Bat Out Of Hell

2.8/5 carried by the better songs

8/10

I always thought Meat Loaf was metal for some reason, but this is some of the worst rock opera shit I've ever heard in my life, and this is supposed to be their best album? Not for me I'm afraid.

antes de ouvir achei que seria algum rock pesado e me surpreendi muito quando vi que não era. enquanto ouvia, comecei a achar as músicas parecidas com algo que eu já tinha ouvido antes, até que tocou paradise by the dashboard light, que eu amo a versão de glee!!!!!! já valeu 4 estrelas só por isso, mas gostei do resto também!

Rockcito ok

Wow--how have I never listened to this album all the way through?? Genuinely such a fun listen.

muy bueno, me esperaba algo re heavy metal pero al final nada que ver y me encantó

Excruciating. The only good thing on this whole record is the lyric, “I’m gonna hit the highway like a battering ram, I’m a Cilla Black fan on a bike”, and I’m pretty convinced that’s not even what he sings, mores the pity.

No no no. Only redeeming feature is my "meaf loaf" story and an appearance in Rocky Horror. Overblown twaddle that goes on and on.

Love this album!

A great album that I knew about, but somehow has never listened to. This is probably a good vinyl buy!

This is like a 70s B movie in album form. I wouldn't say it's *bad*, but I sure would struggle to say it's good. Eh, fuck it. Why not. We all need a little more melodrama in our lives.

I tried to listen to this album but strangely all I heard was his name was Robert Paulsen. Actually this was okay if you like over singing and overdone stuff. But it seems people do. I just didn’t.

Very theatrical. Some great singing but it feels like everything is turned up all the time.

This is hard because the opening track is one of my absolute favorites but the rest of the album is so secondary

Atomic bombastic!

Not for me

Очень удивился в свое время, когда узнал, что это один из самых продаваемых альбомов в истории музыки. В Америке эта тема залетела, и его считают культовым, а у нас вне квизов вообще мало кто знает кто такой Meat Loaf. И не сказать, что он какой-то дико недооцененный. Он не писал своих песен и не обладал каким-то потрясающим голосом. Брал скорее подачей и театральностью, которая прекрасно подходила для подобного бродвейского типа песен. И поэтому его союз с композитором Джимом Стайнманом, который писал мюзиклы, получился таким удачным. Сами песни меня не особо зацепили. По паре приятных можно забрать и с этого, и с других его альбомов, но глобально ничего вау на мой вкус. Но мне нравится эта атмосфера американских фильмов 70-80х, и эти песни моментально тебя туда переносят. А еще это редкий пример исполнителя, у которого мне тексты песен нравятся больше, чем музыка, хотя обычно для меня этот компонент вообще не важен. Но тут есть действительно интересные строчки и запоминающиеся образы. Поэтому, пусть и с небольшим завышением, но все же хочу поставить 4.

Ура, музыка пошла. Я фанат Рокки Хоррора номер один, поэтому 1000/10.

уже давал несколько раз шанс meat loaf и переслушивал, но не моя музыка стиль и голос, при этом будто бы какое-то клише популярное в сша, там такое любят, а от меня - 3

My first time listening to this album. At first I was way into the campiness of it, but then it got to be too much.

Though I've heard most of these tracks many times, I've not listened all too closely. I knew the big epic numbers. I knew the baseball innuendo. But what I didn't know was the soft stuff. And hidden in there is a beautiful story. A story of love. Of a relationship developing through time. Starting. Working through problems. Deepening. And reflection on it all. I certainly didn't expect to come into this album, and end up thinking that it was pretty. Powerful, yes. Emotional, maybe. But pretty? No. But it is extremely so. Rating: 9/10. The pacing through the early part is perhaps the biggest blemish on this record. But that is by no means a big mark against it, and it well and truly deserves to stay in 5 star territory.

A fun album with cheeky humor and a lot going on, but didn't connect. 3 out of 5

This album captured the hearts and minds of the young ladies from the 70s thru thr 80s with it's themes of young love and just. Well produced and well sung by it's creator. An excellent capsule of youthful living on the East Coast 70s.

(3/5) Big, (melo-) dramatic, orchestral rock with Meatloaf's good and undeniably loud voice as the centerpiece. It's fun and "Paradise.." is a favorite, but the rest didn't work me up like it wanted to. Another reviewer said something to the effect of it being rock for 'theater kids'. This is apt. I knew a lot of theater kids, and I didn't hate on them, but I didn't join in either. Let them have their fun, too.

I know that this one had tremendous commercial success, but I've never understood the appeal. Sure, it's cute and campy in some places, but it's cringey and unentertaining in others, and the album (and his other material, for that matter) isn't something it would ever occur to me to listen to of my own volition. I'll give it the benefit of a 2.5, but only so I can round it down.

204. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (1977) 9.14.26 Variety: 2 Adequacy: 3 Listenability: 2 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 3 = 2.4 rounded down to a 2 Meat Loaf is one of those artists who I grew up barely aware of outside of "I'd Do Anything for Love" which had a very late ( 16 years after the album) music video directed by a young whipper snapper named Michael Bay in 1993 that was ALL over MTV at the time. Which was pretty confusing when I realized his big album came out before I was born. It was a tiny bit fascinating, but not enough to get me curious enough to look into Bat Out of Hell. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" I must have heard on classic rock radio at some point as well, and he may have had some sort of comeback around then, maybe juiced up by the Beauty and the Beast-ish music video because I do remember at least two friends' parents talking glowingly about him. I just didn't get it. It sounded to me like when a musical tries on "rock" music. I would later come to view this sort of thing as "Theater Kid Rock" - and it's been done to a varying degree of success over the decades since Mr. Loaf ( along with Grease, little Shop of Horrors and Rocky Horror - the latter of which Meat Loaf is awesome in btw) popularized the mode. From Styx ( not as great) to the Decemberists ( much better imo) many a band has tried their hand at this sort of rock-adjacent theatricality where you can tell the artist would very much rather be on Broadway. At the time I first became aware of it, this sort of thing was almost entirely cringeworthy, with the supremely uncool amount of effort, the unrock-like song structures, and the unembarrassed sense of abandon the artists had in throwing themselves fully into the thing. Meat Loaf himself obviously took stylistic, if not musical queues from James Brown, for example. Over the years I've softened quite a bit on this stuff though, and have even learned to enjoy musical theater on its own terms, my 90s wannabe hipster credibility having long been worn away to a nub. Aging out of it is freeing, guys. I can't wait for you to get to reap the rewards of uncoolness. Trust me, it'll be fine. You might even find yourself humming along with Mr. Loaf's biggest hits. "And it was so much better than it is today/ (And we were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife)/ It was long ago and it was far away" THE TRACKS Side one "Bat Out of Hell" - Ahh, just as I remember it - full of energy, and dynamism, dripping with Meat Loaf's sweaty charisma. And music that seems feels just like the soundtrack to an unproduced stage show that it ( by all accounts might have been - at least in the hopes and dreams of the writer and performer). I want to say when I first heard this it may have been via the music video as the opening piano overture does not take up too much space in my memory. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" - The spoken word intro on this had me cackling. I had forgotten it was a thing at all. God bless you Jim Steinman and your unabashed enthusiasm and commitment to making people write uncomfortably in their seats. We get more of the same here, but less bravado, and more introspection with a thin gauze of of Phil Spector-ish inspired musicality laid over top. The all-star session players are the real stars here, with some excellent playing. We've got Todd Rundgren providing keyboards, Max Weinberg ( of Springsteen's E-Street Band fame), Edgar Winter on sax, and half of the band Utopia all on here. "Heaven Can Wait" - We get our piano ballady "I Wish" song moment in our cod-musical, and it's just as schmaltzy and unendearingly mawkish as I recall. If I cared about such things anymore, this is the type of thing that would have given me a shudder of embarrassment by proxy. But that sort of thing is water off a duck's back to Meat Loaf. He's fully vested in the retirement account of sincerity on this, and I dare you to laugh. Go ahead.... Yeah, that's what I thought. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" - This one continues the similar vibes, but has a much more driving feel to it, and works a bit better as an actual song, without the rock opera structure impeding AS much. It's still there though. Edgar Winter gets a fine sax solo, which is neat I guess. And the background vocals are giving me some Little Shop of Horrors vibes. Unfortunately there's not much left when the song finally kicks into overdrive at the very, very end. Side two "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" - The breakup song, and I guess this is the "dark night of the soul" moment in our musical, and it's appropriately pleading and downbeat. The chorus from this, while pretty memorable, is most definitely playing around in the same Helen Reddy Delta Dawn, overproduced wannabe EPIC sandbox that I just can't abide. Mr. Loaf does this sort of thing fine ( as evidenced by the tens of millions of copies of this that still exist in the closets of elderly aunts ( and some uncles) everywhere), but I think it's really a waste of his booming voice. I prefer my heavyset, sweaty, operatic singers to try and melt my face off ( see Jack Black, Jon Popper, Leslie West). "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - This is more like it, with the boogie-woogie rhythms, and what is easily the catchiest stuff so far on the album. It's very easy to understand why this ended up being the standout track. From the doo-wop backing vocals, to the rockabilly swagger, this one is very largely successful. This is the track where the Rocky Horror "Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul" connection finally made some real sense to me. It's the best synthesis of the rock meets musical aesthetic. The fact that this still gets radio play is a testament to how fun it is, and I'd say it's worth the price of admission, and almost worth sitting through everything else to get here. Sure, the disco heavy Phil Rizzuto part I can do without, but are so baked into the vision of the song, it would be very hard to imagine the song without it. And it's short. And it gets us to the most rocking bit of the album, and we finally get to Ellen Foley's showcase where she kills it. "For Crying Out Loud" - After that last explosive bit of business, there's not really anywhere to go but down. And Mr. Loaf digs us a pretty deep hole with some piano work that might offend Liberace's sense of good taste, and some of the sappiest lyrics on the whole album. True to musical form though, we get the sturm and drang ending , strings and all. Andrew Lloyd Webber would be proud, mayb he rest in peace ( might as well do a little future proofing in this review). HIGHLIGHTS - "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" MIDLIGHTS - "Bat Out of Hell" - "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" - "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" LOWLIGHTS - "Heaven Can Wait" - "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" - "For Crying Out Loud" FINAL THOUGHTS There's a LOT going on here, and a lot of fun early rock influences, but when it comes down to it, as much infectious energy as there is, this plays to me like if Bruce Springsteen got conked on the head, Fred Flintsones style, with a 35mm reel of Grease, and emerged from his brief coma with a different personality. Maybe wearing a leather jacket and entering the stage on a motorcycle. It's all very capable stuff, and there's certainly passion. It just is not my thing really. I can appreciate it a lot more than I can enjoy it. This much kinder than I would have thought I was going to be actually. Even with my appreciation of late 70s and early 80s cheese like Bonnie Tyler ( also a Jim Steinman deovotee) who I think pulls this same trick off with a greater degree of success. If not monetarily-wise, then at least in that it holds up better I think in that it leans a little bit more into the camp that Meat Loaf seems to not fully embrace. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is really the only reason anyone needs to listen to this thing. I was actually surorised it wa son the list, but it did make a VERY outsize dent in the record sales arena still holding a spot within the top 10 best selling albums ever. EVER. So I guess just culturally it's important for that reason. Possible turn-Offs might include: - what some of the young'ins might deem some very cringeworthy performances and lyrics - a neither fish nor fowl feel about the rock vs. musical vives - bombastic and OVER THE TOP presentation You Might enjoy this if you: PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Not sure there's a place for this one in my rotation, though I'll continue to listen to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" if/ when it comes on the radio FURTHER LISTENING - Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen - Faster Than the Speed of Night by Bonnie Tyler - Grease - theatrical soundtrack written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey by and performed by Various - The Rocky Horror Picture Show - theatrical soundtrack written by Richard O'Brien and performed by Various - Paradise Theatre by Styx - Falling into You by Celine Dion

Growing up there was a basket in the upstairs that held a bunch of loose 8-track cassettes. One of them was this album, Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell." It had belonged to my uncle back in his high schools days, I think. Now dear reader, I grew up in an evangelical household so it perplexed me to see this artifact of Rock and Roll, explicitly referencing Hell with a motorcycle riding demon on it every time I went down the stairs. What blasphemy did it contain? Why did no one in my family ever mention it? We didn't have an 8-track player. Did they throw it out before I was born so the sinful sounds could curse our home? I never found out. But whenever "Satanic" Rock and Roll was mentioned in our community it was usually in reference to the band Black Sabbath and this album, "Bat out of Hell." What a pair of acts, right? Consider that the next time you encounter some zealot raging about media they only surficially understand. Then in 1992 "Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell" came out with the most elaborate rock opera-est music video I'd ever seen (and would see endlessly on MTV) for "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't do that)" and I had no desire to go back and find out what the original was. I knew. So, I'd never heard this album in its entirety before today. It is a rock opera without any of the connective tissue. This is fulfilling the promise that Bat out of Hell II told me I'd find if I ever went searching it out. It is also deflating all of the Satanic anxiety I had for the first ten years of life. I respect the audacity and actually enjoyed the fun bits, that baseball announcer interlude in the middle of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" nearly earns the whole 3/5 I'm giving this. The rock bits could hit in certain strides. There is some fine boogie-woogie piano bits to be found. I'll probably never reach for this album, to be honest, but I'm glad another mystery of youth has been solved. 3/5.

Meh

A hard listen, feels like he really just wanted to write a broadway show. I give albums I don’t like 2 stars. I give albums that I don’t understand why anyone would like it 1 star. This was a borderline. So if someone who does like it can explain why I might revise this.

If this is what hell sounds like I need to start praying.

Fantastic.

queen but emo and american? sounds like something out of a jukebox musical. then i researched jim steinman and that makes SO much sense. absolutely not my taste unfortunately, but yeah sure it's pretty interesting.

This album is just tragic. I will give Meatloaf credit for an entertaining appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show but musically? What are we even doing here? It sounds like he wants to be a Springsteen-esque story teller, but the stories are boring and kind of sexist. He also wants to present as some sort of motorcycle riding bad boy rocker but he sounds like what you would get if Elton John donned a leather jacket and said “hey boys, I’m a rebel outlaw now.” Let me fire up the Harley and listen to some synth piano bullshit. All of this might, and I emphasize might, be tolerable if the songs weren’t 8 minutes long. You expect me to listen to 8 minutes of this drivel? How this album has clung to the belly of rock and roll like a tick on dog is beyond me. Probably still deserves 2 stars but, as Clint Eastwood said Unforgiven, “deserving’s got nothing to do with it.”

Can I borrow that wonderful line from a fellow 1001 Albums Generator participant, regarding Fishermen's Blues -- by the last ten tracks, I was begging for it to end -- while describing an album that only has seven songs? This is more like Boston's debut album, or T Rex's Electric Warrior, than ZZ Top's Eliminator, in that the album is a classic, at least within its own sphere, as opposed to an album that should be mined for singles, which should be heard on a concise Best Of compilation. At the same time ... we come once again to the question of what is the guiding conceptual framework of this enterprise. The evidence suggests that the authors believe that, in addition to eating a peck of dirt before we die, we also should listen to a certain volume of lousy (if hugely successful, commercially) music. Much of this is familiar, but -- I promised myself I would refrain from using bad language, but I'm on the final track, and emotion is welling up within me --it sucks. I don't have the words to adequately capture how dumb Paradise By the Dashboard Light is. I also, during the first couple of tracks, felt I had a new understanding of that feeling of revulsion that washes over me when I see Jack Black "rocking out." He's like an off brand Meatloaf. Which means he's an inferior version of something terrible.

I wish I were kidding, but this really happened: The morning after I listened to this unappetizing album for this stupid project I walked into work and the FIRST SONG playing on the insipid playlist was "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad." It felt like a cutting commentary on contemporary American culture, dredging up yesteryear's mediocrity in an effort to sell Protein Doritos and Honey Glazed Donuts that contain no honey. I always detested this music, even when it was played all the time on the radio, not yet relegated to AI music programs. A few years ago I heard an episode of "Hit Parade" (a fantastic podcast that tracks various musical trends through their appearances on Billboard charts) that focused on Jim Steinman and his influence on American pop music. I can't say the episode persuaded me to ever listen to Steinman's creations, but I do kind of understand why this album is on the list. I mean it has sold 40 million copies... and this is how we know we are in the minority when we rhapsodize about the albums we love which only sell a tenth of that number, if that. Anyway, I hated this record.

This is probably really good album; I guess I’m just not really a Meatloaf fan? 2.75/5.0?

If Elton John had guitar solos, songs that all topped 5 minutes, and a way worse name, you’d have Meat Loaf. This album is so good and I didn’t expect it to be. My only complaint is that some songs (especially Paradise…) seemed more like they were 2 or 3 songs that Ol’ Loaf just decided to mash into one. But even then, good songs! Just an odd structural choice.

Cheesy rock through and through. It's so overdone that it almost crosses into musical terriory. But I'm here for it. A classic rock opera album. 4.0/5.0

Nope. Just nope. This is terrible. The songs are way too long. Too many power ballads. The last song is called "For Crying Out Loud". Well if my ears could cry, they would do the same. Now they bleed. Bleed a lot. Oh, and I really really hate "Paradise By The Dashboard Light". So: 1/5 (Too bad I couldn't give 0/5)

4/10 despite this seemly right down my alley I didn't care for it as much as I thought I would

Knew Meat Loaf only by name before. The cover art is very deceptive : it lets you expect a heavy metal or cheesy hard rock album, when there's actually not even trace elements of metal in it. The cheesiness is here all right, but the music itself sounds more like a greasier version of Bruce Springsteen on drugs. With booze. And maybe Satan, but just for the lolz. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Hilariously corny, but still quite listenable, with a few surprisingly catchy songs. Almost too catchy, as a matter of fact - the constant upbeat vibe and coked-out energy can be exhausting at times. Still, it's better than the opposite ; the slow songs were boring and unremarkable, "Heaven Can Wait" and "Two Out of Three" really made me yawn. Not something I'll listen again, it's still far too corny for my taste, but I didn't hate it either. A strong 2*, almost a 3* ? 4/10

good effort. I wouldn't listen but it's a musical...

Je me rappelle l’avoir écouté, je ne m’en rappelle plus en détails mais cela avait été un bon moment. … même s’il n’y a pas le tube qui a fait que meat loaf est connu pour moi

Since childhood, I’ve carefully avoided Meat Loaf. That whole operatic-rock, Rocky Horror Picture Show vibe, made by some redneck and wrapped in laughable covers was a massive no go for me. Well, here I am, exposed almost against my will. At times it really reminds me of Queen, only without the self-awareness or the same quality of songwriting. I didn’t even dare look at the lyrics. It all sounds incredibly cliché and ridiculously overblown… but, annoyingly, it’s not nearly as bad as I expected. The album is actually richer and more eclectic than I imagined. I probably should give it another listen, but the prospect of sitting through Bat Out of Hell again is enough to stop me. Really not my cup of tea, but I’ll reluctantly admit I expected much worse.

Pretty rad actually

One of the most self indulgent theatre rock albums you’ll ever hear. But honestly he’s committed to the bit and the performing is fantastic. One of the best things about this album is the flow. The songs weave in and out of each other like a cohesive thought.

Honestly I don't know if this cheesy mess of an album fully deserves the 5 stars but I'm giving in to a mix of nostalgia and the sheer fun factor. And really I think the tipping point was how mad I was getting at the negative reviews. I wouldn't be so defensive about this if I didn't love it so much.

lot of thoughts about this album - this was the album that taught me about composers and songwriters. There was something I couldn't define, but recognized, between some songs I really liked. I remember my dad telling me the songs might have different bands behind them but they were all composed by this guy, Jim Steinman, and it was revelatory. each of those bands brought something of their own to the songs but there was something distinctly Jim Steinman about them. (I remember specifically, some point when my parents introduced us to Streets of Fire (one of the all time great cinematic experiences) realizing two of the songs *had* to be Jim Steinman songs. When I mentioned this to my dad he confirmed and seemed proud I'd made the connection, and that's a cherished childhood memory.) - more specifically about Meat Loaf, Bat Out of Hell stood out for me as a kid because it was one of the few music things my parents unequivocally agreed on. My dad was into Zeppelin, Yes, Rush, AC/DC, while my mom was listening to classic country or (unfortunately) some of the worst 70s pop like Seasons in the Sun or Run Joey Run. All the same, they both thought Meat Loaf was cool as hell. In retrospect this makes sense. they were both band nerds, they were both into musicals, and there were a few other common points that all converged into Bat Out of Hell. This is rock and roll by way of Rocky Horror, Little Shop of Horrors, etc and that is part of why I love it. Steinman's operatic, bombastic composing meshes perfectly with Meat Loaf's voice and theatrical presence. - I feel bad for anyone who can't find something to love in this. It is almost embarrassingly sincere, it is A Lot, and I think it is about as close to perfect as performance can be. (I am specifically not saying it's without flaws; I'm saying it is flawed in beautiful ways that only make it better and more itself.) - Ellen Foley is also fantastic on this album, and I *think* this is the only album on the album list from someone who was on Night Court? but god would I ever love to be wrong about that - Paradise by the Dashboard Light is one of the only punchline songs that doesn't make me mad and I couldn't tell you why fuck man. I just love this album. it's so good.

Letterboxd rly got it right with the stars and heart system because this is the most “3 stars and a heart” album ever. Jim Steinman they could never make me hate you.

Not my typical thing but some songs are actually fire

Not my thing.

Love this album!

This is actually pretty amazing. Really solid record, and paradise by the dashboard light may be one of the truly great songs. Check out the film clip for extra awesome!

Springsteen inspired theatrical songs. A bit too cheesy for me. 2

Good album, I'm just not in the right frame if mind to truly enjoy it

Nowwww I can see where Creeper got alot of their theatrical/over the top inspiration from in their songs, and while with other albums on this list where I didn't like the original but loved they inspiration they gave, this is the rare exception where I love the original music too. Yes from a production standpoint this could certainly use a remaster, but besides that I love how dramatic this is. Every song feels so engaging and memorable (besides one) and if you just embrace the cheesiness, you'll have a fantastic time. 4.5/5

Det er jo gøy at det dras på så voldsomt, og eg får litt lyst å like det. Men det får eg ikkje til. Får ei ekstrastjerne for eg likar forsøket og innsatsen.

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell Bat Out Of Hell er kjempevanskelig å vurdere. Den prøver jo ikke å forholde seg til vanlige rammer og begrensninger. Den jobber aktivt for å alltid lesse på mer der alle andre ville tenkt at det var litt mye. Og det synes jeg på merkelig vis at den får til. Det er alt for mye hele tida, og så funker det på et vis likevel! Det blir jo så klart for mye innimellom også, men det virker å være poenget. Jeg er underholdt nesten hele veie gjennom, for det er noen låter her også, og godeste Mr. Loaf synger jo dritbra! Han synger som en fyr som alltid har tenkt at om han bare fikk sjansen så skulle han vise dem! Og nå som han endelig har fått sjansen skjønner han at det blir neppe noe mer enn dette, så her gjelder det å gi absolutt alt hele tida! Men karakter? Nei, jeg vet ikke jeg. 4/10 er ikke feil. 6/10 er ikke feil. 8/10 er heller ikke feil. Såååå… 7/10

Kjekt med dette opplegget at neste plate ikkje nødvendigvis er Sgt Pepper. Kan vera litt kjekt å høyra på dritmusikk og. Trur ikkje eg har høyrt gjennom denne fæle plata før. No noterte eg meg Paradise by the dashboard som den jævligaste, og Two out of three ain’t bad som den mest vanlege og derav beste balladen. Og Born to run var vel pompøs nok eller? Men viss eg gav 4 til Divine Comedy så skal eg ikkje lavare her, for eg høyrer faktisk heller på dette. Var antakeleg ikkje slik Divine Comedy ville det skulle bli.

Klarte to låter. Vil for mye de låtene her

Musikk er jammen varierte greier. Ta bare plata vi hørte på i går, Joy Divisions Unknown Pleasures, og sett den opp mot Meat Loafs Bat Out of Hell i dag. Det er vanskelig å tenke seg noe mer ulikt, selv om disse debutplatene kom ut med bare et par års mellomrom. Meat Loaf presenterer en tenåringsdrøm om evig liv, mens Joy Division gir oss en ung mann som allerede er lei. Dypt romantiske plater begge to, men med helt ulikt uttrykk. Den ene er kald og minimalistisk, den andre omtrent like subtil som en naturkatastrofe. Mens publikum i stor grad ignorerte Joy Division, løp folk til platebutikkene og kjøpte Meat Loaf i obskøne mengder. Folk er idioter.

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell Så var det oss då, Meat Loaf. Og mest av alt deg, Jim Steinman. Eg har alltid hatt eit anstrengt forhald til denne plata og lite har endra seg. Det skjer for mykje på ein alt for massiv måte gjennom heile skuletimen det tar å lytte seg gjennom denne plata (som har solgt sinnsvake 43 millionar eksemplar). Ein svulstig og overlessa rockeopera som heilt sikkert har fleire fine songar enn eg maktar å registrere mens heile greia øsar ut av høgtalarane. Skal eg peike meg ut ein favoritt blir det fort “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”, men behovet for å gjenbesøke heile greia finst ikkje. Eg er mett, Meat. 4/10

Ook ik begrijp dat je met muziek verhalen kunt vertellen, maar dat hoeft naar mijn inziens niet in elk lied. Al helemaal niet als het meest intense epos wat er bestaat… Meat Loaf denkt daar blijkbaar anders over. Hoewel dat mag en het ook echt wel goed in elkaar steekt, is dit niet voor mij. Ik moet wel zeggen dat ik het niet eens ben met jullie over Rock opera… hebben jullie TIK TIK BOOM weleens gezien? Dat is echt een van de beste films die ik ook heb gezien en dat is toch echt een Rock opera…

Ik was een beetje geschrokken van het niveau van dit album. Dit album van gehaktbrood is wereldwijd ontzettend veel verkocht en komt voor in lijstjes als deze maar het is zo ontzettend cringe. Het voelt als een hele slechte musical (er blijkt ook echt een musical van te zijn) . Je hoort ook wel waar Jack Black het allemaal van heeft. Jack Black vind ik ook cringe. Ik geef dit net zo veel sterren als de soundtrack van high school musical.

Doet wat het moet doen. Wat ze voor ogen hadden is erg goed gelukt. Rockmusical is natuurlijk altijd verschrikkelijk en verdiend bijna direct een één maar binnen dat genre is deze nog wel aardig. In dit bombastische lukt het de zanger het wel om de juiste emotionele kern er in te leggen die ik niet irritant vind. De album cover is ook wel leip. Toch een sterretje er bij.

Nee, nee, nee. Ik begrijp goed dat dit album niet mag ontbreken in de lijst, maar het is absoluut niet voor mij. Er is werkelijk alles uit de kast getrokken: groter dan groots, te bombastisch, te theatraal en vaak te lang. Het heeft veel weg van een rockopera, als het dat al niet gewoon is, en ik ben allergisch voor het woord rockopera. Paradise by the Dashboard Light lijkt ook een eeuwigheid te duren voordat het eindelijk is afgelopen. Het mag van mij bestaan en ik snap dat mensen dit een meesterwerk vinden. Het is ook zeker niet slecht gemaakt. Maar ik vind het helemaal niks.

Almost musical theater at some points. Corny but so fun. 3.8/5

It’s over-the-top, it’s grandiose and it’s hilarious. Someone should make a musical out of this… oh wait they already did.

You could probably use this music to torture people

really cool, didnt know meat loaf was one guy... so thats cool I guess, I just found the songs were really long... and like a 9 minute song of a guy singing is like ehhhh but I feel like there is real potential here. I hope I get another one of his albums so I can look deeper. But because of how much I liked it I have to give him a 3... sorry guys

Dynamite album. I love how dramatic and theatrical the album feels.

This album is awesome - a rock opera in the purest sense. You feel like you're taken on a journey from beginning to end. Doesn't hurt that the songs rip too - especially "Bat Out of Hell" and "Paradise By the Dashboard Light".

I have a feeling I’m not going to enjoy these albums a bunch… although this one was fun! Reminds me of a musical

1. Gonna tell my kids this was Jack Black 2. Bowie's Station to Station for guys that peaked in high school Rating: 6-7/10

Underhållande

I have to be in the right mood for this sort of bombastic rock opera, but it is very fun and rousing.

It's an awesome album that really stands out. It's a rock opera that doesn't fall short on any aspect.

Incredibly fun. IDGAF about a critical response here. Jim Steinman absolutely sells it. Was just talking to mum about PBTDL a few weeks ago too, so good timing. Had a ball. 7/10

Amazing surprise. The percussion is addictive. I stood up to move many many times.

Maybe it was because it was a Monday morning and I wasn’t in the mood for a cheesy third rate rock opera with songs that feel longer than 25 minute prog epics because they drag SO much. Or maybe this album is an absolute crock of shit. Day ruined

This album cover is pretty neat Man I wish I listen to THIS on my run omg I loved this. There was a good balance of upbeat rock songs, some slower songs and even a piano ballad or two. His voice was great and paradise by the dashboard light featured a women whose voice meshed incredibly well with his. I also loved how piano forward this record was with it being featured prominently on alot of the upbeat songs and not just on the slower ones. I feel like piano is mostly used for slower songs these days which is fine but a fast, upbeat piano can be so fun and it goes well with like every instrument including electric guitars. Anyway I loved this, would definitely listen again and I hope there’s more of this guy on the list. Apparently this is like one of the best selling albums of all time and I see why, it was so fun to listen to, I had a great time. 5/5

Maso

There is something quite endearing about this record. It rocks, yes, but it is also heartfelt in moments. It’s theatrical, but easily sung. This album is just fun even in the corny parts. Overcomposed and produced. Truly enjoyed this one. 4/5

Yeah….no thanks

Die is so dramaties rerig nie my smaak nie. By die einde wou ek net hê dit moet oor wees

Still the biggest, cheesiest, daftest, maddest slice of rock alchemy ever, and I fucking love it.

A bit too theatrical for my taste but not a bad listen and I particularly enjoyed the break in the middle of Paradise By the Dashboard Light.

Joyous and brilliant.

Bat Out Of Hell & You Took The Words are absolutely killer opening tracks, with immense energy and memorability. From there though the album wanes for me - the slower, more emotive ballads aren't really up my street and the delivery feels a bit too cheesy & musical theatre. There's no denying there's lots of quality on offer across the whole album, but the switch up away from the energetic rock bangers killed it a bit for me.

Didn't finish it. But a bit too much for me

“Springsteen for theater kids” is perfect. Fantastically overblown and the highs are excellent. 4

I’ve never really been into this album. Still think it’s good, not great, wouldn’t change it if it came on again, but still wouldn’t seek out.

Ehh. Had some bits I enjoyed.

Music sucks and the recording sounds like shit. I hate it

This meatball guy has a pretty good voice. The piano guy also knows what he's doing. You can really hear the Broadway and Rocky Horror influences. I still feel like I was forced to listen to this against my will.

so theatrical. just a little corny. a real treat. Paradise By the Dashboard Light was my favorite. very strong 3

Rating: 6/10 It's surprising to me how this album is one of the best selling of all time, maybe it's just because a lot of the popular 70's pop rock doesn't have the same cultural reverence as it used to. It has silly, theatrical, cheesy and camp qualities and the songs were certainly pretty well made. Feels like it comes from a combination of Elton John and Bruce Springsteen influence but is its own thing with the rock opera-like storytelling and the orchestration. Maybe I'll return to this one day but I mildly enjoyed it

Was introduced to this by my dad as a teenager. It's so silly but I love it. 🦇

Classic Meat Loaf. Stellar album.

Ziemlich gut und nicht zu lang

I appreciate the campness of this album and why Meatloaf sang a song on Rocky Horror. Not really for me but it is refreshingly cool and eccentric which is what is missing from modern day music

Seven songs in 46 minutes! 'Bat out of Hell' and 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' are the highlights. And they constitute like 40% of the album right there lol. And I liked 'All Revved Up' from the songs I hadn't heard before. Not really a fan of the slower songs. 'Two out of Three' is underwhelming and I think 'Heaven Can Wait' is downright lame. But hey, two out of seven ain't bad!

Honest, this album was pretty fun! Parts of it just sound like incidental music in an 80s sitcom (complimentary). I didn't realize how much I liked Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad - definitely the standout track for me. Meat Loaf was doin' something weird, and I respect it.

1970s forays into prog are always so interesting. You can hear every bit of 80s balladry in the way this guy sings, plays, and arranges, but he’s just so damn insistent on these incredible, progressive arrangements. Well, actually, the guy singing isn’t the guy writing the songs. But it does feel like they’re the same person, I guess. Though it’s firmly grounded in pop sensibility (the anthemic choruses, the drum patterns, AOR and pop influences), it truly ascends in a way I haven’t heard many other works of art do. This isn’t to say it necessarily ascends higher than your average great album, but it does ascend to a status of greatness. I would’ve really appreciated some drums in “Heaven Can Wait,” and there’s not as much of an overarching concept as I’d hoped for with the whole “rock opera” thing, but I can absolutely make do. Overall this album does the whole “prog-pop-ballad” thing really well, and its influence and impact on culture is measurably large. I also enjoyed it plenty, and would recommend it freely and easily. 8.2/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: impact, quality, and relevance

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❌️ 70s rock for theatre kids. Entertaining enough but nothing ended up in my playlist

3.5 stars Springsteen and theatre. Surprised that I didn’t hate it, but definitely didn’t love it.

Cheese lyrics x1000 but delivered in the most emotionally resonating way. Reminded me of Springsteen, many of the chord progressions and melodic movements. I enjoyed this WAY more than I thought I would. Such a great singer. First time I saw Rocky Horror I was tripping on acid, we watched David Lynch's Eraserhead then Rocky Horror, one of the most impactful nights of my life, seriously changed me. Meatloaf as Eddie, could not have cast it better.

Overblown, histrionic, pompous, ridiculous and glorious. For some reason, around the time we were 17, me and my mates discovered this, probably around the same time that Wayne’s World had resurrected Bohemian Rhapsody, and this used to be a regular in everyone’s cars as we gradually passed our driving tests. Pure rock cheese, we knew every single word and we sung them loud. Nostalgia could make this a 5/5 but ignoring the rosy glow, I don’t think it’s quite a perfect album.

Amazing 10/10!!!!

NO

Growing on me with repeat listens, even though it is very musical-esque

1/1

I wasn’t aware that this would by a rock-opera/musical type of thing. It was okay, but nothing more, really.

Me gustó el ritmo, interesante, inspirador

I love how much an unapologetically bad boyfriend Meatloaf is in this album

Elton John who? abba what? Bruce Springhuh? MEATLOAF SUPREMACY!

Are there any other artists whose name and album artwork don’t really fit the music at all but it’s still the best?

I was ten when this album came out so admittedly I didn’t fully appreciate it then. But listening now… fun and nostalgic. Good but not great.

Good

its like half precoursor to metal adjacent half country half 70s rock but idk its okay ig

3,5 stars

gubbarock

Why is this so fun?

This is very "appointment only". A jukebox musical that can be fun if you want to shout along to it, but otherwise very little artistic value.

Bruce Springsteen meets Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's a good album, but it hasn't aged well. The artwork seems out of place and unconnected to the music, but it proved influential as a template for 80s heavy metal cover art.

Well over a decade ago I edited Pee Wee Herman with the bike onto this album cover, at the request of a friend. Over-the-top Wall of Sound extravagance, a beautiful thing. I like the intense songs more than the ballads but enjoy the whole ride

This album was everywhere when it came out and is still a classic. Was at the concert in Ottawa that ended early when Meatloaf fell off the stage. 5 stars or A.

Surprised to see it on this list, but fun to listen to 49 years later

Had no Idea meat loaf was such a theater kid - pretty camp but highly entertaining

Paradise By the Dashboard Light reminds me of my Mom so I have a soft spot for that song/Meat Loaf

Overblown, cheesy and ridiculous. Which is obviously the point. And at least in the opening track I can feel the pull of just giving yourself over to bad taste and embracing the adolescent opera of it all. But my brain's not having that at all. Apparently it wants to protect the few working bits it still has. And then it turns out a lot of the rest of the album is pretty dull anyway.

Really a pretty amazing albums - nothing else really like it. The lyrics are juvenile, and the music is like a cross between Springsteen and show tunes, but somehow with those soaring vocals it all just works.

3/5

15/08/2026 I haven't listened to this album since I was a child and it still stands strong. Shame some of the songs are stupidly long. Spotify listeners: 3.8 million

I actually like it even tho it’s cheesy

Fun album, the definition of a rock opera

Really, really uneven. The ludicrously OTT title track is a fucking amazing opener, You Took The Words is solid, and Paradise is a theatrical, campy and fun classic. The 4 other songs are all varying degrees of meh, however. And I’ve always felt that sonically the mix itself is a little sludgy and flat and lets the material down. A 3 star album masquerading as a 4.

Let me sleep on it…

Not fully listened

I was a bit disappointed

I've just never gotten into Meat Loaf. Or Rocky Horror Picture show. They share the same niche in my mind. He can belt it out though.

No denying that he sings this with exuberance.

This is the most ridiculous over the top album I've ever heard. It's really good, and I don't know why. Just the right amount of piano rock, bombast, and camp all mixed together.

Not for me

Good album

Very theatre kid

Sorta fun

So we know why Tenacious D thought there would be an audience for their work. This album is just goofy and fun. Coming to it with hard rocker expectations will lead you astray but if you come to it expecting Rocky Horror/Glee campy delight then you will get it hear. Fun, dramatic, earnest, cheesy. Not what I expected from the cover. It does run a little long and I found myself ready for it to be done before the end of the last track. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a great song.

Extremely nostalgic, grand, operatic, and full of teenage spirit in a way that only a fat middle aged man can deliver

It's so dumb and pretentious, wonderful!

Slitsomt.

Reminds me of Uncle Dale.

Ok wait meatloaf is good lol?

Don't be sad, two out of five ain't bad

This is another album where I was caught off guard by it. I went in sleeping on Meat Loaf and came out with a better understanding of what he was. I liked it, but I think that may have just been from the low expectations. 3.5 stars, rounded down.

This is such a wildly over the top album, from the cover to the melodrama of the songs - with production to match all that. Haven't listened to this in years. On revisiting this, it's a fabulous confection.

Favorite track(s): Bat Out of Hell, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad Heard before Previous rating: 6/10

Really good album! It combines Hard Rock with softer, acoustic tracks to make this amazing sounding album. It has longer song structures, which makes it really good! One of the best albums ever!

Not as bad as I was expecting.

Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman’s paean to teenage lust. When I was 5 years old, I saw the album cover and thought it was the kind of music I would never want to hear. Demons, motorcycles, and blood red skies made me think it was some kind of heavy metal or worse: devil worship music. Then, one day, when I was older, I heard the music. It changed me, touched me. Look, it’s not the best album ever. In fact, I’m honestly not sure it’s even good music. But there’s something intangible that makes me feel everything Meat Loaf sings about. And that, to me, is what makes a record great. 5 stars

RIP Loaf

Reading that this was the soundtrack for a rock opera made it all make more sense. The cover to the album is amazing but makes you think the music will be very different from what you actually get. This always bothered me. Definitely not for me but i appreciate it a little bit more than before.

The Loaf! What an incredibly long first song. I enjoyed several of these, but a lot of unevenness elsewhere.

Overly theatrical, several songs are way too long, and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” was obnoxious enough by itself to make this treacherously close to 2-star status.

It is Meat Loaf, so it is a bit amusing. Influential? I don't find that thought as amusing.

I've never really listened to Meat Loaf beyond the big hits, but I am impressed at his talent. Yes, the music is theatrical and overly dramatic, but the guy has skills. Very impressed. Now I know who Jack Black modeled his rock star persona on.

Opening two tracks are definite 5's and amongst the greatest/ campest rock songs ever ... but then unfortunately the wheels fall off and it becomes a bit meh. Two out of Three not as good as I remembered it (I loved it when i was 13) and Paradise by Dashboard Light does not really do it for me.

Used to think Meatloaf was so uncool and not impressed with the hype when Bat out of Hell II came out. With age and maturity and broader appreciation of music, it's true Meatloaf is not cool. But he's so uncool, he's actual beyond being cool which makes him in a class of his own. This album is so over the top, it's genius. Forget your pride, embrace the theatrics and grab that karaoke mic, you beast. Impossible to listen to You Took The Words without joining in the clapping rhythm. Also hearing Paradise By the Dashboard Light as the last song of the night at a wedding, still makes me giggle.

Love rock ballads and can sense the theatre

i was expecting a metal album because of the cover so it was a pleasant surprise when i listened to it

Over the top, theatrical nonsense. Using nearly a quarter of the run time for the first song is a baller move. Cracking stuff

No está mal, pero los discos de Meat Loaf siempre me terminan pareciendo algo excesivos. Tracks que se sienten eternos, uno que otro un tanto repetitivo y sí, buena música, pero de un artista que siempre me ha parecido un tanto extraño.

Его имя - Роберт Полсон, и его альбом похож на американизированную версию Queen. Альбом Bat Out Of Hell удивил меня своим звучанием. Изображение на обложке совсем не совпадает по жанру с его музыкальным содержанием. Музыку Meat Loafа можно отнести к хард року, но поверьте, ничего адски тяжелого в нем нет, эти песни можно включать в поездку и они с радостью захотят потеряться в плей-листе радио ретро fm. Альбом хоть и состоит из 7 песен, но длится больше 40 минут, чем быстро надоедает. В суть текстов альбома не вдавался, красивые мотивы присутствуют, но не хватает какой-то изюминки, чтобы песни из него хотя бы запомнились. Хоть альбом получил коммерческий успех, но сейчас спустя почти 50 лет вместо него можно включить британских Queen и вы не потеряете ничего (только американский шарм). И да, Мит Лоуф снимался в Бойцовском клубе, прикольно. 3/5.

One of the best written albums from a versatile singer of the 70's. Every song captures the listeners heart and warms their soul.

For me this was long forgotten and a welcome revisit. The title track seems to go on for far longer than necessary, because it can. But self indulgence is part of why we listen to Meat Loaf in the first place, along with much of the other material of this era. The intro to "You Took the Words ..." still gives me a chuckle every time. Overall a solid album.

Another super cool album - Meat Loaf is awesome and Paradise by the Dashboard Light by itself would earn a lot of filler a 5 star - but this album has a ton to love. I liked the ending with For Crying Out Loud as well

Meat Loaf is an absolute artistic visionary and I will stand by that no matter what anyone says. This album is just all bangers. Dude had a vision and he executed it flawlessly.

Cool album and probably the only thing like it I've listened to before this list.

The track "Bat Out of Hell" was giving Bruce Springsteen, but then the chorus was giving elton john...... From the album cover to the first few seconds of Bat Out of Hell, I really thought this was going to be some hard rock/heavy metal, and that I would absolutely hate this and wouldn't be able to get through. After the first song ended, I was pleasantly surprised that I genuinely liked it. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth was an amazing song. I believe I have heard it before briefly. I thought the beginning was so clever, and the rest of the song was so fun and catchy! Two Out of Three Ain't Bad also sounded very familiar to me; this was my first time listening to it fully. I loved it!

I swear I'm not trying to give out as many 5s as humanly possible but not only have I heard 3/4 of the albums I've gotten so far, but I've also loved most of them for years. And yeah, this album is fantastic. Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf were a match made in heaven, and this is probably the best thing that either of them have ever done. It's big, it's larger than life, it's melodramatic, but it's so much fun. One of my favorite 70s albums ever.

One of the greatest albums ever made. Its got everything and so over dramatic in its execution.

Left me cold and I’m not sure why. Track length doesn’t help with that. I appreciate how much it does what it’s doing with its full chest. Standout Track: All Revved Up With No Place to Go Rating: 2.5

My rating 3.2

A classic.

this albums is kind of just a basic classic rock album to me. I know that it's a classic but i just can't force myself to like myself that i simply just don't really enjoy

5 stars if you're 15, but only 2 if you're over 16

Nostalgia to the 90's club days when the ladies all loved Paradise by the dashboard light at 'The Living Room' and would crowd the dance floor to sing along.

Never really listened to Meat Loaf, I was pleasantly surprised when the title track was more rocking than I expected but it slumps into pretty standard rock opera cheese I'm not really sure what the massive appeal for this album is. I can't think of anything here that nobody else wasn't doing at the time. The most memorable moment was that funky turn in Paradise by the Dashboard Light which unfortunately didn't last Highlights: Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Cool.

Loved every track! Wonderfully over the top arrangements, great singing, storytelling and superb melodies.

Shockingly I quite enjoyed this album, I was surprised how much of the album was familiar.

- Meat Loaf's storytelling is fun (especially Paradise) and he clearly loves to act, but I can't help but notice how theatrical and melodramatic everything is the whole time. - Meat Loaf definitely has a great voice. - The hits do the heavy lifting - I only really like 2 of the songs on here. - The songs feel like they go on too long. - There's also a misogynistic/incel feel to it all that's hard to attribute to irony because of Meat Loaf's conservatism.

If you were an American teenager during the late 1970s you almost definitely owned this album. It’s hard to be objective about something that is so ingrained into m’y adolescence. There are some absolute classics on here. But a few tracks that aren’t, so not quite five starts.

Eddie!!!!!!

i think a downer to this "project" is the abudant number of rock sort-of-music-that-is-overpraised records that do absolute nothing to me (personally) that i'll have to endure. even if this isn't terrible or as bad as other of the same rating (the rating scale doesn't help), i forgot all the songs. plus it makes me feel like the grumpiest person for disliking musicals

Very misleading album, did not expect that. But I really enjoyed it, I could hear Queen all over it

All in all, a good album has very good songs inside

meat

If you want a definition of “kicks balls and slaps titties”, look no further than this record. The reason that this is one of the best selling albums of all time is easy to see; the album is fucking awesome.

Back in the late 1970s (when I was in my early 20s) you could not set foot at a birthday or a dinner party without someone having this on the turntable. (Also Monty Python's, "Live at Drury Lane", but that's another issue) People genuinely touted it as "The Greatest Album Ever Made" Of course, it isn't. It's a campy, silly, tasteless extravaganza that's like someone heard "Macarthur Park" and said, "like that, but rock and roll. And bigger". Even the quiet ballads are loud and over the top. Like a less talented Nick Cave, Steinman has clearly never heard of the word "restraint" and throws every thing he can think of into his epics and looks around for anything left over that he can stuff in as well. A key change? A tempo change? A second middle eight? Some sexual innuendo? Word play? Religious imagery? A pre-recorded voice over? Spoken word intros? Why not all of them? Todd Rundgren's production takes these overstuffed, silly songs full teen angst and gothic excess and inflates them further with strings, and choirs, and speed guitar, and thundering piano and drums, and raises the trite to the level of kitsch ecstasy. Over the top (in more ways the one) you have Meatloaf himself, emoting in a full throated, utterly sincere, Broadway vocal that just keeps going. Just when you thought he couldn't get any bigger, he switches up a gear and goes harder. Obviously the whole thing is vastly overblown and totally ridiculous. Which is why, I guess, it sold like hotcakes and is still selling today.

Bit boring for me sorry

Great rock and roll!

You can't dislike meatloaf. The songs swing between tongue in cheek to genuine heartfelt proclamations. The music isn't quite for me but I love the sincerity of it

It's kind of funny to me that this was ever considered "rock" and not just Broadway-ish camp. I remember this album as being pretty dumb. This is worse than I remembered. And much dumber.

Yeah, this was not for me. I never liked Meat Loaf and this album did not turned me into fan. He is a great singer but the musical he makes is toothless. It's a music for white dads, music that woul play at the small time carnival. Inoffensive rock. Some other review mentioned something to the extend that this sounds like if Elton John bought a motorcycle.. that is spot on.

Jim Steinman!

I do not like rock operas. This is no exception. The saxophone in "All Revved" goes hard and there's some decent moments throughout, but largely don't care for this.

Gross

нагадує зе ґоуст і мюзикл про ісуса

Had to stop so I wouldn’t be in the top 1% of Spotify listeners…

Yeeeeeahhhhh Love meatloaf. Love this album. Makes me feel alive. Favourite track: paradise by the dashboard light

Surprisingly fun, with a few tracks that need to be skipped.

Očekivala sam neku over-the-top katastrofu ali nije uopšte toliko loše. Malo više baladasto nego što bih ikad mogla zamisliti na momente.

This album rips. The hard rock fused with operatic elements along with Meat Loaf’s amazing and unique voice made for a fantastic experience. The title track “Bat Out Of Hell” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” are my favourite songs.

Pompous songs that sound like they belong in a musical, with too much exposition and not a single unanswered question. It’s Steinman to blame, Meat’s voice is fine but the songs and the overly dense arrangements are sickly.

It should be a musical. Yes, I know there already is one...But it should be a GOOD musical.

Mais um álbum nota 3 igual a todos os outros

The album began life as a Peter Pan musical. It was influenced by Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, and Bruce Springsteen simultaneously, which is the most chaotic set of influences ever assembled in one room and somehow produced exactly the sound you would expect from that combination. Steinman described his creative philosophy as follows: he had no interest in writing about ordinary real life stuff and could not see the point of subtle music. This is the most honest artist statement in rock history and also a perfect description of why I am giving this two stars. Todd Rundgren, the producer, reportedly had to be pleaded with throughout the entire recording process to play the now famous motorcycle guitar on the title track. He eventually agreed. The motorcycle guitar on a song that began life as a Peter Pan musical is either the greatest creative decision of 1977 or a sign that everyone involved had simply stopped asking questions and committed fully to the chaos. Both things are simultaneously true. I was about ten years old when Motley Crue handed me Shout at the Devil. The album cover showed Tommy Lee destroying things and Nikki Sixx looking like a man who had genuinely escaped from somewhere. The music hit me like a physical object before I understood what it was doing. A few years later I saw an album with a motorcycle bursting through a gravestone, a bat overhead, and a muscular figure launching into the sky. The cover art promised me everything Shout at the Devil had delivered and possibly more. Then I pressed play and a theatrical man began an eight minute song about a motorcycle while a piano ran underneath it like a Broadway overture and somewhere in the background there were horns and a choir and the growing realization that I had been profoundly misled by cover art. The album is, in its own terms, a complete artistic success. It does exactly what Jim Steinman intended, which was to create something feverous, strong, romantic, violent, rebellious, fun and heroic. Those are his words. He achieved all of them. The problem is that I did not ask for feverous and romantic. I asked for Motley Crue and received Andrew Lloyd Webber on a Harley, which is a betrayal so specific it has its own emotional category. 2 out of 5. One star for the sheer audacity of a man who started with a Peter Pan musical and ended up with 43 million copies sold. One star for Todd Rundgren, who was pleaded with, relented, and played the motorcycle guitar anyway, which is the most sensible decision anyone made during this entire project. The remaining three stars are somewhere in Hell trying to get out, which is exactly where they belong.

A bit nostalgic but full of rocking bangers as well

That was interesting, because of course I’m familiar with Meat Loaf - from “Bat Out of Hell 2", “Dead Ringer for Love", and various other collaborations, and of course from “Wayne’s World". The original “Bat Out of Hell” was more of a legend from days gone by; I knew a few songs from it, but I’d never listened to the whole album. I’m glad I’ve finally caught up on it, and as expected, this album fully deserves the legendary status it’s been given. In the context of the 300 albums I’ve listened to so far, Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman’s greatest achievement is probably that they each stuck to what they do best. I have no idea if Meat Loaf would ever have become famous with his own songs. Nor do I know how those songs would have worked with Jim Steinman’s voice. But one thing is certain: Jim Steinman’s songs with Meat Loaf’s voice are world-class. As I’ve often mentioned when discussing outstanding albums: it can be that simple!

incredible songwriting and performance, but just not my thing

asså det är ju svängigt och jättebra låtskriveri men samtidigt mår jag riktigt skit av att lyssna på det. lite som en köttfärslimpa på det sättet, gott men också oerhört äckligt i sin form.

85

TIL Meat Loaf is one guy and ZZ Top isn’t.

What if Bruce Springsteen was a theater kid with a raging sex drive and a huge voice? You'd get this record. It certainly doesn't hurt that both Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg are in loan from the E Street Band. It's not as terrible as I remembered but I don't enjoy it at all. The lyrics are absurd and the music is just shy of Andrew Lloyd Webber in terms of absurd bombast. It's just not my thing, and it has always baffled me that it was so massive. 43 million Meatloaf fans certain CAN be wrong

Pochette extrêmement metal (le personnage rappelle même Painkiller), nom metal, est-ce qu’on aurait ici un album avant-gardiste qui préfigure le metal des années 80 ? Pas du tout. Et j’en ai souvent entendu parler, de ce décalage entre l’imagerie et la musique. En écoutant le premier titre, je me suis pourtant dit que c’était étonnamment metal pour l’époque. Mais très vite, les choses se calment et le reste de l’album est plus sage et posé. Cela dit, ça reste tout un même un album fort sympathique, dont je préfère les parties énergétiques aux balades au piano, mais je suis pas mécontent de mon écoute !

360/1089 since when was Bat out of Hell TEN MINUTES LONG?! this was a fun campy glam rock opera not really my tastes but had its moments faves: Paradise by the dashboard light, Bat out of hell 56/100

His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen. His name is Robert Paulsen.

God bless America

Nice work SUGARTITS!!!

Maybe I don't get what's going on here but this was sooooo cheesy. Bob had bitch tits.

3/5. Bat Out of Hell is an album I’ve always been aware of but have never listened to until today, and it’s honestly not what I expected. By the cover I had always expected a Judas-Priest-esque metal record, but it’s actually more of an extremely theatrical rock opera that features a lot of piano/orchestral balladry. Though there are still some intense rockers like the opening title track or “Paradise by the Dashboard light” which are for me the highlights on the album. To me the ballads sometimes veer too much into cheesy territory to where I can’t fully enjoy them. But when it all comes together and works, there’s some great stuff to be found on this record.

- Makes sense that what was originally conceived as musical theater would be able to quintessentially capture the essence of pure "rock 'n roll." - Title track is phenomenal. So is the belt of the song title in "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" and the most bombastic percussion ever on "For Crying Out Loud." - Other tracks are more forgettable. Though the lyrics are always clever (not smart, but clever) and Meat Loaf constantly giving it 110% makes any of this more than listenable.

I’m glad this album is on the list so it’s not lost to time. It’s near impossible to be the n a bad mood listening to this album. I’m listening in parts and each time I started I have been really mad. And each time the bad mood melts away. This album and Chuck Berry albums set the standard for me of what I like in a piano player. These piano parts are wonderful. Lonnie Johnson’s influence is all over these records.

Pure rock theatre from Meatloaf and Jim Steinman here in an album full of memorable songs. There's an enjoyable narrative to the longer songs, Bat Out Of Hell and Paradise By The Dashboard Light, but the real best tracks for me are the ballads - the Motownesque Wall of sound on You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth and the Heart-breaking Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad. Listening now, it seems more like a rite of passage album, of youngsters falling in and out of love, unrequited feelings and the responsibility that comes with getting older. Some of the songs (All Revved Up..., For Crying Out Loud) dont make too much of an impact with me, and it's as cheesy as, but it reminds me of university friends at karaoke parties, and my late cousin who was a big fan. 4 stars.

I thought this would be heavy metal based on the cover.

6 - AVERAGE

Been waiting for this one to come up! In my opinion, this album is the definitive Rock Opera. It's over the top, it's camp, it's just good fun. The instrumentals are consistently good. Meat Loaf's vocals are... mixed but overall good (I've always found him a bit shouty). I also think it's worth mentioning the cover art for this album, because I think it just sums up the vibe of the album. A naked, muscular man, bursting out of the ground, riding a motorbike with a horse's skull (with glowing red eyes) on the front... in a graveyard, with a giant bat sitting on a mausoleum. It's nothing short of ridiculous, but that's also clearly intentional. Every track here is a classic: "Bat Out Of Hell" is the perfect opener. Furious piano, guitars emulating a motorbike, OTT lyrics... it's just a bit of a whirlwind. "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" - I could do without the Steinman opening, but the track itself is a proper Meat Loaf power ballad. Cheesy as all hell but still great. "Heaven Can Wait" is probably the softest song on the album. More of a vocal showcase than anything else, but a pretty beautiful track. "All Revved Up With No Place To Go" is ... honestly a bit creepy from the lyrical side, but the track as a whole is good. My main complaint about this one is actually the "you know what it's like" line. The backup vocals here always just sound really off. "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" is yet another classic Meat Loaf ballad, and I think it's a great example of the bittersweet nature of a lot of Meat Loaf/Steinman tracks... it's just quite refreshing to listen to a "love song" that is actively _not_ a love song? "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" sounds like it's ripped straight out of Grease. It's just such a fun track. The three movements blend really well and I love how it moves through a story. Special mention to the use of baseball commentary mid-track to represent literally getting through the bases. "For Crying Out Loud" is another bittersweet power ballad, and a really nice comedown after the wild ride of the previous track. I know this album isn't perfect, but I don't care. I love it. If "Bat Out Of Hell II" was on this list I'd be giving that 5 stars too. It's a shame the relationship between Steinman and Meat Loaf soured, because their collaborations are very clearly Meat Loaf at his best.

The highlight of this album is probably the guitar that sounds like a motorcycle. I think it's more roll than rock and I'm kinda just not a fan. It's good I think just not for me

10/10 great album

Nice

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

Good grief. I don't like rock operas and I don't like classic rock. The amusing over the top campness stops it getting a 1/5

Surprisingly fun with very strong first half. It's a bit too cheesy for me but I am glad I found them.

Wooaaaah Steinman! and Meatloaf of course! Loved this album for a long time now. Theatrical Rock is right up my street, but loving also the rock n roll and biker rock (just made up a genre!) elements. The album cover is just the icing on the cake for me.

Listened to the crap out of this album (cassette) that I almost broke the tape. A classic anthem of the mid 70's - and you hear so many influences f the time (that heavy guitar, frantic pace, etc.) Meatloaf was ahead of their (his) time. a Lot of new styling and lyric structure. Doesn't get the roof it deserves. [side note - wasn't it something when you first saw what Meat Loaf looked like?]

Super theatrical, everything was big and grand. Makes sense that it started off as a musical.

Fun listen. Makes me wish I was watching a rock opera rn.

Felt like a really fun emotional musical. I liked the whole thing. A little short.

The second this album started, I wanted it to end. Too cheesy. I do own it on CD though- 10cents from goodwill. It makes sense.

Sorry but this is objectively a fucking fantastic album.

A rock masterpiece from beginning to end.

One of the best selling albums of its time, and I just can’t vibe with it. Meatloaf always sounded pretty cheesy to me. Guy’s life story is cool but I just never could get with it.

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

"Did somebody say meatloaf?" - Fred Darts. Despite the legend, this is not for me. Its like tenacious D but from the 80s. 3/10

Brilliant, starts out with a bang. Cohesive album, fun with great vocals, over the top.

Tough to rate! Some of the songs are genuinely funny, or at least goofy enough to be entertaining, like "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" but I'm not just not super into this style of music. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" is the other standout for me

I cant do that

I'm in the middle of nowhere Near the end of the line But there's a border to somewhere waiting And there's a tankful of time Oh, give me just another moment To see the light of the day And take me to another land where I don't have to stay And I'm gonna need somebody to make me feel like you do And I will receive somebody with open arms, open eyes Open up the sky and let the planet that I love shine through

a little queen-y for me, theres a lot going on tbh

Heard Before? Of course. Notes: - I don't think Meat Loaf ever did better than his role in Rocky Horror Picture Show. - Endless musical theatre bullshit, with the best possible singer for Jim Steinman's absurd overwriting and obscenely crowded production. - An album completely immune to criticism because it's trying so hard to be exactly what you hate about it. Painfully successful. - I love the background vocals. Verdict: Someone needs to act out the repressed fantasies of normies. Meat Loaf was born ready. Listen Again? I can't think that anyone needs to except maybe closeted teenagers.

Un álbum teatrico a más no poder No conocía de Meat Loaf, pero parece que fue todo un personaje, lo dramático le sentaba bien e hizo una excelente dupla con el compositor Jim Steinman para hacer que este álbum ocurriera Entiendo que originalmente esa era la intención, que fuera una obra de teatro en Broadway, pero sin apoyo suficiente se adaptó a álbum y se volvió muy exitoso! Tiene letras divertidas, instrumentalmente hablando es refrescante, no es el rock de siempre, ya que va contando una historia y así se siente Pocas canciones, pero varias de larga duración así como se caracteriza en musicales Cómo un bonito resultado es que en 2017 finalmente se pudo convertir en una obra de Broadway como originalmente se había planeado, haciendo lo que llamamos full circle Invitad@s a disfrutar de este álbum!

I've said in other reviews that a lot of 70s/80s rock feels like musical theatre. This is one of the early acknowledgements of the overlap, being specifically written as a musical. It's bombastic, quite good fun and gay as a window.

5/5 reviewers would offer their throat to the wolf with the red roses on a hot summer night.

Jos Queen ja Elton John sais lapsen niin se olis tää.

love meat loaf maannnn

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.

The ultimate "don't judge a book by its cover" album. Really thought this album would rip as a kid and was so so disappointed by the music within. As an adult, it's just kitschy fun - not really my thing but ol loaf sure can howl

opening moments hooked me in, but during the latter half of the album kind of disappointed me(?). don't know what i was expecting for the rest of the album from the opening, but it surely wasn't this

Day908 - first of all jim steinman is a genius. this is a fun ride all the way thru

Silly, camp nonsense. But at least it's quite fun, silly, camp nonsense.

Not feeling this one either. Don't think it stood the test of time. 2/5. The Spotify radio based on this album was pretty great, though.

its alright

It wasn't bad

couldnt care less

*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

Nahhhh too over the top for me

Bat Out of Hell is notoriously cheesy, but I would actually argue that the album's biggest weakness is that it's not over-the-top enough. The songs that take big swings mostly work. The opener is fun and the biggest rocker, and the second track has a catchy chorus. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" could do without that baseball metaphor bit in the middle - even if I like the funky music underneath it - but its big, humorous climax is worth the build-up and is the best moment on the album. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the album is dominated by ballads, which are rarely interesting. They don't make the best use of Meat Loaf's voice, and they seem tame compared to the album's highlights. They don't quite make the album unlistenable, but they definitely make it a mixed bag.

Amazing lyrics. The music rocks, even if it’s a little basic.

This is exactly the level of overdramatic I aspire to be.

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.

liked most: Paradise by the Dashboard Light as background music it was really nice the songs are so long tho too many rock ballads for me

ну таке

Rock ballads go hard, but this was all just for a big laugh right? Right?

Deeply unfashionable but still hugely entertaining

Mid and very underwhelming for a "hard rock" album with this cover art.

Music does not match the cover at all. I couldn’t believe how popular this was because I’ve never heard a Meat Loaf song in my life, but now I know why because this is so boring.

First song was really good, not sure I'd come back to a lot of the rest. Definitely a certain vibe but that vibe is rare and a bit corny to me.

i don't know it's weird but not weird enough to keep me interested

Heard many of the songs on this record but first time listening to the entire album. It was decent but the sound/ production quality is horrible so I'm subtracting a star

I know nothing about meatloaf, but by god that man loves to put his whole pussy into his music

It was alright, I don't have many feelings about it.

It’s pure energy and effort that propels this album about teenage romance and love spurts. My mom likes Meatloaf so I listened to this growing up. The duets are great. And the music hits in a rock opera kinda way

Classics that I did realise were Meatloaf. Probably a bit of a misleading cover but "don't judge a book" and all that.

Over the top fun. It helps that voices are great, Meatloaf and Ellen Foley went all in. I wondered if there was a musical in the works as is Broadway’s thing as of late, and it appears there was a musical already done in 2017. Thank you, internet.

surprisingly nice, title track is my favorite. Corny, distracting lyrics though, wish it were more inspired.

Bat Out of Hell is the most maximalist record in the project and it earns that designation completely — every song enormous, every arrangement operatic, every emotional stake raised to the point where subtlety isn’t just absent but actively unwelcome. Jim Steinman’s name is right there on the cover alongside Meat Loaf’s, which tells you everything about where the vision came from. The songs are his; the voice that makes them land rather than collapse under their own weight is somebody else’s entirely. That voice is the genuine article. Meat Loaf commits to the drama without a single wink, which is the only way this material works — ironic distance would kill it instantly. Roy Bittan’s piano gives the whole thing a Springsteen-adjacent muscularity that grounds the bombast just enough, and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” remains one of the great absurd achievements in rock history: eight minutes, a baseball play-by-play in the middle, and somehow it earns every second. The honest verdict is guilty pleasure rather than essential listening — fun in a way that’s completely specific to what this record is doing, without generating the pull that earns regular rotation. That’s a different kind of three than the same-samey records that have landed here recently. This one connects; it just connects to something that doesn’t quite demand return visits on its own merits. The algorithm’s autoplay into Eye of the Tiger after this felt less like a non sequitur and more like a logical conclusion. The record apparently has a type, and the type knows exactly what it is.

I get the whole tongue in cheek musical theater thing and it's not to be taken seriously. It does have some good moments, but the songs are just too long and repetitive for their amount of original ideas. Might get back to this some day, but not regularly.