Rob Thomas

I am so bummed out today. #RIPMEATLOAF Bat Out Of Hell was the first record I ever bought. In 1980, I was 10 years old, and BOoH had been out for a couple of years. I heard the title track at a cousin's house one day, and it just tore through my pre-adolescent brain like a lightning bolt. I had to get the local record store to order it in, it took over a month. When I finally got it, I wore out 7 turntable needles listing to it over and over. And lemme tell ya, getting replacement needles in Corner Brook, NFLD in 1980 was NOT easy. Jim Steinman's incredible orchestrations and Meat Loaf's absolutely soul-shattering vocals were just an otherworldly combination... This album will always be the pinnacle of what "rock opera" means to me.