He was a rock star of a certain period, so it would have been weird if Meatloaf hadn’t done a fairly serious amount of drugs. But then Meatloaf lost his voice — those glorious, soaring, over-the-top pipes of his; O cruel fate! Years passed, as did several crappy albums. “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” would still play in full during holiday classic-rock blocks. But in 1993, 16 years after the original album, came Bat out of Hell II. And that song. Oh, that song — “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” What was that? You’ll do anything but love, but you won’t do what? Who cares; heartfelt and campy, with a video directed by Michael Bay of all people — this is what we call a comeback.
Top 10 Comeback Albums
If you need to make a comeback album, then you're already in bad shape. TIME looks back at the most notable attempts of recent decades.
Bat out of Hell II, Meatloaf
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