" | John Wilcox | 4:30 |
Personnel
Band
- Meat Loaf — lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 6, 8), guitar (5), additional guitars (2)
- John Parr — guest vocals (2)
- Mats Björklynd — guitars (1, 2, 3, 8), bass (3, 6), keys, programming, drums (5, 9)
- Johan Daansen — guitars (2, 7, 10)
- Peter Weihe — guitars
- Dieter Petereit — bass
- John Golden — bass (2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
- Harry Baierl — piano (4, 7, 8), keyboards, programming (2)
- Pit Löw — keyboards and programming
- Mel Collins — saxophone (1, 3, 6)
- Curt Cress — drums
- Amy Goff — female vocals (9), backing vocals
- Frank Farian — additional vocals (2), backing vocals (6)
- Peter Bischof — vocals
- Bert Gebhard — vocals
- Bimey Oberreit — vocals
- Elaine Goff — vocals
- The Jackson Singers — choir (1, 6, 7)
Singles
- "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries" #31 UK
- "Blind Before I Stop" #89 UK
- "Special Girl" #81 UK
Charts
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 51 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 36 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] | 21 |
UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 28 |
References
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/blind-before-i-stop-mw0000190872
- Ruhlmann, William. "Meat Loaf Blind Before I Stop review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
- Dickson, Dave (2 October 1986). "Meat Loaf 'Blind Before I Stop'". Kerrang!. 130. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. p. 19.
- http://www.mtv.com/#/music/artist/meatloaf/artist.jhtml
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Meat Loaf – Blind Before I Stop" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Meat Loaf – Blind Before I Stop". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- "Swisscharts.com – Meat Loaf – Blind Before I Stop". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- "Meat Loaf | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2016.