Like any edition of Universal's
Deluxe Edition series,
Meat Loaf's 1993 comeback album
Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell is lavishly, lovingly packaged -- a fold-out double-disc set enhoused in a slipcase, an extensive booklet with liner notes and rare photographs, plus a full disc of rare material. The question is not whether this album deserves it -- it's
Meat Loaf's second-best and second-best-selling record, so sure it does -- but whether the extra disc of material is worth the time of anyone outside of fanatics. The answer is probably not. While the notes and sound are good, the bonus disc contains nothing but radio edits of the singles, or remixes -- and of only four of the album's 11 songs, too (the breakdown: four versions of "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are," two versions of "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," three of "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back," two of "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through"). This is no doubt a boon for the hardcore collector that want to have all the edits and mixes released as B-sides from this era, but it doesn't really offer any revelations, curiosities, or an interesting listen for anybody else (and it may not be that interesting to those collectors, either). Still, it's a nicely assembled set that will make a nice collector's item for the die-hard fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine