Classic Album #18 - Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell

[Shireblogger]

My last pick was atrocious, so I thought I would at least choose an album I know this time. The last couple of Haven Classic Albums have been pretty earnest affairs, so, as it is December, I thought I'd go for something that is more fun.

Let your hair down, turn the volume up to 11, and let the sirens scream way down in the valley tonight. For December's Classic Album is "Bat Out Of Hell" by Mr M Loaf.


There have been countless reissues, but we are going for the original vinyl version:-

Side one

1. "Bat Out of Hell"
2. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"
3. "Heaven Can Wait"
4. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go"

Side two

5. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
6. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
I. Paradise
II. Let Me Sleep On It
III. Praying for the End of Time
7. "For Crying Out Loud"

[o]

I listened to this as a kid, so reckon my older brother must have had a copy, cant see my dad having it
Good choice, still remember Paradise by the dashboard light!

[Earl Purple]

The album that features my #1 song of all time..

Let's see what the other reviewers have to say about it.

[Whitneyfan]

Every track is 10/10 for me!!

[vastar iner]

In 1970 the then still-somewhat-hippyish Deep Purple did a concert, and album, with the London Philharmonic. That might have lodged somewhere in Jim Steinman’s mind as a few years later he tag-teamed with the Rocky Horror Show performer Marvin Aday to create some sort of meld between rock and classic.

Back in the day “Dead Ringer For Love” was an early vasbuy. I had no idea of the heritage of Maltloaf or Steinman or Bonnie Tyler or anything; BooH had not been on the mainstream radar. It was just a rip-roaring headlong wall of sound thrash. So I come to BooH with that sort of retconning as a threat to a review…

So then, the first track, “like a bat out of hell I’ll be gone when the morning comes”. That doesn’t make much sense. Wouldn’t bats go INTO hell when the morning comes? Anyway, it’s orchestral, bombastic, at times glorious, but somewhat overlong and ends up rehashing old ground again and again. It seems to be a 12 inch that would be better as a 7.

Now someone talking in extremely bad acting about what appears to be a werewolf. Then a sort of Fleetwood Mac guitar kicks in. Would-be rock-god. Has an air of early sixties about it. The bombast is reduced. It sounds like a Wizzard out-take, without the humour and self-awareness. A normal pop song with orchestra. Again though it’s over-long. Clocks in at over 5 minutes, but could easily be cut down to 3.

And then the bombast is entirely reduced as it goes MTV Unplugged; piano and Loaf. And not much else. Dull. Next.

I’m actually quite surprised by this album; I thought it would be an overwhelming rock opera beast. It’s not. The first four songs are different in tone; “All Revved Up” has something of the honky tonk in it. It ought to show off Malt’s voice pretty well, but there is so much instrumentation on it it is almost buried. The step up in speed at the end does not really work for me. Wrong song.

Although it might be to presage a change of pace as “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad” is a ballad. A dull one. Can imagine Lionel Richie doing this one. Before we go back to the honky tonk again. Eight minutes of Status Quo. Eeep. Not quite - it’s now a duet, and goes into a disco/funk jam part way through while we listen to the car radio. Wtf? Judging by the lyric, this is foreplay. Or sex. No, it seems to be that Malty strikes out. Until a jump in time. They seem to be married. Unhappily. Not so much paradise.

And now another acoustic to finish. Pianoloaf. Then it goes all sort of prog rock, changing into some sort of dreamscape, a song in three acts. This is the sort of thing I was expecting throughout the album. Finishes on “I love you”, which is an interesting and bold ending given the scope of the album.

So, overall, what of it? Um. I’m not really sure. It came across as, if not a parody, then something like Peter Grimes; an attempt to take something quotidian and elevate it to a higher art form. I’m not entirely sure it worked. The name Meatloaf is a big problem. I wonder whether it would have ben better off under Steinman’s name, or under a War of the Worlds-type credit. The album’s success seems to mirror its attitude to the world; the underdog that comes through in the end. It seems that the entire career of Tenacious D is based on this album’s ethos.

Musically, it’s ambitious, but a bit meh. Steinman’s song composition does not follow a regular structure, but to me it doesn’t quite work. Picasso learned all the rules in order to break them, I’m not sure Steinman ever really got them, so it seems a bit all over the shop for the sake of it. Worth a 5 out of 10 though just for the effort. Definitely a lot more interesting than Radiohead.

[Earl Purple]

Interesting you mention Tenacious D. I certainly think some of the drama of his has inherited the Meat Loaf concept. I never even noticed Tenacious D until after School of Rock when I started paying more attention to Jack Black, and then he had his huge hit in my chart in 2012.

Anyway, forget about Tenacious D because this is the 1970s and art-rock is the thing.

Never mind that in the USA, airplay is important and albums are mostly collections of singles but Jim Steinman didn't want to stick to convention.

Todd Rundgren is actually the producer, and some of the band are hired musicians from Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band. It was fairly common for many professional musicians to also work as session-musicians for other artists. They needed the money.

The opening track is the epic title track. In the single edit, it a few notes of intro and the first verse begins. Not so on the album. A bit of rock, then a slow bit of the chorus then the familiar piano bit that gets you to the bit the vocal comes in. Once the main part of the song is over, it goes into a totally new section which ends in him say "i never see the sudden curve until it's way too late.." with the sound of a motorbike crashing and the quiet bit as he sees himself dying. All in all, what a way to start the album.

The downside is that the next few songs are rather "ordinary" in comparison. Jim Steinman provides the spoken vocals for the exchange at the start of "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth". I think it was the title of this song that "attracted" me to Meat Loaf in 1978 as the song didn't do that well in the UK chart but had a very noticeable title, as well as the artist name being rather unusual. The song isn't that great though.

Heaven Can Wait: There was a film of that title out in 1978, the year this album was first popular, albeit that the album was recorded in 1977. It's just a very ordinary ballad though, nothing esciting.

All Revved Up With No Place To Go: Now for the "regular" songs, this is my favourite, however it does seem to be a blatant plagiarism on the Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil song "Home Of The Brave". I remember often feeling the same way in my late teens. Well not "revved" up as such, I didn't start riding any kind of motorbikes until I was 43, but the feeling of wanting to go out but not having anywhere to go.. or anyone to go with.. And I like how it explodes at the end.

That brings us to the end of side 1. Only 4 songs but long, especially the first one.

Side two will have just 3 songs. It starts with "Two out of three ain't bad". Maybe not quite as dull as "Heaven Can Wait" but again very ordinary. Apparently he was trying to write a more "simple" song and came up with this when presented with "I need you I want you i love you", changing the last part of it.

Ok, that stuff over, let's get to the great song ever... (no way is this 8 minutes of Status Quo). From the guitar rock intro at the start, we immediately feel "aah, at least another uptempo song" and the lyrics are getting a bit more interesting. Then a woman starts singing "ain't no doubt about it we were doubly blessed, cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed..." And you sit up and listen. It goes round again before he announces "we're gonna go all the way tonight, we're gonna go all the way and tonight's the night".. and you hear noises to the sound of a baseball commentary (which if you understand the game sounds like a late turnaround). As the commentator shouts "Holy Cow! I think he's gonna make it" the music stops and she shouts "Stop right there!.. I wanna know right now.." and here we get the exchange of her "will you love me forever" and his "let me sleep on it". At one point they even sing their parts together, blending so well. Finally we get into the 3rd part where he tells of how he couldn't take it anymore, and gave in and swore to love her until the end of time. And now they're praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive... Then once again as it fades out they both sing different lines, but they don't sing together but slightly asynchronised which adds to the extra speciality of the song. This song caused me to buy the album.

The final song is another ballad "For Crying Out Loud" which lasts 8 minutes but unlike its slow predecessors I actually like this song. He does actually show a lot of emotion as it reaches the climax in various parts.

All in all I have to give it 10/10 for hitting heights not ever hit elsewhere, even though one could skip a couple of the tracks and listen to only some if it. (In particular I'd skip Heaven Can Wait).

[o]

I'm having real trouble finding the tracks on youtube, and them actually working Keep getting an error occurred so youtube must be having a post-christmas fit
Will try again later

[Earl Purple]

[raliverpool]

Before this album was selected much like a raffle with a load of prizes I was actually getting a little embarrassed that a lot of my all time favourite albums were getting selected to review, as there are several classic GOAT album contenders that I think are overrated and deserve a bit of a take down; and there are a handful that I think are plain bloody awful. So I was willing someone to suggest an album which I think is less than great.

The album developed from a musical, Neverland, a sci-fi update of Peter Pan, which Jim Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. With the help of the Hair & Rocky Horror Show Broadway musical actor Michael Lee Aday they honed the Richard Wagner operatic rock opera vision until they had 7 songs, some of which were of significant length. After several attempts at landing a record deal they went to Bearsville studios in Woodstock where maverick genius DIY singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer/engineer Todd Rundgren was and played him the demos and explained their musical vision of a Wagnerian Broadway Rock Opera meets Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound performed by The Who. Rundgren quickly bought into the vision (He found the album hilarious, thinking that it was a parody of Springsteen. "I've got to do this album. It's just so out there.") and agreed to produce and engineer the album which he alongside his Utopia band mates, Edgar Winter, and three of Bruce Springsteen's E Street band to create this incredible monument of musical bombast in return for a 25% royalties cut. Still there was very little interest until an offshoot of Epic Records took on the album. Albeit with future production and record industry legend Jimmy Iovine (who finally as head of Interscope records quit the music industry in 2014 after rejecting his label's then biggest act Lady Gaga's original vision of the Artpop album project being released in contrast to the overhyped Born This Way with the concept of no advanced promotion, but fully fleshed out with videos for all the tracks just appearing one day to buy online as "An act of insanity". Only to see what happened when Beyonce's Beyonce album was released in exactly that manner; and Lady Gaga understandably got very very very fed up) who had mixed Springsteen's Born to Run album, remixed some of the tracks. But then lady luck played a part, or rather "Grease Is The Word" and post Elvis/pre Beatles 50s Rock'N'Roll nostalgia was in vogue and Epic records were able to capitalize and fund four promo films for the album, to help flog this bombast around the world, especially in the UK where the hipsters were rightly promoting the Punk/New Wave music scene. Personally, I'd much rather listen to Showaddywaddy, Darts or Racey.

Hence we come to this album (#. "Track" length - Rating out of 10):

Side one

1. "Bat Out of Hell" 9:50 - 3.0 - The Who's Baba O' Riley (Teenage Wastelands) meets Elton John's Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding) with all the greatness of those two wonderful tracks removed. Besides surely a bat would be going into hell, unless its describing Kevin Pietersen leaving the toxic atmosphere of the ECB and England cricket team's dressing room for the last time....
2. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" 5:04 -2.0 This starts off with a load of nonsense cod theatre lyrics before descending into a 1960s Phil Spector girl group parody. There was a very good reason Spector's melodramas rarely lasted over 3 minutes as their sickly sweetness quickly makes you feel the same as after you have eaten too much chocolate.
3. "Heaven Can Wait" 4:41 - 0.5 - Imagine a bad Alfie Boe impersonator singing a 5th rate Barry Manilow track.
4. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" 4:19 -4.0 - The best track on a terrible album, probably as it sounds like an outtake from Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run.

Side two

5. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" 5:24 - 3.5 - Starts off as 1960s Bee Gees before quickly descending into sickly sweet overemoting semi operatic Phil Spector-esque melodrama.
6. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" 8:28 - 0.0 - The curse of other Karaoke singers. The most amazing thing about this track is it only lasts eight and a half minutes long yet to my ears it makes Genesis' Supper Ready www.youtube.com/watch?v=M58wE8GTGp4 seem as short as The Beatles' Her Majesty www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzb5QABCmak This hideous track belongs to a really bad musical theatre number. Jungleland this most definitely is not.
7. "For Crying Out Loud" 8:45 -1.0 - Liberace meets and end of Part 1 OTT operatic musical theatre number. It's certainly not worthy of Les Miserables let alone any Andrew Lloyd Webber vehicle.

Overall 1* (14 / 7 = 20.00% (30%- category)).

There is no rating system that can sum up how awful this album is. It is overblown, bombastic vileness beyond belief with absolutely nothing whatsoever to redeem it. It is very likely the worst music ever made. Far worse than the worst laziest rap music; the worst Syco/SAW/Louis Walsh 'Orish boyband manufactured pap; the worst most misogynous sexist RNB; the worst most vanilla, anaemic adult contemporary easy listening blandfest ..any of it. If this was meant as a Spinal Tap/Bad News/Thotch style rock n' roll parody, this would be a complete and utter total success. Sadly, that was not the case, this is the worst album of all time IMHO. It was responsible for putting me off listening to the back catalogue of Bruce Springsteen's first decade for a good 10-20 years longer than I should have done; and for me avoiding dipping into Queen's ^ album back catalogue for a good decade before finding out even at their most excessive and over indulgent they never got close to being as bad as this. If I ever hear it again it will be far too soon.

What's even more annoying is that it's on the surface this is an extremely well produced, engineered and executed album. The problem is that this royal treatment should not have been wasted on such abysmal material. Whilst Todd Rundgren has been responsible for producing many of the greatest pieces of music in recording history in the 20th Century which the average listener does not know.

So to my new add on, yes its a Spotify playlist comprised of most of the best of Todd Rundgren's production, songwriting, and solo (alongside his band Utopia's) material:



Meat Loaf studio album rates:

"I would do anything for Haven, I would do anything for Haven, I would do anything for Haven, but I won't review Meat Loaf's album back catalogue ...."

Still I think the song Dead Ringer For Love is brilliant, up there with Crazy Horses, and ironically No Matter What for songs I really like by acts I cannot stand.

* It gains the (bonus) 1 point purely for Jim Steinman & Meat Loaf turning down an approach a few years ago from British actor James Corden to turn this into a West End/Broadway musical vehicle possibly starring him. Which is ironic as much as I like James Corden as a comedy and serious actor but can't stand him as a presenter/host or guest on chatshows. I really think Marvin Lee Addy is a criminally underrated actor. He was great in Roadie; The Fight Club; and The 51st State certainly better than the vast majority of singers attempting to act.

^ Queen guitarist Brian May & drummer Roger Taylor have apparently played on several tracks on Meat Loaf's planned 2015 new studio album release "Braver Than We Are". Damn and blast.

[o]

Brings back memories, but doesn't appear to have aged so well, and comes across as overblown and overlong now.


1. "Bat Out of Hell" The classic epic track. 7/10
2. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" Good, but does begin to drag. 6/10
3. "Heaven Can Wait" Slows things down, a nice respite. 7/10
4. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" Like the sax, that's about it. 5/10
5. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" Another slowy, and a classic. 6/10
6. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" Not as good as I remember it. 5/10
I. Paradise 5/10
II. Let Me Sleep On It 4/10
III. Praying for the End of Time 5/10
7. "For Crying Out Loud" Perfect overblown end to the album. 5/10
Overall 6/10

[Shireblogger]

Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell

Context
I can’t remember when I first heard “Bat Out Of Hell” – it seems to have always been there. Which can’t be the case, because I was buying albums (by Abba, Showaddywaddy and K-Tel) before it was released. But it didn’t hit me with its bombast and overblown pretentions when I first heard it, which in retrospect seems strange. Anyway, I illegally taped it first, and then made it a relatively early addition to my CD collection.
7/10

General Overview
It was my choice for a Haven Classic Album Review, simply because I think it is great fun, in a rather immature sort of way. Played loud, in the car, on my way home from work on a Friday night, it sets me up perfectly for the weekend. On a good day, with no red lights, no roadworks and no tractors, I only need the title track plus “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, and I’m home with the week’s travails forgotten.
9/10

Intro & Outro
There’s just so much to smile at in “Bat Out Of Hell”. Yes, I know the lyrics are about a premature and violent death, but the boogie piano, the wailing guitars, and the soaring vocals are simply magnificent. It is almost 2 minutes before Mr Loaf actually makes an appearance, and about 8 minutes before we get to the point of the song. I just wish it was twice as long. At the other end “For Crying Out Loud” is a single, conventional idea, over-extended.
8/10

Music
If you had asked me to describe the album before listening closely enough to write this review, I would have waxed lyrical about the cod operatics, and about rock’n’roll meeting heavy metal. But I was surprised how much is subtle and understated. “Heaven Can Wait”, for example, could easily have a crooner cover it, and seem entirely fitting. The LP was released at a time when rose tinted 50s revivalism was in full swing, (q.v. “Grease”, Showaddywaddy, Darts, Matchbox, et al), and the album treads a fine line between pastiche and contemporary update. Nice work Mr Steinman.
9/10

Lyrics
Patchy. “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” is the undoubted highlight, with its girl power and repent at leisure messages. But we also get far too many driving metaphors, the worst of which is “There ain’t no Coupe de Ville in the bottom of a Crackerjack box”. And the teenage sexual innuendo can wear after a while.
6/10

Production & Sound
Awesome. Absolutely awesome. Motorbikes and bells. The baseball commentary as a euphemism for teenage groping. Of course there are times when it is a full-frontal assault. But there are also beautiful strings (on “Heaven Can Wait“, for example), and Todd Rundgren is happy to give us a break from the melodrama from time to time. Meat’s voice rarely gets the credit it deserves – he has passion and soul as well as the immense power, best exemplified on “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad”.
10/10

High Points
As I’ve already said, “Paradise…” and the title track, at full blast.
10/10

Low Points
There’s nothing I really don’t like on the album. But “All Revved Up…” and “For Crying Out Loud” fall short of the rest. And the childish pathetic spoken word intro to “You Took The Words…” sounds like a university sketch show parody of a third rate vampire movie.
6/10

Packaging
I don’t like it, despite its distinctiveness. I guess the schoolboy fantasy stylings complement the evocations of a misspent youth, but, like the covers of Yes and Asia LPs, this has never done it for me. Also, a black mark for not giving Ellen Foley a more prominent credit for her pivotal performance.
4/10

On balance
I learnt whilst listening to “Bat Out Of Hell” ahead of writing this review, that I like this album far more than I realised. Amazingly for such an in-your-face piece, after 37 years it is still growing on me. Also, I have a sore throat from singing along at full whack, and that is always a good sign.
9/10

TOTAL SCORE
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life ?
78/100.

For Haven:
8/10

[Earl Purple]

Dec 29, 2014 21:24:02 GMT 1 raliverpool said:

4. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" 4:19 -4.0 - The best track on a terrible album, probably as it sounds like an outtake from Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run.

It sounds to me like blatant plagiarism of "Home Of The Brave" written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. Pretty much exactly the same tune.

That song just came up in my retro playlist. (Jody Miller version). I didn't know the song until then, but it was "wait a minute, I know this song from somewhere..." and then I worked out where.