MEAT LOAF
"The Very Best Of Meat Loaf" (Epic
Records; 1998)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Ever since his appearance in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," Marvin Lee Aday has been a favorite of the public. Of course, we all know him as Meat Loaf. Mr. Loaf was the voice we all heard on Ted Nugent's classic "Free For All" album. His "Bat Out of Hell" went on to sell a bazillion records and still rides high on the catalog sales charts. And - after a few rough during which he declares he was "learning to sing," - Meat Loaf recorded and released a "Bat Out of Hell" follow-up that exploded to the top sales position and re-established him as an important rock'n'roll singer.
This two CD set is a celebration of the Voice and Sound that are Meat Loaf. It's a set packed to the gills with music - the average song length is about 7 minutes and there are 18 songs. It begins with a bizarre yet strangely appropriate ditty newly written for Meat Loaf by "Phantom of the Opera" songmaster Andrew Lloyd Webber and longtime Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman. Following are the big Meat Loaf hits, including "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," "Heaven Can Wait," "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are," a remix of "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" and, closing the set of course, "Bat Out of Hell." In addition to the Lloyd Webber song are two additional new songs - "Is Nothing Sacred," written by Steinman. Finally, there's "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste," another Lloyd Webber/Steinman song, this one from the musical production "Whistle Down the Road."
Any Meat Loaf collection is incomplete without "The Very Best of Meat Loaf" on their shelf. It's a spectacular review of the career of a true rock'n'roll legend.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This
record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it
will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Copyright © 1998 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 10 Jun 2005 01:45:17 -0500.
