News & Notes

Best Selling Albums of All Time

The Best Selling Albums of All Time (in millions):

1. 1. Michael Jackson, Thriller (100+)
2. 2. AC/DC, Back in Black (45+)
3. 3. Meat Loaf, Bat out of Hell (43+)
4. 4. Eagles, Their Greatest Hits (42+)
5. 5. Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (42+)
6. 6. The Bodyguard Soundtrack (42+)
7. 7. The Phantom of the Opera (40+)
8. 8. Backstreet Boys, Millennium (40+)
9. 9. Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (40+)
10. 10. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (40+)
11. 11. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (40+)

To read more, click here.

Happy Holidays and my best wishes to all of you for 2009. Love and limitless gratitude for ‘sticking with me’. Clothes are all self designed. Model was botched by God. Love, Jim Steinman

The 2008 Golden Q Award for All-Time Classic Song was awarded to Jim Steinman & Meat Loaf for Bat Out Of Hell.

Q magazine's editor in chief, Paul Rees, says: "There are some songs that transcend such things as time and genre, and Bat Out Of Hell is assuredly one of them." Steinman made the following remarks to Q Magazine regarding the honor:

Steinman says Bat reflects his philosophy.

Bat Out Of Hell‘s writer Jim Steinman said today that the song was “a perfect reflection of my creed”.

The legendary composer – who wrote the song for the album of the same name – said he created the track to be “the ultimate crash song”, “operatic annihilation” and a little piece of "Wagner".

After hearing the track was named Classic Song at today’s Q Awards, he said: “In the interest of being pompous, profound, and pretentious all at the same time, as well as being self-deprecating, even self-lacerating, and brilliant simultaneously, I can truly say that BAT OUT OF HELL is a perfect reflection of my creed: ‘If you don’t go over the top, you’ll never see what’s on the other side”.

“’Bat’ was a complete song after two choruses, at six-plus minutes long. But I thought it was too short - no, incomplete. It needed more! So I toiled away and came up with the final third of the song, starting at: “I can see myself, tearing up the road, FASTER, than any other boy has ever gone……” - and this evolved into the whole CRASH sequence, ending with “the last thing I see is my heart/still beating/still beating/breaking out of my body and flying away …… Like a BAT OUT OF HELL!”

“Then it was complete. It had been a great driving-racing-speed anthem, plus a suitably obsessive love story, but now it was what I wanted all along: THE ULTIMATE CRASH SONG!! SELF-DESTRUCTION! OPERATIC ANNIHILATION!!!!!! A LOVE DEATH!!!!! LITTLE RICHARD WAGNER!!!!

“Thus, if I hadn't gone OVER THE TOP, I NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN WHAT’S ON THE OTHER SIDE. Which I really loved. And which, to this f***ing day, I still love. END OF STORY; AND THANK YOU, Q & MEAT. (That sounds like a distant relative of Spotted Dick: Q & MEAT!)”

Q Magazine also published the following 10 SteinFacts…

Bat Out Of Hell a 'classic'

Bat Out Of Hell, Meat Loaf’s enduring rock epic, is to be rewarded with the title of ‘classic song’ at next week’s Q Awards. The track was written by the legendary songwriter Jim Steinman with whom Loaf has collaborated on a number of occasions, although the pair have not always seen eye to eye.

Here are ten things you should know about the architect of Bat Out Of Hell, Jim Steinman:

1. 1) Steinman and Meat Loaf’s paths first crossed after the songwriter created a musical called More Than You Deserve in 1974, in which the singer and actor had been cast. The title track was later included on the Dead Ringer album (follow-up to Bat Out Of Hell).
2. 2) His first commercial release was in 1973 when Yvonne Elliman recorded Steinman's song Happy Ending which appeared on the album Food of Love.
3. 3) Bat Out Of Hell has its roots in a production based on JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. While Steinman and Meat Loaf were working on a touring National Lampoon production, they started to develop further three of the tracks which the composer had prepared for the musical, Neverland, for what they hoped would become a seven-song album. These became Bat out of Hell, Heaven Can Wait and All Revved Up With No Place to Go.
4. 4) Steinman’s magic touch transformed Bonnie Tyler from a singer of syrupy – if a little croaky – ballads, to rock chick after producing her album Faster Than The Speed Of Night. He also wrote the title track and number one single Total Eclipse Of The Heart.
5. 5) Steinman is canny recycler. The theme he wrote for a 1979 TV show Delta House was later tweaked and included in the hit single Dead Ringer For Love.
6. 6) Steinman claims he was originally approached to pen the lyrics for the Lord Lloyd-Webber musical The Phantom Of The Opera but had to turn it down because of his commitments with Tyler. However, the pair later collaborated on the West End show (later transferring briefly to Broadway) Whistle Down The Wind.
7. 7) As well as Bat Out Of Hell (a phrase for which Steinman holds the trademark) and Dead Ringer, Steinman went on to work together on Bat Out Of Hell II in 1993, despite years of bad blood. A third Bat album in 2006 saw little collaboration, although it featured seven of the composer’s songs – five of them were covers of previously recorded material, the remaining two adapted from demos of tracks written for musicals.
8. 8) Steinman, 61 in November, reinvented the goth pioneers Sisters Of Mercy with his epic productions on This Corrosion and Dominion/Mother Russia from the band’s second album Floodland. He worked with the Sisters’ Andrew Eldritch again when he co-wrote More for the Vision Thing album.
9. 9) Further collaborators for New York-born Steinman have included wrestler Hulk Hogan, the Everly Brothers, Celine Dion and The Opera Babes.
10. 10) On the Bat Out of Hell album track Paradise By The Dashboard Light, alongside the rather more sober credits for drums, bass and keyboards for the rest of the personnel, Steinman is listed for “lascivious effects”.

OnStage: Lyricist out of 'Hell'

Jim Steinman worked with Meat Loaf and Celine Dion on records -- and with Andrew Lloyd Webber on "Whistle Down the Wind." Ahead of an Ordway run, Steinman recalls the musical's legendary stops and starts.

By Rohan Preston, Star Tribune

Rock lyricist, songwriter and record producer Jim Steinman is perhaps best known for his work with such artists as Meat Loaf ("Bat Out of Hell") and Celine Dion ("Falling Into You"). But Steinman also writes for theater. The musical "Whistle Down the Wind," his 1996 collaboration with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, died en route to New York but was successfully revived for a long run in London. It opens Tuesday at the Ordway Center.

Read more here. (source: Star Tribune)

Vampires LIVE!

The 10th Anniversary Concert of Tanz Der Vampire at the Raimund Theatre is now available as a souvenir CD. Follow the link below to order from Sound Of Music - a German site that's a treasure trove for all things Tanz Der Vampire!

Whistle Down The Wind Touring Cast Announced

from theatermania.com

Full cast and creative team have been announced for the national tour of the musical Whistle Down The Wind featuring a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman and a book by Webber, Patricia Knop, and Gale Edwards. The production, which is produced and directed by Bill Kenwright, begins at Houston's Hobby Center, September 9-22, with future stops in Hartford, St. Paul, Sacramento, Seattle, Detroit, and Los Angeles.

The show, which premiered in London, tells the story of a young Louisiana girl who finds a mysterious stranger hiding in her barn. When she asks his identity, the first words he utters are "Jesus Christ;" and it's as if all her prayers have been answered. While the townspeople are determined to find the escaped felon, she and her friends vow to protect him from the outside world.

The show stars Eric Kunze, Andrea Ross, Dann Fink, Adam Shonkwiler, Austin J. Zambito-Valente, Nadine Jacobson, Carole Denise Jones, Greg Stone, and Kurt Zischke. The ensemble features Ryan Appleby, Renee Claire Bergeron, Al Bundonis, Raisa Ellingson, Alexis Hightower, Stephen Horst, James Jackson, Jr., Justine Magnusson, Thomas Rainey, and Mickey Toogood.

It will feature costume and set design by Paul Farnsworth, choreography by Henry Metcalfe, musical direction by David Steadman, lighting design by Nick Richings, and sound design by Ben Harrison.

Kenwright to Direct Whistle Down the Wind Tour; Cities Announced

source: Playbill.com

Additional venues have been announced for the upcoming national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the Wind, which will kick off in September.

As previously announced on Playbill.com, the inspirational musical will launch Sept. 9 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, TX. The production is also currently scheduled to play the following venues.

• Sept. 25-30 at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford
• Oct. 9-21 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul
• Oct. 30-Nov. 11 at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento
• Nov. 13-Dec. 2 at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle
• Jan. 8-27, 2008 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit

Directed and produced by Bill Kenwright, the musical is based on the film of the same and was previously seen in the West End and in a U.K. tour. Casting for the U.S. production is currently underway.

Whistle will feature costume and set design by Paul Farnsworth, lighting design by Nick Richings and sound design by Ben Harrison. Henry Metcalfe will choreograph; David Steadman will be the musical director.

In a statement composer Lloyd Webber said, "Whistle Down the Wind is a fantastic story for a musical dramatist and it took me back to my rock roots. It's a primal tale about salvation and forgiveness that everyone can relate to. I'm absolutely delighted that Bill Kenwright's wonderful production is going to be seen in America."

Director-producer Kenwright added, "My time working on Whistle has been, alongside Blood Brothers and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the most exciting and rewarding of my career. It is a show that has everything - great, great songs, exciting narrative, wonderful performances and one of the best and simplest storylines I have ever come across. All in all, great theatre. I am very proud to be the show's producer and director."

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to the Budapest Vampire team on a PHANTASMAGORIC & ASTONISHING opening night! For ticket information visit the website link below.

www.vampirokbalja.hu

HUNGARY Vampires!

Tanz der Vampire is soon to begin it's run in Budapest, Hungary. Check out the website below for show dates, ticket info and downloads.

www.vampirokbalja.hu

Whistle Down The Wind to Tour USA '07/08

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's inspirational musical, Whistle Down the Wind, will be launched on a national tour in September, marking the U.S. premiere of the revised version of the property.

The new Bill Kenwright-produced touring staging will launch Sept. 11-23 at the Hobby Center in Houston as part of the 2007-08 Theatre Under the Stars season. A tour schedule will be announced shortly.

Congratulations to the cast & creative team of Tanz Der Vampire on the triumphant return to the Raimund Theatre for the 10th Anniversary Concert! Read the article from Variety regarding Vampires' success in Berlin.

LABEL BLEW MEAT LOAF'S BIGGEST

February 28, 2007 -- WARNER Brothers Records has signed scores of huge-selling artists, but one who got away was Meat Loaf - because the mountain-size crooner got too carried away performing his steamy classic "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" for label executives back in the late 1970s. In his new book, "The Label," Gary Marmorstein writes that former Warner music president Mo Austin had greenlighted the "Bat Out of Hell" album, but it was then nixed by authoritative A&R chief Lenny Waronker. "[He] was repulsed by the band's in-office performance, which included Meat Loaf ostentatiously making out with singer Ellen Foley during the long 'Paradise' number. It was a catastrophic decision," Marmorstein writes. And how - the album was released by little-known Cleveland International Records in 1977, and went on to sell 40 million copies worldwide. It continues to sell 200,000 copies a year to this day, and was ranked No. 343 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest rock albums of all time.

Classic Rock: Jim Steinman Interview

Click here to read it.

UK Magazine Classic Rock Bat Out of Hell III Review

Click here to read it.

Q Magazine Bat Out of Hell III Review

Click here to read it.

Jim in Words and Music

Jim Steinman continues to open "Pandora's Blog" giving his own personal thoughts on many fascinating topics including the birth of demos from his Batman musical. Read his blog and then listen to the demos. You won't believe your ears...or any other part of your body!

Blog Mentioned songs can be found at: http://www.jimsteinman.com/dreampol.htm

Dream Engine News and Updates

The Dream Engine has launched a MySpace. Visit, become a "friend" and listened to some staggeringly beautiful and powerful demos including full-length versions of "Nowhere Fast" and "We're Still The Children We Were Then"

Dream Engine's MySpace can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/thedreamengine

The Dream Engine will be appearing September 16, 2006 @ 8:30pm at the 2006 Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Awards Show in Atlanta GA. We will be performing two songs (piano and vocals only) w/ Rob, Elaine, Adrienne, Neal and Steve on piano. The show will be televised live on GPB-TV (Georgia Public Broadcast) and rebroadcast on Sept. 22nd. This years inductees include: R.E.M. and Gregg Allman, Felice Bryant, Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri.

Q Magazine Names BAT OUT OF HELL Rock's #1 Guilty Pleasure

Issue Sept. 2006

Guilty Pleasures - Album Chart #1 Meat Loaf BAT OUT OF HELL

The sound of the rock n roll apocalypse. One of the greatest albums ever made. Obviously. Jim Steinman wrote epic, funny, lengthy songs where teenagers tried to loose their virginity, where girls were slim and devious and boys tubby and stupid, where the motorbike was an analogy for everything and to quote a future Steinman moment of genius, "where everything was louder than everything else."

Brilliantly, the distinctly rotund Meat Loaf sang the whole lot without irony, while Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren fashioned as wide-screen Wagnerian backdrop. Somehow the whole was even mightier than it's already heaving parts, hence the ten minute title-track where a man watches himself die; For Crying Out Loud, perhaps the most full-on, gut-wrenching ballad ever recorded and the sheer onanistic frustration of All Revved Up With No Place To Go. There was nothing like it in 1977. There has been nothing like it since, Bat Out Of Hell II notwithstanding. Staggering. Check out the story here.

Congratulations to all involved in the Tokyo production of Dance Of The Vampires. Have a wonderful opening night!

A very pleased Jim Steinman penned the email below shortly after hearing news that the first preview was a HUGE success!

I spoke to Rinkoff & Braunsberg & Mrs. Braunsberg & Michael Kunze. The report was that TANZ is A HUGE BLOODY BLOOMING MONSTER HIT!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, after only one thru, on the afternoon of the first performance ever in the theatre, It had its first performance for an audience. And THEY WENT CRAZY! STOMPING, HOOPING, CHEERING! And the audience wouldnt stop cheering or leave the theatre!!

I know nothing of Japanese theatre, but Kunze, who has a show MARIE ANTOINETTE that replaces our sold out run (already) in September. But IT WILL BE BACK A LOT, says Kunze.

He said it was VERY FAITHFUL, "much higher standard" than other shows, Rinkoff said there were TONS of laughs (more than original) and the leads were "fabulous."

Toho thinks it'll be a "big hit for years and years."

I dont understsand it, but YAY!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Berg of ICM was there raving about, they're all talking about the movie with Roman as The Professor a la Danny Kaye (now its officially called "Jims movie" cause I had the idea first, knowing how much Roman LOVES Danny Kaye. ) And a UK production was discussed.

SO HIP HIP HOORAY AND A BIG HIROHITO FOR THE JAPANESE AND THEIR TekkaTANZ DER VAMPYR! maki

Read Steinman's updated biography including a list of his current projects.

Check it out here.