Rory Dodd

Never one for understatement, the aptly named singer known as Meat Loaf (aka Marvin Lee Aday) teamed with operatically-minded pianist-composer Jim Steinman to produce a bombastic slab of 1970s classic rock that has become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Fueled by Steinman's epic compositions, Todd Rundgren's grandiose production, and Meat Loaf's own soaring vocals, the singer's 1977 debut BAT OUT OF HELL elevated the rock-opera genre to appropriately theatrical heights with its extravagant orchestration and a melodramatic narrative celebrating teenage rebellion. This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series recounts the making of this monumental work through interviews, archival footage, and live performances of album tracks such as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," and, of course, the adolescent opus "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

This concert from the Stadthalle Offenbach in Germany was filmed on June 11th. 1978 for the German Rockpalast TV series and perfectly captures the raw excitement of the original Bat Out Of Hell tour with Meat Loaf dominating the stage and the album s songwriter Jim Steinman contributing heavily.

It's Christmas at Shining Time Station! Stacy Jones is busy helping passengers, Schemer tries to win the role of Santa's helper for the Indian Valley Gala Holiday Pageant, Mr. Conductor tells the kids a story about Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends and helps them deal with a bratty kid, while a kind old passenger, Mr. Nicholas, arrives and brightens the holiday for everybody.

A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.