I don't get why Bat Out Of Hell sold so much?

[EuroJR]

What is so great about Bat Out Of Hell album?
I mean it's ok, but how come it has sold so much and has a fame of being larger-than-life? The cover promises to deliver some heavy metal but that is not the case.

In my opinion the songs are too syrup, I liked more the next three ones by Meat Loaf. But they sold nothing compared to the BOOH.

I just don't get it. Could someone explain to me why BOOH is so great and sold like trillion copies please. Thank you.

[Mister Freeze]

The cover promises to deliver some heavy metal but that is not the case. In my opinion the songs are too syrup

You answered your own question.

It was one of those moment-in-time, lightning-in-a-bottle things. Didn't really sound like anything else. And the album hit during the peak of AOR radio, when you could play long tracks. While it looks tame in retrospect, the lyrics were considered clever/funny at the time too.

Side note: I tried listening to BOOH on Spotify a year or two ago and it sounded awful. Like a bad remix or remaster. Unlistenable. I remember almost starting a thread here called "Why does Bat Out of Hell sound like shit on Spotify?" but I got distracted by a bouncing ball in the street or something.

[daveg]

Big fun album that appealed to just about everyone. Might not have been heavy enough for the rockers, but 2 out of 3 was always the last song at the school dance, and back then it was good enough to cop a feel of a girls ass...probably for the first time...that was good enough for me.

Go to a wedding now...or a bar that plays Paradise. Everyone of all ages knows the boy/girl part.

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

[Danzig in the Dark]

Big fun album that appealed to just about everyone. Might not have been heavy enough for the rockers, but 2 out of 3 was always the last song at the school dance, and back then it was good enough to cop a feel of a girls ass...probably for the first time...that was good enough for me.

Go to a wedding now...or a bar that plays Paradise. Everyone of all ages knows the boy/girl part.

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

You blow out your voice and fuck around for 4 years.

[FreddyFender]

You know Rocky Horror Picture Show? It's basically like that. Fun, silly, and just about everyone likes it.

Songs are basically musical/show tunes, which have broad appeal.

[Love_Industry]

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

Bat was released in 1977, Dead Ringer in 1981. In those days, 4 years was most bands' full career. And those years were particularly turbulent. Between 1977 and 1981, Punk came and went, Disco crashed and burned, NWOBHM had already separated into winners (Maiden, Leppard, Saxon) and losers (the rest), new wave wasn't so new anymore and classic hard rock bands saw their sales dropping in 1981 - Van Halen was close to not making it to platinum after a string of multi platinum albums, Kiss bombed, AC/DC sold respectably but not even close to Back in Black.... some guy from the Rocky Horror Show who had one huge album 4 years earlier and once sang on a Ted Nugent album wasn't exactly top of mind for that million people in 1981.

Also, Bat wasn't a fast seller.. it took 8 years for it to reach 4x platinum in 1986. 500k per year is respectable but there were far bigger albums in the era. The strength of BooH is that it just kept selling. 8x platinum in 1993, 14x in 2001 and not recertified since then.

[Turner Coates]

Todd Rundgren talks about producing Meat Loaf's 1977 smash record 'Bat Out of Hell' on his own dime because he thought it would be a funny Bruce Springsteen parody.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/to ... n-8006795/

[Playboyliquor59]

Was there a resurgence with this album in the early 90s with all the cd club ads and stuff? I was born in 88 but I remember hearing all about it in the early 90s and people listening again

[Bono Nettencourt]

Big fun album that appealed to just about everyone. Might not have been heavy enough for the rockers, but 2 out of 3 was always the last song at the school dance, and back then it was good enough to cop a feel of a girls ass...probably for the first time...that was good enough for me.

Go to a wedding now...or a bar that plays Paradise. Everyone of all ages knows the boy/girl part.

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

You blow out your voice and fuck around for 4 years.

And have a falling out with the guy who wrote all the songs.

[daveg]

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

Bat was released in 1977, Dead Ringer in 1981. In those days, 4 years was most bands' full career. And those years were particularly turbulent. Between 1977 and 1981, Punk came and went, Disco crashed and burned, NWOBHM had already separated into winners (Maiden, Leppard, Saxon) and losers (the rest), new wave wasn't so new anymore and classic hard rock bands saw their sales dropping in 1981 - Van Halen was close to not making it to platinum after a string of multi platinum albums, Kiss bombed, AC/DC sold respectably but not even close to Back in Black.... some guy from the Rocky Horror Show who had one huge album 4 years earlier and once sang on a Ted Nugent album wasn't exactly top of mind for that million people in 1981.

Also, Bat wasn't a fast seller.. it took 8 years for it to reach 4x platinum in 1986. 500k per year is respectable but there were far bigger albums in the era. The strength of BooH is that it just kept selling. 8x platinum in 1993, 14x in 2001 and not recertified since then.

Makes sense. I had no idea it sold slowly. Thought it came out strong. I started really listening to music in 81/82, and this album seemed to be everywhere then. I had forgotten about all the trends (Punk/disco..new metal bands etc. going on at that time. I still think it would have gone at least gold by people just walking by record store and picking it up..but regardless, I wonder who took a bigger bath on pre-orders. Kiss solo albums - GnR Chinese or Meat Loaf

[tym]

What is so great about Bat Out Of Hell album?
I mean it's ok, but how come it has sold so much and has a fame of being larger-than-life? The cover promises to deliver some heavy metal but that is not the case.

Because the internet was not around to tell everyone how much it sucked, and how everyone hates it.
There was a lot to be said about life before the internet. Sure was more fun being a kid.

[Sleek]

You know Rocky Horror Picture Show? It's basically like that. Fun, silly, and just about everyone likes it.

Songs are basically musical/show tunes, which have broad appeal.

This. It is a rock album that also hits all the things people like about larger-than-life musicals.

It slots in nicely with Rocky Horror and Grease but also those big seventies story songs like Copacabana or Run Joey Run.

[HueyRamone]

The cover promises to deliver some heavy metal but that is not the case. In my opinion the songs are too syrup

You answered your own question.

It was one of those moment-in-time, lightning-in-a-bottle things. Didn't really sound like anything else. And the album hit during the peak of AOR radio, when you could play long tracks. While it looks tame in retrospect, the lyrics were considered clever/funny at the time too.

Side note: I tried listening to BOOH on Spotify a year or two ago and it sounded awful. Like a bad remix or remaster. Unlistenable. I remember almost starting a thread here called "Why does Bat Out of Hell sound like shit on Spotify?" but I got distracted by a bouncing ball in the street or something.

What color was the ball?

[Bono Nettencourt]

You know Rocky Horror Picture Show? It's basically like that. Fun, silly, and just about everyone likes it.

Songs are basically musical/show tunes, which have broad appeal.

This. It is a rock album that also hits all the things people like about larger-than-life musicals.

It slots in nicely with Rocky Horror and Grease but also those big seventies story songs like Copacabana or Run Joey Run.

All those things, like disco, go into the big pile of "70s things white people used to like before they woke up and realized how flamingly gay they really were".

[EatNails]

Was there a resurgence with this album in the early 90s with all the cd club ads and stuff? I was born in 88 but I remember hearing all about it in the early 90s and people listening again

He did Part Two, which prompted sales of the original all over.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Was there a resurgence with this album in the early 90s with all the cd club ads and stuff? I was born in 88 but I remember hearing all about it in the early 90s and people listening again

He did Part Two, which prompted sales of the original all over.

The comeback was even more inexplicable - it was the peak of grunge and gangsta rap.

[Wednesday 13 Fan]

Was there a resurgence with this album in the early 90s with all the cd club ads and stuff? I was born in 88 but I remember hearing all about it in the early 90s and people listening again

He did Part Two, which prompted sales of the original all over.

The comeback was even more inexplicable - it was the peak of grunge and gangsta rap.

Bat was selling a million or more a year in the 90s before II was released.

[greengoblinrulz]

Because its got awesome songs

[LAglamrocker]

He was Jelly Roll of his generation
A circus freak that became an overnight sensation
Firehouse wrote song about this

[kytepunches]

I wish I wrote it. Those big fat cheques would be sweet !!!

[itdoesntmatter]

Was there a resurgence with this album in the early 90s with all the cd club ads and stuff? I was born in 88 but I remember hearing all about it in the early 90s and people listening again

He did Part Two, which prompted sales of the original all over.

The comeback was even more inexplicable - it was the peak of grunge and gangsta rap.

It was also peak video era and the time of multiple genres on the pop charts and MTV/VH1. I remember you would turn on MTV and you’d have like Aerosmith’s Alicia Silverstone videos followed by Dre Day and then Celine Dion. After commercial break Boyz II Men followed by Pearl Jam and Arrested Development.

[Psychobolia.com]

At least a million or two in sales just from the bitchin' cover.

[Tommy2Tone84]

Todd Rundgren talks about producing Meat Loaf's 1977 smash record 'Bat Out of Hell' on his own dime because he thought it would be a funny Bruce Springsteen parody.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/to ... n-8006795/

Todd Rundgren isn’t good enough to be a pimple on Springsteen’s ass

[MetalSludgeCEO]

During middle school, I probably listened to this album 500 times, minimum.

While I haven't listened in a while, I would bet I could singer every lyric to every song on the 1st take.

As for your question... well, it's obvious you don't "get it" but according to the rest of the world, we do! Congrats, you are in the teeny tiny minority here.

It's certified 14x Platinum in the U.S.A., and 26x Platinum in Australia. Along with 11x in the U.K., 17x in New Zealand and Double Diamond in Canada!

Not too mention, a grip of awards and plaques from other countries, various Entertainment Industry outlets & more!

It's listed as the 6th best selling recorded music release of all time, behind "Thriller", "Back In Black", "Dark Side of the Moon" and a few others.

More info is here > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_Out_of_Hell

$tEvil

[MetalSludgeCEO]

Bigger question..and I've asked this before..is how to you have one of the biggest selling albums of all time, then the follow up doesn't go gold. Figure you would have got 1 million people buying it regardless.

Bat was released in 1977, Dead Ringer in 1981. In those days, 4 years was most bands' full career. And those years were particularly turbulent. Between 1977 and 1981, Punk came and went, Disco crashed and burned, NWOBHM had already separated into winners (Maiden, Leppard, Saxon) and losers (the rest), new wave wasn't so new anymore and classic hard rock bands saw their sales dropping in 1981 - Van Halen was close to not making it to platinum after a string of multi platinum albums, Kiss bombed, AC/DC sold respectably but not even close to Back in Black.... some guy from the Rocky Horror Show who had one huge album 4 years earlier and once sang on a Ted Nugent album wasn't exactly top of mind for that million people in 1981.

Also, Bat wasn't a fast seller.. it took 8 years for it to reach 4x platinum in 1986. 500k per year is respectable but there were far bigger albums in the era. The strength of BooH is that it just kept selling. 8x platinum in 1993, 14x in 2001 and not recertified since then.

Makes sense. I had no idea it sold slowly. Thought it came out strong. I started really listening to music in 81/82, and this album seemed to be everywhere then. I had forgotten about all the trends (Punk/disco..new metal bands etc. going on at that time. I still think it would have gone at least gold by people just walking by record store and picking it up..but regardless, I wonder who took a bigger bath on pre-orders. Kiss solo albums - GnR Chinese or Meat Loaf

""""""""""""""""""""I had no idea it sold slowly. Thought it came out strong.""""""""""""""""""""

Such was the case with Guns N' Roses and Metallica too!

Add to that, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pantera, and to some level even Bon Jovi.

Anyone under 40 and for sure those under 30-35, especially the "casual" music fan, have NO idea about most of this.

$tEvil

[HoldenSSV]

Todd Rundgren talks about producing Meat Loaf's 1977 smash record 'Bat Out of Hell' on his own dime because he thought it would be a funny Bruce Springsteen parody.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/to ... n-8006795/

Todd Rundgren isn’t good enough to be a pimple on Springsteen’s ass

GTFOH. Bruce couldn't carry Rundgren's guitar strap. Todd is a better singer too. What makes it even funnier is that Weinberg and Bittan played on the record.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Todd Rundgren talks about producing Meat Loaf's 1977 smash record 'Bat Out of Hell' on his own dime because he thought it would be a funny Bruce Springsteen parody.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/to ... n-8006795/

Todd Rundgren isn’t good enough to be a pimple on Springsteen’s ass

GTFOH. Bruce couldn't carry Rundgren's guitar strap. Todd is a better singer too. What makes it even funnier is that Weinberg and Bittan played on the record.

Yeah, at that point those guys didn't know if there was gonna be any more Bruce thanks to Mike Appel...

[Turner Coates]

Steinman remembers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhj-bSSvVk

[Bono Nettencourt]

From the transcript:

"how important is todd rumbron's part in that out of health"



AIs still got a long way to go, baby...

[Tommy2Tone84]

Todd Rundgren talks about producing Meat Loaf's 1977 smash record 'Bat Out of Hell' on his own dime because he thought it would be a funny Bruce Springsteen parody.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/to ... n-8006795/

Todd Rundgren isn’t good enough to be a pimple on Springsteen’s ass

GTFOH. Bruce couldn't carry Rundgren's guitar strap. Todd is a better singer too. What makes it even funnier is that Weinberg and Bittan played on the record.

Todd sings like a little girl and plays labia lounge music. He makes Steve Perry sound like Tom Araya.

This shit makes Poison sound and look like Sabbath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj6a__KgDC8


Bittan played on everybody’s record. He always came home to E Street.