With heat waves hitting all over, it’s hot as H-E-double hockey sticks - so what could be better than revisiting a classic episode about an iconic rock album that when it debuted in 1977 was just as hot as the crazy temperatures we’re getting? Strap into your cycle and enjoy!

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We’ve covered our fair share of musicians and music-adjacent topics on This Was a Thing, and we’ll probably cover plenty more in the future. But when it comes to the Venn Diagram of musical theatre, rock-and-roll, and cover art that includes apocalyptic motorcycles, there’s only one album that should come to mind. That’s because there was only one Meatloaf, only one Jim Steinman, and only one Bat Out of Hell. (Well, three, technically, but who’s counting.)

Ray teaches Rob about the genesis of this epic, 7-track, 46-minute rock-and-roll experience; how Meatloaf’s and Jim’s musical theatre roots brought them together; what Rob and Ray wouldn’t do for love; why this album owes its initial popularity to our neighbors up North and our friends across the pond; when a motorcycle is not a motorcycle; and why, despite how experimental and out-there it was, Bat Out of Hell remains one of the the best-selling and most beloved creations of its time.

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Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia