Meat Loaf-Dead Ringer (1981)

Meat Loaf's career is well known to all. This singer and actor is not only famous for the "Ball Out of Hell" trilogy of albums, which has sold nearly fifty million copies, but also for a career filled with other enormous works focused on pompous and epic rock. Born in 1947 in Dallas, this singer has released nearly thirty albums, including studio, live, and compilation albums, and has appeared in over a hundred films and television shows. In 1981, he released his second album, "Dead Ringer", which, even before its release, was already overshadowed by its predecessor, the monumental "Ball Out of Hell", considered one of the masterpieces of rock music of all time. For this second album, the singer no longer worked with producer Todd Rundgren, one of the main architects of the previous album's success. However, this didn't prevent Meat Loaf from creating another great album, though admittedly not reaching the heights of its predecessor, it was still undoubtedly outstanding. His right-hand man, songwriter Jim Steinman, once again played a fundamental role on this album, steering the sound in a more commercial and less epic direction. For this new release, Loaf surrounded himself with a select group of musicians, including guitarists Mick Ronson and Davey Johnstone, keyboardists Roy Bittan, Larry Fast, and Nicky Hopkins, drummers Max Weinberg and Liberty DeVito, and singer Cher. Less complex than the previous work, “Dead Ringer” showcases another superb album where vocal duets like “Dead Ringer For Love” or “Peel Out” stand out, as well as powerful rock songs with majestic choruses such as “I’m Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us”, “I’ll Kill You If You Don’t Come Back”, or the beautiful crescendo “Everything Is Permitted”.