Rock music mythology is brimming with faith and excess, spirit and flesh, vision and madness. The most compelling acts seem to live large at the earthier end of these spectra, yet can still reach in to the stars and draw down the gift of music.
We have lost one of the best, Jim Steinman, songwriter, studio producer, and very occasionally, a lead singer. Jim wrote all the songs for Bat Out Of Hell, the record that made Meat Loaf a global star. Jim wrote for and produced many other artists, but Meat Loaf was his big claim to fame.
Jim had a rock and roll soul, but he drew on everything from Broadway musicals to Mozart to percolate his unique rock brew. He wrote epic songs, and he was one of the most visionary record producers – up there with Phil Spector, without the murderous impulses. And he was no slouch as a singer. Check out his 1981 solo record, Bad For Good.
Listen to my tribute to Jim Steinman
