| re: Good review of BOOH on Desert Island Lists | |
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Posted by: |
Conas 09:51 pm UTC 05/13/08 |
| In reply to: | Good review of BOOH on Desert Island Lists - Rupert 09:49 pm UTC 05/13/08 |
| That's a bit long I haven't got all night to sit up and read it. I disagree with posting such a long message just copy and paste the link. > Bat Out Of Hell - Meatloaf > Album | Buy > > > Definitely one of the best albums, anyway - Steinman's > songs are superb, ideally capturing classical rock 'n' > roll (or Wagnerian Rock, as he calls it himself). Meat > never sounded better, and the instumentation is spot on. > > Rock perfection. > > By the way, those of you who call it overblown and pompous > - it's SUPPOSED to be overblown and pompous, if you don't > get that, you're missing the point. > > Check out the sequels, too. > > > This album is way over the top both musically and > lyrically, but I guess that's part of the fun. Early CD > versions sound rather flat but later pressings, > particularly the 25 Anniversary edition are a significant > improvement. I personally prefer the more stripped-down > type of rock such as Alice In Chains or Nirvana, but I can > see Bat out of Hell's appeal through some pretty good > songs like For Crying out load and 2 out of 3 ain't bad. > > > Those who dismiss this undeniably popular album due to > puerile lyrics (generally leveled at this album's sequel), > over-the-top production, and Meat Loaf singing so > passionately about such adolescent themes as a badly > written farce totally miss the point. This is an album > that pokes fun at all the rock and roll pretensions that > had crept into rock music over the years (Townshend can > you hear me?), and it succeeds wonderfully. > There's no doubt about it. BAT OUT OF HELL takes all these > adolescent themes, mostly raging hormones, and builds, > with operatic flair and lots of kitsch, this > preposterously silly album which never-the-less struck a > chord with a great many people. BAT OUT OF HELL is a > concept album, but it doesn't carry all the serious > connotations that such a label implies. This is Steinman > taking all these broad-way musical conventions and hiring > Meat Loaf, who could belt out vocals like no one else, and > giving these teen-age angst-ridden years such a ridiculous > setting that you can't help but laughing at the idiocy of > what people thought were so important in their youth. > > Steinman's and Meat Loaf's chief critics generally site > the bombast and blowing up teen-age angst with such an > operatic flair. They miss the point. I will always stand > behind Steinman's position as an artist because he uses > all these so called "weaknesses" for effect. It's a very > silly album, but then, it's supposed to be. Even the > cover-art is ridiculous. It's all about that bad boy/girl > image that's so laughably fake that no one takes them as > any real threat. Most call it "Just a phase they're going > through." > > Steinman shows how the youth, when they begin taking > themselves seriously as adults, are so concerned with > issues that as people grow up realise, while important, > aren't so damned dramatic as they made it out to be. [The > album cover]. I'm sure most people remember wanting to do > something out of the norm just so they can appear to be so > tough and independent, and looking back are glad they > outgrew it. This could be music or fashion or whatever. > The whole album describes that state of young people > wanting "bad boy" image which is really, really hooky. > > What makes this such a good album is even though it's all > about that awkward transition phase between childhood and > adulthood, Steinman deals with real issues, and > surprisingly well at that. It's the very clear > craftsmanship and the obvious "weaknesses" that are > actually the strengths that makes this such a strong > album. Although I've never though BAT had a > straight-forward narrative, the title track (my personal > favorite of both albums) introduces the type of characters > we'll be seeing. The very last track tells of an > individual who did make it past this phase and into > maturity. > > One of the more interesting things about BAT OUT OF HELL > is its position on sex. Steinman's lyrics have a very > perceptive view of what sex is, and shockingly it's much > more along the lines of what Christianity teaches. > Although you cannot conclusively say BAT OUT OF HELL > promotes sex only in marriage, it gives several portraits, > with very distinct imagery, that suggests that the youth > get so tied up in sex that they don't care at all about > each other. The sexual urges has destroyed or drastically > hurt most of the relationships depicted on BAT OUT OF HELL > with the single exception of the last track. > > To me, "For Crying Out Loud" has always been the key track > to BAT OUT OF HELL. The six songs that go before depict > these youth, so bound up in folly they don't know or show > real love, continually broken and hurt in their > relationships. In "For Crying Out Loud," however, an > individual, ravaged with age, has finally found some one > to love at last. They're no longer concerned with sex just > for pleasure but they've found actually found a love. > > There's such a jump in the age of Steinman's characters > between the first six tracks and "For Crying Out Loud" > that it BAT OUT OF HELL actually serves as a warning that > if you don't grow up then you'll miss so much of what life > has to offer. The first six tracks describe all the > misadventures and stupid, malicious acts that these kids > do, and then "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" transitions > the characters from that song into old age, still without > love. "For Crying Out Loud" then begins and is the only > song dealing with an old person, and do to the transition > provided in the previous song, it's reasonable to believe > that Steinman wants to show what a lifetime of immaturity > and bad boy posturing will get you. Steinman moves to the > very heart and moral core of the record. This is where > they discover that they don't have all the time in the > world like they thought (in "Heaven Can Wait"). In the > end, they also discover healthy sexuality as well, and are > mature enough to raise their own children. > > It's all these different facets that make BAT OUT OF HELL > such a fascinating listen and an amazing artistic triumph. > Most of this album's critics are so far off base they look > positively asinine. > > Those who are looking for a surprisingly deep and moral > record that has a great sense of dramatic flair, this is > for you. > > P. S. While I enjoy listening to BAT II moreso, from the > artistic standpoint this is the better record because its > such a cohesive and well-sequenced record. BAT II has some > great songs but doesn't present such a perceptive and > far-reaching statement as this record does. > > | |
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