Bat Out of Hell III: The Last at Bat

Bat Out of Hell III: The Last at Bat is the eighth studio album of Meat Loaf, his first (and to date, only) double album, and the third and final album in the Bat Out of Hell trilogy, released on March 2, 2004 by Exploitation Records, his first release with the label. As with the previous two albums in the trilogy, the songs were all written by Jim Steinman, and like with Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, Steinman was the producer of the album, his last such outing as a producer prior to a string of health problems that sidelined him.

Recording lasted through 2002 and 2003, at the same time that Meat Loaf was the lead in Steinman's Broadway musical Dance of the Vampires, at Avatar Studios in New York City. Sessions were staggered and held concurrently, both to suit Steinman's preferred schedule as well as preserve Meat Loaf's voice as best as possible. Steinman's right-hand man Steven Rinkoff was engineer and co-mixer (along with David Thoener) on the project, and as with the previous two Bat albums, Todd Rundgren was brought in as background vocal arranger, to ensure continuity between albums.

Like with many Steinman projects, most of the songs were taken from previous albums and projects and re-recorded, though some had never emerged in any form prior to this album. The song "Who Needs the Young" was Steinman's very first composition, and demos of the song had been leaked to the Internet. "Souvenirs" was a song originally written for his and Meat Loaf's first ever collaboration, the musical More Than You Deserve, but had been cut from the show; it also includes the line "But you've been cold to me so long, I'm crying icicles instead of tears," which was reused for "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". The song "Seize the Night" and the rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with Bonnie Tyler, who had previously made it a hit, had previously appeared on the concept album Songs from Dance of the Vampires. "Going All the Way Is Just the Start" is a reworking of "Braver Than We Are" from Dance of the Vampires. "I've Been Dreaming Up a Storm Lately", a spoken word monologue by Steinman, previously appeared on the Pandora's Box album Original Sin, but has a brand new backing soundscape in this version. "More" had originally been a single by The Sisters of Mercy as well as having appeared in the MTV film Wuthering Heights. That film also featured "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be". "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" had previously been a hit single for Celine Dion. "Loving You's a Dirty Job" had been a hit single for Bonnie Tyler. "In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King", "Cry to Heaven" and "We're Still the Children We Once Were" were written by Steinman for his aborted musical Batman. "Not Allowed To Love" were from Steinman's musicals The Dream Engine and Neverland, and would later appear in Bat Out of Hell: The Musical. "Skull of Your Country" was originally written for The Dream Engine and features the line "turn around bright eyes", which was reused for "Total Eclipse of the Heart." The song "Only When I Feel/If It Ain't Broke, Break It", was a new song written for the album.

The cover artwork by Michael Whelan continues the story of the first two albums, and is inspired by Richard Corben's artwork for the original Bat.

The deluxe edition of the album includes a bonus EP of live versions of songs from the first two Bat albums.

As with the previous two albums, Bat III faced mixed reviews by the critics, but sold in massive numbers. Soon, critical reception turned to be overwhelmingly positive. The first single, the rendition of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" was a worldwide hit.

All songs written by Jim Steinman, except where noted

CD1

-Who Needs The Young

-Bad for Good

-It's All Coming Back to Me Now (with Marion Raven)

-More (Jim Steinman/Andrew Eldritch)

-Total Eclipse of the Heart (with Bonnie Tyler)

-In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King

-We're Still The Children We Once Were

-Only When I Feel/If It Ain't Broke, Break It

-Not Allowed To Love

CD2

-Godz

-Souvenirs

-The Future Ain't What It Used To Be (with Jennifer Hudson)

-Seize the Night

-Loving You's a Dirty Job (But Somebody's Gotta Do It)

-I've Been Dreaming Up a Storm Lately (spoken word monologue by Jim Steinman)

-Skull Of Your Country

-Going All The Way Is Just The Start (A Song In 6 Movements) (with Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito)

-Cry To Heaven

Bonus "Live At Bats" Disc On Deluxe Edition

-Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back (Live)

-You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth (Live)

-Paradise By the Dashboard Light (Live)

-Two Out of Three Ain't Bad (Live)

-I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) (Live)

-Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through (Live)

-Bat Out of Hell (Live)