You took the words right out of my mouth (Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf)

Member Name: Excelle

Product:	Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
Date:	04/05/01 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb lyrics, Top music, Multi-layered melodies

Disadvantages: A little short for a CD

Classics don't come along every day. If they did, it would defeat the definition of the word entirely. No – classics are albums that stand apart from everything else as one of the best examples of their genres, and that's high praise indeed from anyone. It's hard to assign such an accolade to anything, but assign it we must – for it tells us what the best of the best is.

'Bat Out Of Hell' is one of my favourite albums, I'll make no bones about that. But it has special meaning to me too, for more reasons that one. The main factor in the special place it holds in my heart is that it was given to me by my girlfriend. This may seem fairly ordinary, but you're missing the point - she is a HUGE fan of Meat Loaf, and gave me her one and only copy of 'Bat Out Of Hell' because she loves me. It's quite a sacrifice for her to make, and I appreciate it of course! Needless to say, I made a similar gesture with 'Spark To A Flame', but then that's another story! Suffice it to say that there's a strong thread of Meat Loaf running through our relationship, and while it's brought us a little closer together, it has also ushered me into a world of divine classic rock that I had previously not even considered.

Initially released in 1978 (but re-released many many times since), 'Bat Out Of Hell was Meat Loaf's first album. After going through a number of small bands and acting in many a musical, Meat Loaf's break came when he worked with the writer of a musical called 'More Than You Deserve' – Jim Steinman. He teamed up with Steinman to produce a classic of the rock generation, and with the strong vocals and musical skills of Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf), and the sheer musical genius of Steinman, it was a sure-fire classic right from the start.

'Bat Out Of Hell' is actually more than just a normal album. Part of it was absorbed from a side project of Steinm
an's, to rewrite the Peter Pan story in a more modern style – a musical called 'Never Land'. Alas, it was never to be, but it was all to 'Bat Out Of Hell's benefit, as it gained some of the songs. It's partly for this reason that the album retains some of it's 'big show' style, and you get the distinct feeling some of the tracks wouldn't be out of place in some musical somewhere.

My main gripe with 'Bat Out Of Hell' has always been it's length. It always irritates me when artists don't make full use of the 74 minutes available to them, and it is the case with BOOH. At just 46 minutes long, it's a long way short of the full monty, but then I guess that's just something I have to live with! It's just a little bit of a let down when you think they could have squeezed another 4 or 5 tracks on at the very least. What an album that would have been!

But anyway, with that out of the way, let's take a closer look at the album behind the classic:

- Bat Out Of Hell
We knew it had to come at either the start or end of the album. I would have personally favoured the end of the album (I'm a big fan of the 'going out with a bang' school of thought), but then it makes an excellent introduction to an album of this calibre. Right from the first bar, you know you're in for something special. All you poor misguided people who only know the 3 or 4 minute version – repent now! The 10 minute version is the only way to listen to this, and now I know it, I wouldn't have it any other way. The song starts with some hits of guitar accompanied by drums and hen complemented by what can only be described as 'frenetic' piano playing. The intro to the song is full of guitar solos, piano pieces and the accompanying drums, and lasts for about 2 minutes, before calming down to the first verse with gentle piano and Meat Loaf's breathless singing of Steinman&
#39;s inspirational lyrics. The piano accompanying the verse is quite beautiful, and it's certain one of my favourite piano pieces in popular music. The choruses are full of adrenaline, and has quite an effect on someone if you just let the music carry you away on a wave of fantasy.

After about 6 minutes we reach what many people will know as the 'ending' with Todd Rundgren's spectacular manipulation of the guitar to produce the motorbike effect we all know and love so well. But there's more after this, and piano and guitars lead into one of the most breathtaking pieces in modern rock. Keeping up the pace, we have the whole rollercoaster carrying on until right near the end, when it slows down as the boy crashes his motorbike. We then get a gentle piano and Meat Loaf crooning "And the last thing I see is my heart still beating, breaking out of my body and flying away, like a Bat Out Of Hell". Then we have a crescendo of guitars, piano and drums to the life-completing finale. There – get the idea?

While many have tried to explain the complex meanings behind Steinman's lyrics, the true meaning is simple. As Steinman himself has said – "I wanted to create the best motorcycle crash song ever!". And he certainly did that. And how.

- You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
Following the immortal 'Bat Out Of Hell' is an immense task, but one more than matched by the glory of 'Hot Summer Night'. It must be one of the tracks from Never Land, else it sounds very much like it should be in a musical! Some might call it rock opera, I just call it good. Starting with a conversation between a man and a woman about how far you would go for love, or 'the wolf with the red roses'. It's quite a poppy song to look at I suppose, in Steinman terms at least, and Meat Loaf carries the song brilliantly. The guitars, pianos, and drums are all there, as well a
s saxophone, synth and keyboards, all blending together into one 'big show' whole. The backing vocalists supporting Meat Loaf during the chorus add to this effect, and what we get is a love power ballad with rock overtones – wonderful.

- Heaven Can Wait
Quite gentle in comparison to the first two tracks, this is a gentle ballad with just Meat Loaf, a piano, and some strings providing a gentle soothing effect in the background. I love the use of piano in this way – it has quite a noble sound to it, and the complex melodies it can weave on it's own can be a form of beauty unto themselves. The supporting strings give the song a rather soothing tone, and indeed, the ballad is somewhat calming. Meat Loaf's crooning suits the track down to a tee, and it sounds just great – a nice break from the rock we are used to.

- All Revved Up With No Place To Go
Starting off with some nice sax, this song heralds our return to the rock we all love Meat Loaf for. It tells of a boy ready, raring to go, but with nowhere to go, no-one to do anything with. It's quite an exaggerated big band song, in a way, with some subtle guitars, but the main instruments in this track are the piano, and, of course, the wonderful saxophone which makes the song sound so brilliant. However, it's the final bit of the song I love so much – the song takes a turn towards a fast-paced section, with some rather fast piano playing and guitars as well as the drums keeping everyone in time. Even the vocals are fast, as it's taken me a while to master it so I can sing along! (no – you DON'T want to hear me :) )

- Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
Certainly one of the better known of Meat Loaf's tracks, and a favourite of mine, if only for the combination of fascinating lyrical content and beautiful piano playing. It's a lover telling his partner how he needs her in his life, but he can't love her – he d
oesn't feel it in his heart. It's quite a sad tale, but told well by Steinman's lyrics.

"I poured it on and I poured it out/ I tried to show you just how much I care/ I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout/ But you've been cold to me so long/ I'm crying icicles instead of tears"

It's simple, it's gentle, it's subtle, but it's effective. The combination of piano, synth, guitar and vocals produces the perfect atmosphere for a ballad of this kind, and it sounds great.

- Paradise By The Dashboard Light
Another musical-type song, this one tells the sad tale of a young boy committing himself to someone just to get her into bed. It's quite intense, and even a little comical in places, but it works well. It's played as a whole, but written in three parts:

I Paradise
Starting of with an interesting little guitar riff, and then continuing with a baseline and piano over the top, this is the part of the song about the glory of love at the start of a relationship, and the thrill before the two young lovers commit the final act of love between them "We were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed". This section ends with a section of commentary on a baseball, quite comically narrating the couple getting close to the final act!

II Let Me Sleep On It
Suddenly, the girl stops it, with some crashes of cymbals and a restrained guitar riff (sounding quite a lot like a Status Quo riff would you believe!). She wants to know if he'll commit to her – she won't go any further unless she knows whether he'll marry her and keep her happy for the rest of her life. But, of course, he wants to sleep (literally) on the idea, and he'll tell her in the morning. But she's persistent – she wants an answer!

III Praying For The End Of Time
Finally, his hormones get the better of him, and he tells her that he'll 
9;love her till the end of time'. However, now, all these years later, he's praying for the end of time so he can get of this marriage! Sure, he's faithful, he doesn't break his vows, but he needs to get out. And that's how it ends – not particularly romantic I think you'll agree, but a great song nonetheless!

- For Crying Out Loud
Steinman decides to finish on a bit of an epic ballad. It tells of a story of someone fallen at the bottom of life, and that one special person leaving them because of what they've done. The majority of the song is sung with just a solo piano for accompaniment, and this works remarkably well. About halfway through the song, the piano becomes quieter and Meat Loaf is singing along to a string accompaniment, and this lends a slightly forlorn feeling to the song. Then the chorus is reached, and the drums break in with the rest of the orchestra, and we have a beautiful song to accompany Meat Loaf's stunningly powerful vocals. The orchestra dies down and we have a section with just the piano again. The finale has the full orchestra support once again – and it sounds great.

- Multi-layered mayhem
Anybody who's read my other Meat Loaf opinion will have heard me speak of 'multi-layered melodies'. Nowhere is it more prevalent than the title track of the album. What I mean by this term, is that we have a whole cornucopia instruments, each with their own unique sound, their own assigned melody, and yet what Steinman has done is to weaves the whole lot together into one superb whole. And yet, if you listen to track carefully, you can pick out each and every one of those melodies, and follow them through the song. It is a difficult technique to use, but it bears fruit for the songwriter, as the listener will be able to spot new things throughout the lifetime of the song, as I often still do now – a extra few bars of a melody in the piano, or a drum pattern hadn'
;t noticed before. Not only is it beautiful, but it adds longevity.

- Beauty is not just in the music
I love the album cover of this album, and of it's sequel. The concept for this cover was thought up by Jim Steinman himself, but it was realised by Richard Corben. It pictures a man on a beast of a motorbike breaking through the ground and out of a cemetery, with a huge bat rearing it's head on a nearby church or chapel. It's quite a powerful and beautiful image, and it beats all modern attempts at cover art hands down.

- For that, I thank you
Taking one of the lines of the last song is probably the best way to title the conclusion of this opinion. This album has every right to be called a classic. Sure, so it may be a little short, but it's not a crime, and the album fills itself out quite well – it feels finished, and that's much more important. While the music is amazing, and the vocals are superb, it's all down to Steinman's vision that made it all possible. Without this album, the world of modern rock would be missing a vital part of it's history, and while some people may slate it, even some of them harbour feelings about this album that they won't reveal or let come to the surface because of the stigma sometimes attached to Meat Loaf. But I say – tough luck, you're missing out on one of the greatest albums of all time – your loss. This is a superb album, and no record collection is complete without it. And of course, without it's marginally better sequel (it's hard to choose between the two) Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. Superb – buy it/them now.

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