They cheer the bloat of the production and the corn in the arrangements.
Theyll likely be equally thrilled by the vintage origin date of the material.
Several, in fact, were submitted for the originalBatback in 1977, but didnt make the cut.
Credit: Martin Hausler
The millions who snapped up that rococo classic will find even its near-misses fascinating.
Theyll be particularly thrilled by cameos from two major past Meat puppets: Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito.
The former belted out the studio version of Paradise By The Dashboard Light forty(!)
years ago; the latter amplified the same parts for the video.
Each sounds as Ronnie-Spector-stentorian as ever.
Unfortunately, they need to so you can prop up the slouching star.
My voice isnt what it once was, Meat Loaf sings on the albums opening track.
In fact, he wobbles so badly, he can barely carry a tune without letting it sag.
From there, the songs blare or meander in ways both silly and likable.
They range from the grandiloquent oratory Only When I Feel to the Teutonic stomp Godz.
The backstories of the songs give the album an archeological spin.
But its warmed by just enough updates to deliver Meats usual lumpy charm.
KEY TRACKS:
Going All The Way
A catchy cousin to Paradise By The Dashboard Light.
Souvenirs
An axed track fromBat, featuring honking SNL-style horns.
