The Dream Engine
Encyclopedia
The Dream Engine is the name of a music performance group created by Jim Steinman
and Steven Rinkoff
, first publicly presented in 2006. They only performed songs written or co-written by Steinman. TDE did live performances, and worked on studio recordings.
The people in this project were the first ever to publicly perform the songs "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most", "We're Still The Children We Once Were", "Speaking in Tongues", "Not Allowed to Love", and "(It Hurts) Only When I Feel". The last of those songs is partly adapted from "If It Ain't Broke (Break It)". This project was also the first to perform a revised and politicized lyric to "Braver Than We Are". With the new lyric, the song has alternatively been called "An American Elegy" and "God's Gone A.W.O.L.".
This project has not performed or been active in public since 2006, aside from having a website and myspace page.
Jim Steinman
was one of the two creators of The Dream Engine. His past work includes composing for the musical Tanz der Vampire, writing lyrics for the musical Whistle Down the Wind
, writing all of the music and lyrics on the Meat Loaf
albums Bat out of Hell
and Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell
, and writing and/or producing material sung by such performers as Celine Dion
, Bonnie Tyler
, Air Supply
, Tina Arena
, The Sisters of Mercy
, Billy Squier
, and others.
TDE was expected to record only songs that Steinman wrote, or in a small number of cases co-wrote. Steinman was also involved as co-producer of their unreleased recordings.
was co-creator of TDE and co-producer of their unreleased recordings. He has worked with Jim Steinman since 1986, on many projects, as an engineer, co-producer, and mixer, as well as on many recordings that did not involve Jim Steinman (for artists including Eric Clapton
, Paul McCartney
, The Bangles
and Billy Idol
). Rinkoff is Steinman's partner in Ravenous Records
, their record label.
In his December 28, 2006, blog entry, Jim Steinman
mentioned Rinkoff's primary leadership role with the group. Steinman wrote, "THE DREAM ENGINE, guided by Rinkoff, continues. I know it's better if he communiates (sic) directly with you on that. But Im (sic) sure it will be stunning."
is a vocalist and actor. Rob Evan
and/or Adrienne Warren
sang lead vocals on almost every song that TDE performs. Evan has been in many musical theater
productions, including Les Misérables
, Little Shop of Horrors
, Dance of the Vampires
(as a backup for Michael Crawford
), Hello, Dolly!
, Jesus Christ Superstar
, Chess
, and many others. Most notably, he played the title roles in the original Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde, continuing for over 600 performances. Evan has also been a featured vocalist for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
.
was a vocalist for TDE. She and/or Rob Evan sang lead vocals on almost every song that TDE performed. Adrienne has also performed for Trans-Siberian Orchestra
.
was a vocalist for TDE, doing primarily backup vocals
. She has a long history working with Jim Steinman. She was a vocalist on the 1989 album called Original Sin by Pandora's Box
. This album was produced by Steinman, with Steven Rinkoff, and contained mostly songs that Steinman wrote. On this album, Caswell performed the very first recording of the song "It's All Coming Back To Me Now
", which would later become a hit in 1996 with Celine Dion
as the vocalist. Caswell has performed this song with TDE at their live shows. She has sung on TV and radio advertisements
, as a backup vocalist for TV performances, and as a backup vocalist on many music albums.
duo East to West
. He also appeared in two musicals called David and The Rock & The Rabbi, both based on the Bible
.
album, Original Sin. He has orchestrated many Broadway musicals
, and written original music, including the score for the musical Fame!.
was a guitar player for TDE. He performs with the Alex Skolnick Trio
. He has performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
, Savatage
and Testament
, and in touring productions of Jekyll and Hyde
.
.
album Symphony, which won the Grammy Award
for "Best Pop Instrumental".
area. He has been active on Broadway since the mid-1990s, and was music director for the rock musical High Fidelity
. He was the conductor for the rock musical Spring Awakening in the summer of 2007, and prior to that guest conducted the Four Seasons musical Jersey Boys
.
was a special guest at some of the TDE shows at Joe's Pub
in New York City
in 2006. She performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart
" and "Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
", which was a duet with Rob Evan. Both of those are songs she recorded in the 1980s with Jim Steinman as writer and producer (the second of those songs was recorded with Steven Rinkoff as engineer).
was a featured singer with this group for some shows, but had left before the March 2006 shows. She has released solo albums, and has been a backup vocalist for many well-known performers.
In 2005, many of the same people who are involved in TDE (including Rob Evan, Elaine Caswell, Steve Margoshes and others) performed at live shows called Over The Top. These shows were prepared by the same people as TDE's shows, and were similar to the TDE shows in that only songs written or co-written by Jim Steinman were performed. These were held in January 2005 at Joe's Pub in New York City, and then in June 2005 at the Mohegan Sun
Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
.
Several of these performance shows, both as Over The Top and as The Dream Engine were bootlegged by fans and circulated on the internet, despite this being forbidden by Steven Rinkoff
. Those bootleg recordings are the basis for what is on this Wikipedia page regarding the material performed.
on September 16, 2006. They were "What Part of My Body Hurts The Most" followed by "We're Still the Children We Once Were". The four main vocalists were accompanied by Steve Margoshes on piano. This was part of an induction ceremony for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Rob Evan has a historical link to this organization, due to having been a recipient of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Talent Award in 1989. Rob Evan is a native of Monticello, Georgia
.
"Is Nothing Sacred
", "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
", the instrumental intro called "Great Boleros of Fire", "(It Hurts) Only When I Feel", "Loving You's A Dirty Job But Somebody's Got To Do It", "Safe Sex", "Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are
", the revised "Braver Than We Are" (alternate titles have been "An American Elegy" and "God's Gone A.W.O.L."), "It's All Coming Back To Me Now
", "Not Allowed To Love", "Total Eclipse of the Heart
", "What Part of My Body Hurts The Most", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
", "We're Still The Children We Once Were", "Angels Arise", "Speaking in Tongues", "For Crying Out Loud".
The same website has said that the following songs have been recorded (perhaps as a demo only) and are at various stages of completion/consideration: "Not Allowed To Love", "In The Land Of The Pig The Butcher Is King", "Speaking In Tongues", "Confessions", "Seize The Night", "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be" and others.
The website has mentioned in the past that TDE has recorded to some extent the song "Cry to Heaven", as a vocal quartet.
began to say:
Currently Steven is developing the group, THE DREAM ENGINE. The project brings new songs, new lyrics, and soaring new voices to the rock operatic imagination of Jim Steinman. 2006 will launch the live shows and a much anticipated CD.
This suggested that The Dream Engine would release a CD in 2006. Since then however TDE has not firmly committed to a release date for a CD, or to whether or not such a thing will be released.
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
and Steven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff is a Grammy Award–winning record producer, mixer, and sound engineer, best known for his work with songwriter-producer Jim Steinman...
, first publicly presented in 2006. They only performed songs written or co-written by Steinman. TDE did live performances, and worked on studio recordings.
The people in this project were the first ever to publicly perform the songs "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most", "We're Still The Children We Once Were", "Speaking in Tongues", "Not Allowed to Love", and "(It Hurts) Only When I Feel". The last of those songs is partly adapted from "If It Ain't Broke (Break It)". This project was also the first to perform a revised and politicized lyric to "Braver Than We Are". With the new lyric, the song has alternatively been called "An American Elegy" and "God's Gone A.W.O.L.".
This project has not performed or been active in public since 2006, aside from having a website and myspace page.
Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
was one of the two creators of The Dream Engine. His past work includes composing for the musical Tanz der Vampire, writing lyrics for the musical Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (musical)
Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
, writing all of the music and lyrics on the Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
albums Bat out of Hell
Bat out of Hell
Bat Out of Hell is the second album by American rock musician Meat Loaf, and his first collaboration with composer Jim Steinman, released in October 1977 on Cleveland International/Epic Records #PE-34974. Selling approximately 200,000 copies per year as of 2010, it is the fifth best-selling album...
and Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell
Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell
Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell is a 1993 studio album by Meat Loaf and was written and produced by Jim Steinman. It was released sixteen years after Meat Loaf's second solo album Bat Out of Hell. It reached #1 in the US, the UK and Australia...
, and writing and/or producing material sung by such performers as Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, Air Supply
Air Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
, Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
, The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
, and others.
TDE was expected to record only songs that Steinman wrote, or in a small number of cases co-wrote. Steinman was also involved as co-producer of their unreleased recordings.
Steven Rinkoff
Steven RinkoffSteven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff is a Grammy Award–winning record producer, mixer, and sound engineer, best known for his work with songwriter-producer Jim Steinman...
was co-creator of TDE and co-producer of their unreleased recordings. He has worked with Jim Steinman since 1986, on many projects, as an engineer, co-producer, and mixer, as well as on many recordings that did not involve Jim Steinman (for artists including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
and Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
). Rinkoff is Steinman's partner in Ravenous Records
Ravenous Records
Ravenous Records, a division of Ravenous Entertainment, was formed in 1998 by Jim Steinman and Steven Rinkoff. Rinkoff best explained the purpose of the label in a May 2005 interview with BroadwayWorld.com, "Jim and I have a label called Ravenous Records where initially the idea was just to find...
, their record label.
In his December 28, 2006, blog entry, Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
mentioned Rinkoff's primary leadership role with the group. Steinman wrote, "THE DREAM ENGINE, guided by Rinkoff, continues. I know it's better if he communiates (sic) directly with you on that. But Im (sic) sure it will be stunning."
Rob Evan
Rob EvanRob Evan
Rob Evan is a singer and actor, best known as a lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on several music albums.-Personal:...
is a vocalist and actor. Rob Evan
Rob Evan
Rob Evan is a singer and actor, best known as a lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on several music albums.-Personal:...
and/or Adrienne Warren
Adrienne Warren
Adrienne Lefon Warren is a professional singing, acting and dancing performer.-Personal:Adrienne Lefon Warren on May 6, 1987. She was a student at Marymount Manhattan College, studying theater and musical theater, and graduated in May 2009...
sang lead vocals on almost every song that TDE performs. Evan has been in many musical theater
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
productions, including Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
, Dance of the Vampires
Dance of the Vampires
Dance of the Vampires is a musical remake of a 1967 Roman Polanski film of the same name . Polanski also directed the original German production of this musical...
(as a backup for Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
), Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
, Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
, and many others. Most notably, he played the title roles in the original Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde, continuing for over 600 performances. Evan has also been a featured vocalist for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
.
Adrienne Warren
Adrienne WarrenAdrienne Warren
Adrienne Lefon Warren is a professional singing, acting and dancing performer.-Personal:Adrienne Lefon Warren on May 6, 1987. She was a student at Marymount Manhattan College, studying theater and musical theater, and graduated in May 2009...
was a vocalist for TDE. She and/or Rob Evan sang lead vocals on almost every song that TDE performed. Adrienne has also performed for Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
.
Elaine Caswell
Elaine CaswellElaine Caswell
-Jim Steinman:Over the years Caswell has sung on demos for composer and lyricist Jim Steinman, many of which have been released to the public. These include demos for the songs "Braver Than We Are", "Vampires in Love" and a minor part on the demo for "In the Land of the Pig The Butcher Is...
was a vocalist for TDE, doing primarily backup vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. She has a long history working with Jim Steinman. She was a vocalist on the 1989 album called Original Sin by Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box (band)
Pandora's Box was a female pop music group assembled by Jim Steinman in the 1980s. Some of its members had previously worked with Steinman, in the ensemble Fire Inc., on the album Bat Out of Hell, on live shows and on other studio recordings...
. This album was produced by Steinman, with Steven Rinkoff, and contained mostly songs that Steinman wrote. On this album, Caswell performed the very first recording of the song "It's All Coming Back To Me Now
It's All Coming Back to Me Now
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a power ballad, written by Jim Steinman. According to Steinman the song was inspired by Wuthering Heights, and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create. The Sunday Times posits that "Steinman protects his songs as if they...
", which would later become a hit in 1996 with Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
as the vocalist. Caswell has performed this song with TDE at their live shows. She has sung on TV and radio advertisements
Radio commercial
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%. Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing...
, as a backup vocalist for TV performances, and as a backup vocalist on many music albums.
Neal Coomer
Neal Coomer was a vocalist for TDE, doing primarily backup vocals. He was a member of the Christian musicChristian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
duo East to West
East to West
East to West was a Contemporary Christian music duo from Cleveland, Tennessee formed in 1993.-Background:Neal Coomer and Jay DeMarcus met in Cleveland, TN at Lee College, which is now Lee University and decided to form a Christian pop group along the lines of Level 42 or Go West...
. He also appeared in two musicals called David and The Rock & The Rabbi, both based on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Steve Margoshes
Steve Margoshes played piano at TDE's live performances. He has been verbally credited with the vocal arrangements for these performances. He was credited with piano and vocal arrangements on a demo recording of the song "We're Still The Children We Once Were". This is the recording that appeared on TDE's myspace page beginning in August 2006. Margoshes has collaborated with Jim Steinman since the 1970s, providing orchestrations for many of Steinman's albums and projects, including Pray Lewd on the Pandora's BoxPandora's Box (band)
Pandora's Box was a female pop music group assembled by Jim Steinman in the 1980s. Some of its members had previously worked with Steinman, in the ensemble Fire Inc., on the album Bat Out of Hell, on live shows and on other studio recordings...
album, Original Sin. He has orchestrated many Broadway musicals
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, and written original music, including the score for the musical Fame!.
Alex Skolnick
Alex SkolnickAlex Skolnick
Alexander Nathan Skolnick is an American jazz and metal guitarist. He was a member of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Testament from 1983 until his departure in 1993...
was a guitar player for TDE. He performs with the Alex Skolnick Trio
Alex Skolnick Trio
The Alex Skolnick Trio is an American jazz music trio comprising the guitarist Alex Skolnick, Matt Zebroski on drums, and Nathan Peck on bass. Previously, John Davis played bass for the group. The Trio is known for its inventive jazz take on hard rock and heavy metal "standards"...
. He has performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
, Savatage
Savatage
Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.-Early days :...
and Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, and in touring productions of Jekyll and Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...
.
Matt Zebroski
Matt Zebroski played drums for TDE. He also performs with the Alex Skolnick TrioAlex Skolnick Trio
The Alex Skolnick Trio is an American jazz music trio comprising the guitarist Alex Skolnick, Matt Zebroski on drums, and Nathan Peck on bass. Previously, John Davis played bass for the group. The Trio is known for its inventive jazz take on hard rock and heavy metal "standards"...
.
Mat Fieldes
Mat Fieldes played bass for TDE. He has a master's degree in music performance from The Juilliard School. He has performed on a wide variety of live performances and recordings, including the Joe JacksonJoe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
album Symphony, which won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Pop Instrumental".
Adam Ben-David
Adam Ben-David played keyboards for TDE, in addition to the performance by Steven Margoshes. He is a keyboardist, conductor and music director who works in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area. He has been active on Broadway since the mid-1990s, and was music director for the rock musical High Fidelity
High Fidelity (musical)
High Fidelity is a musical with a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, lyrics by Amanda Green, and music by Tom Kitt. Based primarily on the Nick Hornby novel rather than the subsequent film version it inspired, the plot focuses on Rob Gordon, a Brooklyn record shop owner in his thirties obsessed with...
. He was the conductor for the rock musical Spring Awakening in the summer of 2007, and prior to that guest conducted the Four Seasons musical Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
.
Bonnie Tyler
Though not featured at every TDE performance, Bonnie TylerBonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
was a special guest at some of the TDE shows at Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub at Public Theater is a nightclub that hosts live performances regularly. The venue, which is a non-profit operation, is located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan, New York City...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2006. She performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night...
" and "Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
"Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It" is a pop song written and composed by Jim Steinman and has been released in 1986 by Bonnie Tyler in duet with Todd Rundgren...
", which was a duet with Rob Evan. Both of those are songs she recorded in the 1980s with Jim Steinman as writer and producer (the second of those songs was recorded with Steven Rinkoff as engineer).
Nicki Richards
Nicki RichardsNicki Richards
Nicki Richards is an American singer, songwriter, producer, actor based in Manhattan, New York City. She is also known as a backing singer for a number of renowned artists and on a big number of studio recordings. Her father was a high ranking African-American naval officer and her mother, Donna...
was a featured singer with this group for some shows, but had left before the March 2006 shows. She has released solo albums, and has been a backup vocalist for many well-known performers.
Early 2006 And Before
The first TDE performances were in February 2006, at Joe's Pub in New York City. These were followed by another set of shows in March 2006, at the same location.In 2005, many of the same people who are involved in TDE (including Rob Evan, Elaine Caswell, Steve Margoshes and others) performed at live shows called Over The Top. These shows were prepared by the same people as TDE's shows, and were similar to the TDE shows in that only songs written or co-written by Jim Steinman were performed. These were held in January 2005 at Joe's Pub in New York City, and then in June 2005 at the Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
.
Several of these performance shows, both as Over The Top and as The Dream Engine were bootlegged by fans and circulated on the internet, despite this being forbidden by Steven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff is a Grammy Award–winning record producer, mixer, and sound engineer, best known for his work with songwriter-producer Jim Steinman...
. Those bootleg recordings are the basis for what is on this Wikipedia page regarding the material performed.
September 2006
TDE performed two songs in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
on September 16, 2006. They were "What Part of My Body Hurts The Most" followed by "We're Still the Children We Once Were". The four main vocalists were accompanied by Steve Margoshes on piano. This was part of an induction ceremony for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Rob Evan has a historical link to this organization, due to having been a recipient of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Talent Award in 1989. Rob Evan is a native of Monticello, Georgia
Monticello, Georgia
Monticello is the largest city and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia , United States. The population was 2,428 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Monticello is located at ....
.
Repertoire at Live Performances
This is a list of songs TDE has performed at their live shows in 2006:"Is Nothing Sacred
Is Nothing Sacred
"Is Nothing Sacred" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Don Black. It has been recorded by Meat Loaf twice. Jim Steinman composed the music while Don Black wrote the lyrics to this ballad. The song was originally recorded for the 1998 album The Very Best of Meat Loaf, with lead vocals by Meat...
", "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
The Future Ain't What It Used to Be is the third full-length release by Deepspace5. The title could reference a Yogi Berra quote.- Track listing :# Introducing the Future# From the Outside# Spit Shine# Lord Willing# Black Magic# Oh Geez...
", the instrumental intro called "Great Boleros of Fire", "(It Hurts) Only When I Feel", "Loving You's A Dirty Job But Somebody's Got To Do It", "Safe Sex", "Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are
Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are
"Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are" is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was released in 1994 as the third single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and it reached #38 on US's Billboard Hot 100, and #26 in...
", the revised "Braver Than We Are" (alternate titles have been "An American Elegy" and "God's Gone A.W.O.L."), "It's All Coming Back To Me Now
It's All Coming Back to Me Now
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a power ballad, written by Jim Steinman. According to Steinman the song was inspired by Wuthering Heights, and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create. The Sunday Times posits that "Steinman protects his songs as if they...
", "Not Allowed To Love", "Total Eclipse of the Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night...
", "What Part of My Body Hurts The Most", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
Two out of Three Ain't Bad
"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a love song by the American musician Meat Loaf in his solo career, preceded by "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" and followed by "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". It is a track off his 1977 album Bat out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman. It reached #11 on...
", "We're Still The Children We Once Were", "Angels Arise", "Speaking in Tongues", "For Crying Out Loud".
Repertoire for Recording
According to their official website, in August 2006 TDE was near finished recording and mixing versions of these songs: "What Part of My Body Hurts The Most", "Safe Sex", "We're Still the Children We Once Were", "(It Hurts) Only When I Feel", "Braver Than We Are", and "Is Nothing Sacred".The same website has said that the following songs have been recorded (perhaps as a demo only) and are at various stages of completion/consideration: "Not Allowed To Love", "In The Land Of The Pig The Butcher Is King", "Speaking In Tongues", "Confessions", "Seize The Night", "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be" and others.
The website has mentioned in the past that TDE has recorded to some extent the song "Cry to Heaven", as a vocal quartet.
Regarding the Release of Recordings
In early 2006, the webpage for Steven RinkoffSteven Rinkoff
Steven Rinkoff is a Grammy Award–winning record producer, mixer, and sound engineer, best known for his work with songwriter-producer Jim Steinman...
began to say:
Currently Steven is developing the group, THE DREAM ENGINE. The project brings new songs, new lyrics, and soaring new voices to the rock operatic imagination of Jim Steinman. 2006 will launch the live shows and a much anticipated CD.
This suggested that The Dream Engine would release a CD in 2006. Since then however TDE has not firmly committed to a release date for a CD, or to whether or not such a thing will be released.