By: David Schultz

You would think that the key to the success of any album entitled Bat Out Of Hell would rest on Meat Loaf's shoulders. Given that Meat Loaf's bombastic voice sounds the same on Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose as it does on the trilogy's two prior chapters, the time may be ripe to talk about the significance of Jim Steinman's contribution to the storied franchise. Even though the Meat Loaf name is emblazoned above the title of all of his albums, Bat Out Of Hell has always symbolized the winning combination of Meat Loaf singing the songs of Jim Steinman. It's a recipe that has worked to such perfection that any of their separate musical efforts have paled noticeably in comparison. Whether from poor health or a differing attitude towards the project, Steinman appears on The Monster Is Loose in spirit only with the album suffering in his absence.

During his 2005 summer tour, Meat Loaf introduced the Steinman-penned "Only When I Feel" as a track written for the new album. Not only is that track absent from Bat III, none of the Steinman songs appear to be created with this project in mind. Bat Out Of Hell III scavengers Steinman's back catalog of material, cherry-picking compositions written for other projects: some songs were earmarked for a Batman musical, others appeared in MTV's production of Wuthering Heights; "Bad For Good" first appeared as the title track on Jim Steinman's 1981 solo album and "It's All Coming To Back To Me Now" (originally intended for Bat Out Of Hell II) has been recorded by Celine Dion.

With half the album containing Steinman leftovers, the other half finds producer/songwriter Desmond Child doing his best to imitate Steinman. A capable substitute for Steinman on the production end, Child's attempts to replicate Steinman's songwriting style and structure fall short. On "Blind As A Bat" and "If God Can Talk," Child comes closest to crafting songs ideally suited for Meat Loaf's voice and style. However, misfires like "The Monster Is Loose" and "Monstro" try to bring Meat Loaf into the 21st Century and sound more like Bat Out Of Hell parodies. The allure of the first two Bat Out Of Hell albums derived from their near-Broadway musical, Wagnerian opera scope of the music, Steinman's ability to couch potentially sophomoric material in resonant ways and Meat Loaf's singular skill in delivering the whole package. Too much of Bat Out Of Hell III, especially Child's songs, forgoes that formula. In trying to modernize his sound by bringing in guitarists Steve Vai and Brian May in featured roles, Meat Loaf moves too far away from what made Bat Out Of Hell a marketable brand.

It can't really be said that this album has been rushed to the market: it's been thirteen years since Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, but it feels like it's put together hastily. Instead of sounding like the final chapter of a thirty-year saga, the odds and ends feel of The Monster Is Loose comes across more as a bonus disc of lost tracks and leftovers. The album's penultimate track, "The Future Ain't What It Used To Be," captures the Bat Out Of Hell magic, showing that Meat Loaf remains the best vehicle for Steinman's songs. If there's a Bat Out Of Hell IV, let's hope they remember that.

Labels: Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf

The resolution of the unseemly trademark dispute between often estranged collaborators Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman has paved the way for the release of Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. While the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, Meat Loaf's lawsuit against the ersatz composer, which sought a declaratory judgment over the rights to the "Bat Out Of Hell" trademark and damages for interference with Loaf's contractual relationships, has been dropped. At an event to promote the October 31 release date of the third chapter of the Bat Out Of Hell trilogy, Virgin Records happily announced that common ground had been reached. "The two came to an amicable agreement that ensured that Jim Steinman's music would be a continuing part of the Bat Out Of Hell legacy."

Produced by Desmond Child, Bat Out Of Hell III features seven Steinman penned compositions as well as vocal arrangements by Todd Rundgren, producer of the original Bat Out Of Hell. Where the original album featured many members of the E Street Band, the latest installment includes contributions from notable guitarists like Steve Vai ("Land Of The Pigs") and Queen's Brian May ("Bad For Good"). It also attempts to reclaim Steinman's "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," a song originally recorded by Celine Dion. Meat Loaf's version features Marion Raven, making her U.S. recording debut. "She's mystical; she's dark; she's icy but she's warm; she's fun but she's also really deep," Child cryptically explains. "She was meant to do it."

To whet anticipation for the new album, Meat Loaf has unleashed an animated preview containing a snippet of "The Monster Is Loose," the album's first single, co-written by Child, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx and former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5.

Labels: Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf

While it may not have the same cache as the battles waged over ownership of the Pink Floyd or Guns N Roses name, Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman are set to do battle over who owns the trademark rights to "Bat Out Of Hell."

As a team, Meat Loaf and Steinman have met with great success; on their own, they have struggled mightily. Since the 1977 release of Bat Out Of Hell, Meat Loaf and Steinman have used "Bat Out Of Hell" as their way of identifying their collaborative work. On his 2005 summer tour, Meat Loaf raised expectations for a third reunion with his erstwhile companion by performing the Steinman penned "Only When I Feel" and announcing that it would be on Bat Out Of Hell III. However, such anticipation will be for naught: Steinman rejected an offer to produce and write on Bat Out Of Hell III, opting instead to threaten litigation over use of the "Bat Out Of Hell" trademark he registered in 1995.

With the album slated for an October release, Meat Loaf has filed a declaratory judgment action in Los Angeles, California asking a Federal court to determine the ownership rights to the trademark as well as seeking $50 million in damages for interference with his contractual relationships. Like Gordon Gecco said: "What's worth doing is worth doing for money."

Labels: Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf

Don't Call It A Comeback – Even If It Is Appropriate
By: David Schultz

Just over a year ago, the Boston Red Sox impossibly overcame a 3-0 deficit by winning four straight games against the New York Yankees, completing the most improbable comeback in the history of sports. New Yorkers were on the happier end of a comeback this year, as late October saw Cream reuniting after a 38 year absence for a three night stand at Madison Square Garden. To honor the tradition of the extraordinary comeback, Earvolution presents the top 10 unpredictable, unlikely, implausible comebacks in music history.

10. Velvet Underground (1993)

In 1968, shortly after the release of their second album White Light, White Heat, John Cale walked away from the Velvet Underground, effectively ending the power struggles between himself and Lou Reed over the musical direction of the seminal band. In the 25 years that followed, Cale and Reed stubbornly refused to acknowledge each other's contributions to one of the most influential bands in rock history. When Andy Warhol died in 1988, Cale and Reed found common ground to work upon and recorded Songs For Drella, a tribute to their friend and mentor. Their renewed ability to work together laid the groundwork for the 1993 reformation of the original Velvet Underground with bassist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker. Sadly, the comeback lasted no longer then a few European shows. While most bands save the crowd favorites for the encores, the reunited Velvet Underground inverted the traditional scenario, using the encore slot to debut a new song "Coyote." Coming to bitter disagreements over the production of the band, Reed and Cale’s egos once again consumed their ability to work together. Just as quickly as they came back, the Velvet Underground disappeared.

The VU comeback is an example of the "Hell Freezes Over" comeback. As named and evidenced by The Eagles, this occurs when band members are able to put aside the differences that have kept them apart for years and reunite with a common purpose. Depending on the motivations of the band, that purpose may or may not include the desire to make obscene amounts of money.

9. Pink Floyd @ Live 8 (2005)

The animosity between Roger Waters and his former Pink Floyd band mates grew so great that Waters took David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Nick Wright to court to prevent them from touring and recording as Pink Floyd. Waters lost the suit resulting in two competing tours that begged the question of "Which one's Pink?" But yesterday's litigation can be resolved as tomorrow's reunion. Finding time during the preparations for this summer's worldwide Live 8 concerts, the ever-persuasive Bob Geldof convinced the most successful lineup of Pink Floyd to make an eagerly awaited and desired comeback. Unlike most "Hell Freezes Over" comebacks, Waters one-off set with Pink Floyd at the free Hyde Park show fell more in line with the event's message of compassion and brotherhood than the usual money-making motivations underlying most classic rock comebacks. Though all smiles on stage, Gilmour's seemingly forced smiles while sharing the stage with his former tormentor showed that while the hatchet may have buried, the grave may be shallow.

8. Gang Of Four (2005)

The Gang of Four's anti-establishment, anti-materialistic, proto-punk rock provided a perfect contrast to the overproduced stereo creations of the late seventies. Peaking with their second album, 1980s Entertainment, the Gang of Four burned bright, but burned quickly. Time has been kind to the Gang Of Four's reputation, cited as an influence by numerous bands the GO4 legend has grown to mythic proportions over the last two decades. Surprisingly, the stridently anti-materialistic rockers all managed to find success in the corporate world after leaving the band. Drummer Hugo Burnham founded his own management company, bassist Dave Allen found a career in digital audio services and lead singer Jon King became CEO of a corporate event management company. The surprising fact about a GO4 comeback is that all of the members left successful day jobs to return to their first love which made them little money the first time around. In 2005, the original lineup returned to the studio and rather than cut a series of new tracks, simply re-recorded the old. While unclear whether this makes a sly ironic comment on the unoriginality of new music or simply illustrates the band's newfound bourgeois laziness, the incredible success of the quartet's 2005 comeback leaves no such ambiguity.

7. Fleetwood Mac (1997)

A human resources manager's nightmare, the Rumours era lineup of Fleetwood Mac flagrantly flaunted the absence of a non-fraternization policy amongst rock bands. With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks progressing through the death throes of their relationship and John and Christine McVie's marriage dissolving, the band channeled their angst into the music and produced one of the defining albums of the seventies. By the time Buckingham left the band in 1987, relationships had mended but without the sexual tension and Fleetwood Mac's magic had long expired. However, it didn't stop them from recording well into the 90s. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rumours (and to make gobs and gobs of cash), Buckingham and Nick rejoined the McVies and steadfast drummer Mick Fleetwood for an MTV reunion that paved the way for a successful US tour. The 1997 comeback didn't yield much new music, however, it did solidify Fleetwood Mac's position as one of the most successful bands of the baby boomer generation.

Fleetwood Mac's comeback typifies the "Return From Obscurity" comeback which could be best summed up by L.L. Cool J's quip "don't call it a comeback, I been here for years." L.L.'s quote bears much truth. The artist usually hadn't gone anywhere, the audiences just didn't care.

6. Loretta Lynn (2004)

Outside of country music circles, Loretta Lynn's career peaked in 1980 when Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her portrayal of her in Coal Miner's Daughter. Even those in the know about country music would concede that her best music came during the sixties and seventies. Lynn's career would likely have remained stagnant were it not for Jack White and his contributions to her 2004 album Van Lear Rose. Bringing his own modern perspective to the mix, White produced, arranged and lent his voice to the outstanding "Portland, Oregon," bringing Lynn one of her greatest commercial and critical successes while resurrecting her career in the process. White Stripes fanatics and curious listeners received a pleasant surprise as the combination of White and Lynn produced either the most revved-up county album or the most countrified rock album in years. The bizarre sight of Lynn and White accepting their well-deserved Grammy award for Best Country Album provided the coup-de-grace for her "Return From Obscurity" comeback.

5. Roy Orbison (1987)

Roy Orbison had his greatest success in the early sixties. By the mid-eighties, Orbison's considerable influence could still be felt but his career remained at a standstill. However, a strange combination of events reinvigorated Orbison's career and regenerated interest in his considerable accomplishments. In 1986, against Orbison's wishes, David Lynch had Dean Stockwell creepily lip-synch the haunting "In Dreams" into a worklight in one of the films most memorable scenes. After seeing the movie, Orbison and Lynch produced a video to promote the film that gave Orbison his first exposure on MTV. Soon thereafter, Orbison joined up with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to form The Traveling Wilburys, giving him the biggest mainstream exposure he'd enjoyed in decades. With his Wilbury mates lending a hand, Orbison recorded his final album Mystery Girl. Although released posthumously, Mystery Girl contributed to Orbison's "Return From Obscurity," allowing him to enjoy a deserved career renaissance before his death.

4. Meat Loaf (1993)

The mid-seventies saw Meat Loaf atop the rock world, riding the unparalleled success of his debut album Bat Out Of Hell. By the mid-eighties, with such spectacular flops as Midnight At The Lost And Found and Blind Before I Stop, Meat Loaf was well on his way to starring in his own Behind The Music special, that is if he could have found his way off of the “Where Are They Now” list. Though he remained a solid concert draw in England, in America Meat Loaf could only fill college gyms in cities where he once sold out arenas. Greeted with slight derision, Meat Loaf’s announced reunion with Jim Steinman on the creation of Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell barely registered outside of his loyal fans. That is, until he released it. The first single, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" marked a return to the operatic, Broadway style songs that marked his earlier success and became Meat Loaf's first number one hit. Meat Loaf persevered for 16 years between the two Bat Out Of Hells, survived becoming a rock and roll punch line and avoided the label of one hit wonder.

Meat Loaf's comeback exemplifies the "Return To Credibility" comeback. This occurs when the artist avoids a spot in The Surreal Life house and rescues his career from becoming a joke. The best example of which came in 1989, when . . .

3. Donny Osmond (1989)

From 1975 through 1978, Donny Osmond and his sister Marie co-hosted the Donny & Marie Show, a show that ultimately came to singularly represent the absurdity and ridiculousness of the seventies style variety show. Once cancelled, Donny Osmond lost all credibility as a musical artist and his career was left in shambles. Osmond attempted a move to the Broadway stage; only to have his initial effort, Little Johnny Jones, close immediately after opening. By the late eighties, a Donny Osmond album had just as much chance of being a success as a Kevin Federline rap album. To no one's surprise, Osmond's 1988 self-titled album, his first in over 12 years, received absolutely no fanfare upon its release and went absolutely nowhere. However, radio stations started playing its lead single "Soldier Of Love," smartly withholding the identity of the artist. Only when the song had become a certifiable hit was it announced that the singer was in fact Donny Osmond. Osmond's renewed popularity lasted for about a year but during that time, Osmond's comeback gave music historians something to write about other than his dreadful variety show.

2. Nick Drake (2001)

Between 1969 and 1972, Nick Drake recorded three sparse emotional albums reminiscent of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. Possessing little commercial appeal, Drake's albums were released to little acclaim and even scarcer sales. Over the next two decades, if Drake had any following at all, it could best be termed a cult following. In 2000, Volkswagen produced a beautifully riveting commercial featuring two couples more interested in driving under the stars than attending a party. Drake's "Pink Moon" provided the soundtrack for the commercial, which transcended mere advertising. Charmed and transfixed viewers sought out Drake's 1972 album Pink Moon, vaulting it back onto the charts with surprisingly brisk sales. Drake's implausible comeback is even more remarkable as Drake died more than 25 years before it occurred, having committed suicide in 1974. The sad lyrics that may have foretold his death provided a gorgeous, if not long overdue, epitaph to his unfortunately brief career.

Drake's "Return From The Dead" comeback is the toughest one of them all. It involves a career resuscitation of such proportion that it recalls Lazarus emerging from the grave to once again walk amongst the living.

1. Johnny Cash (2000)

Johnny Cash's improbable comeback involved much more than a reinventing of his persona. It quite literally involved a rise from his deathbed. In 1997, Johnny Cash was diagnosed with a Parkinson's syndrome-like debilitating degenerative nerve disorder. For the next three years, news of his deteriorating health brought on a death watch complete with tributes honoring the country legend and his musical legacy. However, news of Cash's impending death was exaggerated. Learning that his condition was misdiagnosed and consequently mistreated, Cash made a resurrection apropos to his lyrics. Returning to the studio under the watchful auspices of Rick Rubin, Cash emerged with a number of haunting and inspired recordings, including sparse but emotional covers of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," U2's "One" and Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." Cash's almost literal return from the dead culminated with numerous MTV Video Award nominations for "Hurt." Just before his death, Cash remarkably saw the greatest success of his career since the late sixties.

Labels: Gang Of Four, Johnny Cash, Meat Loaf, Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground

By David Schultz

In 1977, Meat Loaf was one of the biggest rock stars in the world, figuratively and literally. The 250-pound-plus singer's Bat Out Of Hell, with words and music by Jim Steinman, was and still is one of the best selling debut albums ever. With his roots in theater, Meat Loaf's voice perfectly complimented Steinman's Wagnerian Broadway-like compositions. Bat Out Of Hell would be the high-water mark of the symbiotic relationship between the gregarious Meat Loaf and the idiosyncratic Steinman that blessed and haunted their musical lives. In the wake of the album's success, a rift developed between the two that left both men's careers floundering. The overwhelming success of 1993's Bat Out Of Hell II, which rescued Meat Loaf and Steinman from impending obscurity, only served to confirm that each is the Ying to the other's Yang. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the time between the two albums was not misspent by Meat Loaf: he was one hell of a Little League coach.

Almost 30 years after his debut on Broadway in Hair, a play in which he claimed the director ordered him to not appear nude for fear of scaring the audience, Meat Loaf returned to New York City for a three night run at the Beacon Theater. Dressed in black and donning shades, the now-svelte Meat Loaf prowled the stage with the poise and menace of a Tarantino character. Understanding completely what his audience came to see, Meat Loaf kept the show rooted in the nostalgia of both Bat Out Of Hell albums. There was also a glimpse of the future as Meat unleashed the Jim Steinman-penned Only When I Feel. The receptive audience warmly received the announcement that the cut will be on the upcoming Bat Out Of Hell III.

It would be grossly unfair to expect Meat Loaf to belt out two hours worth of Bat Out Of Hell songs like he did 30 years ago. He came damn close though. The live arrangements allowed Meat Loaf ample opportunity to rest his voice so he can timely let it loose at the right moments. His two back-up singers, C.C. and Patricia Russo, did a superb job of subtly protecting Meat's voice and, when necessary, the well-versed audience added in the lyrics, just as excited to join in the fun. Don't be disheartened: by no means did Meat Loaf hold anything back, often bending himself in two to get the requisite power and passion into his voice. By the time the set closed with Bat Out Of Hell, Meat obviously left everything on the stage.

Meat Loaf gleefully played out the theatrical nature of Steinman's songs on stage throughout the show. His backup singers picked his pockets, his guitar players wouldn't let him solo during his own encore and, although it seemed as scripted as the WWE, God help the person who doesn't stand and sing during You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth. With a sizable contribution from Patricia Russo, the live rendition of the hormone-fueled Paradise By The Dashboard Light contained funnier comedy, livelier romance and infinitely better acting than any Freddie Prinze Jr. movie.

The third of the show that consisted of non-Bat Out Of Hell material was notably weaker. While the band was exceptional, without Steinman's arrangements, the songs were mismatched with the power and majesty of Meat Loaf's voice. A notable exception was the encore of Mercury Blues, the perfect vehicle for the band to loosen up and jam.

The 2005 tour includes all the essential songs from Bat Out Of Hell I & II. No one need worry over sitting through an hour of tepid songs just to get a quick reading of Paradise By The Dashboard Light. Always one to respect his fans, Meat Loaf knows that his audience will respect the new but will revere the old. The only drawback is that by the time the show is finished you truly are All Revved Up With No Place To Go.

Labels: Meat Loaf