Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf

Year Released: 1977

Label: Cleveland International, Epic

Year Bought: 2024

I DON'T CARE.

I know it's not cool or credible, but I DON'T CARE.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM.

It's camp, ridiculous, over-the-top, pretentious – all the things I love.

Rescued from the embers of a musical about Peter Pan (although this album was later turned into a musical), Jim Steinman wrote the songs, while Meat Loaf delivered the vocals.

Numerous labels turned the album down - with many believing it only worked as a performance piece, with the heavy-set presence of Meat Loaf a captivating spectacle.

Eventually released by Cleveland International - a subsidiary of Epic - Bat Out Of Hell found popularity in the UK and Australia before the US, but now it's one of the best-selling albums of all time.

A mix of rock songs and ballads, much of the record is like a campier version of a Bruce Springsteen album – just listen to that saxophone on 'All Revved Up With No Place To Go'.

This album is full of the classic US rock topics - small town frustration, broken hearts, motorbikes, Levi jeans.

I just think it's great. Everything is so committed to. No punches are pulled.

'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad' is a 'it's not you, it's me' song for the ages. 'You Took The Words Right Out of Mouth' has one of the great rock intros - and chorus lyrics.

As befitting the music, Steinman and Meat Loaf's relationship descended into bickering, legal wrangles, repeated reunions, more break ups, over the years. They made some great songs together after this, but 'Bat Out Of Hell' is the only truly great album the partnership produced.

You might hate it, but you'll know it, and after few beers you'll sing along to it - and two out of three ain't bad.

10/10

Comments

Eye To The Telescope – KT Tunstall

Year Released: 2004 Label: Relentless Year Bought: No Idea I'm not sure why I have this record. I have no record of buying it. I've never listened to it. But then I do own two Dido albums so it's not exactly out of character of me to have it. I've always thought KT Tunstall was a pretty cool person. She's clearly talented. But this album, I just can't really connect with it. There's some good tunes on here. 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree' is great, as is 'Suddenly I See'. 'Another Place To Fall' hints at some darker tones, and 'Under The Weather' builds nicely. But overall it's just all a bit safe. I vaguely remember reading an interview with Tunstall a few years after this came out in which she said the original mix was a lot more rough and bluesy, but the label wanted it more polished. You can definitely hear how this album could have been scuffed up. 'Stopping The Love' is a good example of that. It's a mi...

Coming Up – Suede

Year Released: 1996 Label: Nude Year Bought: 2011 I know lots of people love this album, and it has got some great songs on it, but I just can't love it. It's too trebly, too thin, too cold. It kicks off with 'Trash', which is an absolutely brilliant tune with fantastic lyrics. Brett is at his absolute best here, with talk of "nowhere towns" and "cellophane sounds", and being the "litter on the breeze". I love it. But, alas we go from one of Suede's best songs to one of their worst. 'Filmstar' feels incredibly lazy. The riff is nothing, and as for the lyrics: Filmstar propping up the bar driving in a car it looks so easy Filmstar propping up the bar driving in a car tonight These are Noel Gallagher-on-an-incredibly-bad-day lyrics. I hate the riff, I hate the chorus, I hate the lyrics. I hate how shiny it is. It's lazy ... which is the title of the next song. This tune sees the first use on the album of the "here the...

NME Awards 2004 - Various Artists

Released: 2004 Label: NME When I bought: 2004 In ye olde days before streaming, and even YouTube, it wasn't possible to hear within a matter of moments pretty much every song ever released. Therefore, compilations like this by the NME actually had a degree of value. Take 'Paperbag Writer' by Radiohead, a b-side from 'There There', the lead single from 2003's Hail to the Thief. I bought the album but not the single, so I'd never heard this tune. It's a brilliant track, with its electronic shuffle beat and muffled vocals making it sound like a left over from Kid A, or the starting point for Thom Yorke's debut solo album which would be released the following year. Likewise, 'See You Soon' by Coldplay. A true delight from a 1999 EP, with delicate guitar playing, scarce production, and honest vocal delivery. It's a reminder that once upon a time Chris Martin et al were able to operate with that oft-neglected trait: restraint. As a snapshot o...

All The Records I've Ever Owned

Search This Blog