I was pretty young when Meat Loaf first became popular. I remember walking past the music section of the now-defunct Two Guys department store and seeing Bat Out of Hell posters and assorted memorabilia everywhere. At the time, this inspired something like awe in my young self. Surely, the store was promoting satanic worship -- or something equally heinous.

And, as youngsters do, once the initial Meat Loaf craze was over, I promptly forgot about it.

Many years later, I headed off to college. I'd only been there a matter of hours, when I heard something very odd drifting out of the open door of one of my suite mates.

Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

My, oh my. What ever could this be?

I was intrigued...and that was my reintroduction to the world of Meat Loaf.

Throughout my college days, I could walk into almost any dorm and hear strains from the album "Bat Out of Hell." Often, the strains drifted out of my own room.

So years later, I was thrilled when I stumbled across Live Around the World -- a 2 CD set, nonetheless -- and I just had to have it.

Meat Loaf Live is even better than I could have expected. I'm not a big fan of live music on CD. A concert is one thing -- a CD quite another. But I'm going to tell you now, that if you like Meat Loaf, this is one live album that you absolutely shouldn't miss.

Meat Loaf Live brings new energy to his old classics, and even to some of his newer works. Meat Loaf puts his heart and soul into his performances and that comes through clearly on these CDs.

The music isn't just live. It's alive.

For those who haven't heard anything by Meat Loaf (if that's possible), his sound is all his own. Sometimes sweetly melodious, sometimes driving rock, Meat Loaf is wonderful in his variety. The one thing I can tell you about Meat Loaf. He could never be considered boring.

The CD includes all the old favorites. Bat Out of Hell is there, as are Paradise by the Dashboard Light and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. These songs are ageless, timeless, cross-generational. I love them now at age 37 as much as I did when I was 20. And Meat Loaf was rare music that my father and I could agree on when we were driving together. I even remember one of my brothers, at age 5, with his new toy microphone, singing, "You took the words right out of my mouth..."

There are even ballads on Live Around the World. One of my personal favorites is the wistful Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are. I could just close my eyes and listen when it's playing.

But most importantly, Meat Loaf can still make me laugh out loud. His music doesn't take itself too seriously. We live in an age where music can sometimes be way too morally conscious -- environmentally, socially, religiously -- or way too immoral. Meat Loaf is refreshingly unpretentious. It's just plain old entertainment -- and sometimes I want nothing more from my music than that.

I remember sitting in a dentist's chair years ago. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) had recently been released and was playing on the radio. The dentist and his assistant immediately criticized it. It was, they agreed, just stupid.

Now, if my mouth wasn't being drilled in at the moment, I would have jumped to enlighten them.

Meat Loaf's music isn't stupid. It's lighthearted, fun, energetic. It's innovative, unusual, and often downright crazy. Most importantly, Meat Loaf has a style all his own -- he's not a wannabee of anyone. And isn't that the true definition of an artist?

Lisa is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.