To many, the name Meat Loaf conjures up an image of a long, greasy-haired, over-weight guy, singing a song called Bat Out Of Hell. Some may be able to go a little further and recall I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That), but quite often, this is as far as it goes! And what a shame that is. Meat Loaf’s talents stretch way beyond these two songs, and this Greatest Hits album is the best place to start for sure.
Meat Loaf, in my opinion, is one of the greatest rock performers out there. To him, a song is more than just a mere song……it is a journey, a story, an adventure. That is why you’ll find many of his songs last in excess of 6 or 7 minutes! His career began back in the late 70’s, when he released his debut album Bat Out of Hell. After this, he went through a very bad stage in his life, and came extremely close to giving up on the industry altogether. Finally, he returned with Bat Out of Hell II, and this returned him to his throne at the top of the rock scene. There were albums between these two, and a couple after Bat Out Of Hell II, but they were far from up to standard, and should only be sought out by serious fans! All his best music has come from his partnership with Jim Steinman, an awesome writer of music, who seems to be so in tune with how Meat Loaf performs and feels that all the work they produce is epic in nature.
This Greatest Hits album is an awesome collection of Meat Loaf’s best work (funny that, as it’s a greatest hits album!!!) and evidently spans over 2 CDs. I won’t go too into detail on all the tracks, as there are 18 in total, but I can be certain that it won’t take much to give you a feel for what the music and songs are all about. That is what makes Meat Loaf the talent he is…..his music is so accessible, yet so deep, thoughtful and intelligent. For all the tracks, there is no one style that dominates, not even within each track, which makes this very hard to write about. One minute you can be listening to powerful, hard-hitting vocals, next you are mellowed out with near lullaby’s! I’ll do my best to put this across, but apologies if I appear to repeat myself!
CD 1 ------
TRACK 1 – Home By Now/No Matter What (8:25) This track opens with a church organ and choir, a very powerful initial image to open an album with. It
is an exceptionally slow track, slower than you’d even consider a ballad to be at first, something you’d expect to see taken from a musical ( maybe due to the fact that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music!) The middle section may well be familiar to many of you, as it was recorded by Boyzone and released as the single ‘No Matter What’. I feel this was an immense shame, as this was the original version, but was never credited! Oh well, this version is far superior, featuring powerful orchestral backing, and of course, superbly strong vocals.
TRACK 2 – Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back (8:07) A hard rock track now hits you, with this rant about how the things you get out of life are often far from what you expected, hence he wants his money back! Meat Loaf is often keen to make people aware that in no way does he feel his whole life is a lemon, far from it, but there will always be that time in your life when this will undoubtedly be how you’re feeling. The track features a strong choral backing again, and powerful guitars. A great track for driving, and over-flowing with energy.
TRACK 3 – You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) (5:04) A haunting dialogue between a male and female opens this track, giving the impression that the track is going to be very dark. But it’s far from that…….the track is very lively, almost cheerful, and keeps you interested for it’s full duration. Ellen Foley provides some very strong female vocals to compliment Meat Loaf extremely well.
TRACK 4 – Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad (5:23) A much slower track, with mellow vocals accompanied by piano and drums. This would be best described as a cross between a lullaby and a ballad…..very moving, but still carrying that rock edge that makes Meat Loaf what he is. This seems to be about that awkward stage in a relationship where ‘I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you.’ The use of strings in this track really emphasises the love feel of the track.
TRACK 5 – Modern Girl (4:28) The weakest track on the album, taken from the time in between the two Bat Out Of Hell Albums. In my eyes, this is just a typical rock song, with no real direction and nothing unique about it. Time to move on I feel!
TRACK 6 – Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through (5:50) A very haunting tale of how music can be the saviour of your soul and can often be the best place to turn when everything else is falling down around you. Very emotional indeed, the track begins with a sad feel to it, but as it proceeds, optimism and finally happiness reign supreme, and this is very well portrayed through the music, lyrics and vocal. A real story is told here…….what Meat Loaf is best at! Again, there are very strong supporting female and choral vocals, adding to the atmosphere. The saxophone in the middle of the track is brilliant too.
TRACK 7 – Is Nothing Sacred (6:37) Another church-like opening, this is one of the most moving tracks on the album. A true ballad this one, about how there is very little worth fighting for anymore ni today’s society, because nothing seems sacred anymore. The vocals are the focus here, with very little musical accompaniment. The only real support to Meat Loaf’s vocals is the Concert Choir being used.
TRACK 8 – Paradise By The Dashboard Light (8:25) A true Rock N Roll track, and very light-hearted. Something that sounds like it’s just been taken out of the 60’s, this track will get almost anyone up and moving. Ellen Foley again guest vocals, in a track that is a sung dialogue between 2 lovers. The more you listen to this, the more it grows on you, as you follow more and more of the story being told. The speed of the track is ever changing, making it easy to stick with for the full 8 ½ minutes!
TRACK 9 – Heaven Can Wait (4:48) A track with similar feelings to track 7, this is another haunting, melodic ballad. A piano provides the main sound here, along with a superb string arrangement. A very calming way to end the first CD.
CD 2 ------
TRACK 10 – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) (11:58) A true epic song if there ever was one! Probably one of Meat Loaf’s most well-known track, this full version has to be heard to be believed. It opens with a powerful 2 minute long piano and rock guitar piece, followed by some mystical vocals from the man himself. The songs theme is clear from the title, and is full of emotion throughout. If you’ve ever seen the video, then you will be able to visualise this even more. After the quiet opening vocals, the track jumps to life, and reaches it full rock form. The pace continually changes, taking you on a frantic journey through the song. An outstanding performance from Lorraine Crosby towards the end really seals this song as an all time great.
TRACK 11 – A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste (7:36) A piano solo, then rock guitars open this track. Another one that would be at home in a musical, a beautiful story is told here. All the emotions of the story are told through the music, vocals and lyrics. Not favourite of mine, but a good track nonetheless.
TRACK 12 – I’d Lie For You (And That’s The Truth) (6:27) I find this track is very similar to Track 10, in its sound, its atmosphere and the story it tells. This is one of the few tracks on this album not written by Jim Steinman (more about this later) and this clearly shows. Still a good track, very powerful due to great guitar playing and vocal performances, but nothing original.
TRACK 13 – Not A Dry Eye In The House (5:54) Another moving ballad, as is clear from the title, but as with the previous track, not one of Meat Loafs better achievements!
TRACK 14 – Nocturnal Pleasure (0:38) Not a track as such, this is a monologue performed by Jim Steinman. His voice is echoed as he speaks, slowly and deliberately. As to what this is all about, I leave you to decide, but nevertheless, it is certainly something that’ll catch your attention and get you thinking.
TRACK 15 – Dead Ringer For Love (4:20) Another track with that real Rock N Roll feel to it, this track was performed with Cher. Her vocals work very well on this track, and this can best be described as classic Meat Loaf…..great vocals, a track full of life and variation, and a story being told.
TRACK 16 – Midnight At The Lost And Found (3:31) This track has a ‘stadium-rock’ feel to it, and was written by Mr Loaf himself. A very ilght-hearted track, and not one that the lyrics have too much meaning in! Definitely a track you will find yourself tapping your feet to!
TRACK 17 – Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are (9:45) Probably my favourite track released by Meat Loaf, this is a track that tells a very harrowing story. Immediately from the initial piano playing and female chorus, you can tell the track is going to be sad. Meat Loaf’s voice is full of emotion, and you can almost sense him crying as he sings it. The passion is increased as the pace builds up, with just vocals and the piano. As the anger builds up, drums are brought in, then it all suddenly crashes down again back to its agonising, tearful feel. It’s all about memories of childhood, although these memories are not good ones. This is one of only a few songs I’ve ever hard that carries such emotion through it, and you are superbly taken on a roller-coaster ride through this person’s emotions from childhood. No matter what images or memories this creates in you, there is no way that you cannot find this track moving.
TRACK 18 – Bat Out Of Hell (9:48) A Meat Loaf classic if ever there was one. Almost everyone will know and remember this song. Rock at it’s best. Stunning guitars, drums, vocals and lyrics, this is pure genius! I daren’t comment on this track any further, in case I do it any injustices! All I will say is that it is the track that would probably top my list of Top 10 songs of all time! Says it all I think.
So there you have it…..a collection of Meat Loaf’s classics. As I mentioned in the review, not all the tracks were written by Jim Steinman, and to me, these stick out like a sore thumb, and shouldn’t really be included on this album (Tracks 5, 12, 13 and 16). Granted, these are examples from Meat Loaf’s albums, but aren’t worthy of being Greatest Hits!
If you want a true rock album from a true legend, then I highly recommend you check this out. If you like this, then you’d be stupid not to go and get the Bat Out Of Hell albums.
A truly great performer!
Dan
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Great songs and great longevity - I still listen to it regularly Disadvantages: A few not so great tracks, and suffers in comparison to Bat Out Of Hell
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