Personnel: Meat Loaf, Ellen Foley (vocals); Todd Rundgren (guitar, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Edgar Winter (saxophone); Roy Bittan (piano, keyboards); Steve Margoshes, Cheryl Hardwick (piano); Jim Steinman (keyboards, percussion); Roger Powell (keyboards); Kasim Sultan (bass, background vocals); Max Weinberg, John Wilcox (drums); Marvin Lee (percussion); Rory Dodd, Phil Rizzuto (background vocals).

Recorded at Bearsville Sound, Bearsville, New York; Utopia Sound, Lake Hill, New York; The Hit Factory, New York, New York; House Of Music, West Orange, New Jersey; and Nassau Colliseum, Hempstead, New York.

Pomp and circumstance of the grandest order for the multi-platinum Meat Loaf and his songwriting mentor, Jim Steinman. The grandiose intro to the title track was indication enough of the tone of the album, with songs stretching out over what at times seemed like musical infinity. Steinman set his songs in evocative wastelands populated by full orchestras and small-town weirdos, 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' an entire two-handed play in itself, and 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad', an overblown symphony of regret and unrequited love. Between them, they pretty much provided the balance of the album. A huge success, only to be repeated by its follow-up in 1993.

Q (10/91) - 5 Stars - Classic - "...this record, more so than "Rumours" or "Dark Side Of The Moon", was DNA coded into the genes of a generation..."

Q (11/94, p.129) - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "...BAT OUT OF HELL is, 17 years on, breathtaking; seven wonderful songs known by all..."

Uncut (6/03, p.134) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...This is cheese of the highest quality, enhanced in no small way by the input of one Todd Rundgren, whose lavish production and buzzsaw guitar echo that of his own sterling output of the time..."