Classic Albums: Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (1999)

1999-01-011h

Never one for understatement, the aptly named singer known as Meat Loaf (aka Marvin Lee Aday) teamed with operatically-minded pianist-composer Jim Steinman to produce a bombastic slab of 1970s classic rock that has become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Fueled by Steinman's epic compositions, Todd Rundgren's grandiose production, and Meat Loaf's own soaring vocals, the singer's 1977 debut BAT OUT OF HELL elevated the rock-opera genre to appropriately theatrical heights with its extravagant orchestration and a melodramatic narrative celebrating teenage rebellion. This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series recounts the making of this monumental work through interviews, archival footage, and live performances of album tracks such as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," and, of course, the adolescent opus "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

Related Movies

453073-thumbnail

The Prince Story: Icon, Genius... Slave (2017)

A dramatization of the life of the acclaimed American musician, Prince, who died from an accidental overdose at the age of just 57 in 2016.

839217-thumbnail

Vanessa Paradis au Zénith (2001)

836128-thumbnail

Myriam Fares: The Journey (2021)

From pregnancy to album preparations, Lebanese singer and “Queen of the Stage” Myriam Fares documents her experiences with her family while in lockdown.

3087-thumbnail

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.

1038652-thumbnail

30 Years of Argentine Rock (2020)

Aided by archival footage and interviews with its key figures, this documentary delves into the history of Argentine rock music from its origins up to the mid-1990s.

27-thumbnail

9 Songs (2004)

Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall - London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.

266639-thumbnail

Jem and the Holograms (2015)

As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. Four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.

456994-thumbnail

Desperate Love 1989 (1992)

Koji Nanjo, a young rock star, falls in love with soccer player Takuto Izumi. Koji eventually learns that Izumi's mother killed his father out of severe and intense love. Izumi took all the guilt for his father's murder and refuses to go pro because of fear that his past will be discovered by the media. Izumi detests Koji's company and encouragement and severely dislikes the attention from the press, but Koji cannot stay away for he soon realizes that his love for Izumi is very similar to the love that Izumi's mother felt for his father.

2098-thumbnail

Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty swimming pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he will lose both race and girl, problems made more difficult by rivalry from Elmo Mancini, fellow racer and womaniser.

1407-thumbnail

La Vie en Rose (2007)

From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.

268332-thumbnail

Outside of Paradise (1938)

Daniel Francis O'Toole, singing maestro in a New York restaurant, finds himself the unexpected heir to an estate in Ireland. He doesn't have money enough for the passage to Ireland, but the band members decide to incorporate him, advancing him the fare for equal shares in the estate. In Ireland, Danny finds that his is only a half-share, and the other half belongs to Mavourneen Kerrigan and she has the exclusive right to sell or keep the property...which, despite his pleas, she refuses to do. She also declares him an undesired guest, objects to his presence and insists that he prepare his own meals. He does so in a large main hall, but can only make hamburgers.

2005-thumbnail

Sister Act (1992)

A Reno singer witnesses a mob murder and the cops stash her in a nunnery to protect her from the mob's hitmen. The mother superior does not trust her, and takes steps to limit her influence on the other nuns. Eventually the singer rescues the failing choir and begins helping with community projects, which gets her an interview on TV—and identification by the mob.

4704-thumbnail

At Long Last Love (1975)

Four socialites unexpectedly clash: heiress Brooke Carter runs into gambler Johnny Spanish at the race track while playboy Michael O. Pritchard nearly runs into stage star Kitty O'Kelly with his car. Backstage at Kitty's show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together. The foursome do the town, accompanied by Brooke's companion Elizabeth, who throws herself at Michael's butler and chauffeur Rodney James.

272834-thumbnail

Hayatım Sana Feda (1970)

A young businessman Harun crashes a young woman and because of this accident young woman becomes blind.

649137-thumbnail

Billie (2020)

‘Lady Day’ was one of the greatest jazz vocalists the world ever heard. In 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Before her mysterious death in 1978, Lipnack Kuehl had taped over 200 hours of interviews. The tapes have never been heard. Now they form the basis of an atmospheric, multi-layered documentary that captures the many complex facets of a proud black woman, violent drug addict, loyal friend, vindictive lover and unforgettable singer of ‘God Bless The Child’, ‘Saddest Tale’ and the haunting ‘Strange Fruit’.

8545-thumbnail

Little Voice (1998)

After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise.

1425874-thumbnail

The OGRE (2025)

OGRE, a pre-crash bunker wave earth tone noxious metal rubber tone mathscape grass-fed conglomerate bass post-ego brown noise premeditated deathcore punk rock jazz band from Portland, Oregon takes on their biggest show yet.

462172-thumbnail

Concert of 1936 (1978)

In 1936, two female artists (a singer and a pianist) visit the city of Lushnja, which was very conservative.

9526-thumbnail

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.

10537-thumbnail

The Doors (1991)

The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.