Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose

by Meat Loaf

Overview

Truth be told, once Meat Loaf had a blockbuster with Bat Out of Hell in 1977, he never really left the bombastic sound of that Todd Rundgren-produced, Jim Steinman-written classic behind. He went through a long stretch where he didn't have any hits -- it's popularly known as the '80s -- but he kept reworking the album, never quite getting it right until he reteamed with Steinman for 1993's Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which became a surprise international hit, re-establishing Meat Loaf as a major star. After that record, he never went away, continuing to record, tour, and act, but nothing quite matched the success of either Bat Out of Hell, so it made perfect sense for Meat to go back to the Bat well a third time in the mid-2000s -- over 12 years since the second Bat and nearly 30 years on from the first. But there was a hitch in his well-laid plan: Steinman didn't want to participate. This was a problem, because the Bat albums were as much Steinman's as they were Meat Loaf's -- and this point was never hidden, either, as Steinman's name was prominent on the cover of both Bats. Undaunted, Meat Loaf went ahead with the project, hiring Desmond Child as producer and picking several older Steinman songs to form the heart of Bat Out of Hell III, which now bore the subtitle of The Monster Is Loose. As the album's fall 2006 release date approached, Steinman took Meat Loaf to court over the record -- after all, not only had he written the Bat Out of Hell albums, but he owned the copyright to the phrase, so Meat needed permission in order to release the record. Permission was eventually granted in an out-of-court settlement, paving the way for the October 2006 release of Bat Out of Hell III, a record that had many Steinman songs but in no way features his involvement in the recording or production of the album. And this Bat is quite obviously a patchwork, pieced together from things borrowed and re-created, never quite gelling the way either of the previous Bats did. It's a brightly lit mess, but there is one redeeming factor here and that's Meat Loaf, who is singing his heart out as he valiantly tries to make this Bat a worthy successor to the originals. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2006
Label:	Virgin
UPC:	0094636314723

Tracks

1. The Monster Is Loose
2. Blind as a Bat
3. It's All Coming Back to Me Now
4. Bad for Good
5. Cry Over Me
6. In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King
7. Monstro
8. Alive
9. If God Could Talk
10. If It Ain't Broke Break It
11. What About Love
12. Seize the Night
13. The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
14. Cry to Heaven

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Meat Loaf   Primary Artist,Vocals
Marion Raven   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
Jennifer Hudson   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Patti Russo   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Kasim Sulton   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Vocals (Background)
Steve Vai   Guest Artist,Guitar,Soloist
Marti Frederiksen   Vocals (Background)
Matt Rollings   Organ,Piano
Tereza Stanislav   Violin
Andrew Duckles   Viola
Denyse Buffum   Viola
John Wittenberg   Violin
Alyssa Park   Violin
Evan Wilson   Viola
Alan Kaplan   Trombone
Tom Saviano   Sax (Tenor)
Josefina Vergara   Violin
Steve Richards   Cello
Haim Shtrum   Violin
Brian May   Guitar,Soloist
Natalie Leggett   Violin
Andreas Carlsson   Vocals (Background)
Sid Page   Violin
Steve Madaio   Trumpet
Brian Dembow   Viola
Earl Dumler   Oboe
Larry Corbett   Cello
Kenny Aronoff   Drums,Percussion
Bruce Dukov   Violin
Mark Alexander   Organ,Piano
Chuck Findley   Trumpet
Randy Flowers   Guitar,Soloist
Corky James   Guitar
James Michael   Vocals (Background)
Becky Baeling   Vocals (Background)
Rusty Anderson   Guitar,Soloist
Diana Grasselli   Vocals (Background)
Jessica Jones   Choir/Chorus
Joe Meyer   French Horn
Brett Cullen   Vocals (Background)
Bettie Ross   Pipe Organ
Marda Todd   Viola
Bonita Brisco   Choir/Chorus
Sandra Stokes   Choir/Chorus
Cheryl Brown   Choir/Chorus
Sonya Byous   Choir/Chorus
Keely Pressly   Vocals (Background)
Carolyn Caletti Jablonski "CC"   Vocals (Background)
Esther Marie Austin   Choir/Chorus
Jon Lewis   Trumpet
Matthew Funes   Viola
Mario de Leon   Violin
Steven Becknell   French Horn
John Miceli   Drums
David Levita   Guitar
Camille Saviola   Vocals (Background)
Eric Sardinas   Soloist,Slide Guitar
Eric Bazilian   Guitar,Soloist
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr.   Trombone,Trombone (Bass)
Victor Indrizzo   Drums
Joel Derouin   Violin
John 5   Guitar,Soloist
John Shanks   Guitar,Soloist
Wayne Bergeron   Trumpet
Desmond Child   Vocals (Background)
Joseph Powell   Choir/Chorus
Michael Valerio   Bass
Brad Warnaar   French Horn
Rick Baptist   Trumpet
Michele Richards   Violin
Barbara Allen   Choir/Chorus
Daniel Smith   Cello
John A. Reynolds   French Horn
John Gregory   Vocals (Background)
Storm Lee   Vocals (Background)
Vernon Keith Allen   Choir/Chorus
Clint Walsh   Guitar
Graham Phillips   Soprano (Vocal)
Roshuan Stovall   Choir/Chorus
Steven Holtman   Trombone
Paul Crook   Guitar
M.B. Gordy   Orchestral Percussion
Darius Campo   Violin
Berj Garabedian   Violin
Gary Grant   Trumpet
Roberto Cani   Violin
Stephanie Bennett   Harp
Suzie Katayama   Cello
Peter Kent   Violin
Nico Abondolo   Bass
Jeanette Olsson   Vocals (Background)
Eric Rigler   Irish Flute
Eric Troyer   Vocals (Background)
Lee Levin   Percussion
Maria Vidal   Vocals (Background)
Jason Paige   Vocals (Background)
Endre Granat   Violin
Todd Rundgren   Vocals (Background)
John Fumo   Trumpet
Dan Warner   Guitar
Philip Vaiman   Violin
David Campbell   Conductor
Ken Yerke   Violin

Technical Credits

Desmond Child   Audio Production,Composer,Producer,Vocal Arrangement
Marti Frederiksen   Engineer,Composer
Randy Cantor   Programming
Nikki Sixx   Composer
Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl   Engineer,Programming
Dave Dale   Engineer
Diane Warren   Composer
Holly Knight   Composer,Programming
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Scott Moore   Assistant Engineer
Andrea Remanda   Composer
Steve Vai   Engineer
Kevin Mills   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Ghian Wright   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Doug Emery   Programming
Elena Casals   Composer
Bettie Ross   Music Preparation
Allen Kovac   Executive Producer
Corky James   Engineer
Chris Vrenna   Programming
James Michael   Composer
Dino Hermann   Engineer
Nathan Malki   Engineer
Jim Monti   Assistant Engineer
Jules Gondar   Engineer,Production Chief
Greg Collins   Mixing,Engineer
Russ Irwin   Composer
John 5   Composer
C. Winston Simone   Executive Producer
John Gregory   Composer
David Simone   Executive Producer
Rouble Kapoor   Assistant Engineer
Brian Coleman   Production Coordination
Trevor Niemann   Design
Charlie Paakkari   Assistant Engineer
Bill Airey Smith   Assistant Engineer
Carlos Alvarez   Engineer
Chris Garcia   Engineer
Andy Ackland   Engineer
Jon Vella   Assistant Engineer
Jay Ruston   Engineer
Steve Churchyard   Engineer
Timothy White   Photography
Jeff Rothschild   Engineer
Jim Steinman   Composer
Aaron Walk   Assistant Engineer
Todd Rundgren   Arranger
Glenn Pittman   Assistant Engineer
Dan Warner   Engineer
Wesley Seidman   Assistant Engineer
David Campbell   Horn Arrangements,Orchestral Arrangements