Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 17: Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell (+ m.A.A.d. city results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, July 4 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to a user cycle for after we finish the queue; once we get through the last planned album, the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. The order of the user cycle will be randomly determined, but users will first be sorted into tiers by how many of their nominations have been covered during the early nominations period.

Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell track list:
1. Bat Out of Hell
2. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
5. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
6. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
7. For Crying Out Loud

Schedule:
7/4: Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton (TomNook)
7/11: Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (TheArkOfTurus)
7/18: The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141)
7/25: Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos)
8/1: Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Giggsalot)
8/8: The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)
8/15: Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107)
8/22: Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado)
8/29: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (Johnbobb)
9/5: Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (Steiner)
9/12: The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos)
9/19: Billy Joel - The Stranger (Seanchan)
9/26: Spice Girls - Spice (SpikeSetsFire)
10/3: Iron Maiden - Powerslave (TheArkOfTurus)
10/10: Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555)
10/17: OutKast - Aquemini (Giggsalot)
10/24: Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer)
10/31: Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555)
11/7: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire)
11/14: Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire)
11/21: Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill (Seginustemple)

User Cycle sign-ups:
11/28: MetalmindStats
12/5: TheArkOfTurus
12/12: Snake5555555555
12/19: Jesse_Custer
12/26: ZaziGuado
1/2: SpikeSetsFire
1/9: Johnbobb
1/16: VeryInsane
1/23: CasanovaZelos
1/30: Seanchan
2/6: Giggsalot
2/13: RyoCaliente

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Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
KommunistKoala (12)
Xeybozn (16)
Giggsalot (18)
VeryInsane (20)
Bane_Of_Despair (22)
TheArkOfTurus (24)
Blur (24)
ChainLTTP (26)
CasanovaZelos (30)
Seanchan (30)
Johnbobb (38)
Raetsel_Lapin (48)
HBJDubs (60)

General Album Comments

CasanovaZelos: My fifteenth favorite album of all-time and second favorite hip hop album - only beaten out by its follow-up, To Pimp a Butterfly. For me, Kendrick Lamar is absolutely the greatest rapper ever and also the best overall artist during the 2010s by a wide margin. He blends socially charged lyrics with forceful production, casting him as one of the great storytellers in music right alongside Bob Dylan. Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City is the only hip hop album to have ever made me cry - Kendrick captures a sense of desperation like no other on some of these tracks. Just a masterpiece from beginning to end.

ChainLTTP: Ok so this is the ultimate "songs will deviate based on how they stand on their own vs how they work in the context of the album" album. Whoever nominated this is cruel.

Bane_Of_Despair: Uhhhhh yea, I love this album ha. To Pimp a Butterfly is my favorite from him and Damn honestly might still be #2 but I absolutely love all his albums and he's one of my favorites of all time. He told a fantastic story on this and filled it with top notch production and features, what more do you want?

Seanchan: I liked this one quite a bit. As I've said previously, I usually do a 3rd play where I listen in my preliminary ranking order, which helps to separate the songs from the normal album flow. On some of the albums we've done, I dread that listen because I know the back half (i.e. the bottom half - hell sometimes it a lot more than that...) is a painful slog. That's not the case here. A lot of the songs I have near the bottom aren't the "bangers" but do work better in the flow of the album. Also, Dominos.

Giggsalot: Not gonna get a proper listen in, which is a shame. Still, this is easily Kendrick's best album and a generational achievement. Not every song here is great, but the middle of the album is unbelievable and the top half here are essentially impossible to rank. Still, track ratings from memory...

Blur: This is one of my favorite albums of all time and I honestly don't think Kendrick's follow-up efforts have come close (though they're both great). But the highest points of this album hit so hard. I would like to do track by track write-ups, but I'm too exhausted for that at the moment. For now, I'll just say Real is being way underappreciated here - such an incredible payoff tying up the album (making Compton as the actual closer even more unnecessary than it already was), following the trauma of Good Kid onward.

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good kid, m.A.A.d. city track ranking

12. Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter's Daughter (Track #1)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 9.77/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, KommunistKoala, Xeybozn, Seanchan (#12)

CasanovaZelos: It's weird that this album kicks off with its weakest track, but it also sets up so much for the rest of the album. This production is tense, while Kendrick kicks off with a frenetic, singular verse as densely detailed as music comes.

Bane_Of_Despair: The opening track, and obviously starts on a great note. Also just generally starts the stellar production and beat selection for the album, the background additions really add to the vibe. Kendrick just be too young and horny for his own good! The meeting of Sherane, the woman of his eye and what sets up the narrative of how hard it can be in the streets with getting jumped at the end. And then finally ending with a call from his mom and dad, asking where Kendrick is since he borrowed their car. Really a continuation of something Kendrick has been stellar at for all of his albums, setting up a continuing story that weaves its way into each forthcoming song. Honestly most of the reason this is down lower is that I just plain like the other songs more and not because this song is particularly weak, a reason that'll keep popping up.

11. Compton (Track #12)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 9.23/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Bane_Of_Despair, VeryInsane, Giggsalot, Blur (#12)

CasanovaZelos: I kind of forget this track is on the album Real feels like a perfect closer. But Compton still works as an epilogue; like Bitch, Dont Kill My Vibe, this is from Kendricks current perspective while the rest of the album reflects his past experiences. And can you blame him for wanting to work with Dr. Dre?

Bane_Of_Despair: Just because it's at the bottom for me (and funny enough coincides with it being the last track anyway) doesn't mean I dislike the song! It's cool to see such a celebration of a city and with a classic like Dr. Dre holds his own on the track, despite having done nothing but guest features here and there for Eminem and such since 1999 until he finally came back with a 2015 album, also named Compton! Most of the reason for why this ranks last for me is that I'm more a fan of the story being told throughout the album, and this is technically outside that.

10. Real (Track #11)
Score: 59 (Average Rank: 8.62/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Blur (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus (#12)

CasanovaZelos: Where the previous three tracks fill me with despair, Real fills me with hope. Kendrick reflects on everything he has been through and starts seeing himself capable of something more. I think the production is a bit weaker here than on other tracks, but the emotions come through strong.

Bane_Of_Despair: What I most enjoy about Real is the dialogue going on towards the end of the track with Kendrick's dad and mom, sending him support and advice. It's really wholesome and gives a hopeful feeling to a narrative that had been understandably dark throughout. In general the track talks about finding what's "real" and what that means to you, and just general self love which is always nice to have. I will say the chorus is a bit one-note but it still works, there's enough background flourishes and such going on.

9. Poetic Justice (Track #6)
Score: 59 (Average Rank: 8.46/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChainLTTP, HBJDubs (#12)

CasanovaZelos: I feel like I always forget Drake makes an appearance on this album. Great production, though the lyrics dont do too much for me.

Bane_Of_Despair: This one sort of takes a swerve, because while it's part of the narrative of Kendrick talking about Sherane it doesn't necessarily advance it. And then Drake is off talking about his own struggles lol. Let's talk about Drake's part, because honestly that's what first comes to mind when I think of the song. I haven't really fucked with Drake since 2015, If You're Reading This... was for me his last project that I truly cared about. So this was still prime Drake, right in that sweet spot of Take Care-Nothing Was the Same, and his bars are just really infectious here. His signature flow and attitude work really well, this is Drake in his element talking about being played by a woman and I think it holds the line of not being overly woo is me and being fun and playful. Kendrick stands his own ground with some great lines like "If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?" And the backing production with the tuned vocals add to the fun feel of the track.

8. Good Kid (Track #7)
Score: 89 (Average Rank: 6.31/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos (#11)

CasanovaZelos: An interesting bit of trivia from the Genius page, this song is the only track on the album with no profanity. This is where the desperation turns to a drive for actual, physical escape. The two title tracks make a clear message Kendrick is one of many good kids forced into awful acts to survive in an uncaring society.

Bane_Of_Despair: Here Kendrick is coming to terms with being caught in the middle of everything. He doesn't want to be part of any gangs but outside institutions, namely the police, just see him as another gangbanger destined to fail. And if that's how you're being pigeonholed and viewed, it's incredibly hard to break out of that. Kendrick is the good kid, doing what he can to get out of that life. Pharrell taking the duties of the chorus is nice, and I like the added sinister tones that play during the chorus.

7. Backseat Freestyle (Track #3)
Score: 90 (Average Rank: 6.69/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb (#12)

CasanovaZelos: Kendrick wants hip hop with substance but Backseat Freestyle shows he can pull off a vulgar banger better than anyone else as well. In the context of the album, this is a brief moment of escapism; the dream of a young man who has been given no direction in life, who can imagine nothing more meaningful than sex. Decontextualized, the phenomenal production is enough to make it a nonsensical yet unforgettable highlight. I feel like this will end up being the most love-hate track in our rankings, but I hope those who hate it at least recognize its satirical nature.

Bane_Of_Despair: Come on, how could I place this song low? It's an absolute blast of a song, and I have fond memories of it when the album came out when I was in college and my friends screaming out " I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower, SO I CAN FUCK THE WORLD FOR 72 HOURS!!!!!" How can you hate a line like that?! Even the start, "Martin had a dream, Martin had a dream, KENDRICK HAVE A DREAM", it's an instant classic. Kendrick just being a young kid, reveling in life's pleasures. I will absolutely feel a type of way if this places low in other people's rankings lol

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6. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe (Track #2)
Score: 93 (Average Rank: 6.31/12)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane (#11)

CasanovaZelos: My favorite track on the album, capturing a chill vibe. I love the way Kendrick experiments with vocals, especially during the chorus when he layers his vocals with Anna Wise. The bridge is the peak, with Anna Wise briefly taking lead. This is where Kendrick establishes what he stands for as an artist, dissing those looking for fame while he promises to wear his heart on his sleeve. He wants hip hop with substance.

Bane_Of_Despair: Honestly this one ended up further down than I initially expected, because I do really love the song (just like with all of them but still.) Speaking of easy to sing along to, this one is insanely easy to do so as well. Also just generally relatable, who doesn't want someone to not kill their vibe? It sucks when that happens! Notably this is the really the only track you can qualify as a diss, dissing towards the rap industry and those trying to make it in ways that seem kinda fucked up to Kendrick. The placement in the track listing is interesting, as it's after Sherane which starts the story but this isn't included in it, this is more Kendrick now looking back and then the next track goes all the way back to when he was fucking around with his friends freestyling. So in some sense you can say it shows that he ultimately makes it despite what happens at the end of Sherane, but then it goes back because we need the context of what set him up for his eventual success. Or I could just be looking too far into it, who knows!

5. The Art of Peer Pressure (Track #4)
Score: 103 (Average Rank: 5.92/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Xeybozn, Johnbobb (#10)

CasanovaZelos: This is the reality Backseat Freestyle is set against, a poor young man being pressured into drugs and robbery. The Art of Peer Pressure is where the desperate narrative elements start coming together, casting the previous two tracks in a new light. One of the lesser tracks alone, but absolutely key to Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City as a narrative monolith.

Bane_Of_Despair: So now we get to one that I'm a little surprised ended up as high for me, but I REALLY dig how Kendrick plays out the story here. You can absolutely picture everything in your mind as he retells it all. As the title implies, Kendrick talks about all the things he does when he's around friends, not because he necessarily enjoys those things but because "he's with the homies right now" and he feels they'd judge him if he didn't participate. Ranging from taking shots of Hennessy and smoking weed, to confronting another gang and partaking in a robbery of a house. The last one they even almost get caught by the cops for, and the way Kendrick tells it almost makes you share in the anxiety he felt at that time. All it took was that last turn to avoid getting arrested.

4. Swimming Pools (Drank) (Track #9)
Score: 112 (Average Rank: 5.08/12)
Biggest Fan(s): TheArkOfTurus (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

CasanovaZelos: The lead single, and for good reason. Much like Backseat Freestyle, this is a banger with a darker meaning. This one is a bit more obvious on its own. After all hes been through, of course Kendrick has an addiction problem. Structured to be a perfect hit for parties with an undeniably catchy chorus, the true meaning is intentionally obscured. Another bit of escapism, no alcoholic wants to admit they have a problem. The glorification in the chorus is only explicitly countered by the final verse.

Bane_Of_Despair: I like the peer pressure tracks! This time focusing on alcohol, and what might drive some individuals to alcoholism. Another one practically made to be sung along to, this was probably his biggest commercial hit song until his Damn era and for good reason. The production is lush, his vocals are on point and it's relatable to so many people. The interlude towards the end that cuts into his final verse is a highlight for me too, really adds to the darkness.

3. Money Trees (Track #5)
Score: 124 (Average Rank: 4.54/12)
Biggest Fan(s): ChainLTTP, KommunistKoala, Xeybozn (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Bane_Of_Despair, Raetsel_Lapin (#9)

CasanovaZelos: This was the slow grower of the album for me. Other tracks hit me harder as a whole, but the chorus is among the best things Kendrick has ever done. Everybody gon respect the shooter, but the one in front of the gun lives forever is a perfect summary of the albums themes.

Bane_Of_Despair: Just an all around fun song, really easy to sing along with going "ya bish" or "that's just how I feel" and groove to. The chorus is a strong one, especially "Everybody gon' respect the shooter, but the one in front of the gun lives forever." The hustle to get your dreams of those money trees, it's a rough life that both Kendrick and Jay Rock share their experiences with. I really enjoy Jay Rock's general cadence for his bars, it fits nicely with the beat. There's a sort of light air-ness to them while still talking about real shit, almost like in the dream state while talking about everything he has to do to achieve it.

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2. M.A.A.D. City (Track #8)
Score: 139 (Average Rank: 3.54/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Bane_Of_Despair (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

CasanovaZelos: This track is the unexpected beginning of a four song stretch that can bring me to tears. Unexpected, because the production and lyrics suggest the most hardcore gangster rap. But Kendricks persona cuts into a deeper element this is not a glorification of the gangster lifestyle but an absolute horror story, a situation that has stolen so many of his loved ones and Kendricks own innocence. The final verse with its warped vocals is dizzyingly effective.

Bane_Of_Despair: I feel like this should be a pretty obvious one to end up at top 3 at the very least. What can I say about it? When I went to see Kendrick back in 2017 on the Damn tour (which I paid an amount of money I will not specify here to get a good seat), and the opening words started I FREAKED OUT. The beat on both halves of the song just go insanely bonkers hard, and Kendrick's wordplay on it is some of my favorite. MC Eiht coming in on the second half keeps the vibe going, he kills his feature. Frankly what more can I say about this song? Pure perfection.

1. Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst (Track #10)
Score: 144 (Average Rank: 3.54/12)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane, Johnbobb, Giggsalot, Blur (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, HBJDubs (#9)

CasanovaZelos: The most obviously sad song on the album, a twelve minute epic where Kendrick takes the perspective of two others before reflecting on his own fear of death and being forgotten. The ending of the first two verses destroy me, the first ending with sudden gunfire showing a life cut down too fast, the second finding its narrator proudly proclaiming that she will never fade away right before the verse slowly fades into the background. Unfortunately, the second half doesnt work as well as the first for me.

Bane_Of_Despair: Boy this song is an emotional one, and that's saying something on an album that's as dense and heavy as this one. A two-parter split into Sing About Me and I'm Dying of Thirst, the beginning takes the tone of two different individuals talking to Kendrick. One of them even gets gunned down in the middle of his sentence just like his brother at the end of the previous song, which is extremely sobering. Kendrick comes in after them saying how much all of this hurts him and that by telling these stories he's trying to help make things better in some way, that people need to know about all this shit so there's more of a chance it get recognized and dealt with. Can Kendrick make a difference with this? Will people sing about him when he's gone? Dying of Thirst has a theme that absolutely relevant; he's tired. Tired of doing all the gang shit, tired of seeing his friends get hurt and killed, tired of this life he's been having to live. Finally something breaks through the endless cycle; God. And thus ends the song with a cleansing to Jesus and the Lord, hoping to rid themselves of their sins and live better lives. The whole song is a journey, and thus deserves to be placed high.

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1. Paradise By the Dashboard Light
2. Bat Out of Hell
3. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
4. You Took the Words right Out of My Mouth
5. All Revved Up With No Place to Go
6. For Crying Out Loud
7. Heaven Can Wait

Despite being another all-time favorite for me and liking/loving every single track, this was surprisingly pretty cut-and-dry for me, the only close one being All Revved Up and Crying Out Loud, which could flip flop any given day.

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Sure put me on the list to pick one next year lol

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I'm growing increasingly nervous about that stretch starting after the Stranger. It feels like the final nomination thread had a couple people just supporting nominations to support them, and we don't really have any big hits to interrupt that stretch other than Aquemini. Like, I love a few in that section and I'm sure the others are varying degrees of fine, but it feels like a potential slog that could derail this series. Anyway...

The first album we're covering I've never particularly liked. The exact brand of music I tend to avoid; hard rock and a rock opera?!? I'll never understand why this album specifically was such a big deal.

Paradise By the Dashboard Light
Bat Out of Hell
All Revved Up with No Place to Go
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
For Crying Out Loud
Heaven Can Wait


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CasanovaZelos posted...

I'm growing increasingly nervous about that stretch starting after the Stranger. It feels like the final nomination thread had a couple people just supporting nominations to support them, and we don't really have any big hits to interrupt that stretch other than Aquemini.

Speak Now is generally considered to be one of the best albums (if not THE best) by one of the biggest musicians in the world for the last decade+, so that'll probably get hefty participation.

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Underleveled posted...

Speak Now is generally considered to be one of the best albums (if not THE best) by one of the biggest musicians in the world for the last decade+, so that'll probably get hefty participation.

Is it? I've never heard Speak Now discussed on the same level as Red or the two from last year.

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I've definitely seen plenty of people claim Speak Now as their favorite Swift album (me included, as well as a top 10 all time for me). But, that's anecdotally. I do agree it doesn't get nearly as much critical attention as, as you said, Red, Evermore, Folklore, or even Fearless. I mean, Swift unfortunately skipped over it for the next re-release even which says a lot. But, it is also her only album where all writing credits are Swift's and Swift's alone.

Commenting on some other albums there, Powerslave is considered one of the best metal albums of all time and it is by a band that has a lot of fans here I believe. And ...Out Come the Wolves was one of the four cornerstones of punk rock revival in the mid 90s, but I really don't think there are many punk fans here unfortunately.

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I cant speak for others, but when I dont participate in a week, its not because Im not familiar with the album, its because the album didnt work for me when I listen to it (which usually comes down to the style of music). But Id actually rather there be more lesser-known albums that might get me into something new than the same albums that appear on every best of list.

CasanovaZelos posted...

I will absolutely feel a type of way if this places low in other people's rankings lol

Whoops

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1. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
2. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
3. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
4. Bat Out of Hell
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. For Crying Out Loud

Love, love, love this album. A perfect rock opera front to back, gleefully and earnestly mixing hard rock, 50s rock and roll, heavy metal imagery, the corny cheese of hair metal before hair metal was a thing, and pop lyrics for songs that are given a grand, epic sense of scope as if they can fill an opera hall, but are unabashedly songs about the teenage experience both as it pertains to the 1970s and to the present day offering timeless messages that will always be relevant for any kid going through adolescent heartbreak. No else but Meat Loaf could infuse these songs with the passionate, manic energy needed to make them work, and to think he was already 30 friggin' years old when this album came out; but, there's no Dawson Casting here, you believe every word that comes out of Meat Loaf's mouth, with only added credibility from having 12 years of adult experience best shown in my favorite track from the album and its most famous, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, in which Meat Loaf, in a magical night of "getting lucky", must subsequently wrestle with the next 60 years of his life in the blink of an eye as his partner wishes for something more than a one night stand. With a 50s rock and roll feel, prog. rock excess with a baseball radio broadcast serving as a not-too-subtle innuendo for the scene, and both Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley each taking a turn at commanding the track, it feels like the perfect encapsulation of the romantic experience and an incredible anti-duet. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad is my favorite ML vocal performance on the album, with a lulling soft rock atmosphere and some of the best lyric writing on the album too. The spoken word intro of Hot Summer Night feels like it should be placed underneath a DeviantArt Sonic Unleashed werewolf fan drawing, it's the maximum Gothic edgelord piece, and yet it works because it feels so genuine when placed into the context of the album, when your a teenager and your relationship with someone else feels earth-shatteringly important. INCREDIBLE instrumentation on this track too. Bat Out of Hell is the most metal-influenced track on this album, with memorable riffs and teen tragedy storytelling updated for the 70s. Revved Up is a little forgettable but I still enjoy it, especially how it speeds up in the outro. I'm not too keen on the slow ballads, though I do enjoy Meat Loaf's vocal performances on them and Heaven Can Wait still possesses some solid songwriting, but outside of the album context I don't find myself playing them often.

I've known this album since I was little, my parents play it all the time, and so I definitely have a bias and soft spot for it. However, I genuinely think this album is an incredible piece of musical storytelling, fun rockin' riffs, songs you can belt your heart out too, and even songs that will make you tear up at life's downer moments. An essential piece of the 70s hard rock canon.

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You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
All Revved Up with No Place to Go
Bat Out of Hell
Paradise By the Dashboard Light
For Crying Out Loud
Heaven Can Wait

This is only the fourth album I had listened to at all before this topic--and, along with Rumours, one of the only two I knew by heart. This is one of a very few albums we had when I was growing up and is likely tremendously responsible for my tastes in music.

While I tend to support albums I'm less familiar with, I backed this one because I figured it'd be nice to have a week that's basically "free" since I already like and know how I feel about everything here. Of course, I wasn't really prepared for all the memories associated with the album and now my free week is filled with flashbacks and personal reflections on how it has impacted my life. I suppose the joke's on me then, but it's still a good album.
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CasanovaZelos posted...

'm growing increasingly nervous about that stretch starting after the Stranger. It feels like the final nomination thread had a couple people just supporting nominations to support them

For what it's worth, that's the section that I'm most excited about.. though as my tastes tend to be incompatible with everyone, I'll concede that my personal excitement may be an ill omen in terms of participation.
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1. Bat Out of Hell
2. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
3. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
4. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
5. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. For Crying Out Loud

So glad to see some appreciation for this album. It's probably the one I've heard the most in my life. On a certain level it's hard for me to truly know if it's good or not, because it is simply ingrained into my being. I heard this album on every road trip we took as a family, which was quite a few.

With your parents in control of the music, you listened to what they wanted to listen to. So that was a lot of classics from the 50s and 60s, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, etc. And then there was this bombastic, sprawling, soaring album. From the mind of a child, the title track was a revelation of awesomeness and it seemed to go on forever. Then that song with the weird talking at the start (yes. YES!). The slow, boring song. The song with the really cool end part. Two out of three ain't bad, which even as a kid I recognized as a nice song. The song with the baseball in it for some reason. Then the other slow, boring song that we skipped a lot of the time.

Even as an adult now, I still find myself coming back to this on long trips. And even though I ranked them at the bottom, I've gained an appreciation for the ballads. I did a listen of this tonight just sitting outside and it didn't feel right. When you're in the car, you can sing along with reckless abandon and there's no one giving you that "you crazy" side eye. Because when I hear these songs I cannot help but want to sing (which isn't good for anybody, lol).

All this to say that the album Bat Out of Hell holds a special place in my heart. I cannot hear that opening guitar lick without feeling a certain sense of nostalgia for being a kid, sitting in the backseat of the car, staring out the window as the country rolled by.


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I liked this album a lot more than I was expecting to. Good nomination, it hit the spot for whatever mood I was in tonight.

1. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
2. Bat Out of Hell
3. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
4. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. For Crying Out Loud
7. Heaven Can Wait

Yay Meat Loaf! I'll work on some writeups.

I should have given Wu Tang a ranking. I can get into them enough to enjoy some tracks.

Also feel free to put me on the list to nominate (have a couple good ones in mind imo)

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1. Bat Out of Hell
2. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
3. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
4. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
5. Heaven Can Wait
6. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
7. For Crying Out Loud

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1. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
2. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. For Crying Out Loud
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. Bat Out of Hell
7. Paradise by the Dashboard Light


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Fuck yeah, something I can actually rank in full.

1. Bat Out of Hell
2. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
3. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
4. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. For Crying Out Loud
7. Heaven Can Wait

While none of these are "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" this is still the most consistently great of the four Bats (yes, Braver Than We Are counts), and it's still a phenomenal listen each time. It's quite hard to rank these because they're all so good. I may have ranked them differently on a different day.

The title track's opening guitar riff is gripping and exciting, and the song just screams "EPIC" from the start. Its soaring vocals help you know you're in for a ride.

"Hot Summer Night" has the Steinman monologue to start, wolves with red roses and whatnot. This whole song shows how good he was at innuendo.

"Heaven Can Wait" has nice piano and is still a good listen. It's just slower and duller than the others on this album, in part due to its repetitiveness. Competition is a good thing.

"All Revved Up with No Place to Go" is the kind of song the title implies. It gets you GOING. Great instrumentation and just good stuff in general.

"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is a fantastic ballad that is significantly better than the other two. It's got the hooks and wonderful lyrics that stand out.

"Paradise By the Dashboard Light" is a ROMP. Fun music, fun lyrics, and Ellen Foley. There's also the allegorical baseball bit playing on the car radio while they're boning in the backseat. Epic stuff.

"For Crying Out Loud" is three minutes longer than it needs to be. It's fantastic at points but gets sleepy due to its elongation. But writing operatic rock songs that are 8+ minutes long is a Steinman thing. That's what makes the legendary stuff legendary (you know the ones, but that doesn't work here.

Also, how can you not understand the love for this? It's got timeless instrumentation (a fusion of 50s and 70s), beautifully angsty lyrics appealing to teens and twenty-somethings, considerable length ideal for car trips, and a cohesiveness that feels like a full listen.

RIP Jim Steinman. Rock will never be the same without you. (P.S. I last listened to this album two months ago when Steinman passed. That one hit me hard.)
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Huh, genuinely surprised a lot of people are passionate about this one, feels like nobody ever talked about Meat Loaf here

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I don't like Meat Loaf but the album did sell like 50 million copies

The opportunity to talk about Meat Loaf doesn't present itself too often around here.

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Yeah for me it's this particular album. I find most of his other stuff to be fine, but this record is something special.

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Bat Out Of Hell 2 was an excellent comeback album at least though doesn't reach this album's heights.

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I like pretty much anything Steinman wrote. And Meat Loaf was able to carry his songs perfectly. The Meat Loaf albums without Steinman aren't great - some good stuff but I'd take the Steinman solo album over Meat Loaf albums.

Bat Out Of Hell 2 is my fave out of any of it. love that album.

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This is going to be my first time listening to Bat Out of Hell. I love Paradise by the Dashboard Light, but haven't really familiarized too much with any of the other tracks from the album. I probably won't write anything while listening because I feel like that distracts me when listening to albums I haven't heard before and I doubt I'll find the time to listen to this twice.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Bat Out of Hell
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
For Crying Out Loud
You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
All Revved Up with No Place to Go
Heaven Can Wait

This was a fun album. Paradise by the Dashboard Light is and always will be the headliner. It's truly one of the best and most timeless songs to ever be written and performed. The baseball broadcast is often the most notable part, but the song becomes legendary as soon as we exit the broadcast. It's such a wild ride. I greatly enjoyed the top four songs in my rankings. Bat Out of Hell was a very fun opener. For Crying Out Loud was a fantastic ballad to end the album with. I could see myself playing it again on a whim during a lazy weekend day or on an especially long drive.

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Two Out of Three Aint bad
Bat Out of Hell
You Took the Words right out of my mouth
Paradise by the dashboard light
All Revved With No Place To Go
For Crying Out Louds
Heaven Can Wait

Honestly, this one just wasnt for me. I remember quite a few of these songs as a kid, but listening to them again just didnt really do much for me.

That said, there are plenty of elements that I appreciate, I like the generally catchy choruses, and the themes make me think of a rock opera/Broadway show. The slow songs are straight ballads, while the regular songs are arena rock anthems. Decent mix in between.

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LiquidOshawott posted...

the themes make me think of a rock opera/Broadway show

They did make it into a musical a few years ago (I think it was off-Broadway).

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Bat Out Of Hell
The title track is Steinman in a nutshell. Essentially a fantasy of this bad boy biker finding purity and happiness in the arms of a lover, only to be such a badass that he has to leave on his motorcycle... and he has to do it in such a badass way that he ends up dying. Steinman is truly the 'master of excess'. The song is never boring and the music follows the story perfectly. Love this song. Steinman captured the experience of being a teenager, where everything is so important and every feeling so intense.

Two Out Three Ain't Bad
It's almost a parody of an Elvis song but it works.

Paradise By The Dashboard Light
This is one of the best titles of any song ever and the song is such a classic. The Rizzuto part building up to STOP RIGHT THERE! is perfect.

Heaven Can Wait
When I listen to the album I tend to feel almost bummed when this song comes on but a few moments in, I'm hooked. I think this should have been the second song on the album, maybe the fourth.

You Took The Words Out Of My Mouth
A simple pop-rock love song. To me this song is probably the biggest Springsteen influenced song. And of course we have to have an odd spoken word exchange about wolves and leading guys on.

For Crying Out Loud
I kinda love this song but I also tend to pick apart some of the arrangements - wish there was a percussion tease on the first 'chorus', and I wish they did less with the orchestra in the last 30 seconds or so. I think my problem is that I sorta skipped out on these types of songs as a kid and unfairly compare the song to stuff that came out a decade or two later.

All Revved Up With No Place To Go
I like the song but not as much as the other songs on the album.


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hmm

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1. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
2. Bat Out of Hell
3. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
4. Heaven Can Wait
5. For Crying Out Loud
6. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
7. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
8. 
   

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backlog first

Rumours - Go Your Own Way is my #1, Oh Daddy is biggest detraction (#11 on final, #7 on mine. Didn't deviate too much on this album!)

and Bat Out Of Hell:

1. Bat Out Of Hell
2. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
3. Two Outta Three Aint Bad
4. For Crying Out Loud
5. You Took The Words Right Outta My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. All Revved Up With No Place To Go

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Last day

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Definitely not one of the stronger albums so far. It's iconic of course, and for understandable reason (the album cover alone is unforgettable) but I've just never been a fan of this type of late 70s/early 80s glam/hair metal.

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1. Bat Out of Hell
2. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
3. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
4. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. For Crying Out Loud
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I wouldnt regard Meat Loaf as hair metal at all

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final bump

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1. Bat Out of Hell
2. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
3. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
4. Heaven Can Wait
5. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
6. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
7. For Crying Out Loud

First album in this topic series that I saw that I was very familiar with, as my dad and I listened to this album a lot. Still a big fan of it.

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1. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
2. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
3. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
4. Bat Out of Hell
5. For Crying Out Loud
6. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
7. Heaven Can Wait

Meat Loaf is someone I wasn't very familiar with, but always had been meaning to familiarize myself with, so this was a good time for that!

He's a great singer, and I really like the more energetic songs with his vocal style. Not to say his slower songs are bad, in fact they are good too, but they were pretty consistently my least favorite ones. My biggest complaint about the albumn are the extended talkie segments...which ironically landed in my two favorite songs, which was unfortunate, because I'd like them even more without it! You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth felt like the perfect consistency of all the tracks, by not being pure energy nor a slow song; it was just very pleasant the whole time. Paradise by the Dashboard Light meanwhile was the good 'variety' song, where the song is long and changes a lot throughout. So these two stood out the most for different reasons.

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Calculating results now

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