| Dead Ringer | ||||
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| Released | September 4, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | February–June 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 42:10 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Meat Loaf chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dead Ringer | ||||
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Dead Ringer is the second studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf, released on September 4, 1981. It is the second of four albums written entirely by Jim Steinman. [2] The album cover was designed by comic book artist and horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
Steinman started to work on Bad for Good , the album that was supposed to be the follow-up to 1977's Bat Out of Hell , in 1978. During that time, a combination of touring, drugs and exhaustion had caused Meat Loaf to lose his voice. [2] Without a singer, and pressured by the record company, Steinman decided that he should sing on Bad for Good himself, and write a new album for Meat Loaf. This album was Dead Ringer, which was later released in 1981, after the release of Bad for Good.
After playing the role of Travis Redfish in the movie Roadie , Meat Loaf got his voice back, got off drugs, played softball, and started to work on his new album in 1980.[ citation needed ] Steinman had written five new songs which, in addition to a new, re-recorded version of "More Than You Deserve" (which Meat Loaf had sung in the musical with the same name) and a reworked monologue, formed the album Dead Ringer. The album was produced by Meat Loaf and Stephan Galfas, with backing tracks produced by Jimmy Iovine and Steinman.
Four singles were released from Dead Ringer: "Dead Ringer for Love" (featuring Cher), "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us", "Read 'Em and Weep" and "Peel Out". The album reached number 1 in the UK. [3]
The tour for this album also marked the beginning of Meat Loaf's long-running collaboration with pianist Paul Jacobs, as both sideman and songwriter.
Dead Ringer was considered both a commercial and critical disappointment after the worldwide success of Meat Loaf's debut album Bat Out of Hell. Parke Puterbaugh of Rolling Stone called the album a "cast-iron drag" and chastised Meat Loaf for his "alarmingly awful" vocals. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
All tracks are written by Jim Steinman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Peel Out" | 6:30 |
| 2. | "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" | 7:09 |
| 3. | "More Than You Deserve" | 7:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "I'll Kill You if You Don't Come Back" | 6:24 |
| 5. | "Read 'Em and Weep" | 5:25 |
| 6. | "Nocturnal Pleasure" (Monologue by Steinman) | 0:38 |
| 7. | "Dead Ringer for Love" | 4:21 |
| 8. | "Everything Is Permitted" | 4:41 |
Weekly charts
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Bat Out of Hell is the 1977 debut album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. The album was developed from a musical, Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan, which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. It was recorded during 1975–1976 at various studios, including Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released in October 1977 by Cleveland International/Epic Records. Bat Out of Hell spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006).
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Bat out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is a live album released by singer Meat Loaf in 2004 on the Mercury and Sanctuary labels.
Heaven & Hell is a compilation album by American singer Meat Loaf and Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1989 by Telstar Records. The majority of songs included on Heaven & Hell were written by Jim Steinman, who wrote some of Meat Loaf and Tyler's biggest hits.
Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose is the ninth studio album by Meat Loaf, and the third and final album in the Bat Out of Hell trilogy. It was released in Ireland on October 20, 2006, 29 years after Bat Out of Hell (1977), and 13 years after Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993). It was released in the UK on October 23, 2006, and in the US on October 31, 2006.
Hits Out of Hell is a 1985 compilation album by Meat Loaf. It comprises seven Jim Steinman songs. The original release also contained the hit "Modern Girl" from Bad Attitude, which came out at about the same time.
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"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" (also known as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)") is the first solo single by the American singer Meat Loaf, released in 1977. It is a track from his album Bat Out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman.
"Dead Ringer for Love" is a song performed by American rock singer Meat Loaf and American singer-actress Cher from Meat Loaf's second studio album, Dead Ringer. The song was written by Jim Steinman and one of only two tracks on the album produced by Steinman and Jimmy Iovine.
"Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)" is a song written by Jim Steinman. The song was first performed by Megumi Shiina as "Kanashimi Wa Tsudzukanai" (悲しみは続かない, lit. "Sadness Doesn't Last") and used as the opening to the 1986 Japanese TV Drama "Kono Ko Dare no Ko?". It was first performed in English by Pandora's Box on their album Original Sin (1989). Group member Holly Sherwood performed lead vocals.
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