Meat's Album Sales

[PanicLord]

Does anyone know how many copies each of Meat's albums have sold?

I know Bat1 has sold around 40m ish and Bat2 around 20m ish. Anyone know about the others, particularly Dead Ringer? Everyone says it was not a success (again, I think, due to marketing, or at least a certain management team) but I am very curious!

Thanks for the assistance!

[mikeloaf]

There is limited info. on this subject. His 'other' albums have all done well certainly in the UK charts but don't appear to have done well enought to get individual merit.

Indeed it might be worth considering that when a Meat Loaf album gets sold it might simply get added to the sales total of a Bat 1 or 2 albums sales totals for ease of administration.

Fireball is the one who may know but I would dare to suggest that in reality for ease of administration the true sales figure for each album isn't really known.

[Paul191]

Yeh, sorry but even the people who wrote the 'guiness british hit singles and albums' said that it was almost impossible to put an exact figure on album sales worldwide.

Thats why you see lots of different figures for the amount that Bat has sold, between 15m and 40m. Personally i'm prepared to say it has sold just under 35m, which is outstanding.

[rockfenris2005]

I know this much: and you'll freak when you see this:

BAT OUT OF HELL: 40 - 50 million copies
DEAD RINGER: 8 million copies

That's a huge plunge for a follow-up album

[Bart]

I thougth it was like this:

Bat, 35 mio
Dead Ringer, 4 mio
Bad for Good, 1 mio
Midnite, 0,5 mio
Bad, 0,5 mio
Blind ??
Live at Wembley ??
Bat 2, 17 mio
WTTN, 4 mio
Live around the world ??
Best of ??
CHSIB 1,0 mio

[AndyK]

Haven't got all the figures ... but here's a few anoraky type facts from the top of my head (yes I know I need to get out more)

Bad Attitude sold something like 4 million according to Meats online chat / interview with USA Today last March.

Deadringer's sales are something in the region of 6 million in Europe and Austrailia and Bat Sold 9 million between '87 and '93 according to reports in VH-1's Behind The Music.

[Paul191]

I think most of the figures by Bart sound about right, however I i've never heard an estimation for the sales of Bat between 40-50m. It would be great if it was but I personally doubt it.
I'm sure Bad attitude has gone platinum in the UK so thats over 0.3 million in the UK alone, so 0.5 million does sound a little low. I'd add at least another 0.25m.

[Pudding]

40-50 million is made up numbers, it's more like 35-40 million.
I'd have thought Bad Attitude sold around 1 million and Dead Ringer around 5 million.

Pud :twisted:

[Paul191]

yeah, id say that sounds about right to me.

[PanicLord]

Nice one, thanks folks! Isn't it bizarre that no one knows for sure? If you have eg a movie, then the total gross and ticket sales are known pretty accurately. Or at least known. I wonder why this is not the case for music sales?

[Pudding]

You can get actual numbers from Neilsen Soundscan (I think that's what it's called) but you have to be an industry insider or subscribe to it.

Pud :twisted:

[Paul191]

I thought neilson soundscan was for the USA?

[Bart]

O and I am pretty sure Live around the world sold 200,000 copies.

[Pudding]

I thought neilson soundscan was for the USA?

You are correct, USA and Canada. Not sure what the main one is for Europe

Pud :twisted:

[PanicLord]

Just seen on The Dream Engine that Dead Ringer sold "in excess" of 8m copies, so I guess 8.5m is realistic. Not bad!

[Paul191]

Just seen on The Dream Engine that Dead Ringer sold "in excess" of 8m copies, so I guess 8.5m is realistic. Not bad!
WOW! suprising, I wouldn't thought it sold that much. Then again it was at number #1 for 2 consecutive weeks in the UK and didn't perform badly anywhere else.... If you don't include America.

[Steve6]

His best ever singing was done on Dead Ringer.

Everything is Permitted is the best song on the album.

[vrg]

I wonder why America has taken so long to 'get hooked' on Meat and Steinman. Bat1 came in very late in America, with Australia and the UK catching on quickly; Jim Steinman said it was a year later before America caught on. I'll bet America was last in the timing of the sales of any/all of Meat's albums. Makes me wonder about my own country for music tastes and adoptions (other things, too, but that's off-topic).

[Space Monkey]

His best ever singing was done on Dead Ringer.

Everything is Permitted is the best song on the album.
Funny you should say that - Meat's voice was apparently so f*cked at that time that they had to splice together various takes to make each song. I can see what you mean though - I quite like the rough, gravelly quality his voice has. Although Bat is my preferred album, I probably prefer his 'rough' voice on Dead Ringer to his (allegedly speeded up) softer voice on Bat. Also, I read on the site FAQ (I think) that Meat hates 'Everything is Permitted'. I like it, but it's no 'Read Em And Weep'!

I wonder why America has taken so long to 'get hooked' on Meat and Steinman. Bat1 came in very late in America, with Australia and the UK catching on quickly; Jim Steinman said it was a year later before America caught on. I'll bet America was last in the timing of the sales of any/all of Meat's albums. Makes me wonder about my own country for music tastes and adoptions (other things, too, but that's off-topic).
The American market seems to be dominated by country singers/records. Look how many albums Shania Twain's garbage Come On Over has sold in, what, 7 years? It seems that a huge chunk of America's (and hence, the world's) music buying population are country fans, understandable really as that is what a lot of America is! Maybe that explains why Bat hasn't had such an impact in the US?

[Paul191]

His best ever singing was done on Dead Ringer.

Everything is Permitted is the best song on the album.

Whilst agreeing with Space Monkey I know what you are saying. I acually really like his voice in this album and to be honest don't know what alll the fuss is about when people say that his voice was bad.

[PanicLord]

To my mind, as I have said before, it also features some of Jim and Meat's most beautiful songs - IGLHFBOU is my favourite Meat song of all, followed by REAW and DR, then BOOH and ELTEE.

[rockfenris2005]

I just can't get over the difference between Bat and DR. 35-40 compared to 8. That's pretty scary for a follow-up album :|

[Bart]

wHATS WRONG WITH 8?

[AndyK]

It's all relative isn't it?

Sales of 8 million for a second album are pretty damn good really ... I'm sure many artists today would jump at the chance of sales figures like that for their second album, however when compared to the phenomenal success of Bat I (30 - 40 million depending on where you read) then 8 million is a paltry figure. I think it's more the case that Bat 1 has the exceptional figures and not Deadringer.

[Jeanie]

I have a question...

At what amount of sales, is an album considered a success? I thought it was anything over 1 million per country, anyone know for sure?

Back on topic, although 8 million (for DR) is considerablly less than what Bat1 sold, I think 8 mill. is still pretty damn good. :D

J.

[Diane]

I would say any artist selling 8 million copies of an album is a fantastic achievement and it's always seemed incredible to me that anyone would look on that as a failure. Dead Ringer also scored Meat his first number 1 album in the UK and a top 5 single, which was higher than any of his Bat singles.

DR may not have sold anything like its predecessor but then the sales and chart longevity of Bat I were absolutely phenomenal. That happens very rarely and there are very few major artists who can claim that kind of chart success.

Diane

[rockfenris2005]

Do you think if Renegade Angel had been recorded and released in 1979, it would have sold around 16 - 20 million copies now?

[Pudding]

Had Dead Ringer/Bad For Good originally title Renegade Angel been released in 1979 then I believe it would have sold more than Dead Ringer had. Actual numbers is just a guessing game and no one can know for certain, but I believe it would have sold more.

Pud :twisted:

[Bart]

BFg is a much more modern album. DR is too oldfashioned/dated.

[nikox1]

meats album sales

bat 1 = over 30m copies certified [ plus the countrys that are hard to get info from ] so prob at least 33/34 million

deadringer = not as huge sales as one thinks [ 3 million ww ] still big thou

midnight = 800,000+ ww [ no real sales in usa ] good seller in europe

bad att = 1.5m ww, great sales considering

hits hell = 2m ww, good european seller

blind before = 750,000 [ bigger than you think ]

bat 2 = 6.5m usa/ 2m uk/ 900,000 can/ 500,000 germ/ 260,000 australia/
at least another 2 - 2.5m elsewhere/ 14m+ ww

wttn = 1.2m usa/ 500,000 uk/ 3 - 3.5m ww

the vbo = 3.5m ww / huge seller in europe

chsib = 800,000/ not bad considering no promo

bat 3 = 2m+ ww/ these sales are good really

the above is posted quickly [ more precise info i have ]

meats other releases = 2m+

meat loaf has sold 65 - 70 million albums ww

anything for love is best selling single ww = 3.8m [ huge sales ]

[carole]

Thanks for taking the time to do all that, that is really interesting statistics. We all know Meat is phenomenal!!!!!

Carole

[carole]

I would say any artist selling 8 million copies of an album is a fantastic achievement and it's always seemed incredible to me that anyone would look on that as a failure. Dead Ringer also scored Meat his first number 1 album in the UK and a top 5 single, which was higher than any of his Bat singles.

DR may not have sold anything like its predecessor but then the sales and chart longevity of Bat I were absolutely phenomenal. That happens very rarely and there are very few major artists who can claim that kind of chart success.

Diane

I agree Diane, if his first album BOOH had sold 8 million, that would have been considered successful, but because BOOH did so phenomenally, it would have been hard to top that. It's like anything that is released first, if it does exceptional, it is hard for any follow ups to do better. Some artists when they have such a hugely successful first album, don't bother releasing anything else, as they don't think they will be able to top it, so I'm glad Meat didn't do that.

Carole

[lorenzoduke]

BFg is a much more modern album. DR is too oldfashioned/dated.

I'd say DR is timeless.

[Jayd]

If Bat 3 has sold more than 2m then that is quite good considering illegal downloads, todays taste of music, still thought maybe 1-2 m more would have been sold due to the bat name at least.

[nikox1]

well javd, your right that the bat 3 sales are good! the way the music world has gone,, westlifes last album sold 300,000 copies less than bat 3 ww [ and look at the huge promotion they get ] mariah careys last album sold 2m ww, so it shows that meat can compete if he gets the right promotion! meat has a fan base ranging from 13 - 70+, he he its crazy but true! so i think that sometimes lets say the older fans that dont use the internet are not as aware of when a new album comes out! the fan base is solid and loyal and if the record company pushes an album just a little bit more than they have been [ meat can have a number one :D ] its all coming back to me charted fairly well in countries it got proper promotion and air play!
and thats why i say getting a song on the radio is so important! tv and music channels are also good promotion [ but radio is still number one ] going to and back from work people listen to the radio, and if people like a song [ they buy it or download it!! ] bat 3 was all set to do even better than it did,,
blind as a bat was perfect as a single [ he performed it at the royal variety in front of 13m viewers! it was due out in january [ a weak sales month ] it would of stormed the top 10, and then they pull it at the last minute! why?
this is just an example -- the pet shop boys are with parlaphone records for years now, the last 10 years or so mainly just the fan base has bought there records, so no really mainstream albums in that time! but they usually go top 10 with an album [ the big difference to meat is that there record company let them release 3 - 4 singles off an album? ] now meat would sell more albums these days than them [ but meat gets to release the first single and then has to wait 7 - 8 months for the second? ] a second single must come out 3 months or so after the album is released [ or its dead in the water ]
meat is well able to have a top 10 with the first single, then at least top 20 with the second, 3rd singles are always harder? and yes bat 3 sold what it did by its name, the promotion wasnt too bad at the start [ pretty good ]
but it stopped after 1 month, and then no second single when it was so badly needed! so i will shut up now and hope they get it right next time:D

[Kev]

All the figures are just guess work.

It's amazingly hard to know any figures as they are not all counted towards the chart/totals.

As of last week though, the official total for The Very Best Of for the UK was 612,283 since it's release in 98.

Every now and then another album pops in. Bat Out Of Hell had sold 1,995,940 as of last week, but that is only the CD release counting of the single CD version and the re-vamped version. The sales of the double pack with hits out of hell dvd and the Dead Ringer/Bat Out Of Hell don't count towards that total.

Also, Meat has a high number of albums that are thrown out by the record companies which usually sell well, or they wouldn't keep releasing them.

Should any other Meaty title enter the top 200 I'll be able to give the exact official figure for that release.

Dead Ringer was Meat's first UK number 1 album at a time when it wasn't exactly easy to gain that position. Bat never made it there and sales were much higher in the early 80s. Such a low figure for the total worldwide sales is an absolute joke. I don't believe for a sinlge second that it is 3m. The album also sold well during the release of Bat 2 when it (DR) was reissued on CD along with the first bat.

Everyone has their own set of figures but none of us really know.

[Kev]

blind as a bat was perfect as a single [ he performed it at the royal variety in front of 13m viewers! it was due out in january [ a weak sales month ] it would of stormed the top 10, and then they pull it at the last minute! why?

Mercury viewd that the album had died by that point and it was already out the charts. Therefore no point in using on money on something that was already dead. Cry Over Me was only released because Meat was on tour and the single flopped too. The first time since the 80's that a Meat single didn't hit the top 40.

At least we've all got to look forward to the new album with Mercury again! :)

[nikox1]

my so called guess work may be more accurate than you think?
record companies inflate sales by a mile, now deadringer has most likely sold more than 3m ww, but the 3m figure i came up with are based on certifications around the globe! now record companys are slow at updating at the best of times [ so it needs to be updated ] not too sound harsh, but i have been researching charts and sales for years, and have made great contacts in the bpi, riaa, ifpi, etc etc!!! deadringer has sold 800,000+ copies in the uk, but still has only 1 platinum certification? this shows you are correct in saying that sales are hard to come by! but my above list is based on certs [ thats all ] i can post 23 million sales for deadringer if people want?
but if you want accuricy, well;)
forgive my spelling:D if you have sales for more meat albums in the uk send them to me please [ its prob the same as i have, but would be interesting ]
bat 3 could have shot up the charts if blind as a bat was released [ not huge sales, but sales ]

[The Flying Mouse]

I'd say DR is timeless.

:twisted: Quoted for truth :metal:

[Pudding]

westlifes last album sold 300,000 copies less than bat 3

Gotta love Meat Loaf and Westlife being compared to each other :lmao: Westlife are notorious for singing famous cover versions and Meat Loaf isn't...ohhhh...hang on...we're talking about Bat3 aren't we...LOL :))

Pud :twisted:

[carole]

Well Meat's changed record companies now, so let's hope they do the right thing by him and promote the album properly, and release the right singles that will chart well.
Carole

[Kev]

Well Meat's changed record companies now, so let's hope they do the right thing by him and promote the album properly, and release the right singles that will chart well.
Carole

He has? That's news to me...

[rocketwaveuk]

sales totals how ever high for bat1 30-50 mil , but its stamina that counts , how many others from the 1970s can hold their heads high and say they have worked so hard and so long for the dedicated fans that suport him , and as long as i get my own album to add to my collection then im a happy man.

[nikox1]

Gotta love Meat Loaf and Westlife being compared to each other :lmao: Westlife are notorious for singing famous cover versions and Meat Loaf isn't...ohhhh...hang on...we're talking about Bat3 aren't we...LOL :))

Pud :twisted:

your so funny:D

[Pudding]

Thanks, I'm here all week and next week too :))

Pud :twisted:

[nikox1]

will make sure to buy tickets!!!!!!!;)

[Monstro]

Thanks, I'm here all week and next week too :))

Pud :twisted:

will make sure to buy tickets!!!!!!!;)

He doesn't do meet and greets :mrgreen:

[daveake]

You mean, he doesn't charge for them ...

[RadioMaster]

unlike me :))