- Dead Ringer (album)
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For the RJD2 album, see Deadringer (album).
Dead Ringer 
Studio album by Meat Loaf Released September 4, 1981 Recorded 1981 Genre Rock Length 42:10 Label Epic Producer Stephan Galfas, Meat Loaf Meat Loaf chronology Bat out of Hell
(1977)Dead Ringer
(1981)Midnight at the Lost and Found
(1983)Dead Ringer is a 1981 album by Meat Loaf and is the second of three Meat Loaf albums written entirely by Jim Steinman. The album cover features an illustration 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. 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 (which had cameos by Debbie Harry, Roy Orbison and Hank Williams, Jr., but was still a box office flop), Meat Loaf got his voice back, got off drugs, played softball, and started to work on his new album in 1980. Steinman had written five new songs which, in addition to the track "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. Steinman wrote all of the songs, but had little else to do with the album. The album was produced by Meat Loaf and Stephan Galfas, with backing tracks produced by Jimmy Iovine and Steinman. In 1976, Meat Loaf appeared on the track "Keeper Keep Us" from the Intergalactic Touring Band's self-titled album, which was produced by Galfas.
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 #1 in the UK.
The tour for this album also marked the beginning of his long-running collaboration with pianist Paul Jacobs, as both sideman and songwriter.
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
linkRolling Stone linkContents
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Jim Steinman.
Side one No. Title Length 1. "Peel Out" (Female voice: Leslie Aday) 6:30 2. "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" 7:09 3. "More than You Deserve" 7:02 Side two 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" (Duet with Cher) 4:21 8. "Everything Is Permitted" 4:41 -
- Arrangements by Steinman, Roy Bittan
- Horn Arrangements by Tom Malone
- String Arrangements by Alden Shuman, Roy Straigis
Chart positions
Chart (1981) Peak
positionUK Albums Chart[1] 1 Personnel
- Meat Loaf - vocals
- Davey Johnstone - guitars
- Mick Ronson - guitars (track 3)
- Joe DeAngelis - acoustic guitars (track 1)
- Steve Buslowe - bass guitar
- Roy Bittan - piano, keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 8)
- Nicky Hopkins - piano (track 3)
- Larry Fast - synthesizers (tracks 1, 6)
- Lou Del Gatto, Tom Malone, Lou Marini, Alan Rubin - horns (track 7)
- Max Weinberg - drums
- Liberty DeVitto - drums (tracks 5, 7)
- Jimmy Maelen - percussion, African logs (track 7)
- Leslie Aday - female voice (track 1)
- Jim Steinman - voice (track 6)
- Cher - guest vocals (track 7)
- Rhonda Coullet (track 7), Rory Dodd, Ted Neeley, Allan Nicholls, Eric Troyer - vocals
References
- ^ "Number 1 Albums – 1980s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080209095724/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_albums.php?show=4. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
Preceded by
Time by Electric Light OrchestraUK Albums Chart number-one album
September 12, 1981 – September 25, 1981Succeeded by
Abacab by GenesisMeat Loaf Studio albums Stoney & Meatloaf (1971) • Bat Out of Hell (1977) • Dead Ringer (1981) • Midnight at the Lost and Found (1983) • Bad Attitude (1984) • Blind Before I Stop (1986) • Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell (1993) • Welcome to the Neighbourhood (1995) • Couldn't Have Said It Better (2003) • Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006) • Hang Cool Teddy Bear (2010) • Hell in a Handbasket (2011)Live albums Live at Wembley (1987) • Live Around the World (1996) • VH1: Storytellers (1999) • Bat out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2004) • 3 Bats Live (2008)Compilations Hits out of Hell (1984) • The Big Ones (1984) • Heaven & Hell (1989) • Paradise By The Dashboardlight (The Very Best of) (1991) • Back From Hell! The Very Best of Meat Loaf (1993) • Back From Hell Again! - The Very Best of Meat Loaf Vol. 2 (1994) • Alive In Hell (1994) • Heaven Can Wait – The Best Ballads of Meat Loaf Vol. 1 (1996) • The Very Best of Meat Loaf (1998) • Piece of the Action: The Best of Meat Loaf (2009)Videography Live • Hits out of Hell • Bad Attitude - Live! • Bat out of Hell II: Picture Show • VH1: Storytellers • To Hell and Back • Bat out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra • 3 Bats Live • Meat Loaf: In Search of ParadiseTours Bat Out of Hell (1977-78) • Dead Ringer (1981) • Meat Loaf & The Neverland Express Euro '82 (1982) • World Tour / Monsters of Rock (1983) • Bad Attitude (1984-85) • 20/20 (1986-87) • Lost Boys & Golden Girls / Bat Out of Hell 10th Anniversary (1988-89) • Everything Louder (1993-95) • Born to Rock (1996) • The Very Best of... (1999) • Storytellers (1999-2000) • Night of the Proms (2001) • Just Having Fun... (2002) • Couldn't Have Said It Better (2003-04) • The Hair of the Dog (2005) • Seize the Night / The Three Bats (2006-07) • Casa de Carne (2008) • Hang Cool (2010-11) • Guilty Pleasure (2011-12)Singles "What You See is What You Get" • "It Takes All Kinds of People" • "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" • "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (w/ Ellen Foley) • "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" • "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" • "Bat Out of Hell" • "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" • "Dead Ringer for Love" (w/ Cher) • "Read 'Em and Weep" • "Peel Out" • "In Europe '82 (4 Track EP)" • "If You Really Want To" • "Razor's Edge" • "Midnight at the Lost and Found" • "Modern Girl" • "Nowhere Fast" • "Surf's Up" • "Sailor to a Siren" • "Piece of the Action" • "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries" (w/ John Parr) • "Getting Away with Murder" • "Blind Before I Stop" • "Special Girl" • "A Time for Heroes" (w/ Brian May) • "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (w/ Lorraine Crosby) • "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" • "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" • "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are" • "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" (w/ Patti Russo) • "Not a Dry Eye in the House" • "Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life)" • "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" (w/ Bonnie Tyler) • "No Matter What" • "Is Nothing Sacred" (w/ Patti Russo) • "Did I Say That?" • "Couldn't Have Said It Better" (w/ Patti Russo) • "Man of Steel" • "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (w/ Marion Raven) • "Blind As a Bat" • "Cry Over Me" • "Los Angeloser" • "If I Can't Have You" • "All of Me"Related articles Discography • Neverland Express • Stoney & Meatloaf • Jim Steinman • Patti Russo • Shaun Murphy • Amanda Aday • Pearl Aday • The Seize the Night Tour • The Casa de Carne Tour • The Hang Cool Tour • The Celebrity Apprentice 4Categories:- 1981 albums
- Meat Loaf albums
- Epic Records albums
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