The Very Best of Meat Loaf

The Very Best of Meat Loaf is a 1998 album spanning the first 21 years of Meat Loaf's recording career. Although not reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom, it was certified double platinum there in 2013. The album features many of Meat Loaf's best-known songs as well as a few from his lesser known albums of the 1980s.

The Very Best of Meat Loaf
Cover art by Michael Whelan
Compilation album by
Meat Loaf
ReleasedNovember 24, 1998
Recorded1977–1998
GenreRock
Length116:57
LabelVirgin, Sony
Meat Loaf chronology
Live Around the World
(1996)		 The Very Best of Meat Loaf
(1998)		 VH1: Storytellers
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

Besides hits like "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)", The Very Best of Meat Loaf contains three new tracks. Two of those are written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman and are adapted from their musical Whistle Down the Wind; both of these tracks were produced by Steinman. The third new track, "Is Nothing Sacred" is written by Steinman and lyricist Don Black, and produced by Russ Titelman (the single version of this song is a duet with Patti Russo, whereas the album version is a solo song by Meat Loaf. The single version would later appear on the VH1 Storytellers CD).

Both Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell are prominently featured with five tracks from the first and four from the second. The album did not feature any songs from his 1986 album Blind Before I Stop.

The album was re-released in 2003 with the same tracks in a different order, and did so again in 2011 with the original order but now under the title The Essential Meat Loaf. Following an appearance on VH1 Storytellers in 1999 (which was released as an album and a DVD), Meat Loaf's next studio album was the 2003 album, Couldn't Have Said It Better.

Track listing

Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)From albumLength
1."Home by Now/No Matter What"Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jim SteinmanPreviously unreleased (1998)8:25
2."Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" (remix)SteinmanBat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993)8:07
3."You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" (Intro spoken by Steinman and Marcia McClain)SteinmanBat Out of Hell (1977)5:04
4."Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"SteinmanBat Out of Hell (1977)5:23
5."Modern Girl"Paul Jacobs, Sarah DurkeeBad Attitude (1984)4:28
6."Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through"SteinmanBat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993)5:50
7."Is Nothing Sacred"Steinman, Don BlackPreviously unreleased (1998)6:37
8."Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (I. Paradise/II. Let Me Sleep On It/III. Praying for the End of Time; duet with Ellen Foley)SteinmanBat Out of Hell (1977)8:26
9."Heaven Can Wait"SteinmanBat Out of Hell (1977)4:49

Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)From albumLength
1."I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (edited version; featuring Lorraine Crosby)SteinmanBat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993)5:42
2."A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" (featuring Bonnie Tyler)Webber, SteinmanWhistle Down the Wind (1996)7:36
3."I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" (edited version; featuring Patti Russo)Diane WarrenWelcome to the Neighborhood (1995)6:27
4."Not a Dry Eye in the House"WarrenWelcome to the Neighborhood (1995)5:55
5."Nocturnal Pleasure" (Monologue spoken by Steinman)SteinmanDead Ringer (1981)0:37
6."Dead Ringer for Love" (featuring Cher)SteinmanDead Ringer (1981)4:20
7."Midnight at the Lost and Found"Marvin Lee Aday, Steve Buslowe, Paul Christie, Dan PeyronelMidnight at the Lost and Found (1983)3:31
8."Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" (edited version)SteinmanBat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993)9:45
9."Bat Out of Hell"SteinmanBat Out of Hell (1977)9:48
Japanese Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)From AlbumLength
10."I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (live)SteinmanPreviously unreleased12:58

2003 re-release
  • Disc one
  1. "Bat Out of Hell"
  2. "Dead Ringer for Love"
  3. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
  4. "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through"
  5. "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)"
  6. "Modern Girl"
  7. "Midnight at the Lost and Found"
  8. "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are"
  9. "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" (remix)
  • Disc two
  1. "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)"
  2. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"
  3. "Heaven Can Wait"
  4. "Not a Dry Eye in the House"
  5. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
  6. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste"
  7. "Is Nothing Sacred"
  8. "Home by Now/No Matter What"
  9. "Nocturnal Pleasure"

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[3] 29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] 22
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 14

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Very Best of Meatloaf- Meat Loaf". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  2. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Meat Loaf". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 533. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  3. "Dutchcharts.nl – Meat Loaf – The Very Best of Meat Loaf" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. "Offiziellecharts.de – Meat Loaf – The Very Best of Meat Loaf" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  5. "Charts.nz – Meat Loaf – The Very Best of Meat Loaf". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  6. "Swedishcharts.com – Meat Loaf – The Very Best of Meat Loaf". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  7. "Meat Loaf | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
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