This album is pretty much a career retrospective on Meat Loaf, and the choices of songs are obviously the hits. You get a lot off both BAT OUT OF HELLs, and some selected tracks off the other albums. Interestingly there is an alternative mix of "Life is a Lemon", and it makes that song sound better! Not that anything was wrong with the original, but it's nice to hear it redone and re-vamped a little. There are only three new songs which makes the package a little pricey if you are a fan and own the other CDs. "Home By Now/No Matter What" and "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste" are both from Jim Steinman's collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Weber -- the ill-fated "WHISTLE DOWN THE ROAD". Meat Loaf proves that he probably could have saved the show with a LOT of emotion put into the tracks. Meat Loaf seems to work the best with Jim, and seems like anytime either of them forgets that you get something like these tracks to remind you. The third new song is "Is Nothing Sacred", and it is a straight-forward song that seems like a nice B-side. It's a catchy tune that fits right in with the rest of the material. There is a text feature on the CD, so anybody with the right CD player should see the titles of the songs pop up on their display (a neat feature). Also if you are a sound freak... this is the best way to get a remastered version of your BAT OUT OF HELL favorites. Those tracks are digitally remastered, so they have never sounded clearer and they record to tape better than previous issues of that album. My only beef is I'm a fan, and I've heard all of this before except the remix and the three new songs. How long do we have to wait for a CD with all-new material? Meat Loaf is a great artist, and I hope he decides to go back in the studio very soon. Until then we can use this CD to recall his glory days -- past and present!

This is the best of Meat Loaf, all right. From Bat Out Of Hell to Midnight At The Lost And Found (off of the "horrible" album that "only" got about four hits off of it) to Modern Girl to Objects In The Rear View Mirror to Not A Dry Eye In The House,crammed onto two CDs along with three new songs, especially the two best ones Meat has done yet, Is Nothing Sacred and A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste. You won't be disappointed by the quality of songs that Meat's got on here.

However, you WILL be disappointed at the quanity. With only 9 tracks per CD, Meat has alot of stuff missing from this collection. Although it doesn't hurt my score any, some of the many missing from this that could've been included in this greatest hits CD inlcudes:
BAT OUT OF HELL: All Revved Up With No Place To Go, For Crying Out Loud
DEAD RINGER: Peel Out, Read Em And Weep, I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us
MIDNIGHT AT THE LOST AND FOUND: Razor's Edge, The Promised Land, If You Really Want To
BLIND BEFORE I STOP: Blind Before I Stop, Getting Away With Murder, Rock N' Roll Mercenaries
BAT OUT OF HELL II: Everything Louder Than Everything Else
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Original Sin, Amnesty Is Granted

See what I mean? Meat has just too many hits and good songs to be crammed onto just 18 (total) tracks. A box set would've been better.

With all of these songs, it is hard to say that Meat never had a good career music wise. Even at his worst, Meat still was able to be better than other artist's BEST works, and do it in style.

Now, let's see if the success of the two jewels of this Best Of CD carries us into the upcoming Testify album, which is slated for a 2003 drop, and alsready tainted to be Meat's best work yet (even Meat is impressed with Testify, and he isn't too easy to impress). This is a wonderful compilation to hold us over until then.

This is definitely an album that no Meat Loaf fan should be without. It has hits like the #1 smash "I'd Do Anything For Love," "I'd Lie For You And That's the Truth," and "Midnight at the Lost and Found." It also has several songs that you can't get on other albums such as "Home By Now/No Matter What" and "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste," among others. Each of the new songs have lyrics written by Jim Steinman, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and sung by (of course) Meat Loaf. With such a trio, no one can doubt that they have something special. Final words: If your a Meat Loaf fan, you've got to get this one. I you haven't really heared much from him, this is the album to start with.

I've been a fan of Meatloaf since His album "Bat of Hell". I like the dramatic use of orchestral and backgound vocals. I think that Meatloft's voice is so powerful, and these songs prove that. This is by far The best album of Meatloaf's performances. This album along with "Bat Out of Hell", and "Bat Out of Hell II" is all that you need for your collection of Meatloaf. This is a great career retrospective album.

For years, I have been searching for a Meat Loaf album for my collection. I loved all the songs I'd heard by him, and I wanted to hear more. However, I was not able to find a compilation that suited me well. Until today, when I found the two disc "The Very Best Of Meat Loaf".

This cd has all the Meat Loaf you need. All of his biggest hits are here, including "You Took The Words Right Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" (love that intro), "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad", "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)", and, of, course, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light". And they all sound great. I also enjoyed the songs I've never heard before, such as "Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" and "Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back".

I have a few gripes. One is that the cds don't fill the eighty minute time limit cds allow. I know most of Meat Loaf's best stuff, but they could've at least put "All Dressed Up With No Place To Go" and "Read 'Em And Weep" on here. But my biggest disappointing (a minor one, albeit), is that his song he sang as Eddie in "The Rocky Horror Show", "Hot Patootie Bless My Soul (Whatever Happened To Saturday Night)", is not included. Granted, it's not necessarily a true Meat Loaf song, but it's a song he's very much associated with and it would've been nice if it was included.

Other than that, I have no real complaints. This collection is a must have.