Reviews (page 2 of 14)
This album holds a special place in my life. My mum was obsessed with this album when it first came out so it reminds me of her… Unfortunately while it has some stand out moments, the title track and paradise by the dashboard light it also has some misses….for crying out loud, heaven can wait. But the good songs do a lot of heavy lifting though coupled with the nostalgia….. 3
Ahh Meat Loaf, your rock and roll musical is on the list. Yeah it's alright, the concept is fun but I'm not a musical guy so it's lost on me. I get the allure but in my head it's a lot of pomp and circumstance. Musically it's solid everything sounds good and well played/sung. The talent is definitely there as is the passion. Sadly it falls on deaf ears for me.
Lyder kæmpestort, meget fin balance mellem fed og for meget men det hælder mod fed langt det meste af tiden
It's strange to listen to this again in total after so many years. It's a beautiful story arc. I'd forgotten how delicate 'Heaven Can Wait' is; how well placed it is. Overall, the album sounds so much more like a musical than it did when I first heard it. Perhaps because I wasn't accustomed to musicals as a child, and possibly because it influenced so many more to come.
Idk why I thought meat loaf was a comedian (like weird al vibes) but this obviously exceeded my expectations His voice kinda gives Phil Collins in Tarzan
J'hésitais à mettre 4 étoiles simplement parce-que Paradise by the Dashboard Light c'est un grosse toune qui est nostalgique pour moi. Par contre la magie que s'opère dans cette track n'est pas assez présente dans le reste de l'album à mon avis.
good
3.5/5
Me gustaron las intros
I feel like I wanna see this musical now
Too pompous.
This has a Broadway naffness to it that’s hard to bypass, but its guts, heart and pyrotechnics guarantee its good faith, and it feels like the product of the bullied letting rip which knocks it into “probably should be here”.
Ça ferait de la belle musique pour une comédie musicale avec des gars de bicycle au coeur tendre. C’est tout de même élaboré comme affaire. L’instrumentation est impressionnante. On est à grand déploiement. Il semble y avoir une genre d’histoire qui traverse l’album, mais ce n’est pas clair. Les thèmes sont récurent en tous cas, ce qui fait que le mot album prend tout son sens. Au final, je ne suis pas fan du style, mais je suis content d’avoir écouté.
Du bon rock @ancienne qui fait plaiz. J'ai pas été très attentif à l'écoute mais y'a moy que ça mérite une meilleure note, je ré-écouterai. RIP Meat Loaf aussi.
Really fun, theatrical experience. Steinman's gloriously simple and overwrought songwriting empowers Meat Loaf's voice, which conveys emotion potently. More than anything, I'm not surprised that this album started a franchise and has been converted into a musical, because this is theater kid music. There's some great stuff on here, such as the opener, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, and You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth. If you give in to the schmaltz, you'll probably have a fun time with Bat Out of Hell.
Straight up rock musical. It's got more of the "ride a motorcycle into the sunset" aesthetic than I like, but he really powers through and adds in a bit of humour.
I can see why everyone loves this album. Just like how people are obsessed with musicals. I, however, am not into musicals very much, and thus am not a fan of the operatic nature of this album. The songs constantly shift in style and loudness to get the audience engaged. There's an over-reliance on hooks, but it often works. The best song is "Paradise by the Dashboard," with genre transitions that match the storytelling. Love the dialogue between characters. "Two Out of Three Aint Bad" is the best consistent song, retaining its identity without doing anything too outlandish that became a weakness of other songs. "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth" is really catchy and even I couldn't resist singing a lot to it. The title track is a decent opener that shows the direction this album will take. The other 3 songs are pretty forgettable.
Hm. Way more piano work than I exspected. I always thought Meat Loaf would sound more like maiden than Journey. This is Journey on pop 70s steroids
This is the bombastic, pervasive power rock pop album that dominated my youth. The only album which tackles topics such as a dude trying to get his girlfriend he doesn't love to bang him, while also bring advertised on the backs of late 70s marvel comics. It gets 3 stars because this is the only album on this list to feature the vocals of legendary Yankee broadcaster Phil Rizzutto
What a fun ride Bat Out Of Hell is! I am having visions of theater kids in the 70s getting so stoked to hear this record and perform its songs. It's definitely a helluva rock-n-roll musical and really made me smile this morning. I liked it as a whole, but You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth and Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad are my favs. I know more now why Meatloaf was made fun of and why he is beloved by his fans. What a killer show he must have done back in the day!
I don’t understand if I really liked it or not, especially after knowing this was written for a musical. I wouldn’t listen to it normally, but as a musical I understand the vibe they were looking for, really camp.
- Why is the title track so long, jeez - This is a very horny album that’s also profoundly unsexy, a bad combo - Wikipedia tells me many of the songs on this album were written for a musical, which tracks. I don’t think you should be legally allowed to have cover art of a dude riding a flying motorcycle out of hell in the middle of a graveyard, when the album itself is mostly melodramatic show tunes.
It seems to be not bad, but it's somehow boring, there's too much epicness and pathos that doesn't give anything. Rate 4/10
There is no amount of sauce that will make it taste better.
An assault of energy shoved at you with reckless desperation.
Musical-rock. Teatralsk og opulent. Det lyder som hvis Elton John prøvede at lave et metalalbum. At det er et af de mest solgte albums i historien kan kun forklares med af et utal af metalheads har købt albummet baseret på coveret. Og er blevet slemt skuffede når de kom hjem og satte det på.
Album is consistently theatrical. Good performances in general. Just not really my jam. 2.4/5.0
After applying the extra credit for NOT being electronica or country, that brings the score up to 2/5.
I just could not get into this record. Paradise by the Dashboard Light is fun enough, but even that song is pretty ridiculous.
I got tired of this so quickly. Bat Out Of Hell, I’d Do Anything For Love are obviously good but they are so fucking long. Maybe i’m missing the point but all I know is I was glad when it finished. 2.6/5.0 Best Song: Bat Out Of Hell
4/10 I was quite looking forward to this one. My initial expectations were based largely on the title track, which I’ve heard countless times over the years. It’s a pretty great blend of frantic, heavy and theatrical, all rolled into one high-camp and fairly ridiculous track. Sadly, after enjoying my journey back through the opener, the rest of the album went downhill fairly quickly. There were moments where it threatened to break back into what makes that track special, particularly through Paradise By The Dash Board Light, but for the most part, this albums was disappointingly boring. I mention during my track breakdown the similarities to Bruce Springsteen, and artist of whom I have little fondness and, while I typically prefer Meat Loaf’s voice to that of The Boss, that wasn’t enough for me to find this anything more than a fairly mundane stroll through some fairly uninspiring rock songs and even less inspiring ballads. And those ballads. Woof. I just do not buy the vocal delivery at all. It feels emotionally disconnected and insincere, which is something that really needs to connect for a ballad to have meaning for me. The musicianship was largely solid, the production likewise, but it all felt a bit by the numbers. There was nothing particularly edgy or exciting about the large majority of the album, and besides the two above mentioned tracks, the camp over-theatricality didn’t really extend to the rest of the album. It gets a few marks for those two tracks, but in all honestly, it didn’t do anything to make me want to bother revisiting it again in the future. Bat Out Of Hell - It's certainly an up tempo start to the album and then it works its way through some slower sections before we even get to the vocal. It takes metal, turns up the camp and theatre of it all to eleven in the most unapologetic way possible. There are so many changes and tweaks to what's going on that it often doesn't give you a moment to think before it shoots off again. It's kind of gloriously mad and frantic. There's some great musicianship and so much energy. It almost sounds like Meat Loaf is sprinting around the studio as he delivers his vocal in an over the top theatrical presentation. High camp, theatrical hard pop rock fun for all the family. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) - And just to emphasise the theatrical feel of things, we get a spoken word intro. This one is a bit less pacy and has an edge of Christmas song sound to it, which is partly the percussion, but the cadence of the melodies takes it that way too. It's sounds more halfway between a stage musical song and a Bruce Springsteen one, but without having to listen to Springsteen sing, which is a plus. It didn't really grab me as much as the opener, but it's not bad. Heaven Can Wait - This one isn't as interesting. it retains the theatrical presentation, but it's a little bit of a one trick pony and that trick isn't actually that good to my ear. It just feels a bit insincere and emotionally disconnected from the kind of ballad that it's trying to be. The piano playing is great, but it kind of feels like ticking a box that says 'must include a ballad'. All Revved Up With No Place To Go - Rhythmically, this is very stacatto and plodding. It does swing a little in places later. Again, I'm getting more Springsteen vibes from this. The sax is massively overdone without actually offering anything vastly interesting. It's not a bad composition, necessary, but it's all quite by the numbers without offering anything particularly engaging. It suddenly becomes way better for the last 30 seconds of the song, but it's too late by that point. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad - Another ballad. Another plodding and quite boring song. It feels like they're trying to keep that theatrical tone to it, particularly with the strings and reverb heavy drums, but it just feels like it plods along without offering significant dynamic change or a particularly believable vocal delivery. He's obviously a great singer, but I don't buy what he's selling on his ballad performances. Meh. Paradise By The Dash Board Light - This is more promising. There's a great swing and drive to everything here and Mr Loaf is a far more enjoyable singer when he's got something with a bit more zip and grit to play with. It's obviously way more bluesy rock, but there are some nice tempo switch ups and variety to the composition than the last few tracks. The piano work is great fun. It's kind of weird that this song is presented as a single entity, because it's really not that. The cut to the second part is quite jarring and feels like transitional music from a musical rather than part of an actual song. There's some really nice bits and pieces in amongst this, but there are also some less enjoyable bits, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the changes and transitions just take the steam out of this a bit too much, which is a bit of a shame, because there's a lot to like about quite a lot of this song. For Crying Out Loud - Again, I'm not really buying these ballads. He gets a bit too shouty in places and the composition is very overwrought. There's nothing particularly hooky or memorable about it, it's just a bit boring while trying to be impactful and dramatic. The dynamic shift into the second half is an improvement and works better for Meat's vocal talents. It still feels very over written though, and not in the 'god, this is fun' way of the title track.
I don't appreciate Meat Loaf having an orgasm in my ear
An endless assault on your ears and your mind. For fans of Queen, Rocky Horror Picture Show, drag brunch, Jeeps, air guitar, Grease, and cotton candy flavored ice cream. It's not... bad... it's well-composed and it definitely nails the sort of over-the-top rock opera thing it's going for. It's just not for me. Best part is the sax in "All Revved Up". Best track overall is "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", which I did like.
Drama teacher: (To himself) "This year, I will use the school play to show the kids that Broadway show tunes can be as cool as rock music!" Drama students: (To each other) "This year, let's use the school play to show the teacher that rock music is as important as his Broadway show tunes!" And thus was born an album that combines the most unsufferable traits of both. Such much drama and emoting... so little emotional response from me. Low 2 star.
I just don’t want to be listening to shit anymore
I had this friend growing up in the early 90’s, who really loved Meat Loaf. …but, like, he was really into Bat Out of Hell II, specifically that song about how Meat Loaf would do any thing for love, but he wouldn’t do “that”. We were in the same Boy Scout troop, so many, if not all, of my memories associated with Meat Loaf take place in his parent’s 1980’s Volkswagen Fox while traveling to Boy Scout meetings and camping trips and the like. There’s nothing worse than being trapped in a car and having to listen to music you can’t stand. Shockingly, I am not a Meat Loaf fan and I can directly attribute it to that egregious and prolonged over exposure. I don’t like this record one bit. It’s like if Elton John decided to go “metal” and wrote a musical about it. It’s overwrought and campy in a very unappealing way. I don’t think there’s ever been a day in my life where I could connect with music like this. Although, I will say it’s hilarious that Phil Rizzuto did the pseudo-pornographic play by play in “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” and claims that he was “tricked” by Meat Loaf and didn’t realize the song was about sex. So…two stars.
Overblown.
Fuck this
This shit sucks
No thanks. Cheesy and overproduced. The charm is lost on me. Musical theater melodies, which I don’t hate, but everything else just misses. Is it a satire? I can’t tell. Everything is so campy, and I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be intentionally sarcastic. So theatrical and melodramatic, with textures as thick as cold oatmeal. The tracks drag on and overstay—the longer it went on the more I hated it. For 70s rock, it feels very shallow. 2.5-3/10 Could have done without the ASMR intro too.
I tried really hard. Every song felt like 10 minutes of torture. Bat out of hell was 8+ minutes of me waiting for it to be over. I love all music but I honestly cannot see the appeal of Meat Loaf. Clearly not my cup of tea.
I hated this album.
This is probably great if you like cliché-ridden melodramatic melodies, harmonies and lyrics. I don’t.
Wow this was bad. Springsteen if he had never seen a boob.
Pish
Sucks
hated it every second too phony
I don't understand why this is/was so popular.
Trash
Nah
Theatrical rock is the best, man. Ao over-the-top for no reason and I love that. The vocals are outstanding, backup singing is great, and the band is top-notch. Favorite Track: Bat Out of Hell
Super theatrical, everything was big and grand. Makes sense that it started off as a musical.
Sorry but this is objectively a fucking fantastic album.
can i call this camp? i looove like... theatre kid rock which imo is characterized by dramatic ass instrumentation i Could hear as an accompaniment to a high school or local musical theatre projection and a vocalist that's very in-your-face about their range and capabilities. i categorize the darkness's permission to land and foxy shazam's eponymous album as this. would happily own this on CD. fav: took the words right out of my mouth
5/5 reviewers would offer their throat to the wolf with the red roses on a hot summer night.
An essential album of the 70's, through and through. Solid 5 Stars.
It’s a 10. I mean… sometimes, you just feel like a fucking moron for not listening to an album sooner. It’s happened to me countless times over the past 916 days, and yet that same feeling of awe still takes a while to wash off of me. I knew this one had monstrous acclaim, but the only Meat Loaf song I knew going in was the ever-pastiched “I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)”. I like that song, but its overuse in a number of movies & TV shows & commercials over the years, along with my childhood brain thinking people named after food were weird & annoying (see: Carrot Top), simply made me not want to listen to anything else Meat Loaf had done. I think my younger self needs to be shot into hell so I can come back out of it like a damn bat, because this was fucking awesome. That title track might be Todd Rundgren’s magnum opus in terms of a generalized production style, & while I know he set out to slightly mock Springsteen by taking his style & turning up the bombast to 11, he accidentally reaffirmed his style & took it into a stratosphere that I would argue not even Bruce himself would’ve wanted to match or top. It might even be why none of the other Springsteen albums here carry that same energy. When someone else does it this good, why bother to retread it? All of the harder rock-driven songs here carry the same general soundscape, but since they’re all structured differently & flow together rather cohesively, it never struck me as a big deal at all. I think they all range from great to fantastic. The power ballads here will make or break the album for some people. I loved them, but even I will tell you I felt a little burned out of them by the end of “For Crying Out Loud”, if only because the backing instrumentation & bombast could only hold together the slight repetition for so long – it’s a really good closer, don’t get me wrong, but you can only hear the same California metaphors & the words “for crying out loud” so many times. They are a bit melodramatic & a touch cheesy, but if you’re willing to buy into them, they’re just as good as any other track on the album & any other power ballad of the 1970s, really. I especially liked “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”, just because the sense of showmanship throughout the album is at its most prevalent point on that one, and it just fully captivated me. If you don’t like them, they’ll probably knock the album down a bit, but they’ve more than earned their place in the tracklist to keep a natural flow going. Overall, it’s just one you need to hear. Words will not do a sick guitar riff justice, or let Meat Loaf’s vocals enter your ears. It is a quintessential ‘70s album, and one that holds up highly nearly 50 years later. It’s a 10 in my book, it’s worth all the acclaim, and if you’ll excuse me, I need to see just how fucking washed Carrot Top is so I can justify my younger self’s stupidity. I should’ve heard this years ago, man. Fuck you, Carrot Top.
*1977. *Meatloaf is always a unique adventure of rock, pop, and like a musical, and no one does it quite like him. *Stacked playlist here, but Paradise By the Dashboard Lights is all I need to give it 5 stars. RATING - 8/10
It's over the top theatrics, energetic, and the ultimate "hit it and quit it" album. The theatrics are the entire point. Once you understand that, you can move past any initial "wtf?" vibes.
Deeply unfashionable but still hugely entertaining
Feels like childhood. Completely over the top in the best kind of way.
Leaving his horrible politics out of it, this album is a masterpiece and Paradise by the Dashboard Lights maybe (outside of Queen's rock operettas) the best rock operetta ever written. Gotta give it its due regardless how how terrible the artist himself was as a person.
dad rock but good
I know this is cheesy, operatic and overblown but the songs are so well crafted and sung. I'm was torn between a 4.5 and 5 stars but 43 million copies sold tells a tale.
When I saw the name Meat Loaf, I thought he would be sone type of metal artist or something. Instead I got some nice rock that sounds perfect for its era. Personally, my favorite song is Paradise By The Dashboard Light. 5 stars.
I mean, it's the best. Rock musical in album form. Theatrical, brave, but still a classic. It must transcend realms for it to feel like a stage show and get regular rotation on Triple M. Wiki says this is heavily Springsteen adjacent - maybe I need to listen to more Boss? 5 stars easy.
If you don’t like Meat Loaf, you’re wrong. Perfect album, cover to cover
One of the few instances where I wish an hour-long album was even longer. Pure fun. Nothing but respect for this masterpiece. Favorite track is "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."
I freaking love Meatloaf man. This is right up my alley, it's campy, fun, and full of character. A rock opera could never disappoint me, and Meatloaf you are the kings of the rock opera. It just makes me smile, and the start of the 2nd track is probably my fav part of the whole album, but it's a tough choice. I don't care if you thinks it's lame, it's my kinda lame and that's all I care about. Fav Track: Bat Out Of Hell
If you told me this is the greatest album of all time, I wouldn’t argue.
Yeah man I don't have much to say here: this is one of my favorite all-time albums and a deeply, deeply nostalgic one for me. Lots of memories of listening to this in mom's car, on my old shitty stereo boombox, of reveling in the beauty of the title track and just how it actually sounds like the cover of the album. I didn't even get the Born to Run comparisons properly until this year but I see them now and I wonder why it took me so long for me to get into Bruce outside of Nebraska. Grandiose drama, theatricality and showmanship excess all sealed into a neat little package.
It’s honestly just banger after banger. Near perfect opera rock to me, I’d say his voice lends itself better to when it gets full theatrical so the ballads are my least favorite. Overall very satisfying listen worth 5 stars on here.
How can you not love this absolutely over the top operatic album.
Very fun album, I enjoyed it so much! 'Bar Out of Hell', 'You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth' & 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' were my standouts.
This is on the list of unreal debut albums. I could be a giant nerd but this album is a perfect expression of what it is trying to be. Vocals are great, instrumentals perfectly align, and all of the moments are delivered so genuinely you can't help but love it.
Several classics from this album.
Classic, one of my favorites
Grandiose, epic, over the top and a favourite album of mine. Musically it hits all the right marks and the vocals are epic. I don't understand what happens in someone's brain to give this 1 star. I would be really curious to hear with their perception
Is he in love? Is he ditching her? What a roller coaster.
Perfect album. So awesome, operatic, and over the top, awesome listening and always has been. Bat Out Of Hell is my fav song of the album. Paradise By The Dashboard Light and For Crying Out Loud are my other highlights
Gave me a modern gothic feel. Absolute masterpiece, both musically and narratively. The themes of the album recognises so much of the lives of not just teenagers but adults too. The crippling sense of being stuck paired with the relentless effort to get out was felt, both through the lyrics and the music
One of my most favorite albums of all time! Every song is a singalong.
You tube music have annoyed me with this one. They have used the single/video version of many songs not the album version. For instance it gets off to a dodgy start by decimating the intro to the title track. In its unadulterated state this is a great album and one that (indeed) everyone should listen to and be aware of at least once. It is a very theatrical album for its time. And at one point held the record for the longest continuous time in the English top fifty albums, back when this was based on actual physical sales, and actually meant something. Got to be a 5
So, I listened to this big album from Meatloaf and Jim Steinman on the way down to the Channel Tunnel with the wife singing every word next to me. I cannot decide if this enhanced or detracted from the overall experience, but her enthusiasm for the songs was contagious. She has someting in common with my dear departed dad, he loved old Meaty too, so I'm fully conversant with the contents of the LP. It has totally over the top production, but you've got to love it. Its the thing that makes it listenable and likeable. Apparently the lyrics have a storyline - I don't care, it has great tunes.
This album is like eating awesome candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - and not suffering any consequences from it. It's so unashamed of itself and bombastic that you're forced into adoring it. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes endearing, always full of bravado. Meat Loaf's bleeding heart is on full display, even if it's bedazzled and done up in leather pants, surrounded by theatrical riffs, he can't help but put his full heart into these performances. I know Todd Rundgren has multiple albums on this list, but his greatest contribution has to be producing this record. Hats off to Jim Steinman for handing pure gold over to Meat Loaf in this handful of tracks. "Bat Out Of Hell" has the same hopeful, bright-eyed, yearning qualities that the best Bruce Springsteen songs have, just multiplied into a soaring rockestra ballad. Meatloaf sings at times with fervor overtop loads of instrumentation, then at other times sings with a tender vibrato, accompanied only by a piano. "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" Is even more endearing and more corny all at once. Is he just horny in a verbose, flashy fashion? Yeah. "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" triples down on that (nothing more needs to be said about it, the song speaks for itself). But he's making glamorous art out of it all. YTTWROOMM has easily one of the most sticky vocal hooks too, the way he sings the title of the track. I have more or less had this hook stuck in my head all my life. He knew the value of the gem he had too, the way he closes out the song just repeating that hook over and over again. Wonderful pop songwriting, equally as wonderful performance. While it's not as impactful, "Two Outta Three Ain't Bad" follows the same format of a long story that comes to a head with a super simple, wildly catchy title hook. "Heaven Can Wait" runs it back but with, you guessed it, a slight gospel skew to the arrangement. Then it's a slightly more groovy, saxophone angle on "All Revved Up With No Place To Go". Quick sidenote before I get into my rating: the music videos on youtube are hilarious. Just an up-close filming of him & his band performing this to nobody, a trope I'm coming to understand was a video trend for a time in the 70's. Surely Jack Black has his whole career thanks in part to Meatloaf. A portly, sweaty man toeing the line between theatrical acting and making a fool of himself all in the form of a rock ballad? Totally laid the blueprint out for Jack Black. Upon further reading, I was spot on with this comparison - Meat Loaf is in Tenacious D's "Kickapoo". My first listen of this one was at 9pm, right as the new album populated. I had to pull a page out of "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" - 'lemme sleep on it', I told myself. I listened again in the morning. 'Is This a 5/5?' I asked myself. Surely I need to stop handing out 5's, thisll be the 5th in a month!! But I thinks it's a 5/5. It doesnt have a single miss. "For Crying Out Loud" leaves the listener on such a sweet note - a song about *pure love*. Even when he's horny, even when he's melodramatic, even when he's all too campy, I think Meatloaf exudes that *pure love* in his heart-on-sleeve performances which sound too big to have been captured in a vocal booth. I'm guessing most of us would love to act a little more like Meatloaf in some of these songs, proud to belt out their truest feelings for the world to hear. Continuing the month-long process of demystifying the 5/5. I’ll never have an album be more stuck in my head than this one
BANNGGGG HAPPY FRIDAY PEOPLE WHAT AN ALBUM TO GET TODAY IVE LISTENED TO THIS 100X
Músicas pra ouvir quando a vida te derruba
o chicote emocional causado pela discrepância da capa do álbum e as músicas é tão enorme que eu tive que checar se era o álbum certo do site. É tipo você criar um livro que na capa tem um corpo mutilado e for um livro de receitas da palmirinha.
I thought I had never listened to this record before, but I'm actually familiar with just about every song on this record. And for some inexplicable reason, I've never listened to the whole thing at once. It's super fun, goofy, bombastic...it sounds like the soundtrack to Rocky Horror Picture Show or something. This is the type of record that I'm glad I engaged in this project for. My only real gripe is the mix. Parts of Bat Out of Hell sound like just a wall of sound. I love the instrumentation and arrangement on the record, but I wish the sound was less muddy. All in all though, this record rules. 9/10
123
Bien.
C'est super Du Springsteen un peu plus énervé Le fait qu'ils en aient fait une comédie musicale est cohérent Toutes les chansons s'écoutent super bien Bat out of hell a un côté born to run J'écouterais sûrement bat out of hell 2 qui a l'air encore plus connu C'est un beau 5
This album is an all time classic. Jim Steinman and Marvin Lee Adday (aka Meatloaf) are a dynamite duo. Steinman's songwriting is masterful while Meatloaf's performance delivers the emotions behind them perfectly.
4.5 Strs here. Really good, i am nostalgic for the vinyl record version of bat out of hell.
uno de los mejores hasta el momento. melodias rockeras y otras no tanto. buenisimo
Geniales Meistersück!
Bombastic over the top rock and roll at it's finest. Paradise By The Dashboard Light is worth the price of admission alone.
This contains triple the daily recommended amount of cheese, but sometimes you just wanna gorge yourself on a triple cheese pizza, you know?
Alltså... Jag älskar detta! Meatloaf känns som en artist man inte ska gilla. Töntig och utdaterad typ men jag kan inte låta bli. Det är bombastiskt, teatraliskt och mycket och hans röst passar detta perfekt. Bat out of hell, You took the words right out of my mouth, All revved up with no place to go och Paradise by the dashboard light... Svängigt, låttitlarna är långa, låtarna är långa och allt är bara rätt fantastiskt. Allt svänger och man vill bara dansa och sjunga med!
As a debut album it can became an isn't hit and now a classic it has to 5 stars all the way
Banger
Just the greatest rock opera album of all time
One of the best albums of all time!
Was expecting metal but was not at all disappointed.
One of the greatest of all time.
Theatrical, melodramatic, and absurd... in the best possible way. It's like the soundtrack to an unreleased rock-and-roll musical. It's self aware of how goofy it is, but delivered with such complete earnesty to come full circle to be earnest again. This doesn't have to be your favorite style, and you will still find it amusing to give a full listen to at least once.
Don’t think there’s been an easier 5 stars to give
So fun to listen to this guy
If you’ve never once left like a bat out of hell in the morning, just to come crawling back, or had to decide on the spot at a wedding when your drunken girlfriend was pissed she wasn’t the bride whether you were all in or not, or if you’ve never drawn first blood to avoid losing the game of love, then this ain’t fer you chump. We need more opera rock in this world.
Ahh man….love this album. Have done since I was a kid. Just takes you on a journey through the songs. And as I’ve grown older so the songs have spoken to me in new ways - different songs become favourites at different times, depending on where I’m at in life. My only complaint is it’s such a crappy recording…but it’s a minor point. As a rule I absolutely loathe musicals, but this is effectively the exception to prove the rule. It’s the songs to a rock opera / musical that never existed except in the listener’s head. Probably why I like it…none of the sudden, jarring breaking into song from the linking dialogue. edit - I'm depressed to see a musical has now actually been created - I'll skip that! Easy 5 for the album.
Just because it's schmaltz doesn't mean it's not five stars. Generationally I'm firmly in the Bat Out of Hell II I would do anything for love but I won't do that era, but I know this shit rocks. Having seen Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan - core members of this ensemble - still kicking ass well into their 70s live last week at the Forum in LA certainly didn't hurt in priming me for this.
such a fucking banger
Metal ass cover for an album that sounds like Billy Joel playing on Broadway.
Greatest album of all time. No notes.
Heard this album about a million times
Loved the album! Bat out of hell was my favorite song but they were all interesting and unique
So cheesy, but I liked it. I want to see a biopic starring Jack Black.
Bat Out of Hell is completely my thing. I loved it. Big, dramatic, and full on, but it never loses me. It held my attention all the way through. I just enjoyed it for what it is. Five stars.
I love this album. I would’ve rated it a 5 without even listening to it, but I listened to it anyways because it’s a 5. And now that it’s over I rate it a 5. It’s perfect, rock and roll for drama kids and im all for it!
What can I say? I’ve been listening to this album more or less since it’s release and it’s ace! Totally over the top and silly in so many ways but I love it!
Absolutely fabulous and over the top. If you can't enjoy it then youre just a bit fucking miserable aren't you.
I bought this record when I was 15 and played the hell out of it. I loved all of it - the incredible piano, the booming voice, the over the top theatrics. I still have my record from 1985 and I still love all of it. I have so much listening time invested, and so much nostalgia wrapped up in this album, it’s impossible for me to be unbiased. There’s nothing like belting out these songs at the top of your lungs when you’re home by yourself. 🦇
This is what Rock and Roll and dare I say MUSIC is all about. Thos is a great artist using 100% of his talent and creativity to produce a strong cohesive piece unique to himself above all. Classic radio hits, genere bending arraignment, soaring rock melodies., this album has it all
I remember as a kid reading all the rock magazines, and inevitably, an article would bring up Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell. I had no idea who or what Meatloaf was, but by the time I got it on cassette from Columbia House, I soon realized I’m not sure I’d ever really know who Meatloaf was. He was rock, he was pop, he was a Broadway musical, he was metal, he was incredible. As I got older and discovered the joys of Bruce Springsteen, I realized there were some similarities between Meatloaf's music and the Boss’s music. In fact, and I was just told this by my good friend Wikipedia, there had been people who claimed Bat Out of Hell was just a rip-off of Springsteen’s Born To Run. I’ll admit, after hearing Born To Run, I, too, thought it reminded me of Bat Out of Hell. Meatloaf apparently hated the comparisons, and I can understand why. No one wants to be compared to someone else, much less to a rock icon. But, I put Bat Out of Hell on equal footing as Born To Run. Both are in my top albums list. Track one is the title track, Bat Out of Hell and it’s a masterpiece. The music is so good, so heavy, so well composed. And Meatloaf is a great singer, but he’s an even better belter. He just belts it out there. Though he can get quiet if he needs to. This was the third single of five released from the album. It hit number 23 on the Billboard Hot Rock chart. God, I love this song. It tells a tragic story of a motorcycle dude who promises to come back to his lover before dying in a wreck. His heart then flies out of his chest, still beating, mind you, and then flies away like a bat. Out. Of hell. Every time I hear it, I get chills. After getting to the age when you like to research what you’re listening to, you find out that someone named Jim Steinman wrote all the music. Then you realize, he’s a genius. Then you see that Todd Rundgren produced the album. Then you realize, he’s a genius. It’s no wonder this album sold 14 million albums in the U.S. alone. It must be pointed out that, beyond the music and Meatloaf's singing, the lyrics of these songs are perfect. You get a story with each song, and sometimes it's a funny story, and sometimes it's sad, but each story is worth finding the lyrics and following along. And, I'm not a big lyric guy. Track 2 is You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights) and, supposedly, Meatloaf asked Steinman to write a song that wasn’t 15 or 20 minutes long, a pop song. And this was what Steinman came up with. This was the first single off the album. It’s not the best song on the album, but it’s very good. The song reached the 30s and 40s on the U.S. charts. It’s got a very 50s girl group sound to it, like The Leader of the Pack. Great song, but there are better songs on here. Track 3 is Heaven Can Wait, and it’s another ballad with a very Springsteen-sounding piano and strings. It’s a really beautiful song. Meatloaf really sings so softly on this song, and it goes so well with the music. I don’t think I’ve ever really listened to it close enough to hear just how amazing it is. It’s a very melancholy song, and I almost want to cry. I have no idea why. Is anyone else becoming soft as they age? Track 4 is All Revved Up with Nowhere To Go and it was a single in the United Kingdom. This song has the Springsteen sax with the Springsteen piano. Such a good song. It sounds like it could have been an outtake of Born To Run. This song is also more of an old-school '50s-sounding rock track. I imagine both Steinman and Springsteen listened to the same music growing up, and it really shaped their outlook. In addition to Meatloaf, Steinman also wrote music for Bonnie Tyler, who is criminally underrated. It’s probably why I love Tyler so much. I always looked at her as the female version of Rod Stewart, and I don’t have to tell you how much I love Rod. Track 5 is a great ballad and hilarious. It’s Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. It’s almost a reverse Baby, It’s Cold Outside, as Meatloaf doesn’t want to go out in the cold and wants to stay in and make sweet, sweet love with his chick. But his chick wants him to say he loves her, and Meatloaf, well, Meatloaf ain't the loving kind. He says, I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I'm ever gonna love you, but, hey, two out of three ain’t bad. Brilliant. Then we find out that a girl he was in love with said those words to him and broke his heart, which led him to harden his heart to love. I really love this album. Track 6 is the big one, Paradise By the Dashboard Lights. I mean, do I even have to talk about this song? It’s THE Meatloaf song and one of the greatest songs ever written. It’s about two teenagers trying to hook up, but the girl won’t go past third base unless Meatloaf says he loves her. The way they incorporated a knockoff Phil Rizzuto to make their make-out session sound like a baseball game is one of the greatest things in musical history. This song makes the album a must-listen on its own. The last song is For Crying Out Loud. It’s another quiet piano ballad with Meatloaf using his softness to really bring you down after the bombastic Paradise. Remember that? How bands used to agonize over the order of the songs on an album? Now, you don’t even think about really releasing the album at all, you just put out singles. I’m still an album guy and always will be, I guess. When For Crying Out Loud gets going, it really picks up, still just the piano and Meatloaf, but it builds perfectly. Just a beautiful love song. This album is perfect. There aren’t many in this world. Every song is good, and there are at least four brilliant songs on the album. This is a must-listen album if there ever was. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll fire you up. It’s just incredible. Listen to it as soon as you can, and if you’ve heard it before, but not in a while, listen to it, then listen to Springsteen’s Born To Run and really give yourself a treat.
I love Meatloaf. It is joy in a bottle, cheeky delicious happiness on a record. It looked so dangerous as a kid. It is the hands down best solo dance party album of all time and should endure for all time.
This album is amazing. Perfect. So dramatic, but great. The intro to "You Took the Words Right Outta My Mouth" is cringe, but other than that this is great. So much fun and literally not a bad song. Such a horny album lol Liked Songs: The whole album
What a bombastic and perfectly over-the-top rock-n-roll romance opera! I was exposed to this record as a kid, Mombo karaokeing the silly fuck out of it while hosting family dance parties in the living room. At the time, I thought it was goofy shit for the olds, but guess who came around? Exciting, energetic, and drenched in sweat: this baby has enough hammering piano, whaling sax and shredding guitars to elevate gym shorts. Maybe a page or two torn from Elton's book, but who cares? This chunk of tunes is so rich with frenzied passion, you don't even mind the spit hitting your face. Spanning the complete gamut with the metal-as-fuck "All Revved Up" to the gloriously beautiful ballad, "Two Out of Three", Meat Loaf served a timeless joy ride of rockin' sex fuel, hot-n-ready.
My Fav
I love this album SO much.
I felt very white listening to this
It's a musical theater pastiche of Born to Run, as if Born to Run wasn't already plenty theatrical. This record has been deep in my bones since I was a kid, but I haven't really spent any significant time with it as an adult. I respect the hell out of Jim Steinman (dude's track record on the charts is incredibly impressive). On this album, he takes a million big swings, and just keeps Socking. Fucking. Dingers. Every time. I am definitely not too cool to give this five stars.
Great Album
An epic chaotic masterpiece.
“I swore that I would love you to the end of time! So now I'm praying for the end of time To hurry up and arrive 'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don't think that I can really survive” “Bat Out Of Hell” has always felt extremely unique to me. It’s relentlessly uncool in its theatricality but it remains just on the right side of corniness. It feels like the kind of thing that would inspire embarrassment if someone were to walk in on you listening to it and yet it doesn’t. We all seem to have agreed that as over the top, camp, and downright silly as it is, it is just brilliant. When I revisited it I found that I had left the slower tracks (“Heaven Can Wait” and “For Crying Out Loud”) out of my library on Spotify. I can only assume this was youthful churlishness at the idea of there being any slow tracks on a rock album. On this listen I swiftly rectified this and heard the quality in these two songs as well as what they do for the pacing as a whole. There is nothing I would change about this album. It is absolutely iconic and tremendous good fun.
I love a good rock opera. It's dramatic and cheesy, but a ton of fun to listen to. Mr Loaf puts 110% into every song and the energy is infectious. There are plenty of excellent over-the-top tracks but the ballads are pretty good too and the contrast helps to stop things feeling too boring by the end.
Denne
Did not expect to like this one as much as I did! Honestly was a banger, not sure it made a Meat Loaf fan out of me but was a very pleasant surprise
Genuinely didn't expect to love this album as much as I did. Maybe my mom does know ball.
It's impossible not to enjoy Bat Out Of Hell, honestly put it on and just TRY to deny it. Meat Loaf himself has a hell if a voice, and no wonder, he spent most of his career outside of Meat Loaf in Musical Theatre, delivering iconic and definitively versions of roles like Rocky in Rocky Horror. His pipes were made for the stage, and the 70s. Of course its cheesy, of course it's not "cool". But its fucking awesome fun, it's rock and roll, it pianos being absolutely battered. Its over the top and it's going to put a grin on your miserable little face. Get at it.
Might just have been in the exact right mood but I can’t fault this, it kicked ass and I loved every second. Big and bold and fun and I want to see the futuristic Peter Pan musical it was supposedly developed from so bad.
LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL I'LL BE GONE WHEN THE MORNINGS COMMESSSS (sick guitar solo). Is there any better album to yell along to at the top of your voice on a long car trip? Fucking banger. Have always loved this album and always will.
Despite the over-the-top, cheesy/corny/cringe, it's impossible not to love this album. A perfect masterpiece.
STILL a (mostly) perfect front to back barn burner
phenomenal rock opera. the bat out of hell song is an absolute banger
Part prog, part Springsteen, part Broadway spectacle... all cheese. So why do I love this album so much? I don't know if it's a "Great" album, but it's a ton of fun, and that's all that really matters to me... 5 stars all the way.
That was REALLY great. I love opera rock
I still think Meatloaf and John Kruk are the same person. Fun time!
What a great album. Cheesy and over the top in all the best ways. The energy on this album is off the charts. My father was a big Meatloaf guy, and I currently own his hand me down copy. It’s perfect in its ridiculousness…and that album cover 👀👀👀👀
With the help of Jim Steinman, Meatloaf has created a classic mixture of drama, rock and roll and humor
Quintessential 70s rock album. This album was meant to be listened to on the family record player or the 8 track player in your American muscle car. Every song is ridiculously long, but somehow it works. This album just makes me happy.
i only knew paradise by the dashboard light from the glee cover (really good btw), and i’m so glad i’ve been able to actually experience meat loaf’s music. wouldn’t have otherwise.
If I found out I was going to die I’d probably listen to bat out of hell again
5/5 I can't understate my absolute devotion to Meatloaf!
Lowkey bombastic.
AMAZING !!!
...
Awesome album, a true classic No bad tracks, mostly great ones I personally would have ended the album with Paradise... but that,s just me
I loved this album in the eighties. Listened to it again and again and again. But then stopped abruptly and for the first time since approx. 30 years I once again listened to the whole album now as part of this journey. Well, what can I say. Contrary to some other albums this has not gotten worse in the last 30 years. Still love every second of it and will be listening more again.
bombastically unapologetic
I thought meat loaf was dad rock. Delightful surprise
Suppose you're looking for a fun couple of songs to add to your playlist, highly recommend this album for a listen. I will say sometimes the album goes a little longer than it should, but that's a minor complaint on my end, as I love prog rock, so who am I to judge? My first time seeing meatloaf was in the amazing movie Rocky Horror Picture Show, and, much to my delight, the album is very reminiscent of the songs from that musical to a degree. Love it for that. If you need a blast to the past, this album will take you away, blasting on a motorcycle through hell. cheesy fun to rock to.
Orgasmic
One of my favorite albums of all time. So many bangers on this album, with fantastic instrumentation and singing, and the songwriting by Jim Steinman is some of the best ever done. Every song feels like an epic journey, and nothing feels half-assed. It's a rock-operatic masterpiece from start to finish.
This album is awesome. It’s hammy as hell, but I love it. Totally fits the vibe. Highly recommend if you like a musical or similarly theatric types of music.
Possibly the greatest one-two punch to start an album.
Rock opera. Springsteen for drama kids. It’s one step up from Grease and as far from punk as you can get. By rights I should hate it. But it is absolutely brilliant
I love this album! I got this album in high school and listen to it occasionally. I love how over the top, extravagant, and campy it is. Meatloaf's delivery is perfect and filled with so much emotion. Every song is a smash. And Meatloaf really knows how to do a piano ballad with so much passion. Getting this album today made me very happy.
On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? Bat Out Of Hell might genuinely be my favourite album of all time. I was brought up on it by my parents, but I've been rediscovering it myself as well over the past two years. I'm very grateful to have seen it on this list, because it gave me an opportunity to critically evaluate it—and give it five stars because it is indeed thát good. You can't talk about a Meat Loaf album and not mention the pair of lungs on that man. Throughout the album he delivers consistently great vocal performances, but what I appreciate most is how he manages to convey emotions with his voice. Both on the more stripped down tracks, such as Heaven Can Wait, and on the big bombastic songs, such as the title track. This is the point where I have to bring up Ellen Foley, who features as the female vocal on this album. She often goes under-appreciated because she did not tour with Meat Loaf, but her performance on this album is nothing but stellar. The best example of this, of course, is the closing track on the album, Paradise By The Dashboard Light: an incredible back-and-forth duet which culminates in the two singers cursing eachother to damnation in the best possible way Of course, no discussion of Bat Out Of Hell can be had without mentioning composer Jim Steinman. The album is often grand and theatrical (which is no suprise, given its origins), with big instrumental moments and dramatic intros and outros, but knows when to leave space and let the lyrics and vocals do the heavy lifting. And then, finally, there are the lyrics... Dear God the lyrics.
nog nooit n hele plaat geluisterd maar wat is dit fenomenaal
perfect album, niet te lang, heerlijke gitaren, lekker verhaal
First album I ever owned, I was like 7 or 8 when I got it, nearly 30 years later I still love this album, lots of nostalgia, sure it can be cheesy, but it's fun, the songs are energetic, production is great, his voice is great.
As good as it gets!!
YEESSSSSS
Rise up, theater kids
Seeing the album and song titles, I expected this to be way more heavy rock like Judas Priest, but the very piano-heavy sections sounds more like Elton John with more heavy guitar. The first song is quite the journey! I did recognize "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" but had no idea it was them! Fun album, really enjoyed it!
Awesome album One of my favourites
Another classic album. Todd Rundgren produced it and calls it a parody of Springsteen which is a great description.
One of the fun things about this challenge is having your horizons broadened, but perhaps even more fun is when your preconceived notions are 100% correct. I knew I liked stadium rock, saw this cover and said "this looks fucking awesome". And it was fucking awesome. Would give anything to see this live.
There's some old tweet I can't remember about how Meat Loaf is really just musical theater pretending to be hard rock. The tweet is absolutely correct, and this album absolutely rips. It is harder to find a good time than sing-yelling any of the songs on this. A rare long-songed album that justifies the length of each entry.
Dit is nou eenmaal niet voor niets 1 van de best verkochte albums ter wereld. Muzikaal zit het steengoed in elkaar en elk nummer is echt weer zijn eigen verhaal waarin je wordt meegezogen. Eigenlijk staat er niet een slecht nimmer op en toch wel echt als uitschieter er bovenuit "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Echt iconisch en daarom ook 5 sterren waard.
All bangers All vibes Ondertussen wel een beetje een karikatuur van zichzelf. Lekker overdreven zegmaar. Muzikaal misschien niet t beste album. Ik baalde dat ik deze niet in de auto heb kunnen luisteren, perfecte roadtrip album. Eerste album in deze lijst waarvan ik met 100% zekerheid kan zeggen dat t terecht is dat ie dr in staat.
I love Stevie wonder!!
# Album Name: Bat out of hell # Artist: Meat loaf # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Absolute banger of an album. The music, the lyrics. Amazing stuff. # Top Tunes: Whole damn thing # Would I listen to it again? Why not
Har aldri lyttet til et Meat Loaf-album før, men husker han godt fra Rocky Horror Show (som jeg for øvrig så med pappa). En skikkelig rockeopera her. Det betyr grandios og teatralsk rock. Virkelig melodramatisk og over-the-top, og ikke minst ekstremt fengende. Produksjonen av Todd Rundgren, et gammelt bekjentskap, er vanvittig. Jeg digger dette. Top 3: Bat Out of Hell, You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Tommy who? This is the ultimate rock opera. All hail Mr. Loaf.
A voice from my past. I liked some of his songs, but my brother loved this album, so it really was a blast from my past.
Fuck it, I'm going five. More than half the songs on the album have appeared at some point on my top 1000 list, and it just has a great lack of pretension and a joy for larger than life moments. It is too one note for listening straight through, like having too much straight sugar in one sitting. But if I can't give this five stars then I'm very rarely going to get to that level, and I'd like to be generous.
surprisingly good- longs songs but uobeat and fun, lyrics also good 5
I love this album. Here’s a meatloaf recipe: 1 c breadcrumbs 1/3 c chicken stock 2 onions, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 eggs 1/2 c ketchup 1.5lbs ground beef Mix stock, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, ketchup in a measuring cup then stir in the breadcrumbs. Pour into the meat, onions, garlic mixture (all in same bowl and mix by hand. Bake at 350°F for 60 to 90 minutes depending on how deep the pan is.
I am too much of a theatre nerd to not love this, sorry not sorry! Exact amount of over the top I love, and me and Bates do a killer Paradise By The Dashboard Light
**Bat Out of Hell (1977)** *Meat Loaf | composer/lyricist: Jim Steinman | producer: Todd Rundgren* --- ### **1. Lyrics – Teenage Grand-Guignol** Jim Steinman treats every track like a one-act play: bikes, back-seats, grave-yards and cheap motels become the scenery for a comic-book version of *West Side Story* meets *Romeo & Juliet*. - **Hyper-cinematic detail**: *“I’m gonna hit the highway like a battering-ram on a silver-black phantom bike”* paints the crash before it happens . - **Cliché alchemy**: titles are deliberate platitudes (*Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, All Revved Up With No Place To Go*) that are twisted into wounded, self-aware confessionals . - **Emotional nakedness inside bombast**: the narrator of *For Crying Out Loud* moves from comic lust to *“You know I love you”* sung against a 40-piece orchestra—earned sincerity through sheer scale . - **Gender-fluid point-of-view**: Steinman writes teenage desire from every angle—male, female, predator, prey—so the songs feel universal rather than merely masculine . --- ### **2. Music – Wagnerian Pop** - **Bruce-on-steroids base**: Springsteen’s *Born to Run* keyboard riffs and motorcycle imagery are stretched to operatic length; verses become recitatives, choruses become arias . - **Modular song structure**: *Paradise by the Dashboard Light* (8:28) and the title track (9:52) are stitched from mini-movements—ballad, rave-up, baseball commentary, gospel coda—so nothing ever repeats exactly . - **Orchestral rock**: Rundgren overlays full string & brass sections onto bar-band instrumentation; the guitar is doubled by violins, piano by glockenspiel, creating a cartoon “wide-screen” mix . - **Sound-design Easter eggs**: motorcycle engines are played on muted guitars; thunder is timpani + reversed piano; heart-beats are kick-drum through gated reverb—decades before Pro-Tools gimmicks . --- ### **3. Production – Todd Rundgren’s High-Wire Act** - **Recorded 1975, rejected by every major label, financed out of Rundgren’s own pocket**—he called it *“a spoof of Bruce Springsteen that got out of hand”* . - **Live feel, no click**: tempos push & pull so the 9-minute songs breathe; mistakes (slightly flat trumpet, over-hit snare) left in for urgency . - **Lo-fi luxury**: the album was cut on 16-track with heavy tape-compression; cymbals distort, vocal overdubs saturate—creating a *“radio exploding in a hot car”* timbre that audiophiles hate but fans adore . - **No definitive master**: every vinyl pressing, SACD and Atmos remix sounds different; Rundgren admits the low-end was *“never right”*—yet that imperfection is now part of the myth . --- ### **4. Themes – Terminal Adolescence** Steinman’s concept: *“I wanted to write the ultimate teenage record—because those feelings are the last ones you remember truthfully.”* - **Escape or die**: every narrator is either leaving town before sunrise or crashing his bike at the city limits—sex & death fused into one adrenaline spike . - **Religious kitsch**: heaven, hell, angels, sinners are used as slang (*Heaven Can Wait, Bat Out of Hell*)—sacred imagery repurposed for parking-lot make-outs . - **Broken promises of pop**: *Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad* is the anti-love-song; the hook admits defeat, undercutting radio’s usual happy endings . - **Camp as armor**: exaggerated theatrics let overweight, uncool kids identify with the leather-clad hero inside their heads—glamour through gothic exaggeration rather than fashion-magazine cool . --- ### **5. Influence & Legacy** - **43 million sold**, Top 10 all-time worldwide; still shifts 200k+ units a year . - **Blueprint for power-ballad**: Bon Jovi, Aerosmith’s *I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing*, even Queen’s *Flash Gordon* owe their crescendo architecture to Steinman’s verse/orchestra/choir template . - **Musical theatre crossover**: Steinman later penned *Total Eclipse of the Heart* and wrote the book for the *Bat Out of Hell* stage musical (2017) that played West End & Broadway—proof the songs always wanted scenery . - **Video-age prophecy**: mini-movie videos and streaming playlists now favor 8-minute narrative tracks—Meat Loaf was built for the algorithmic era . --- ### **Pros & Cons** | PROS | CONS | |------|------| | 1. **Unique sonic world** – no other record sounds like a bike crash turned into opera. | 1. **Polarising voice** – Meat Loaf’s vibrato and theatrical delivery can feel hammy if you crave subtlety. | | 2. **Zero filler** – seven songs, each a standalone epic; no deep-cuts that feel like B-sides. | 2. **Length fatigue** – every track 5–10 min; radio edits exist because the full versions exhaust casual listeners. | | 3. **Lyrics reward close reading** – Steinman’s word-play (*“Coupe de Ville in a Cracker-Jack box”*) rivals Dylan in density . | 3. **Production dated** – thin cymbals, compressed low-end; audiophile pressings still can’t fix the original 16-track tapes . | | 4. **Emotional catharsis** – from slapstick (*Dashboard Light* baseball call) to genuine heartbreak (*For Crying Out Loud*) in one album-side. | 4. **Camp overdose** – if you don’t buy into the teenage-werewolf melodrama, the whole thing feels like a Spinal-Tap parody. | | 5. **Cultural multi-tool** – sing-along car trip, Broadway audition piece, Halloween playlist, break-up balm all in one. | 5. **Gender dynamics aged** – *Dashboard Light*’s *“pray for rain”* seduction scene reads as problematic consent conversation in 2020s context. | --- ### **Verdict** *Bat Out of Hell* is the last great rock & roll cartoon—explosive, funny, too much, and somehow still sincere. Its flaws (shrill highs, bloated run-times, lyrical excess) are the very cracks that let the emotion leak through. Forty-six years on, the engine hasn’t cooled.
In 1977, my dad's friend pulled him out of a bowling alley in Summerland so they could listen to Bat out of Hell for the first time on cassette in his truck. In 2004, I was riding around Summerland in the back of a car driven by a boy trying to flirt with a girl by reciting the Hot Summer Night monologue. This album is perfect; it completely achieves what it was trying to go for and captured that essence of teenage emotions. It's totally over the top to the point of being a parody of itself, but fully sincere. Paradise by the Dashboard Light and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad are all-timers and everything else is very good. For Meat Loaf and Steinman, it never felt so right again after this, but this was the masterpiece that defined them both. 5.
"Bat out of Hell" slaps so hard; I love how operatic it is.
Essential
RIP Jim Steinman :(
This blew me away. I know Meatloaf from his 90s album and its video to say nothing of his appearance in Fight Club. This is so over the top, theatric and fun that anything less than a 5 would be based on my previous opinion of him.
The epitome of rock opera cheese, but in a good way.
I have listened to this album multiple times. Fantastic from start to finish.
A true complete album perfect story telling from start to finish crescendo opera type each songs turns it up a notch. Fat peope can rock. This is one of the best albums Ive listend to here in a while. I dont really care much for Meatloaf and felt he was overrated because I know the songs but context matters and this album makes you feel line you are the best friend of meatloaf while he likes, falls in and out of love with a girl and then she turns out to be a crazy fuck. I can see myself loste ing to them talking sweet all the way to I hate you I hope you die. Amazing album that I had never given A chance to sit down and listened. Ive actually karaoked paradise so my bad
This is not a 5 star review, this is a 500 STAR REVIEW! IGNORANT ME WHO CONSIDERS HIMSELF A METAL AND HARD ROCK MUSIC ENCYCLOPEDIA HAD NO IDEA THIS ALBUM EXISTED!!!! THIS! THIS RIGHT HERE IS MUSICAL PERFECTION FROM THE 70S... ENOUGH SAID!!! IF YOU DISAGREE YOU ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND ART AND YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER YOUR LIFE CHOICES I AM FLOORED BY THIS!!! AMAZING! TRULY!!! EFFIN TRULY AMAZING!!!!
Ok im not gonna lie havent finished it yet bc its christmas day but this is already an easy 5. Im a sucker for these theatrical, angsty, enlightenment/love of life pieces. I just will always chase this rabbit down and I swear to god its the reason I keep wanting to live
My favorite album from the list so far.
One of the most enjoyable and madcap albums of all time. Awesome pick.
Perfect album. Masterpiece.
Bravo Mr Meatloaf & Co! What an experience ! I adore the theatrics, dramatics, and songatics. It really is a wonderful listen, though seek out the visuals if you get a chance, for a wonderfully camp and superb performance from everyone.
all time fave, Top 100, love it.
One of the greatest albums of all time. I know almost every word.
Outstanding album. Incredible power ballads. A rock opera executed to perfection
Good ol' fashioned rock and roll. And god, what a voice he had.
thank god for meatloaf!
Rock, Pop, 1977 -> 5
Come on Meatloaf.. danced to PBDLs at rehearsal dinner!!
A Great Album From Beginning To End
Best Song: Paradise by the Dashboard Light An entire album about trying to get laid, nice. Would be a 5 if it weren't for the two sappy slow songs. Who am I kidding, it's a 5/5.
> The Beatles
Music from my childhood. On listening, it's amazing how they use piano, close vocal harmonies, and Meat Loaf's raw vocal power to make magic happen. The change from boogie-woogie to rock in the middle of Paradise in the Dashboard Light is an iconic shift.
So good
theatrical and over the top in the best way, incredibly fun listen
Love it
Jim Steinman+Meat Loaf. It doesn't get any better than that. Perhaps it does? (Streets of Fire OST)
https://youtu.be/JGeDn3teKUM?si=PQvBT02ooGLXLQOx
Great Rock Opera Album. I love everything about it! RIP meat loaf
That was awesome
So over the top
Always a banger
A very powerful album that I enjoy a lot. Standout tracks: Too many to list. Rest in peace, Meat Loaf.
Top 5 albums in rock history
I mean what more can be said, this is the definition of a classic album. Basically every track is a hit, and the album contains most of the biggest hits Meat Loaf ever released. This is really Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman at their absolute best - nothing out of place, in all it's over the top drama and glory. An absolute rock staple, and simply a must listen album. Aside from the title track - my personal favourites are You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth and All Revved Up With No Place To Go.
Great album, love all the songs
Classic rock mwah
A classic
Absolutely love this album. Really miss him. He was a great showman.
Great theatrical rock sound!
Yeah now we are talking. A fantastic rock album.
This is the kind of music my parents were too cool to like and so I absolutely love it for the campy musical theater of it all and annoying my cool kid music snob parents. I've never understood if Meatloaf if supposed to be taken seriously, or it's all a big cheesy joke? I guess I don't care, because, yes. I do want to drive a convertible across the desert signing along to this album at top volume.
Maximum cheese factor…and yet it’s just so much fun to listen to! Everything is turned up to 11 in the best way - will definitely return to this one on a rainy day :)
So like, does Meat Loaf love his subject of the songs? Or not?
all time classic
As a theatre kid, this hits all the right notes, meatloaf is incredible. I can see why some people may not enjoy it, but I absolutely love this album
A Milestone in Rock - very pleasant songs - wow
Love it!
Álbum excepcional! Um rock teatral com belas e fortes canções. Celest Phoenixcall.
Brilliant. Just f’ing Brilliant
Incredible album. So theatrical. Very nostalgic and grand. Took the words right out of my mouth one of my favorites of all time.
The world would be a better place if more art could be as unashamedly fun, dramatic and theatrical as this. Faves: Paradise by the Dashboard Light (duh), For Crying Out Loud, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
Need I say more
Rock made by a theater kid which is right up my alley. Totally get why he was in Rocky Horror now.
I've been listening to this album my whole life and it never gets old. If you're into rock Ballard's belted out by an obese 300 pound rock star then this is your album. It's over the top, melodic, overproduced and incredible.
All of these songs were so fun! it brings the same feelings of listening to Tenacious D. Great musicianship, silly songs, power ballads and rocking riffs
Man, this curvy diva did not only brighten up fight club but is also smashing all the singing parts on this lp. I love how they gave every extravagant piece room to breath and included even the out there skit before the second song just cause they felt like it. So many amazing songs on here, what a great voice! I just want to ride this flaming bike and listen to this record.
Defintely a classic! It's so eay to enjoy most of the themes.
10/10
up
It was long ago and it was far away ! Amazing.
I love this album. I think what makes this album so great isn't that it's got a couple of elite hits backed up by some solid or maybe good songs, but rather it's beginning to end just great music. None of the songs really stand out above any of the others, at least dramatically so, which I think you might notice when most of the track list is in my list of favorite songs from the album. This album also really feels like a complete idea. It'd be weird to just listen to 2 or 3 of the songs on their own. Like, just listen to the whole album at that point. Also, oops! "Accidentally" listened to this on repeat. Favorite Song(s): You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, All Revved Up with No Place to Go, 2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad, Paradise by the Dashboard Light
I love Meat Loaf and I love this album. I have listened through it many times before on LP and CD and doing it again today made me just as happy as before. Truly a great artist singing and an excellent composer in Jim Steinman. I think I might repeat this album a few more times.
This album is perfect. Starting with that frantic piano line in Bat of Hell that sets the stage for an emotionally unavailable man and ending with a tender, but powerful ballad where he finally is able to say those 3 words, it’s quite the journey in between.
It turns out that 70s rock opera is way more my speed than I even expected.
"I bet you say that to all the boys." Changed my brain chemistry.
It's Meat Loaf, so expect the theatrics. That being said, this is the first time I've listened to an entire Meat Loaf album from start to finish. The lore here is interesting too, as this apparently spawned from a rock musical retelling of Peter Pan called "Neverland". Written by legendary composer Jim Steinman, he essentially developed a few songs from Neverland into "Bat Out of Hell" here (which would become a musical itself in 2017). This is very much Steinman's work, as much as it is Meat Loaf's. Steinman would later go on to produce and have involvement in all sorts of iconic and chart-topping songs (Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" chief among those), as well as some film scores. Oh, and lest I forget that Todd Rundgren produced and had heavy involvement in this album too. This album had large aspirations. I'm sure some people will find this campy and overproduced and it very much is. There's sincerity, with equal parts melodrama, at least that's my interpretation of things here. Most important of all though, it's fun. I mean, tell me that "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" ain't fun!
great
Jim Steinman, "Meat Loaf", what an album by which to introduce yourself into the rock world, though some of us first caught notice of Meat Loaf in his other career as an actor in "ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW", a couple years earlier. Powerful album, great fun, and still a joy to listen to nearly fifty years later.
I worked in a record shop when this came out and we played it till death. great album.
I don’t know where to begin with this. Bruce Springsteen mixed with the most wild Elton John, and an album cover fit for Iron Maiden. This immediately gripped me with a 10 minute insane fest title track. I honestly didn’t think the rest Astros up to the first song, but just for the insanity of this power rock opera, and the extremely high bar of “Bat Out Of Hell”, plus the fact that these songs have all been stuck in my head all weekend, it’s gotta be a 5
Yeah, this is one of the great rock and roll listening experiences you'll ever have. Both Meatloaf and Jim Steinman were geniuses. Together, they were a completely unstoppable force.
Man, I love this challenge for moments like this. If I’ve already heard the album I always go in with a rating in mind and I love it when a re-listen here completely changes my opinion. I remember listening to this years back and thinking, “It’s alright classic rock” but on a re-listen I was so wrong. Every single track on this album is near perfect. Such an epic run of tracks. Theatrical and grandiose, and the hooks all hit perfectly! 10/10 Favorite tracks- “Bat Out of Hell” “All Revved Up With No Place To Go” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”
This album has all the makings of something I would not enjoy. It's bombastic and silly, while also having long songs that are more theatrical than musical. Yet, I have always loved this album. I came to know Meatloaf from "Bat Out of Hell II" and I'll Do Anything for Love, which probably isn't the best introduction if you are looking for 70's rock operatic music featuring members of the E-Street Band. This feels like the E-Street Band, no matter what Jim Steinman says. I didn't even know members of the E-Street Band performed on this album until I had already purchased the album. The songs are long, yet somehow, they never overstay their welcome. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth is pure Phil Spector, which means it is pure Born to Run. What impresses me the most about this album is just how it was written by grown men and it seems to speak to themes that teens and adolescents can relate to. I think that is what makes the album so fun is there is a certain sense of nostalgia and longing for something better/romantic/fulfilling out of life. Perhaps I read too much into it and no other Meatloaf albums are worth hearing as much as this one is. It's of a place and time yet is also timeless.
STOP RIGHT THERE! If there are two things I've loved my entire life it's: 1. Mountain Dew 2. Rock Opera And I think Meat Loaf would agree with me. While Bat Out Of Hell isn't a rock opera itself, it definitely had that vibe. Paradise By The Dashboard Light has been near and dear to my heart since I was a child listening to my parents sing it to each other. That song is 8.5 minutes of pure joy for me. Meat Loaf has just one of those voices, man. Whether it's a cameo in Pick of Destiny or time warping in Rocky Horror, the man has always been there singing in my ears, and I'm happier for it. This album was both a hoot and also a holler. I had a lot of fun listening to it, and that's all I could ever ask for. Big ups to the dinner table in the sky because every night is Meat Loaf night.
Theatrical rock at its finest. The long songs are some of the best examples of what you can do with that extended length. The most well known tracks are the big bombastic ones, but the ballads add a good amount of emotion to the album. Meat Loaf’s performance is incredible, delivering everything with great passion and emotion, but even though Meat Loaf is the star, the musicianship from the instrumentalists is amazing. 5/5
My love of the theatre and rock merged on this classic!!
Jim and The Loaf, what a team. I cant describe this any more eloquently than has already been done. if you don't like it - you have zero taste.
Absolute classic
Classic Meat Loaf
Super cool ballad rock. This album is a lot of fun!
The album is over the top bombastic and operatic. I love it. 16 year old me loved Paradise By the Dashboard Light. 56 year old me still does. The album is a lot but it is great fun
Overall: 9/10 And the award for Most Misleading Album Cover goes to.... This is a crazy album. It's so over the top that its boiling over. Extravagant and wild. I always knew Meat Loaf from movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Tenacious D but for some reason never had any interest in listening to his music. I regret that now. So glad to have this in my life now. Fav Song: Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Now this is more my speed!! The grandiose theatrical piano with the addition of rocking guitar supplemented by Meat Loaf’s heavy, sonorous voice is beautiful. I thought meat loaf was a hard rock album but I was so gratefully surprised with this emotional epic that somehow balances the excitement of banging your head to the beat and making your heart heavy. Loved it, wish I had discovered it before but so glad I know of it now.
Hell yeah!! This is one of those rare records where even if you've never heard it before, you somehow find yourself singing along—loudly, wildly, and without shame. The choruses are built to be shouted at full volume, preferably in a car, with the windows down.
Such a fun album
loved it since kindergarten - still do !
another debut album after the last one i listened to, this one by meat loaf. this album is quite a doozy, the same kind of energetic theatrical pop music that the likes of elton john and queen. i feel like meat loaf has been parodied and joked when it comes to how dramatic he can be with his music, and while a lot of those jabs are kinda right, i think it really drags us away from the fact that he IS a talented singer and songwriter. the music is consistently good, you don't really see too many albums especially today where every track has a consistent sound and it doesn't get old throughout the runtime.
I already had this album and listen to it often. Excellent start to finish with some of his best hits.
It’s like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Out of the Blue, and the Declaration of Independence, and Susan's speech to Ricky Bobby all wrapped into one mad explosion of musical excess. I laughed. I cried. I recognized the absurdity and I didn't care. I DIDN'T CARE. I luxuriated in the audacity. And, when it ended, so tenderly, I - with a renewed faith in humanity's capacity for genuine self-expression in the face of artifice and pretension, greed and cynicism - I steeled myself for re-entry into the 21st century.
This is more than an album it's an experience! This album was one of my mom's favorites growing up so it is near and dear to me. Its so perfect in so many ways, the piano, the guitar, the lyrics and the vocals (shoutout to the females on this record, they are the unsung heros!). Its completely over the top, in a way that is borderline campy making it so much more believable. The lyrics are sung with such passion you miss how ridiculous they are (two out of three ain't bad). I mean how many of us have danced to Paradise by the Dashboard Light at a wedding and forgotten how ironic and ridiculous that is! Everything is dramatic, everything is rock, everything makes you buy in, dance around and sing at the top of your lungs.
Nothing sounds quite like Meat Loaf. Dramatic and passionate but with just enough quirky humor to make you go .. wut? Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, All Revved Up, Two Out of Three, and Paradise by the Dashboard are all great songs. Phenomenal song writing with great energy. Bat Out of Hell and Crying Out Loud are not my favorites but they work well as an intro song and a finale song even if they are kind of long and not as good as the others. They work in the context of the album. Heaven Can Wait is a skip for me. But other than that, it's pretty much a masterpiece of rock n roll.
Bat is an all time classic album for me. It gave me some cool core memories from the days of driving around in my old school Toyota Prius with the tape deck chugging out the perfection of You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, and Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
This album is perfection.
When you want Rock Opera done right, Jim Steinman was the go to guy. Bonkers, over the top nonsense and gloriously addictive. I don’t remember when I first heard this, but I’ve listened to it enough times to know every word. It’s a great album. Mars, but Steinman could write great albums and at this point Meatloaf could still perform them. That Old Grey Whistle Test performance of Paradise is enough for me.
Contender for greatest rock album.
Ostigt men mättande
Felt like a musical and like if David Bowie had a child with Freddie Mercury and put out a musical about Ozzy Osbourne.
This man was part of the reason I wanted so badly to learn guitar lessons in school because I thought I maybe one day too could make a sick ass album. He's genuinely impressive and inventive with music and his ability to just keep going until literally the end was also impressive.
it takes one hell of an artist to make a 10 minute long banger that doesn't get bogged down or lost on the way. also hot summer night is one of the songs ever. good shit mr. loaf
I love this over the top rock opera. So clearly a musical in rock album format, I love this thing. So silly but the playing and singing is just so good it adds to it. 5/5
Guys, you're causing me to have a Meatloaf Flareup. That's when someone mentions Meatloaf then I've got to listen to Meatloaf non-stop for the next several days. I'm not mad, I just wanted you to know the power you have over me.
So many classic songs. Rock on an epic scale.
I really really want to give this 5 stars. I do but if 5 stars is perfect and “All Revved up” is not a good song, what do I do? Fuck it. I’ll buck my trend. It’s perfect enough. I mean, the storytelling, the anthemic songs. It’s a rollercoaster.
What a magnificent album! Plenty of epic and melodic moments. Forget the cheesy name and give a bite to this monstruous piece of Meat!
Great vocal layering. Elite harmonizing and the use of spoken word samples is perfectly executed. Very very reminiscent of Queen??? Wasn’t expecting that. A beautiful mix of ballads and absolute guitar rippers. Listened to: walking through prospect park. Favorite tracks: Bat Out of Hell, Heaven Can Wait, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
One of the best first songs of a album