Bat Out Of Hell Vol.2: Back Into Hell - Meat Loaf

Probably the biggest mistake that this album made, was to call itself Bat out Of Hell II. Bat Out Of Hell had something about it that can not easily be recreated, and this album, for all its good points, fails. If you are a Meatloaf fan (and that is NOT the same as being a fan of Bat Out Of Hell) then you will most probably find at least something in this album to enjoy. The album kicks off with the chart topping I’d do anything for love (but I won’t do that), followed by the angst teenage type rant of Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back (a track I have trouble taking seriously because I always think it sounds as if he is singing ...  Read the complete review

Meat Loaf...well, by writing this I may be losing any cool that I've managed to convince you that I have, as the fact is that Meat Loaf just isn't cool. Back in the days of Bat Out Of Hell, I expect he must have been given that it stayed in the top 40 for years, but nowadays he's seen as dad rock. And that just ain't cool. But what can I say? I've always liked Meat Loaf, since the first time my dad played me his LP of Bat Out Of Hell (see, dad rock). It is obviously the big album, the one everyone loves, but I've always had a major soft spot for Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. In the 16 years between Bat I and II, Meat Loaf floundered slightly ...  Read the complete review

It's amazing the influence people can have on your personal musical preference. There's a whole load of material in my music collection that I would never have even considered listening to if it weren't for the inspiration of friends and family – Chris Rea, Chris de Burgh, Faith No More, Brand New Heavies, Genesis – the list goes on and on. But there's one artist whose music I completely avoided until my girlfriend came along. And that's the music of Meat Loaf. Meat Loaf (née Marvin Lee Aday) is something of a legend in the rock world. The name, it is rumoured, came from a childhood nickname which stuck, and it's certainly a ...  Read the complete review

This was the album we were all waiting for, and after the build-up given to the first single release - "I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that) - I for one was worried that the rest wouldn't live up to expectations. Well, I was wrong! I was delighted to find "Rock and Roll dreams come true" which I'd known for years due to Jim Steinman's excellent and unjustly neglected solo album - but with a new bit in the middle which was so perfect it left me gasping. If you like the loud brash bad-boy stuff you'll love "Life is a Lemon" and "Everything Louder than everything else". I nearly cried over ...  Read the complete review

While the Bay City Rollers have always been my favorite group, I love Meat Loaf too. I know these acts are so different from each other that it can be really hard to believe that anyone could like both. So go ahead and call me crazy. I don’t know if I can put my finger on any one quality that Meat Loaf has that I like about his music any more than I could about the Bay City Rollers. For me, it’s a combination of things. I like hard rock anyway, especially since some the best rock, like Heart, comes out of Seattle and I just live on the other side of the state in Spokane. But I digress. What I like about Meat Loaf is that he can be ...  Read the complete review