Thoughts on compilations?
 

I know Meat Loaf has no involvement in any except 'The Very Best of Meat Loaf' (which itself has been repackaged, once with a different running order), but how do you feel about these compilation CDs released through the years? Some have varied in quality.

The first three allbums were owned by one company so were compile in different ways, (including the famous HITS OUT OF HELL, Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf & Friends) then the Arista albums (ROCK N ROLL HERO wqas the first I heard any of them. It was practically the whole of the two albums except the Steinman studio songs!) Both companies have merged, and they've released albums together - A PIECE OF THE ACTION features all of Bat and DeadRigner with other tracks (the entirety of Midnight?) Also isn't FALLEN ANGEL the same album just with the tracks rearranged?

BACK INTO HELL, the two German CDs, looked really good quality, and even a few rarer tracks. Also, in Australia there ws a two discer (LIVE FROM HELL & MORE HELL HITS) that repackaged all the Arista songs in a cover mroe akin to Bat 1 & 2

They're mostly shit. Poorly assembled and with bizarre song choices. However there are the occasional nugget in amongst the dross:

• The Collection from 1999 has four remastered live songs from Wembley '87 that sound better than any other release.
• Scattered across various compilations are all the tracks from Midnight At The Lost And Found taken from a different master tape and with different mastering. They sound much better than the regular album.

That collection is on Spotify also I believe but it says it's from 1993. The four live songs do sound much better than the Meat Loaf Live album. Nice find! Bat sounds terrific! It always sounded like Meat's vocals were an echo-y afterthought in the mix at times on that album. Not so much now.

Wish we'd had a full 1987 Wembley re-mastered show on video and audio to enjoy. I mean no Execution Day or Burning Down when they were performed? Far better than the other Blind before I stop songs on the live album.

Oh that's interesting! Is there anywhere that details the compilations and tracks? I got rid of my knackered cd of Midnight a few years back on the announcement of an upcoming remastered album that never came 🙈

I have Midnight the track off the Playlist album which does sound great.

• Razor's Edge, If You Really Want To, Don't You Look At Me Like That and Fallen Angel from Definitive Collection (1995)
• Wolf At Your Door, Priscilla and Midnight from Collections (2008)
• Keep Driving, Promised Land and Don't You Look At Me Like That from Fallen Angel

They all sound better than the regular MATLAF CD.

Also Fallen Angel appears to have different masters of Dead Ringer, Read 'Em And Weep, I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us and Everything Is Permitted. All better than the average Dead Ringer CD, although lacking in treble.

That's awesome thank you! Dead Ringer they did release a remaster of and that was a huge upgrade on my previous cd.

Hmmm can't find them cheaply enough to make it worthwhile. Will keep an eye out and see what comes up on ebay etc

Found this 2CD copy of Fallen Angel which has the whole of MATLAF on! Presumably they would all be remastered or at least better quality copies?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallen-Angel-Meat-Loaf/dp/B00008MOB1#immersive-view_1639008573677

No. Only the songs I mentioned. The rest is pretty poor quality.

How bizzare! Ah well thanks Evil One, appreciate the help :)