BAT OUT OF HELL: A Retrospective
It's time for a brand-new episode of the show that talks about stuff on purpose! And this time around, we're doing something a little special, since we're talking about 1977's masterpiece Bat Out Of Hell, from Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman and Todd Rundgren. This episode is a little different from our usual fare, as it's a more comprehensive piece that looks at the genesis of the record, through its production and inevitable release, where it eventually became one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. There's a lot of fascinating history behind this seminal work, and if you'd like to learn a little something about the album, which is currently celebrating its 45th anniversary, then you're in luck. You can listen below, or find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic and Spotify, so choose your own adventure and revel in the glory of Bat Out Of Hell:
If you'd like to join the conversation, feel free! Just leave a comment below telling us what you think of Bat Out Of Hell, the work or Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, or really whatever else you have on your mind! You can also send us an email if you're in a more verbose mood, and there's always the official TRAPPO Instagram feed for the complete experience! And don't forget, we're currently running a pair of polls for two recent musical releases, Jupiter's Purse by MATTIE and Crease by Kee Avil, to see whether or not they are inducted into the TRAPPO Essentials Can(n)on. Their fate is in your hands, so give these works a listen, and vote, vote, VOTE!
That's all for now, so thanks for listening!
This was a cool look back. I actually learned a lot I didn't know about Bat Out Of Hell and it was pretty entertaining. There is a cool story behind this whole record, I guess. It is an all-time hall of fame work, for sure, and it deserves to be in your cannon. Thanks for the history lesson!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your Bad For Good episode last year, and being a fan of Meat Loaf already, I was pretty excited to see this pop up the other day. I'm pretty happy with the presentation. I've never heard those Jim Steinman clips before, and they really help tell the story of how Bat Out of Hell was made, which was cool. Good structure overall, and I think you guys did the late legends proud.
ReplyDeleteNow when's Bat 2 coming?
Obviously I've listened to Bat Out Of Hell on multiple occasions. I think it's a great album, although I may lean a little closer to the Todd Rundgren camp that it's completely ridiculous rather than anything profound, but I think that's okay. Big, loud, hyperbolic rock operas all about getting laid can be cool as hell, and this is a prime example.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've seen the Bat musical on stage pre-COVID, and it ain't great. I don't know how to describe why it largely didn't work for me, but in my opinion it was just a disaster. The arrangements felt flat and the performances were mostly mediocre. This kind of stuff translated to a big stage show just feels wrong to me, somehow. It reminds me of that pile of shit movie that stung together a bunch of Beatles tunes to tell a garbage love story called "Across The Universe". What a joke. I think I literally cringed through that entire movie when I saw it in a movie theater, and I left feeling hollowed out, like the simple act of watching this fucking thing had stolen my will to live. The Bat musical isn't nearly as bad as that, but it just never felt like it came alive to me. And hearing some reedy-voiced pretty boy trying and failing to belt out some of Meat Loaf's biggest hits was like seeing a crime being committed on stage.
I'm glad that Jim Steinmen got to realize his dream before his untimely death, but it became my nightmare.
Thanks for making the episode. I thought it was pretty cool.
Where’s all the earnest, horny music these days? There’s nobody out there in the mainstream throwing out lyrics like “can’t you see my faded Levi’s bursting apart”? Is there a modern Jim Steinman in terms of song writing? Blood-dripping heart on your sleeve bare emotion in all its forms. I’m sure there’s somebody out there who might fit that bill, at least to a degree, but I sure can’t think of them right now.
ReplyDeleteRIP to a pair of real ones. You will be sorely missed, gentlemen.