What I would do for a greatest hits is I'd make it a double album but from there I'd turn the first disc into a celebration of the three Bats and the second disc into the other albums.

So

Disc 1:
Bat Out Of Hell
Took The Words
Paradise
Anything For Love
Rock And Roll Dreams
Objects In The Rear View Mirror
Blind As A Bat
Land Of The Pig

Running Time: 1 Hour

Disc 2:
Hot Patootie
Dead Ringer
I'll Kill You If You Don't Come Back
Midnight At The Lost And Found
Surfs Up
I'd Lie For You
Not A Dry Eye
Did I Say That
Testify
Los Angeloser
Living On The Outside
Prize Fight Winner

Running Time: 50 Minutes

I've tried to cover pretty much all of Meats career. I haven't included anything from BBIS because quite honestly I hate the album so I wouldn't have been able to select anything objectivly but there is space on the second disk for it. Also I might consider putting Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste or Is Nothing Sacred in there too.

Also a note on the arrangement, I have done it the way I have because lets face it, and I know as fans we're not like this but most people are going to come for the Bat material, so that is going to be your selling point.

It's not a knock on the other albums because I personally think Dead Ringer and Welcome are just as good as any of the Bat albums but the general public aren't going to see that.

Secondly on the arrangement it means you could name the two discs 'Bats & ___'

Wouldn't you feel a bit miffed with a CD only totalling 50 minutes when you can fit 74 minutes on a disc? :shrug:

Also, can you really have a Greatest Hits without two Out Of Three? :shock:

I love this list. I'd probably replace The Future with What About Love and DYELS with LOTO. And I'd add Is Nothing Sacred- one of my favorites.

I think it really depends on whether we're talking "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" because if you're talking Greatest Hits, you're talking those songs that made it big in the charts as singles. A Best Of simply cherry picks what are generally considered the artists' best songs whether they were hits individually or not.

totally agree with your points. The difference between best of and greatest hits is extraordinary.

If we go by "Greatest Hits" you only have a small handful of songs to choose from for Meat. You have the Big Six (Paradise, AFL, Took The Words, Two out of three, DRFL, and Bat) and then just Modern Girl, Midnight, Id Lie For You, and Rock & Roll Dreams.

Thats a 60 Minute CD according to my Itunes. an edited version of Objects cutting down the repetitive ending and Not A Dry Eye could be placed on the disk too with about four minutes of space to spare. far from a two disk set. Technically 'Rock & Roll Mercenaries" should also be included due to that charting better then "Two out of Three" in the UK Singles Chart

If we go the "Best of" route its personal opinion. In My case: Masculine, for example, would get tracked onto the disk. Its great to dream.

Midnight wasn't a hit in any way, shape or form. It's All Coming Back To Me Now charted higher. :shock:

Whereas Dead Ringer was a definite hit

Catyl

youre right. just looked into that

Yes, I was paring down to 10 .. give me 11 and Is Nothing Sacred would certainly be back on the first one. I love all the tracks on HCTB .. with 11 I'd add Living On The Outside in a heartbeat .. or perhaps Lets Be In Love :-) I chose Did You Ever Love Somebody because it shows the range Meat covered, and the vocals are just perfect.

Any 2 disc compliation though has, I agree, to be a Best Of rather than "Greatest Hits" .. perhaps Greatest Tracks or Songs.

Caryl

and i'm sure if you asked someone who vaguely knows about Meat Loaf they'd know of Midnight at the lost and found (from a UK number 1 album as far as I know)rather than Meat's version of It's all coming back to me now.

That's why it'd have to be on any Greatest Hits or Best Of

Not necessarily, one album will finish first, and the other will finish second. See, no negativity at all ! :lol:

Wario

Could you go for a week without mentioning Masculine !!!!!!!

I wouldn't be miffed about the album length because that doesn't make much of a difference. I've heard albums like Cynics Traced In Air that were only 34 minutes and really enjoyed them as much as I have something like Transatlantics The Whirlwind which takes up the entire length of the CD. I guess with a Best Of you want as much on there but I think near two hours worth of music is good value for money.

Regarding Two Out Of Three, you could really make a case for any of the songs from Bat Out Of Hell to be on there because the album is that good. Tell you what, Two Out Of Three can go on in place of any track from BBIS :-P

Two Out Of Three is definitely better than all the BBIS songs combined! :lol:

That would probably be equivalent to a week without spanking the monkey.

Well he will go blind before he stops. :lol:

Ok why not a Very Best Of Meat Loaf II?

1. Couldn't have Said It Better
2. Man Of steel
3. Did I Say That
4. Blind As A Bat
5. It's All Coming Back
6. Cry Over Me
7. Song Of Madness
8. Peace On Earth
9. Living On The Outside
10. Los Angeloser
11. New Song
12. New Song

Mainly because it wouldn't sell...you'd have many people scratching their heads asking where Bat Out of Hell and Anything for Love were.

Indeed. That album would sell than HCTB, CHSIB, BAT 3 for sure.

Thinking about it, I'm surprised we haven't had a compilation from Mercury yet. Then again, it's Mercury so I'm not too surprised. :shock:

:twisted: There is, they just forgot to put any copies in the shops or advertise it in any way shape or form.

Meat Loaf: The Invisible years, brought to you by Transparent records...a division of Mercury

:twisted: Meat's next release for Mercury should be called car keys, TV remotes, and other lost things :lmao:

This is what I'd like to see. Lots of other artists with long careers do things like this, and Meat is well deserving of a Part II, especially considering he has done some great songs on the last 3 records.

My tracklist would look something like this:

01 - [New Steinman song]
02 - Bad For Good
03 - Did I Say That
04 - Living On The Outside
05 - It's All Coming Back To Me Now
06 - [New Steinman song]
07 - Blind As A Bat
08 - Couldn't Have Said It Better
09 - Los Angeloser
10 - If It Ain't Broke (Break It)
11 - Dance In My Pants (Meat and Patti edition)
12 - Elvis In Vegas