So...what was up with that Meatloaf guy, anyway?

[amitten]

I was a pre-teen and not very culturally tuned-in when this Meatloaf character appeared.

I never, and still haven't, caught one of his songs on the radio in its entirety. Only perplexing little snippets. I still sometimes come across his vaguely operatic angst when flipping stations...so apparently someone out there still wants to hear his music.

I know he was overweight and had long hair and sang in a really ultra-dramatic fashion. I don't know if he was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, or outrageous, or just campy, or totally serious or what.

So was this Meatloaf guy for real or what? How would you describe the phenomena that was Meatloaf? I could always Google the crap out of him but I'd rather hear about him from my trusty DU folk. :shrug:

On edit: I guess what I'm wondering is: Was Meatloaf like an unfunny Tenacious D-type act?

Another edit: While typing about him, I have accidentally called Meatloaf both "Neatloaf" and "Meatload". I prefer both over the original.

[commander bunnypants]

1. dont know

but Bat out of hell rocked and still does.

CB

[amitten]

5. Seriously? What songs?

I guess because of his bit in Rocky Horror I thought maybe Meatloaf was some kind of pseudo-rocker like the whole Tenacious D thing. But not funny.

[commander bunnypants]

7. the entire CD

seriously.

Do you have it. That boy had a set of lungs


CB

[amitten]

8. No, I don't have it. Not entirely sure I want it....

Although from what I have heard, Meatloaf did have quite the set of chops.

But I always had the impression he was kind of bullshitting. My mistake, I guess.

[commander bunnypants]

9. go buy a copy from a used record store

you wont be sorry and play it LOUD



CB

[amitten]

10. Gotcha. Thanks... n/t

[Bjornsdotter]

23. Oh Yeah

...it's gotta be loud.

Cheers

[Maine-ah]

52. I guess you'd then have to say that about all the actors

in RHPS, 'cause there were quite a few talented folks there.

As for ML, BOH does still rock, in fact, I finally picked it up on CD. Still a great album.

[flvegan]

11. Agreed.

Back Into Hell wasn't as good, but still, that boy has a set of lungs on him.

[amitten]

13. But were they serious lungs or campy over-the-top lungs?

His actual talent aside, what was your impression of his "act"?

[montanto]

18. its only camp in retrospect, like a lot of 80's music.

everyone in their late teens, early 20's had that album (bot outta hell) and wore it out too. it was an absolute must "make-out" record. if you didn't have it, you might just as well not date. it does sound silly after almost 30 years though.

[Bjornsdotter]

2. I liked him

...Bat out of Hell was his best album and "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" couldn't be played on certain radio stations. It was eeeevil and it would turn our little minds towards sex. Too late, we were already there...

Cheers

[amitten]

3. So, he was a serious rock star? Not kind of a parody?

I'm just trying to get a handle on his whole vibe...

[commander bunnypants]

4. I think serious

one album wonder. He also had a bit part in rocky horror


CB

[Bjornsdotter]

6. Serious

...with a flair for the dramatic.

Cheers

[last_texas_dem]

51. I would say serious, but also showy

I don't think he could really help the "showy" sound; I mean, his powerful pipes combined with over-the-top Jim Steinman compositions (the same guy who wrote "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All") and "wall of sound", Born to Run-type production values combined can't help but come off a little over-the-top. Especially today, as since the nineties there's been a movement against that sort of rock. But if you consider some of the more "bombastic" music going on at the time (Styx, Kansas, Supertramp, etc.- and I'm not putting them down; I like all three bands) he fit right in. I do think his stuff was meant to be taken seriously, though; not in the same way as sincere, confessional singer-songwriter fare, but more in the sense of nostalgic, "remember how wonderful it was to be young?" rock, like some of Bruce Springsteen's more commercial stuff.

Bat Out of Hell is his only album I've ever heard, though. It's definitely an enjoyable album to listen, too, especially when you're in the right mood for it. My favorite track is "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" with that especially dramatic dialogue section in the introduction and all.

[muriel_volestrangler]

36. If you ever get the chance see the live "Old Grey Whistle Test" performance

which was the BBC's live music show in the 70s and 80s. Possibly the sweatiest, sexiest (well, for a man looking at it - Karla DeVito looks great in it, but I can see women won't think much of Meatloaf) TV performance there is of any song. Strangely, it's not on YouTube (there's a lip-synced version with the record as soundtrack, but it's nothing on real thing), but here's a typical review:

The showstopper has to be ribald, rotund Meat Loaf's rendition of Jim Steinman's brilliantly bombastic epic ''Paradise by the Dashboard Light." Along with singer Karla DeVito, he offers a sweaty, sexually charged, microphone-stand-slamming 11-minute tour de force that would never make it past today's puritanical TV censors. And, as with all the performances here, it's presented without flash or distracting excess -- just musicians playing music that was, more often than not, gloriously live.

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/01/29/dvd_report/?page=3

[ohiosmith]

12. Love the guy.

A buddy painted this on one of my motorcycle jackets.

[amitten]

14. But...for real? That album art is a perfect example of what I'm

talking about. It's so over-the-top I can't tell if it's for real or a parody of all the hard rock/metal stuff...

[ohiosmith]

20. For real. The genre was at one time referred to as "Wagnerian" rock.

as created by Jim Steinman.

[amitten]

26. Veeeelllllyyy interesting. Guess ya had to be there!

Which I kinda wasn't.

[liontamer]

15. I'm confused, is he dead?

Meatloaf is the stage name for a musician (legitimate musician who had some hit songs, his last big hit was in the 90s). He's also an actor (you know he was in rocky horror, he's also in fight club). But your post refers to him in the past tense. He's supposed to be going on tour soon, but did he just die or something? Why did you bring him up?

[amitten]

16. Um, not dead. Just confusing. Paired with his strange roles in

different movies, I'm unsure what the nature of his singing career is/was.

I don't know what the nature of his celebrity is, I guess. :shrug:

In general, it seems like his whole act might have started out as kind of a novelty thing, but coupled with actual talent. Kind of like, I dunno, Charo or something.

[liontamer]

21. think trent reznor or marilyn manson

serious musicians with very distinct stage personas. Kind of like Charo who is actually an award winning flamenco guitarist but is more known for her TV appearances and "cuchi cuchi" persona

[amitten]

24. Well, with a name like "Meat Loaf" and a "Bat Out of Hell" album,

it's kinda hard to tell if he was for real. Admittedly, to the uneducated the names just don't add up and it seems to creep into parody territory.

But, I guess the guy is for real...

[liontamer]

35. no big deal

you can't be expected to be up on the career arc of every random person.

[deucemagnet]

17. To the best of my knowledge, he's 100% serious.

He should have hired you as an agent, because if it were tongue-in-cheek, I think I might be able to appreciate it on some level. :)

[Aristus]

19. Marvin Lee Aday, of Dallas, Texas. Incredible entertainer. Lousy with politics.

His music is not really parody. It's what you might call "rock theater". He sang some really good serious songs, in addition to his over-the-top operatic stuff. "Heaven Can Wait" is a surprisingly beautiful ballad, and "For Crying Out Loud" is kind of the "Stairway To Heaven" of rock theater. His best songs were all written by Jim Steinman, who also wrote, among others, "(Making Love Out Of) Nothing At All", which Air Supply recorded back in the eighties.

I saw a concert of his at The Gorge back in 1994. In-freaking-credible show. That's what he is really; not a singer or actor per se, but an entertainer. A terrifically gifted one, too.

B*sh supporter, I hear. Too bad. But I love his music. B-)

[Spacemom]

22. I grew up listening to his music

because my mom was a big fan.

I think he was totally serious, but for him, it worked.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light if one of my all time faves.

[JVS]

25. I hear that he's evil

[amitten]

27. Looks a little evil. Sounds maybe a little evil. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

28. "Don't pick on Eddie, Frank!!"

[amitten]

29. The whole thing is just Weirdsville. n/t

[formerrepuke]

30. I wore out my copy of 'Bat ouf of Hell'.......a teenage staple.

[Blue-Jay]

31. I think he might post on DU.

But yeah, he lost some weight and got a nice haircut.

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. One of rock's most neglected great talents. And yes, he's serious.

He's rock's Billie Holiday.

[amitten]

34. Um...oh. n/t

[tigereye]

43. ah

:rofl:

[Rabrrrrrr]

48. Why laugh? It's true - his voice is a goddamned treasure.

And he is SERIOUSLY underrated.

[MonkeyFunk]

33. I was 16 when Bat out of Hell came out

and the album was HUUUUUUGE!!!! Everybody had it.

It's sold over 40 million copies. It has never exited the top 200 on the UK charts. In 30 years.

Yeah, Meatloaf was for real, and he's got quite a voice.

[Bjornsdotter]

37. I had 3 copies

....wore out the first 2.

Now I have it on cd :evilgrin:

[Elidor]

38. *cough*

Most of his songs suck. Plus, I blame him for whoever that was who sang Total Eclipse of the Heart.

[MonkeyFunk]

40. That's not Meatloaf...

that's Jim Steinman.

He wrote and produced both albums.

And Total Eclipse of the Heart fucking ROCKS!

[bbernardini]

39. When the backup band on your first album is Utopia and the E Street Band...

...it simply can't suck.

[angrycarpenter]

41. origin

started out on broadway in the first stage production of "hair"

[Fredda Weinberg]

42. He scowled at me once

His party was at the next table in a very nice restaurant and we smiled at him. I don't know what he was thinking, but he glared at us as though our very existence annoyed him.

[tigereye]

44. Meatloaf is great!

I guess ya had to be there. ;)

[MonkeyFunk]

45. yeah

I saw him in a small club in about '80 and he kicked ass.

[darkstar]

46. Producer Rundgren says they were aware of the over-amping

and it was intentionally camped up to avoid the labels of being overwrought, pompous, and bombastic (which it still might be criticized as, I suppose.)

[Monk06]

47. Nobody has mentioned Carla DeVito yet. So here she is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ns8t9iQck&mode=related&search=

[pokerfan]

49. You mean Karla Milli Vanilli?

Ellen Foley recorded the vocals. Karla lip synched.

I guess they needed someone more photogenic to appear on stage with Meat Loaf. :rofl:

[muriel_volestrangler]

50. That one is lip-synched, yeah

but as I said above, she also performed live - and the performance for the BBC "Old Grey Whistle Test" is brilliant. Seriously, it's one of the best bits of rock I've seen.

[BlooInBloo]

53. "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights". Best. Story. Song. EVER. Good in Rocky Horror too.