Your Faithful Narrator: Bat Out Of Hell III: This time, it's personal

So Meat Loaf is back in the news again. He is about to release a third Bat Out Of Hell CD. The issue is a recent lawsuit between Meat Loaf and the writer of the first two Bat Out of Hell albums Jim Steinmen.

It turns out that Meat Loaf recorded the third upcoming installment of the Bat Out Of Hell series with Desmond Child as opposed to Steinmen. The lawsuit stemmed over the rights to the title "Bat Out Of Hell". Steinmen trademarked that title and Meat Loaf was suing him as that trademark would have prevented him from releasing his Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Out this coming Halloween.

Meat Loaf has since dropped the suit and is still able to use the phrase Bat Out Of Hell so everything is resolved. Publically, he has said that this had nothing to do with Steinmen and they have plans to work together again in the future. He says that this is a dispute between each other's managers.

Top 5 Meat Loaf songs
1. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
2. All Revved Up With No Place To Go
3. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth
4. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
5. It's All Coming Back To Me Now...yes I know this is a Celine Dion song. But listen to it. It might as well be a Meat Loaf song. Even the video looks like something Meat Loaf would have been in.

It's funny, when it comes to the first Bat Out Of Hell, I was never a huge fan. Too overly dramatic, with stupidly long song titles and dumb voiceovers (like what is with that baseball call in the middle of Paradise). However, the music is still pretty good. Everyone knows the hits Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad and Paradise. But it is the first four songs that are really killer on that CD. Plus Springsteen's piano player Roy Bittan is featured prominently throughout the album.

Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell is basically a marketing scheme. There really is not much of a connection. The music is much worse, no Bittan on piano, no Todd Rundgren producing it.

I am hoping Bat Out Of Hell III is a little better but since now Jim Steinman is not even involved, once again, it must be a marketing scheme. I guess it makes sense since the first Bat is Meat Loaf's biggest selling album and despite releasing 9 other albums, Bat II is easily his second most successful album.

The first single is already been released and it is his version of that same "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" as a duet between Mr. Loaf and Marion Raven. Okay, I just watched the video. It's not that great. They really toned down the mood of the song. Kind of boring really.