New Def Lep

Eyesore wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

I know.  I still would never have predicted Hysteria based on On Through The Night and High N Dry; I just don't hear it.

Ah, I get you. I should have clarified better. I'm talking about in retrospect. No, I don't think anyone could have predicted Hysteria based on On Through the Night. But looking back now, I think, you can hear a band who wanted that sound.

Well Hysteria was my introduction to the band, so I was never really disappointed to learn they didn't always sound like that, I quite enjoy most of their work(though X was kinda average).

Anyways I think the new song kicks ass, it was exactly what I needed to hear after the day I had today.  

I wouldn't make too much of the band's comments about "never" being a metal band.  From how the band members told it, the 90s were a really dark time for them as they went through divorces and the deaths of family members, so I can't really blame them for all the things they said around that time.

James B. wrote:

I am sure the interview with Joe saying they were never a metal band was later than 1982.  He never declined an interview spot on any MTV "metal shows/segments" or told any "metal magazine" to stop plastering the cover with their images. It was okay when they were riding that wave, but when it crested and crashed into the shore....that was when his whole revisionism spiel began.  I recall hearing Joe reference "metal" from the stage when I saw them open for Blackfoot in 1982, memory is a fallible thing at times ?  Joe has always been wishy-washy to remain relevant in his own eyes and not see himself as he really is.  An aging rock star in a nostalgia act chasing the past like that old carrot on a stick.

I also recall reading that Joe said something about "reclaiming the metal crown" during a show on the tour for Hysteria in the late 1980s.

Eh. If they said it live, find a clip. All I have ever found is them saying they're not a metal band.

I just hope this new album is better than Sparkle Lounge, I like most of their stuff and have no expectations of how hard or light, but getting
Country stars in their act was like committing rock suicide. They are good at making any kind of rock n roll they chose, and have never thought of them
as anything other than rock n roll.

Getizzyback wrote:

I just hope this new album is better than Sparkle Lounge, I like most of their stuff and have no expectations of how hard or light, but getting Country stars in their act was like committing rock suicide. They are good at making any kind of rock n roll they chose, and have never thought of them
as anything other than rock n roll.

Eh. It was one verse on one song. A record company move, obviously. There exists a bonus track version of the album that includes the song without Tim McGraw.

I still like Sparkle Lounge. I find it odd that so many people that like X dislike Sparkle Lounge, an album which is much heavier, much more rockin' in comparison.

People tend to forget that the gap between Pyromania and Hysteria was enforced due to Rick losing his arm. They opted to wait for him, he became an electronic drum-kit player with limited capabilities and this influenced the drastic change in sound big time. Would they have arrived to the same poppy sound by general progression? Maybe, or maybe not. They could have easily churn Pyroman-esque albums until Steve Clark's death at least, in my opinion anyway.

Hysteria was slated to be released in late 1984 (I remember the adverts in Metal Hammer from back then) and the pre-incident demos for the album are said to be very much in the Pyromania vein. I hope the band would release 'em one day

stormspell wrote:

Hysteria was slated to be released in late 1984 (I remember the adverts in Metal Hammer from back then) and the post-incident demos for the album are said to be very much in the Pyromania vein. I hope the band would release 'em one day

If that's right, I'd love to hear those.

007 wrote:

stormspell wrote:

Hysteria was slated to be released in late 1984 (I remember the adverts in Metal Hammer from back then) and the post-incident demos for the album are said to be very much in the Pyromania vein. I hope the band would release 'em one day

If that's right, I'd love to hear those.

Same here!

chewie wrote:

007 wrote:

stormspell wrote:

Hysteria was slated to be released in late 1984 (I remember the adverts in Metal Hammer from back then) and the post-incident demos for the album are said to be very much in the Pyromania vein. I hope the band would release 'em one day

If that's right, I'd love to hear those.

Same here!

The so-called "Steinman sessions," right? Yeah, I'd love to hear them as well.

Anyway, here's a new song.



I like this one much better. It's like a Hysteria/Adrenalize mix. But it's also very reminiscent of other Lep tunes. Looks like their stealing from themselves on this album.

There is a 25th anniversary Hysteria video somewhere on youtube by Phil Collen explaining how the band used a 4-track cassette recorder to track the tunes at their rehearsal studio during the writing period of Hysteria. Those would be pre-production demos before working with Steinman, and I believe the ones the band was considering using for the special anniversary Hysteria re-release.

Joe owns the Steinman tapes and have said many times they would not be released, ever... no love lost between those two I guess...

I like this song and I'm looking forward to the album. It sounds like it would have fit quite well on Euphoria. The band seems particularly interested in that sound lately, using "Disintegrate" as their intro track on this past tour and bringing "Promises" and "Paper Sun" back into the setlist.

The album as a whole is nothing like the first two songs they released. It continues in the pop direction that they've been interested in for a while now.

This is the most conspicuous example:





Still, there are some pretty cool songs on here. "Battle of My Own" sounds like something that would fit right in on any of Robert Plant's recent albums:




"Sea of Love" is my favorite so far. I like the '70s sound on this:

I agree. Sea of love is a very nice track.

In my opinion, this is their most diverse album. I don't "Man Enough" went in a pop direction; it went old-school funk/rock. When they described that song, I thought it was going to suck. I love it.

"Let's Go," I think, is the worst on the album. I like it, and the f*cker gets stuck in my damn head, but I hate the oh-oh-oh-ohs in the chorus. Waaaaaaay too boy band-ish, you know.

But it's a really good album. Yes, not hard rock like the old days. Nothing even close. It more closely resembled Hysteria, but it's got a lot of new flavors mixed in. I think it's a really diverse album. And I like how a lot of the choruses seem to be more creative, a little bit outside of what's expected, you know.

I listened to these last night and decided to give them another listen today and nothing really changed regarding my thoughts on any of them. It's just what I come to expect from the band, so it doesn't get me riled up. I'm just glad I lost faith in them sometime post "Euphoria", and that's really being quite generous.

The first song, "Man Enough" is beyond atrocious. I'm actually a pretty big fan of anything pop pre-1995 and there are songs and solo acts/groups I've liked post 1995. If a band can pull it off, then I have no problem with them doing it, but Def Leppard is SO bad at it. They want to be Duran Duran, but they're not! Duran Duran at their worst, 2007's "Red Carpet Massacre" is better than this crap. How the mighty have fallen.

The second song, "Battle of My Own" is easily my favorite of the three. The opening riff sounds like something Travis Meeks would have written for Days of the News back in the day. It has that "Shelf in the Room" type of vibe and then around the :12 mark the second guitar that kicks in has that "Seasons" type of feel from Chris Cornell. The chorus is catchy, and by the last minute of the song, though not a distinctive arrangement from Leppard, it is a nice way to wrap up what is to me is an acceptable song from the group.

I decided to give "Sea of Love" another listen, because in theory this should be the song I like the most. I guess it's a grower, but I really don't like the riff that opens and closes the song. I like the chorus in the song and the riff around the 2:00 mark. If that bad opening/closing riff wasn't there, I probably would like this song a lot more. As of now, I have no plans on buying this album, which is par for the course, as the last one I bought was "Euphoria".

I really like Let's Go, don't see the chorus sounds "boy-bandish" at all.

It certainly is a diverse album then you'd think based on the singles, to me it sort of feels like Euphoria 2.0, as like that album it mixes songs that sound like throwbacks to the Hysteria-Adrenalize days (compare Dangerous and Let's Go, with Demolition Man and Back in Your Face) with more experimental sounding ones(Man Enough has a funk sound like "All Night").

Didn't feel like Leppard were trying to be Duran Duran at all, don't really see any similarities there.

As far as my opinion of this album goes, I prefer it over Slang and X, but it's not quite as good as Songs from the Sparkle Lounge or Euphoria.

Vexer6 wrote:

Didn't feel like Leppard were trying to be Duran Duran at all, don't really see any similarities there.

They're not trying to be like Duran Duran from a stylistic standpoint, but they would rather be recognized in the vain of a Duran Duran then that of various heavier groups out there. Joe has made this quote numerous times over the years. It's his way of not being lumped into a scene.

metalinmyveins wrote:

Vexer6 wrote:

Didn't feel like Leppard were trying to be Duran Duran at all, don't really see any similarities there.

They're not trying to be like Duran Duran from a stylistic standpoint, but they would rather be recognized in the vain of a Duran Duran then that of various heavier groups out there. Joe has made this quote numerous times over the years. It's his way of not being lumped into a scene.

What he's actually said is that, for all the people who lumped them in w/ NWOBHM, if you hold them up next to Motorhead and then next to Duran Duran, they have much more in common w/ Duran Duran.

I'm liking this album overall. I mean it's got a few stinkers on it, but it's actually got a few songs I like as well. Much better than the last few albums. Wings Of An Angel is an excellent song. I don't think Def Leppard is ever going to play what most of us really wish they would again. This coming from a guy who really liked Hysteria, though everything before it was great as well.