The Other
CHILDRENl
Release And Reaction
MCA Press Kit Text
"Q" Magazine Review
MCA News: 5/84
Jim Steinman's Fire Inc. release a new single, "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young," on MCA Records on May 28th. The record is taken from the soundtrack of the forthcoming major movie "Streets Of Fire," which is directed by Walter Hill and is due for release in the U.K. in the late summer. The track is backed by Ry Cooder's "Hold That Snake" which is also produced by Steinman*.
"Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young" was both written and produced by Steinman and features newcomer Holly Sherwood on lead vocals, ably assisted by Rory Dodd and Eric Troyer. The record is undoubtedly one of Steinman's finest productions to date, and features the powerful widescreen sound which has become his trademark.
Over the last six years, Jim Steinman has proved himself to be one of the world's most in-demand producers, ever since he debuted with the multi-million selling "Bat Out Of Hell" album by Meat Loaf. Apart from his own highly successful "Bad For Good" set, he has also produced Bonnie Tyler's worldwide No.1 "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" and is shortly due in the studio to work with Barbra Streisand.
*"Hold That Snake" was produced by Ry Cooder. This mis-print occurs in the original press release text.
"Q" Magazine Review: 9/84
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
'Streets Of Fire'
MCA MCD 03221 ***
Deep down in every youngster's heart lurks, I am sure, a deep love for all those clichéd images of rock 'n' roll rebellion, being born to run (or born to comb your hair in Cadillac mirrors - it comes to pretty much the same thing!) and being too fast to live etc. etc.
Tarnished though the ideas are, they live on successfully and even powerfully in the music of people like Bruce Springsteen, Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.
Now all these artists are people that I should theoretically loathe, but when I hear something like "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" - one of the greatest songs ever - I can't help mooning over the fact that I wasn't born in the US of A.
This LP is the soundtrack for what purports to be a "rock 'n' roll fable," dealing with "kissing in the air...high speed pursuit...jokes in tough situations...and questions of honour."
Sounds like schmuck, right? Right!
It does have a couple of classic tracks - both sung by Fire Inc. and written by none other than that modern-day Wagnerian genius Jim Steinman, as well as passable songs by old bores' fave Ry Cooder ("Hold That Snake") a reasonable Steinmanian ballad by Maria McKee, and two OK-ish r'n'b numbers by the Blasters. The McKee tune is written by all-American boy Tom Petty, who is another brat quite capable of serving up memorable slices of almost nauseous melodrama.
The other songs on this album are ghastly.
Anything that Jim Steinman has involvement with is alright by me, but it's hardly an album I could recommend to anyone except the most hardened Yankophile.
- Tibet
