'Rock n' roll n' brew...' (Dead Ringer - Meat Loaf)

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Product:	Dead Ringer - Meat Loaf
Date:	23/05/01 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: "and they blew up the YWCA..." some great songs

Disadvantages: some stuff sounds too rushed

Four years after the original release of the almost immortal album "Bat Out Of Hell", Meat Loaf's second album "Dead Ringer" is very weak in comparrison. According to some, Meat Loaf lost his voice and that was the reason why Meat's song writer and producer Jim Steinman released what was going to be the follow up "Bad For Good" instead. Six months later, "Dead Ringer" came out and was the first to be exclusively produced by Steinman (Todd Rungdren co-produced "Bat 1" and "Bad For Good")

"Dead Ringer" is a rush job as the attention to detail Steinman gives a production is nowhere near as much as his other works. Another short album, only nine tracks and one of them ("More Than You Deserve") came from the origianl Steinman "musical" project recorded some seven years earlier in 1974.

I suppose you could say that this is a "typical" Meat Loaf album, from the near anthem (and album opener) "Peel Out" which must rank as the best track off the album, along with the slowie, piano track "Read 'em And Weep". A short Steiman voiced piece is here, too, like on other Meat Loaf albums and a slow track to end with. All very formulated and the more albums that Meat brought out, the same pattern emerges.

Everyone must know the single "Dead Ringer For Love" - the duet with plastic bag, Cher. Personally, I can't stand it but it is one of the most famous of his works.

The whole thing has it highs and lows, though but then, I proberbly did what others did and compare it to "Bat Out Of Hell" instead of ranking it on it's own merits. Some good stuff on it all the same.

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