Bat Out of Hell

by Meat Loaf

Overview

There is no other album like Bat Out of Hell, unless you want to count the sequel. This is Grand Guignol pop -- epic, gothic, operatic, and silly, and it's appealing because of all of this. Jim Steinman was a composer without peer, simply because nobody else wanted to make mini-epics like this. And there never could have been a singer more suited for his compositions than Meat Loaf, a singer partial to bombast, albeit shaded bombast. The compositions are staggeringly ridiculous, yet Meat Loaf finds the emotional core in each song, bringing true heartbreak to "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," and sly humor to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." There's no discounting the production of Todd Rundgren, either, who gives Steinman's self-styled grandiosity a production that's staggeringly big but never overwhelming and always alluring. While the sentiments are deliberately adolescent and filled with jokes and exaggerated cliches, there's real (albeit silly) wit behind these compositions, not just in the lyrics but in the music, which is a savvy blend of oldies pastiche, show tunes, prog rock, Springsteen-esque narratives, and blistering hard rock (thereby sounding a bit like an extension of Rocky Horror Picture Show, which brought Meat Loaf to the national stage). It may be easy to dismiss this as ridiculous, but there's real style and craft here and its kitsch is intentional. It may elevate adolescent passion to operatic dimensions, and that's certainly silly, but it's hard not to marvel at the skill behind this grandly silly, irresistible album. [A 2001 bonus-track edition of Bat Out of Hell included previously unreleased live material: an epic, 11-minute version of the title track and its intro "Great Boleros of Fire."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/30/2001
Label:	Epic/Legacy
UPC:	0074646217122
Rank:	15325

Tracks

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
5. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
6. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
7. For Crying Out Loud
8. Great Boleros of Fire
9. Bat Out of Hell

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Meat Loaf   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background),Vocals,Percussion
Phil Rizzuto   Guest Artist,Vocals
Max Weinberg   Guest Artist,Drums
Edgar Winter   Guest Artist,Saxophone
Todd Rundgren   Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Kasim Sulton   Vocals (Background),Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Rory Dodd   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Cheryl Hardwick   Piano
Roger Powell   Synthesizer
Steve Margoshes   Piano
Philadelphia Orchestra   Strings
John Wilcox   Drums
Ed Sprague   Recorder
Jimmy Iovine   Recorder
Cher   Featured Artist
Marvin Lee Aday   Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Ellen Foley   Vocals,Lead Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
John Jansen   Recorder
Roy Bittan   Piano,Keyboards
Mark Thomas   Recorder
Jim Steinman   Keyboards,Percussion
New York Philharmonic   Strings,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Michael Brauer   Mixing
Amy Herot   Reissue Producer
Jim Steinman   Writer,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Vocal Effect,Cover Art Concept
New York Philharmonic   Orchestration
Maurice Ravel   Composer
Todd Rundgren   Mixing,Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Stephen Saper   Engineer
Charlie Conrad   Consultant
Frank Laffitte   Photography
Steve Margoshes   Arranger,Orchestral Arrangements
Ed Sprague   Engineer
Ed Lee   Design,Illustrations
Jimmy Iovine   Engineer,Remixing
Kenny Ascher   String Arrangements
Joe Brescio   Mastering
Arthur Levy   Liner Notes
John Jansen   Engineer,Remixing
Scott Hull   Mastering
Mark Thomas   Engineer
Meat Loaf   Composer,Producer