RIP Jim Steinman

[Ken Gargett]

only 73, RIP. 

i suspect many of our younger troops are not aware of just what a massive impact the 'bat out of hell' album had back in the late 70s. it was everywhere. topped the charts for around a year, i believe. i remember reading something about it being in the charts for more than ten years. no idea if that is true or if there are even charts today but hard to see much matching it. the family did the travelling around europe thing for a couple of months end of 78, as one did. it was blasted out of every shop, every street, everywhere in every city the entire time. 

it was so original and different when it came out. i remember a guy at a party standing next to the record player refusing to let anyone else near it and played it all night long. (only many years later did i learn how much the E Street Band had to do with the production so no surprise). and no, that person was not me. 

by chance, i had to do a couple of thousand kilometres driving last week. it was one of the CDs i had in the car so listened to it several times and thought how brilliant it really was - who gets a guitar to sound like a motor bike? have a few more hours today. it will be on full volume. 

[Mickey D]

Great album and performed by Meatloaf. Both so talented. RIP

[Mrcpt]

Amazing album, RIP. 

[Chibearsv]

RIP

What a great album.  I remember buying it at the record store because I thought the cover design was cool.  I was expecting it to be heavy like Black Sabbath and I really didn't like it at first, but now it's one I like to play pretty regularly, great music and lyrics.  "I want you...I need you...but there aint no way I'm ever gonna love you, now don't be sad...'cause two out of three aint bad"   Brilliant!

[jonnyfromiranny]

Definitely a solid road tripping album. Will have to add it to my long drive playlist.

So sad to lose someone so young. RIP.

[Cletus]

Bat out of Hell is one of my favorite albums -- and was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years.  As for the title track, years later I found out it wasn't a motorcycle but Todd Rundgren on the guitar.  Amazing.

As for Jim Steinman, what a great songwriter. RIP

[Fuzz]

I was only listening to that album last week. I've had in multiple different formats over the years; cassette, CD, mp3, and favourited on Spotify.

[MoeFOH]

Incredible talent. Great loss. I still listen to Bat Out Of Hell regularly. Sad day. 

[JC67]

A brilliant album and one I never get sick of. 

 

Ken

What was the E street band contribution?

[Fosgate]

Bat out of Hell still makes a comeback every October in my area. Radio starts playing it for a good month or two in prep for  Theaters holding the annual viewing of "The Rocky Horror PIcture Show." My home town still has the annual midnight showing https://www.washingtonpavilion.org/event/rocky-horror-picture-show though they now have the prop bag for you to purchase for $10 instead of a group coming in with a 20lb bag of rice, bag of toast, super soakers etc. In the 80's the theater was trashed by the end. Still good that I can take my unsuspecting kids to get a taste of the madness and music from my childhood. May Jim Steinman, Meatloaf, Tim Curry and others long be remembered. 

 

[Ken Gargett]

4 hours ago, JC67 said:

A brilliant album and one I never get sick of. 

 

Ken

What was the E street band contribution?

i gather bittan and weinberg played on the record. steve van zandt might have or might have had some other involvement? 

and steinman often called springsteen the influence for the album.