Meat Loaf

Bat Out Of Hell (Epic ’77) Rating: A-
A kitschy classic. Larger than life, this totally over the top album was many a teenager’s soundtrack throughout the late ‘70s, and it's still a fun if lightweight listen. From Todd Rundgren’s bombastic production to Meat Loaf’s operatic vocal flourishes, the album has all the subtlety of an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon and is all the better for it. Hardly the prototype rocker, the hefty singer first made a name for himself singing for Ted Nugent and then appearing in the cult movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This album’s surprising success was a tribute to the earnest energy of the performances, and lyrics (supplied by Jim Steinman) that spoke directly to the younger set, capturing the awkwardness and excitement of adolescence. The title track, an epic in every sense of the word, starts the album with the most theatrical song on a ridiculously theatrical album. Take a Broadway show tune, add some pseudo metallic guitar (courtesy of Rundgren), and put it all within a Wall Of Sound production a la Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run (fittingly, E. Streeters Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg play on the album), and that's "Bat Out Of Hell" in a nutshell. Actually, the song is almost proggy in its multi-sectioned ambition (long instrumental intro, ballady in parts, relentlessly rocking at other times), while its breathless rush of words also recalls early Bruce, and it's "anything goes" attitude was what punk was supposed to be embracing at the time (ironic given that this album is about as unpunk as you can get). Anyway, Steinman's action packed music and Rundgren's densely layered, elaborate arrangements ensure that the song's 10 minutes go by rather abruptly, but like every song here it is the sheer force of the singer's personality that leaves the biggest (pardon the pun) impression. "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" begins with an admittedly cheesy intro (but if you're allergic to cheese than you should stay away from this album!), but some pretty piano and a catchy chorus makes this another song that's easy to like. Plus, it's one of several songs with agreeably airy female backing vocals and a frenetic finish. "Heaven Can Wait" is one of three piano ballads, and though its sensitive, schmaltzy melody may make you think of other soft rockers such as The Carpenters (but hey, I like The Carpenters), it's still mighty pretty, and that Meat Loaf sure can sing. Besides, the sax-led (supplied by Edgar Winter) "All Revved Up With No Place To Go" returns the album to party mode, being a catchy r&b-based rocker that makes me think of Saturday night, while "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad," which is something of a "lite FM" standard, is another fine example of Steinman's storytelling skills, despite at-times corny lyrics that are again easy to overlook due to Meat's affecting vocal and a sympathetic melody. Which brings us to "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," the song that most people know Meat Loaf for, and a love it or hate it proposition to most people. Me, I love it. Sure, it's ridiculously overblown and not just a little tongue in cheek, but this epic is perhaps the ultimate song about being young, horny, and impetuous. Besides, the cameo by Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto was a brilliant idea, Rory Dodd steals the show with one of the greatest guest vocals ever, and an excellent extended fadeout seals the deal. After "Dashboard" comes the third piano ballad, "For Crying Out Loud." Starting slowly and quietly but eventually becoming as bloated and bombastic as all the other tunes, this long song is once again more than salvaged by Meat Loaf's melodramatic vocal delivery. In summary, dismiss these cheesy, long-winded extravaganzas at your own peril, for in my opinion this album truly is a "guilty pleasure" if ever there was one. So what if this "pretentious" album has long been a target of rock critics, it sold in the millions anyway and is fondly remembered by many. Though somewhat dated (it fairly reeks of ‘70s excess), the album oozes a reckless spirit of adventure and lust that epitomizes teenage dramas. So what if it doesn’t make any grand statements lyrically and is musically flawed, this is still a fun, good time listen, stuffy critics be damned. So what if he proved to be a one-album wonder; the high sales of this album’s belated sequel belie the fact that it wasn’t very good, and that album was the best of the rest of his albums, none of which were commercial successes. Raise your hand if you've ever screamed “stop right there!” - you know what I mean.

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