Meatloaf [not dead, don't worry]

Listened to Bat out of Hell this morning and I was mildly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. My dad used to play it in the car when I was a kid and I always thought it was kind of silly and fun, but I realise now how clever a lot of it is, how Steinman merges together classic 50s rock’n’roll, 60s girl groups, heavy metal, power ballads, weird operatic tropes, even disco and funk… it’s all so massive and epic and stupidly joyful. Very hard to feel upset when you’re singing along to Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

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don’t know most of his stuff but I love bat out of hell the song, really just makes me feel happy and inspired for some reason.

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Thanks for the update Theo!

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Yeah, it’s all so major key and jubilant, even with the “dark”, gothy lyrics.

Real guilty pleasure stuff, but pleasurable nonetheless. Great stuff to listen to on a Friday night leaving work.

:heart: Jim

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he’s still alive? weird, thought he’d died for some reason

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Released an album only 18 months ago!

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And look at the artwork!

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Isn’t that Andrew Eldritch?

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Oops, replying to the wrong post, no that’s Jim Steinman, he’s worked with Eldritch though.

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I think there’s a few members of the e street band playing on Bat Out of Hell.

It’s one of those albums that, even if you don’t like what they’re trying to do, there’s no denying it’s perfectly executed.

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Yep, Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan (according to Wikipedia).

I love how ridiculous it is. What other album history could begin like this:

“The album developed from a musical, Neverland , a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan , which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974, and performed at the Kennedy Center Music Theatre Lab in 1977.”

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" Its musical style is influenced by Steinman’s appreciation of Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen and The Who."

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Saw the Meatloaf musical last year and it was excellent. Not sure the man himself has the chops anymore, but the records stand up (as a guilty pleasure).

As mentioned upthread, even if it isn’t your bag, you can’t fault the tracks.

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Yes I was joking, weird how Steinman and Eldritch share the same glasses.

Oh, I didn’t know who Eldritch was until I looked him up so it was lost on me I’m afraid.

I remember when the Bat Out Of Hell LP was number 1 for ages (late 70’s?). I hadn’t heard it but the artwork was great, really captured the imagination plus I couldn’t dream how a song could have such a long running time (Bat Out Of Hell). I discussed it with a classmate who was convinced the guy on the sleeve riding the motorbike out of hell was meant to actually be Meat Loaf. Eventually I taped the album when I stayed at my Uncle’s one weekend when I was about 11 and it’s drama and theatrics didn’t disappoint at all.

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andreweldritch

Steinman produced the 2nd version of The Sisters Of Mercy.