Discography
Bittan played piano nearly exclusively on Meat Loaf's 1977 hit album Bat out of Hell. Composer Jim Steinman wanted Bittan for the album due to his love for Springsteen's early work, particularly on Born to Run. Since then, Bittan has regularly and nearly exclusively collaborated with Steinman, appearing on three more Meat Loaf albums (most notably Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell), Steinman's solo album Bad for Good, an Air Supply single, a Barbra Streisand single, an album by Pandora's Box, Total Eclipse of the Heart, and others.
Bittan played on the Dire Straits album Making Movies. Mark Knopfler's decision to have the keyboardist on the album's lineup was reportedly influenced by his affection for "Because the Night", a keyboard-driven hit song cowritten by Springsteen and Patti Smith.
Bittan played on the 1978 second solo album from Peter Gabriel, appearing on several tracks including "On the Air", "Mother of Violence", "D.I.Y." and "White Shadow".
Bittan played on two David Bowie albums, Station to Station (1976) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).
Bittan played an important part in the sound Stevie Nicks created for her solo debut away from Fleetwood Mac, 1981's Bella Donna. About the time that the album reached number one in the United States, Bittan joined as a sideman on a short tour with Nicks along with some of the other top musicians of the day: Benmont Tench on organ, bass guitarist Bob Glaub, Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Russ Kunkel on drums, and Bobbeye Hall on percussion. Bittan also played on Nicks' second solo album The Wild Heart and has continued to play with her sporadically.
Bittan played piano on the track entitled "Heart And Soul" on Shwayze and Cisco Adler's second album, Let It Beat.
Bittan played accordion on Lucinda Williams album "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road". He also played accordion on Nelly Furtado's album The Spirit Indestructible, on the track "Waiting for the Night".
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