FIRST some facts - when the Sex Pistols were scandalising the British press an overweight American and his composer partner were sitting atop the album charts with an overwrought platter filled with psalms to smalltown Americana.
Bat Out of Hell had cover artwork that would have fitted many a metal act's roaring tunes. It was an anachronistic piece of pomp delivered with vocals wrung out of a college American football player with penchant for acting and generally going so far over-the-top that he often seemed a parody of himself.
Yet it was glorious.
And the 45 million people who bought a copy seem to agree.
Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman had tapped into a rock generation that was confronted with tired overlong prog rock with endless keyboard solos and a plastic punk revolution with few bands with talent and few with any message other than sales.
The title track itself was a tremendous statement of rock 'n' roll theatre and in total the album was a singalong in extremis with Paradise by Dashboard Light the perfect song for guys and galls to challenge each other.
Since then Meat Loaf's output has been varied - sometimes great, sometimes good and sometimes average.
He has been a constant presence on the softer rock scene and we have lost count of the number of times we have seen him - most memorably winning over a Knebworth crowd when supporting Deep Purple and competing with UFO, Blackfoot and Mama's Boys. Yet despite the barracking and bottle throwing he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand by the end of his set.
Now Meat Loaf is drawing a final curtain over his music and touring career.
On Tuesday The Last At Bat tour lands in Belfast's Odyssey Arena on May 14th. The show will be in two halves: first the hits of his career, the second the entire Bat Out of Hell album.
Yes, he is probably past his sell-by date but Meat Loaf deserves one last send off. The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling...
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