R.I.P. Jim Steinman
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Too bad the original attempt at Bat Out of Hell in 5.1 didn't turn out well, or I would play that today in his honor. It'll have to be the 2.0 mix.
Loved BOOH from the first time I heard it when it was first released. Still listen to in several times a year.
RIP Jim.
RIP Jim.
splinter7
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
I do like what he did with Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, & Rory Dodd.
He certainly wrote some massive hits in the ‘80s.
It would be interesting to hear what the tracks he worked on with Def Leppard (Hysteria era) sounded like before the band convinced Mutt Lange to come back.
He certainly wrote some massive hits in the ‘80s.
It would be interesting to hear what the tracks he worked on with Def Leppard (Hysteria era) sounded like before the band convinced Mutt Lange to come back.
So sad!
Great songwriter, should have been more known to the general public.
Great songwriter, should have been more known to the general public.
I'm no song writer by any stretch, but learning of Jim's passing did make a few potential song titles pop into my head that would be right up his alley:
"None of us get out of here alive"
"Even sinners grow wings"
"None of us get out of here alive"
"Even sinners grow wings"
RIP Jim! He certainly made a splash, especially with BOOHell. That said, it has sold 50 million copies. Personally, I don't think I'll ever understand how it sold that much. Kudos, regardless. 
That said, it has sold 50 million copies. Personally, I don't think I'll ever understand how it sold that much. Kudos, regardless.
Well, Meatloaf's vocals are to die for. The backups and harmony's are sublime. The musicianship is akin to the second-coming of the Wrecking Crew and the production is SOOOO over-the-top that you almost have to think of it as a symphony. The music embodies everything the 1970's were about: screaming vocals, huge productions, screaming guitars, vocalists, string sections, brass sections, tympani and yet, it's all presented with a wink and a smile where the players don't take it as serious as the lyrics lead you to believe.
It wasn't huge to begin with but (I believe) as the 70's closed and turned into the 80's where EVERYTHING "Bat" gave us was suddenly gone, then the rose-colored glasses go on and people long for what ain't popular anymore. The lyrics also have a tendency to hit a little too close to some of us as I'm sure we've all experienced the pain of love, loss of innocence, feelings of damnation and the strength of perseverance. If you haven't experienced at least some of that in your life.... fuck, get out more!
I even suggested once, that, had Meat had the chance to record "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making love out of nothing at all".... the "Dead Ringer" album could've totally been the spiritual successor to Bat, following the theme's of the previous album with it's found love/had love/lost love/despise love. Following that order as well, the listener would be passing through the 7 steps of a breakup. Absolutely perfect.
1. Dead Ringer
2. Everything is Permitted
3. Making Love Out of Nothing at All
4. Nocturnal Pleasure (gotta admit, it's a great little poem and fits in the theme, follows in the footsteps of "Hot Summer Night")
5. More than you Deserve
6. I'm Gonna Love her for both of us
7. I'll kill you if you don't come back
8. Total Eclipse of the Heart
Audiowannabee
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
I still to this day love it.. It was actually one of the few cds i took w me on last roadtrip to play in car
Bat Out of Hell was was so over-the-top theatrical, it was fantastic. 1970s excess in all its glory. I have heard Paradise by the Dashboard Light a few thousand times and still marvel at its construction. I mean, Phil Rizzuto doing play-by-play for the big baseball-as-metaphor-for-sex thing, c'mon! Brilliant!
I also like how they basically acted it out on stage when performed live. Again, theatrical.
I also like how they basically acted it out on stage when performed live. Again, theatrical.
Fascinating possible track listing for Dead Ringer. Though, we did get Bat Out Of Hell II several years later.Well, Meatloaf's vocals are to die for. The backups and harmony's are sublime. The musicianship is akin to the second-coming of the Wrecking Crew and the production is SOOOO over-the-top that you almost have to think of it as a symphony. The music embodies everything the 1970's were about: screaming vocals, huge productions, screaming guitars, vocalists, string sections, brass sections, tympani and yet, it's all presented with a wink and a smile where the players don't take it as serious as the lyrics lead you to believe.
It wasn't huge to begin with but (I believe) as the 70's closed and turned into the 80's where EVERYTHING "Bat" gave us was suddenly gone, then the rose-colored glasses go on and people long for what ain't popular anymore. The lyrics also have a tendency to hit a little too close to some of us as I'm sure we've all experienced the pain of love, loss of innocence, feelings of damnation and the strength of perseverance. If you haven't experienced at least some of that in your life.... fuck, get out more!
I even suggested once, that, had Meat had the chance to record "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making love out of nothing at all".... the "Dead Ringer" album could've totally been the spiritual successor to Bat, following the theme's of the previous album with it's found love/had love/lost love/despise love. Following that order as well, the listener would be passing through the 7 steps of a breakup. Absolutely perfect.
1. Dead Ringer
2. Everything is Permitted
3. Making Love Out of Nothing at All
4. Nocturnal Pleasure (gotta admit, it's a great little poem and fits in the theme, follows in the footsteps of "Hot Summer Night")
5. More than you Deserve
6. I'm Gonna Love her for both of us
7. I'll kill you if you don't come back
8. Total Eclipse of the Heart
I always thought the follow-up was Jim Steinman’s 1981 solo album Bad For Good and wondered why it wasn’t a Meat Loaf album. Marvin Lee Aday (Known as Meat Loaf) did end up covering many of the songs on his various albums including Bat Out Of Hell II.
Bat II was good and had some elements of what made the original Bat so great. Where it falls short is it doesn't quite have as tight a thematic link from song to song. Where the original Bat does have a loose narrative from one song to the other following the whole Boy meets Girl...Boy & Girl fall out, Boy finds closure story that's as old as the end of time.
My version of Dead Ringer - which could have even been called "Bat 2", would've taken it one step further.
Dead Ringer: Boy finds girl whom he feels is "the one".
Everything is Permitted: Ask your mom or dad about this one.
Making Love Out of Nothing at All: Boy realizes has nothing in common with girl, but the physical attraction is intense.
Nocturnal Pleasure: Physical attraction is all they have and both begin to drift apart.
More than you Deserve: Girl cheats on Boy
I'm Gonna Love her for both of us: Boy does everything in his power to win girl back
I'll kill you if you don't come back: Boy has psychotic episode
Total Eclipse of the Heart: The only way boy can survive is by shutting it all down. If he can't love her, he won't love anybody.
See? It follows a narrative and takes everything one step further than Bat. "Bat 2" could've then been "Bat III", but there again, I'd re-order the songs thusly:
1. Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back
2. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
3. It Just Won't Quit
4. Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
5. Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)
6. Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)
7. Back Into Hell
8. Wasted Youth
9. Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are
10. Everything Louder Than Everything Else
11. Lost Boys And Golden Girls
There is a story to be made there. Boy is dejected and willing to do anything. Finds a girl and it's good on the surface but soon turns into something vile. Boy remenisces about what was and what could've been. That's what I'm seeing. I'm sure they had their reasons for picking the order they did. I'm no record producer, and who knows? I may be seeing more there than there really is. But it would've been pretty cool in my eyes for each album to, under the surface, tell a story of love gone wrong. All the pieces are there to do it! Jim may have been more of a genius than he was aware - or he was aware and the record companies just didn't have his vision.
I purchased Bat Of Of Hell II when it first came out and quickliy burned out on it. I could only listen to a few songs on it today if I had the album.
The Guardian obituary was way better than the one in Variety
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...-the-power-ballad-gave-pop-an-operatic-energy
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...-the-power-ballad-gave-pop-an-operatic-energy
Owen Smith
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
The Guardian has a well deserved reputation in the UK for its obituaries and has had for decades.
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