Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Live Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2004)

Imagine if "Bat out of Hell" had been re-recorded all throughout Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman's career. There might have been a version in 1981 which would sound like "Bad for Good", or "Midnight at the Lost and Found" in 1983, or Jim's work on Bonnie Tyler "Faster than the Speed of Night", the soundtrack for "Streets of Fire" or Pandora's Box "Original Sin". The list goes on. Imagine it in 1993 alongside the sequel "Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell".

What would it sound like? How would "Took the Words" come across sonically in say 1993? How about a 1984 version of "All Revved Up"? "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" has an orchestra in 1998 and it sounds like the original cast album of Jim's musical "Tanz der Vampire". Not to mention "For Crying Out Loud" if it had been recorded in 2016.

What if we took vocals from one version and put it together with another arrangement? I realize this whole exercise is probably lunacy, but nevertheless I wanted to put that out there in my review. Why, because it intrigues me, the evolution of this sound, the evergreen nature of these songs, the heartfelt power of these performances and their timelessness.

Also, I'm getting somewhere with this, because in 2004, Meat Loaf and the Neverland Express came together with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for a series of concerts which led to the release of a live DVD, and a CD version called "Bat out of Hell Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra". That's right. The CD of this release contains the full original album performed live on disc for the first time, similar to "The Dark Side of the Moon" on Pink Floyd's 1995 "PULSE". It's the closest I’m going to get.

Only it wasn't performed the way you hear it on the CD, based on what I know about the concerts anyway since I never actually saw them. This is more a compilation of performances put together in the order of "Bat".

The missing element here is the close involvement of Jim Steinman, not to mention Steve Margoshes who created that spectacular orchestral sound on "For Crying Out Loud". If Jim and Steve had been involved, to the extent they had been originally, I can only marvel at what might have been. Again, this is the "Renegade Angel" and "Final at Bat" scenario (if you don't know what I’m talking about, that's probably just as well.)

Nevertheless, this is pretty darned spectacular! Truly not an easy feat!

Let's have a look at the credits.

Firstly, this disc has been recorded live at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria on February 20 and 22, 2004. The current Neverland Express line-up features Patti Russo on vocals, Kasim Sulton serving as Musical Director and providing Bass and Backing Vocals, John Miceli on Drums, Mark Alexander with Keyboards and Backing Vocals, Paul Crook on Guitar, Randy Flowers on Guitar, Keyboards and Backing Vocals, and C.C. providing her Backing Vocals as well.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Keith Levenson also providing Arrangements and Orchestrations, a spectacular achievement considering the original "Bat", with Additional Arrangements from Andrew Wilder and Anne Shuttlesworth. The album was mixed by "Couldn't Have Said It Better" producer Peter Mokran at Conway Studios, Los Angeles, with Eric Weaver serving as Assistant Engineer. Thank you! And anyone else I've failed to mention here. Also, the Almost Complete Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman Lyric Archive for getting me this info at the click of a mouse!

The show is ready to begin!

"Bat out of Hell"---Wham! The intro notes are being blasted by the band and the orchestra in an almighty musical exclamation! This version really does make you feel like you're watching a film, considering that Jim was thinking of "Psycho" when he was writing this song. Even the string arrangements in the instrumental before the second chorus (bridge, tunnel, subway, this is Jim, keep up!) sounds like something from the shower scene. Meat is charging through this like Arnold Schwarzenegger as King Conan!

"You Took the Words Right out of my Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"---from memory, we are missing a verse here, which is a bummer, but the arrangement and the mood and Meat's performance certainly keeps you distracted.

"Heaven Can Wait"---this song and "For Crying Out Loud", oh and not to mention "Bat", is probably the reason I would be especially curious about this disc, and they do make magic here. Listen to the orchestra behind Meat.

"All Revved up with No Place to Go"---Meat's performance here and on "Paradise" is so charismatic. It makes me wish I could have seen him play a movie villain like something out of Disney. The band and the orchestra are great too.

"Two out of Three Ain't Bad"---this is sort of like "Live around the World" and "VH1: Storytellers" with an orchestral layer as well. Again, this is great.

"Paradise by the Dashboard Light"---listen to Meat at the end, those voices he makes! In an alternate timeline, he would have played Billy Bibbit in "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and then ended up with Brad Dourif's role as the Voice of Chucky. This is a funny little glimpse. But I'm talking about just that one bit! As I've said in other reviews, they are always living and re-living this song as if it's the first time. Patti once again packs a punch.

"For Crying Out Loud"---this is the reason you want this disc, OK. Forget about everything else (on the other hand, let's not be that drastic), because this to me is one of the legendary moments of Meat's career. It really is like a warrior king rising up and leading his army into battle with thousands of soldiers following behind. He knows he may not survive. He knows death is approaching on the next horizon. He knows he may never see the sudden curve until it's way too late! But he soldiers on as before! This performance here, backed by the band and the orchestra, seems to capture the very essence of Meat Loaf's heroism as an entertainer to millions. Please check it out.

We're not quite finished yet. According to which version you have, there may be one or two more songs yet to come. My copy has these two:

"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)"---well, of course the big song from Number 2 would be a more than welcome addition here. It's magical to hear it with orchestra.

"Couldn't Have Said it Better"---listening to this makes me wonder, as much as I'm thrilled to hear another iteration of "Bat" with Meat on lead vocals, whether Meat could have done live versions of his other albums too. "Couldn't Have Said it Better" already deserved better than what it got, in my mind, so a live version would have been pretty cool as well, not to mention "“Hang Cool Teddy Bear" about six years on.

Going back to what I said about the other albums not being performed so much, I'll take what I can get of them live, and I do so enjoy hearing those versions of them. I think that should about cover what I have to say here.

Thanks for reading,

Ryan.