‘Classic Albums: Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell’ Dissects And Analyzes Schlock Rock Masterpiece

“People either hate Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell or absolutely just worship it.” So says the Meat himself at the start of this episode of Classic Albums, the British documentary series known for deep diving into the most storied long players in music history. I am in the former group, but that’s neither here nor there, and in no way handicaps my ability to critically judge the episode in question.

Credit where credit is due, what do you even call Bat Out of Hell? It’s a theatrical production of a rock band, with choral vocal arrangements and a 300-pound former football player singing mini-operas about sex in cars and death in cars and who knows what else. It’s Springsteen‘s Born To Run with a side of schmaltz and a sense of humor. If I’m not a fan, it’s because it embodies everything I dislike about ’70s glam rock (the preening, the camp, the theatricality), and none of the things I like about it (stupid guitar riffs, stomping drumbeats, haircuts you wish your girlfriend had), but hey, it’s one of the biggest selling albums of all-time, so what I think about it is somewhat irrelevant.

Like all episodes of Classic Albums, “Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell” features those who worked on the record discussing its creation. One of the series’ hallmarks is putting them behind the mixing desk as they listen to the master recording and analyze the record’s best known numbers.

The episode begins with Jim Steinman, who wrote all of Bat Out of Hell‘s music and lyrics, sitting at the piano and bashing out the anthemic opening chords to the album’s title track. We then see Meat Loaf, predictably at the mixing desk and isolating his vocals, before singing along with them perfectly. The two have always made an interesting pair; the overpowering lead singer, who left it all on the stage, and the nebbishy composer, who fought for recognition, despite being the creative force behind Meat Loaf’s greatest success. Archival interview footage shows Meat Loaf and his band being asked to describe their music, to which Steinman jumps in and says, “How do I describe my style of music?”

Steinman met Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, in the early ’70s, when the singer auditioned for a part in a rock musical he had written. Inspired by such works as The Who‘s rock opera Tommy and the 1967 musical Hair, a new generation of songwriters aspired to update musical theater for the modern era. Steinman recognized in Meat Loaf not just a great singer, but a great actor who could hold an audience’s attention, even if he didn’t look like most people’s idea of a rock star.

Though it wound up being marketed as a solo album for Meat Loaf, Steinman’s ambition had never been to create a conventional rock n’ roll record. Showcases and demos of the material for record labels brought about what he calls, “A medley of the most brutal rejections you can imagine.” They eventually secured Todd Rundgren as a producer. A solo star in his own right, he had also manned the board on important albums by such groups as The Band, New York Dolls and Grand Funk Railroad. He bankrolled Bat Out of Hell simply because he liked what he heard, and also lent his formidable guitar talents.

Finally released in late 1977 on a major label subsidiary, Rundgren says the record was under promoted and it struggled to get attention in the era of disco and punk. Like many before them, Meat Loaf and Steinman then took their show on the road, wowing audiences with their theatrical performances, often ending with the singer collapsing in a sweaty mess. The power ballad “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad” became a hit single while the teen lust epic “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” became a mainstay of classic rock radio. To date, Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies.

Much like the sadly missed Behind The Music, every episode of Classic Albums is basically the same format, with the subjects switched out. And likewise, it is utterly enjoyable and easy viewing, whether or not you like the artist or album at hand. “Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell” didn’t make me a Meat Loaf fan, but it was a perfectly fine way to spend 50 minutes, and I did come away with an appreciation for his and Steinman’s singular vision, even if I do change the station every time one of those songs comes on the car radio.

This article was originally published on May 3, 2019.

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter: @BHSmithNYC.

Where to stream Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell (Classic Albums)