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Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
Cleveland / Epic Records, 1977
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/28/1998
I know that the '70s were a very bizarre time in the world of popular music, but if anyone's success startled us, it was that of Meat Loaf.
Who would have thought that a plump singer with a wildman stage appearance and a voice that could rattle the clouds would release an album that still is a big seller 21 years after its release? Mr. Loaf (as the prestigious New York Times referred to him) had previously released a solo album that flopped, and had won critical acclaim as an actor in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and as a guest vocalist on Ted Nugent's Free-For-All.
But when Bat Out Of Hell came out in 1977, the music world was turned on its ear. An album that captured the angst of teenage America at that time, it epitomized youth, alienation, sex and relationships in a way that still entrances people. And while Meat Loaf's penchant for the theatrical pushes the limits too far at times, there are plenty of examples to prove that his success was no fluke.
Bat Out Of Hell produced two major stars -- one being Meat Loaf, the other being lyricist Jim Steinman (who would eventually strike out on his own, sue Meat Loaf, then resume his partnership with Loaf on this album's sequel). Steinman, in a sense, could also take some of the blame for the overdose of theatrics -- though it must be admitted that the bulk of the music on Bat Out Of Hell was originally written for a musical by Steinman. (Trivia question: Name that musical.)
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