The late Meat Loaf’s stupendous live band, The Neverland Express, will release “Paradise Found; Bat Out Of Hell Reignited“, a re-recording of the classic Jim Steinman songs featuring American Idol winner Caleb Johnson on vocals. The new recordings are also arranged differently from the original album, versions that took shape over many years of touring.
The new take on the song ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ also rectifies a 44-year-old problem. The original version was recorded in the key of E, but the track needed to be sped up to fit alongside ‘You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)’, ‘Heaven Can Wait’ and ‘All Revved Up with No Place to Go’ on a single side of vinyl. The result was that the released version of the song had been pitched up to the key of F.
“This made Meat’s voice sound different, higher,” says Neverland Express guitarist Paul Crook. “The end result haunted Meat Loaf his entire career. Tickets buyers wanted to hear that voice. This always bothered him.”
The solution was to record the new version of the song in the key of F, so it’s rendered at the pitch fans are used to – but without the tape being sped up – and allowing Johnson’s voice to to be heard as it was recorded.
“All of Meat Loaf’s songs have developed into something completely different from their original recordings,” says Crook. “This is the live arrangement. The version, we, the Neverland Express have been performing with Meat Loaf for decades.”.
In 2018, it was reported that Meat Loaf was considering the possibility of a Bat Out Of Hell tour where his place on vocals would be taken Caleb Johnson. Following the success of the Jim Steinman musical of Bat Out Of Hell, Loaf was rumoured to be planning a tour in which he told stories about his long career and relationship with Steinman, while Johnson performed the songs.
For his part, Johnson – who won American Idol in 2014 after performing songs by Aerosmith, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Rival Sons, Bon Jovi and Creedence Clearwater Revival – will shortly be hitting the road with The Neverland Express for the Celebrating Meat Loaf tour, in which Bat Out Of Hell will be played in its entirety alongside other songs.
Tracklist:
01. Bat Out of Hell (10:47)
02. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) (04:48)
03. Heaven Can Wait (04:37)
04. All Revved Up With No Place To Go (04:19)
05. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad (05:26)
06. Paradise by the Dashboard Light (08:24)
07. For Crying Out Loud (08:36)
line up:
- Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals)
- Tom Brislin (orchestration)
- Steve Buslowe (bass)
- Paul Crook (guitar)
- Randy Flowers (guitar)
- David Luther (saxophone)
- Lyssa Lynne (vocals)
- John Miceli (drums)
Caleb Johnson (vocals)
MEAT LOAF The Neverland Express & Caleb Johnson – Paradise Found: Bat Out Of Hell Reignited (2023)+FLAC
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