Like a Bat Out of Hell, Mick Wall
Like a Bat Out of Hell, Mick Wall
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Like a Bat Out of Hell
The Larger than Life Story of Meat Loaf

Author: Mick Wall

Narrator: Ash Rizi

Unabridged: 9 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Trapeze

Published: 11/16/2017


Synopsis

"I never wanted to be a big star. I just wanted to be the biggest at what I do! Powerful, unstoppable, heavy - when that word still meant something good!" - Meat Loaf, as told to Mick Wall

Everything in the story of Meat Loaf is big. From the place he was born (Texas); to the family he was born into (his father weighed 22 stone, his uncle weighed over 40 stone, while Meat Loaf himself weighed 17 stone before he was even in his teens); to the sound he made (a colossal collision between Richard Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen); and of course the records he sold - nearly 50 million in Britain and America alone.

Now, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Bat Out of Hell, the album that gave rise to Meat Loaf's astonishing career, and the premiere of Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical, Mick Wall, who has interviewed Meat Loaf on numerous occasions throughout his career, pulls back the curtains to reveal the soft-hearted soul behind the larger-than-life character he created for himself.

From a tumultuous childhood with an alcoholic father to the relentless abusive bullying from classmates and their parents alike, nobody could have predicted Meat Loaf's meteoric rise to fame.

But when the messianic rock opera Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977, it became one of the biggest albums of all time, selling over 45 million copies worldwide to date. Its release marked the start of a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and seemingly career-ending lows. By the 80s, Meat Loaf was battling with drug and alcohol addiction and escalating money problems that would eventually lead to a nervous breakdown. But just when it seemed like it was all over, the astonishing success of Bat Out of Hell II and the mega-hit 'I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' marked an extraordinary new wave of success.

Now, Mick Wall will bring this extraordinary story up to date, drawing on the hours he spent with Meat Loaf, both in interviews and on tour, as well as offering up a unique insight from those who have known him best.

(p) Orion Publishing Group with Audible Ltd 2017

About Mick Wall

Mick Wall is the UK's best-known rock writer, author and TV and radio programme maker, and is the author of numerous critically-acclaimed books, including definitive, bestselling titles on Led Zeppelin (When Giants Walked the Earth), Lou Reed (The Life), The Doors (Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre), and Jimi Hendrix (Two Riders Were Approaching). He lives in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Deana on November 21, 2020

As a hormonal junior high girl in 1977 when Bat out of Hell was birthed to the world, I experienced a musical and emotional awakening. The music and lyrics of the album poured upon the pages of my heart with a deep, sparkling darkness. Down came posters of Peter Framptom and David Cassidy. Better to......more

Goodreads review by bikerbuddy on December 16, 2021

Full disclosure: I have been a fan of this music since I first heard it in 1981. That’s deliberately vague. Mick Wall’s book Like a Bat Out of Hell is a biography about Meatloaf, but his career is so inextricably entwined with Jim Steinman, his songwriter, that Steinman features a great deal in this......more

Goodreads review by Rochelle on April 01, 2022

A great rock music biography written by a great music journalist who knows what he is doing. This one is definitely for those who not only want to know a little about the recently departed Meat Loaf (Michael Aday) but also who need to rediscover all his music. It focuses on all of his albums and I p......more

Goodreads review by Dr. Satan on September 26, 2022

Solid rock book about the Loaf and Jim Steinman. Weird couple of dudes.......more

Goodreads review by Ethan on December 29, 2018

I did learn a lot and it did, for the most part keep me engaged but it needs a second draft. The author chooses to focus on apparently pointless information, the entire plot of Fight Club isn’t necessary and it does the song ‘Objects in the Rearview Mirror’ a disservice by saying its only about two......more


Quotes

A passionate, pacey tome you should do anything for a copy of. KERRANG!