Dead Ringer (album)

1981 studio album by Meat Loaf

Dead Ringer

Studio album by

Meat Loaf

Released

September 4, 1981

Recorded

February–June 1981

Genre

Rock

Length

42:10

Label

Cleveland International
Epic

Producer

Stephan Galfas
Jimmy Iovine
Meat Loaf
Jim Steinman

Meat Loaf chronology

Bat Out of Hell
(1977)

Dead Ringer
(1981)

Midnight at the Lost and Found
(1983)

Singles from Dead Ringer

"I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us"
Released: September 1981^[1]
"Dead Ringer for Love"
Released: November 1981 (UK)
"Read 'Em and Weep"
Released: March 1982 (UK)
"Peel Out"
Released: 1982 (EU)

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.

Album background

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.

Reception

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]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]
Rolling Stone	^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jim Steinman

Side one
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

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"	4:21
8.	"Everything Is Permitted"	4:41

Personnel

Arrangements

Roy Bittan – co-arranger
Tom Malone – horn arrangements (7)
Alden Shuman, Roy Straigis – string arrangements (3, 8)

Band

Meat Loaf – lead vocals
Davey Johnstone – guitars
Mick Ronson – guitars (3)
Joe DeAngelis – acoustic guitars (1)
Steve Buslowe – bass guitar
Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards (1, 2, 8)
Nicky Hopkins – piano (3)
Larry Fast – synthesizers (1, 6)
Lou Del Gatto, Tom Malone, Lou Marini, Alan Rubin – horns (7)
Max Weinberg – drums
Liberty DeVitto – drums (5, 7)
Jimmy Maelen – percussion, African logs (7)
Leslie Aday – female voice (1)
Jim Steinman – spoken word (6)
Cher – guest vocals (7)
Rhonda Coullet (7), Rory Dodd, Ted Neeley, Allan F. Nicholls, Eric Troyer – vocals

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[6]	5
Canadian Albums (RPM (magazine))^[7]	26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[8]	10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[9]	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[10]	2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[11]	10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[12]	1
UK Albums (OCC)^[13]	1
US Billboard 200^[14]	45

Certifications and sales


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[15]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[16]	Gold	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[17]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 536. ISBN 9780862415419.
^ ^a ^b ^c Puterbaugh, Parke (November 26, 1981). "Dead Ringer". Rolling Stone.
^ Bogdanov, Vladimir (2002). All music guide to rock : the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul (3. ed.). San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. p. 718. ISBN 087930653X. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
^ "Wretched Excess The Dead Ringer Review". Nov 26, 1981.
^ Ruhlman, William. "Meat Loaf - Dead Ringer Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. p. 196. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "RPM Top 50 Albums - October 3, 1981" (PDF).
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Charts.nz – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Meat Loaf | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "Meat Loaf Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer". Music Canada.
^ "British album certifications – Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer". British Phonographic Industry.