Note: a ridiculous album requires a ridiculous review, so here's my best attempt...
Bat Out of Hell isn't just art, it's a scientific development process; the purpose of which is to represent the entire gamut of human emotions in a musical form. As such, it is self-evident that the latest output of this process will always be the greatest. And, despite the album sales being one tenth of its predecessor, this is clearly the case for BOOH III. Looking forward from the present, someday mankind will cryogenically un-freeze Mr Loaf and Mr Steinman, which will inevitably result in them suing each other once again. Once that is out of the way, they will team up for BOOH IV, which will surpass even this masterpiece. However, in the meantime, here are some dissections of this third instalment:
From the very start of The Monster Is Loose, the instrumentals are much improved over BOOH II, where the appeal was mostly in the poetry of the lyrics (or it's also possible that I just prefer a more modern rock sound). The sound is very different to the earlier albums, but it adds to the huge sense of scale is huge and the passion of the lyrics. Also, it flows perfectly through contrasting sections, which is a BOOH hallmark.
The power-ballad Blind As A Bat has quite an early 1990s feel (but each BOOH album has been a bit retro for its time... perfecting a style can't be rushed...). The piano riff is wonderfully carried through from the intro, and is supported brilliantly by the strings. As for the song title... what a lyric! The lyrics throughout the song are fantastic, a classic Meat Loaf masterpiece of both imagery and humility.
It's All Coming Back To Me Now features a beautiful piano melody, which perfectly leads into the vocals. Then the interplay between the vocalists is amongst the finest duets I've ever heard. Now for a very bold statement: this song eclipses even I'd Do Anything For Love. I'm not trying to be a contrarian here; due to Kaizen, it's a simple scientific fact.
"The sea is up in the sky, the sky is up in the sea". Never has a nonsensical phrase been so emotive and prophetic. In fact, I could quote almost all of Bad For Good's lyrics, since they're all brimming with imagery and/or emotion. The instrumental arrangements more than carry their weight too, with an incredible build-up and momentum. Despite the sections often being stylistically quite different, the transitions are completely seamless. It's almost like a medley of about 8 different songs (as it should be, at over 7 minutes long...), all perfectly stitched together.
With hindsight, it feels like Everything Louder Than Everything Else (from BOOH II) was merely a early prototype of Bad For Good, and the latter also incorporates a "checklist section" drawing on the lessons from Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back. If you can accept, without irony, that "for the good of one hell of a night" is the ultimate climax to a crescendo, then you're a true Meat Loaf connoisseur/addict.
Cry Over Me is a bit bland, both musically and lyrically. However, it provides good variety towards the middle of the album. And clearly its mediocrity was added to this album so that we may better appreciate the other songs...
In The Land Of The Pig, The Butcher Is King is a mixed bag, but also one of my favourite songs. Something isn't right about the musical arc, so it feels like a wind-up that gets repeated with minimal variation, thereby wearing out its welcome by the 5-minute mark. But the song title is irreverent brilliance, and often I find myself singing that line in my head for a while afterwards. Adding to the tongue-in-cheek appeal is the sound of the braying pigs at the end of the song. Brilliant!
Like a good reggae-dub song, Alive feels so natural in how it adapts its form over time, making the minutes evaporate as a single pleasurable blur. This is motivational-poster stadium rock at its finest.
If God Could Talk is another epic power ballad. As per the song title, it's simultaneously ridiculous and deeply meaningful. The instrumentals provide great direction and structure, but the real star is the lyrics. Tortured, complex, beautiful lyrics.
Yes, If It Ain't Broke is very cheesy... even by Meat Loaf standards. The sharp breaks seems a bit contrived to me, but otherwise its fun headbanging rock. Infectious rock-funk groove? Check. Singalong chorus? Check. Job done.
What About Love's highlights are a great piano motif (which holds the song together brilliantly) and a truly inspiring chorus. It's perfect rock-opera, with a narrative that spans a lifespan.
Seize The Night has an interesting orchestral opening full of pomp, however it's a bit disjointed until it breaks out into that epic guitar riff. From then on, it features a fantastic driving energy, up until... well... in theory, arresting all that momentum for the pianissimo choir sections should completely undermine the flow of the song. But the genius is that somehow it doesn't. Then, as it winds up again, it transforms into a glorious amalgamation of rock band, orchestra and choir.
The Future Ain't What It Used To Be feels like the album is beginning to wind down, with nothing too strenuous on display here. Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable way to spend 8 minutes. Then things come to an end with Cry To Heaven, a nice lullaby to cap off an epic day.
Favourite songs
This experience isn't about mere concepts such as songs, it's far more important than that...
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