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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: bosk1 on October 19, 2012, 06:24:20 PM
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Yeah. I posted a Def Leppard thread on a prog. metal board. Wanna make somethin' of it? Come at me, bro. :bringiton:
Here are the rules: If you aren't really up for a BIG challenge, post your top 10 or so Def Lep songs.
If you're not a wuss and can handle a bigger challenge, step up to the plate for the deluxe Def Lep challenge: Post your TOP 30 Def Leppard songs. "Why 30?" you ask. Good question. Ten studio albums, not counting the covers album or collections. You must pick at least one song from each album. The average must be 3 songs per album. That makes 30. Again, all 10 of the following albums must have at least one song:
On Through The Night
High N Dry
Pryomania
Hysteria
RetroActive
Adrenalize
Slang
Euphoria
X
Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
No bonus tracks (most of the early good ones are on Retroactive anyway).
Your top 30. Now. They do not have to be ranked. Go!
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After much deliberation, here's mine (and, yes, I REALLY struggled to pull something from X) in album order:
Rock Brigade
Wasted
Rocks Off
Let It Go
Bringin' On the Heartbreak
Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
No No No
Photograph
Too Late for Love
Die Hard the Hunter
Foolin'
Rock of Ages
Women
Love Bites
Gods of War
Hysteria
Desert Song
Ride Into The Sun
Ring Of Fire
I Wanna Be Your Hero
Let's Get Rocked"
White Lightning
Turn To Dust
Deliver Me
Demolition Man
Paper Sun
Day After Day
Cry
Go
Cruise Control
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Ahh, I can't handle the big challenge, mostly because I haven't heard all of their albums. I am a huge fan of a couple of their albums though, can't get enough of em. Anyways, I will try for a top 10 here:
Ok, I may have bent the rules on one song, but I did try and include something from each of my favorite albums by them. This was incredibly hard for me.
1. Animal
2. Love Bites
3. Bringin' On the Heartbreak (Live 1988)
4. Hysteria
5. Billy's Got A Gun
6. Photograph
7. Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)
8. Love And Affection
9. Women
10. Paper Sun
It really is too bad, Euphoria is such a strong album, but it is let down by the mixing for me. The sounds are mostly all there, but the background vocals are way too loud, and the drums are too quiet. The balance is just off. That being said, it still is an enjoyable album.
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I'll only do a top ten.
10. Gods of War
9. Rock of Ages
8. Run Riot
7. Promises
6. Bringin' on the Heartbreak
5. Two Steps Behind
4. Let's Get Rocked
3. Photograph
2. Hysteria
1. Armageddon It
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Formerly a huge fan, but I still enjoy them. Can't do the list since it's been so long since I heard them all, but...
1. Desert Song
2. Paper Sun
Retro Active was probably favourite release of theirs, and despite it being so out of place for them I actually rather enjoyed Slang.
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In no order:
Love Bites
Mirror mirror
Bringing on the heartbreak
Let's get rocked
Action
Armageddon it
Hysteria
Foolin
Photograph
Lady strange
I used to really like them and saw them once before and remember it being an awesome show, if this were 10 years ago id do 30 songs but I haven't listened to them in so long that 10 was a struggle without listening to them.
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Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Animal
White Lightning
Foolin'
Let's Get Rocked
Gods of War
Rock of Ages
Die Hard the Hunter
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Top 10 in chronological order:
Lady Strange
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Stagefright
Photograph
Hysteria
Let's Get Rocked
Desert Song
Ring Of Fire
Demolition Man
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I was a huge fan when High n Dry came out. Pyromania is OK and that tour would be my first concert. Very dissappointed with Hysteria, especially after the long wait between albums. Saw that tour 3 or 4 times and thought the opening bands killed them (Queensryce, Tesla) anthough Europe kind of sucked..
Anyway, the only decent thing about Hysteria was the B sides. Remember the 45's covers that you could make a puzzle with?? Those B sides rocked, unlike the album.
When I heard Vivian Campbell was going to join them, I thought great! H e wil inject a little more of a hard rock edge. I bought Adrenalize and almost puked. WTF?? I have sampled a few songs here and there, and based on a recommendation from someone I respect, gave Euphoria a full listen. That sucked too.
While they were to be come wildly famous and successful, they remain as one of my biggest disappointments in music.
Anyway, my Top 17 songs in chronological order:
Rock Brigade
Wasted
Rocks Off
Overture
Let It Go
Another Hit And run
Switch 625
Lady Strange
Mirror Mirror
Die Hard The Hunter
Stagefright
Comin' Under Fire
Action Not Words
Billy's Got A Gun
Tear It Down
Riding Into The Sun
Ring Of Fire
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Don't have their entire discog, but of what I do have, here's the top 10 in no particular order.
Photograph
Die Hard the Hunter
Foolin
Animal
Women
Promises
Ring of Fire
Action
2 Steps Behind
When 2 Worlds Collide (yeah, I went there)
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I'll play.
I like most Def Lep albums excluding Slang (hate it on the whole) and enjoy X- You can't beat Pyro and Hysteria though. I prefer their ballads to the rockers on the whole. Def Lep just don't rock anymore.
Top 10
Let It Go
Die Hard
Billy's Got A Gun
Love Bites
Hysteria
Excitable
Love & Affection
Tear It Down
Bringing On The Heartbreak
Don't Shoot Shotgun
Top 30
Hello America
Rocks Off
Let It Go
High & Dry
Bringing On The Heartbreak
Photograph
Stagefright
Too Late For Love
Die Hard The Hunter
Foolin'
billy's Got A Gun
Love Bites
Gods Of War
Don't Shoot Shotgun
Hysteria
Excitable
Love & Affection
heaven Is
make Love Like A Man
Tonight
Tear It Down
White Lightning
Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
Ring Of Fire
Breathe A sigh
Promises
Goodbye
Unbelievable
You're So Beautiful
Long long Way To Go
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Def Leppard
October 12, 1987
Providence Civic Center
(https://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z246/TACPics/DF1.jpg)
(https://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z246/TACPics/DF2.jpg)
(https://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z246/TACPics/DL.jpg)
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Favorites of each album (Not necessarily top 10)
Rock Brigade
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Stagefright
Love Bites
White Lightning
Action
All I Want is Everything
Paper Sun
Scar
Undefeated I haven't heard Sparkly Sparkles enough yet nor I'm interested in it, so I'm gonna pass for that one and post a Mirrorball song instead
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On Through The Night
1. Rocks Off
2. Wasted
3. It Don't Matter
High 'n' Dry
1. Switch 625
2. Let It Go
3. Mirror Mirror
Pyromania
1. Die Hard The Hunter
2. Rock Of Ages
3. Photograph
Hysteria
1. Run Riot (blazing solo too)
2. Pour Some Sugar On Me
3. Armageddon It
Adrenalize
1. Tear It Down
2. White Lightning
3. Stand Up
Retro-Active
(I'm not including Action 'cos it's a cover, otherwise it'd easily be in the top 3)
1. Ring Of Fire
2. I Wanna Be Your Hero
3. Desert Song
Slang
1. Pearl Of Euphoria
2. Work It Out
3. Gift Of Flesh
Euphoria
1. Paper Sun
2. Back In Your Face
3. Promises
X
1. Torn To Shreds
2. Scar
3. Now
Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
1. C'mon C'mon
2. Go
3. Nine Lives
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After much deliberation, here's mine (and, yes, I REALLY struggled to pull something from X) in album order:
Rock Brigade
Wasted
Rocks Off
Let It Go
Bringin' On the Heartbreak
Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
No No No
After these two albums Def Leppard stopped making music I enjoyed
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I am not as old as most of the people in this thread, but there was a time DF was my favorite band. And that was based largely on Hysteria. I’ve said elsewhere it was my first or second ever CD, which I got at the same time I got my new stereo I bought with money I saved up from my paper route. It was glorious. I had been hung up on songs I heard on the radio and MTV but had never delved so deep in to an album like Hysteria before. It was so great from start to finish. I then went back and got High N Dry and Pyromania. They took a little longer to digest, but I loved them just as much. By the time their next album came out, I was getting in to classic rock and prog, moving away from what was on the radio and MTV at the time.
Anyway… I haven’t heard the last couple of their albums enough to comment, some not at all. They completely dropped off my radar, though I occasionally will listen to stuff from H&D-P-H.
Top 10, In random order:
Mirror, Mirror
Lady Strange
Die Hard The Hunter
Stagefright
Too Late for Love
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Gods of War
Hysteria
Love and Affection
Tear it Down
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I agree with you on Hysteria. While Pyromania was a calculated move in a much more commercial direction than their first two albums and wasn't nearly as raw as those albums, it still rocked plenty. As good as Hysteria is, it was MUCH more commercial, which was a hurdle for me at first. But it wasn't long before it caught on with me and I began to appreciate how good it is. The liner notes in the Special Edition do a great job of talking about the band's history during this period and what they were going through. It highlights just how obsessed they (especially Joe) were with Michael Jackson's Thriller album and in trying to do a rock album that could have just as many, if not more, top 10 singles. A lot of people think Rick Allen's accident was what caused such a long delay in putting this album out. It was definitely a factor, but they delay would not have been nearly as significant if not for the band's obsession, which led to so much re-writing and re-recording over that time. And, really, I have to say the result was worth it. Yeah, the delay was a pain. But in return, Hysteria was a grade-A album, and in addition, we got a LONG list of top-notch B-sides that would later form the backbone of Retroactive.
Anyway… I haven’t heard the last couple of their albums enough to comment, some not at all.
There is some decent stuff. I think X is their weakest album by a long shot. Yeah! is a decent covers album. The covers they do are more obscure stuff, which I think actually elevates it, and the performance are pretty good. But, ultimately, it's "just a covers album," if you know what I mean. Sparkle Lounge was actually pretty good, IMO. When you consider that this is a band that went full-on pop rock, and consider their age and the fact that it's hard for a band to sound "hungry" at this age, I think they did a pretty good job. Nothing that will go down as a "classic," but it's still a fun album that I actually do want to take off the shelf and spin every now and then.
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Only two of us mentioned Slang that I see, anybody else not hate it? I like that they have explored doing different things and think it's pretty fun as an album.
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Only two of us mentioned Slang that I see, anybody else not hate it? I like that they have explored doing different things and think it's pretty fun as an album.
As a whole, no, I don't like it. There are a couple of songs that are okay that I think are worthy of representing the album on a collection, but as a whole, I just don't care for it.
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I kinda lost track of them after Retro Active.
Funny how back in the 80s, a four year lag was a huge gap between releases. Yet, this year alone, Rush, Circus Maximus, Nightwish, Threshold and The Flower Kings just put out an album after 5 years off.
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Yorost, to add to my prior post about Slang, for comparative purposes, here's how I would rank their albums:
1. Pyromania
2. Hysteria
3. High N Dry
4. RetroActive
5. Euphoria
6. On Through The Night
7. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
(Yeah!)
8. Adrenalize
9. Slang
10. X
1-3 are almost interchangeable, and could look completely different if you catch me on a different day. 8-10 are albums I don't really care for and will probably never listen to as a whole.
@Chad: I still think it's a huge gap. Unless there is a good reason, I think anything longer than 3 years is inexcusable. The only band I listen to out of the ones you posted is Nightwish. And while I think Imaginaerum is great, there is no excuse for it taking 5 years.
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That's a pretty good ranking, I agree on how you split the top 5 and bottom 5(6) even if I might rearrange them. I guess that might be a common way to split the top and bottom, though, so maybe that's not surprising. :dunno: When I say I enjoy Slang it's really talking about having it maybe ranked 6th-8th (not counting the covers album).
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Yeah, makes sense. For me, the biggest dropoff in quality is in between my 7 and 8. In a way, Adrenalize is almost Hysteria pt. 2. It was such a logical progression. But the main problem with it is just the dropoff in quality. And add to that the fact that there was just no need to do an album so similar because, after Hysteria, I just don't really want to listen to another album that sounds so similar, but isn't nearly as close in quality. It was automatically going to suffer in comparison. And while it's true that Euphoria also very closely followed the Hysteria formula, it brought back a bit of the edge that Adrenalize lacked, and it was simply a much better written album.
I will also say that if, hypothetically, Hysteria had been a double album that included the B-sides, it would unequivocally be my #1. But then again, I guess that would kind of such because I'm not sure we would have gotten Retroactive, and a lot of the other songs from it may not have ever seen the light of day.
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Yeah, I 'll say this before I think on what my top 10 etc. would be... Hysteria gets too much crap now. Pretty much like the rest of the 80's and "hair metal" or whatever.
That album is a damn good album IMO and gets knocked I guess because of the attention it got. I also understand it was a turn away from what was considered their harder sound although they were never a metal band for me even with the early records they always sounded like a rock band with the singer screaming from time to time. Everything that came after Hysteria on the other hand is freely up for bashing...
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@Chad: I still think it's a huge gap. Unless there is a good reason, I think anything longer than 3 years is inexcusable. The only band I listen to out of the ones you posted is Nightwish. And while I think Imaginaerum is great, there is no excuse for it taking 5 years.
Oh, I agree. It was a huge gap. That day and age, studio releases was probably the primary source of revenue for a lot of bands. nowadays, not as much.
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Can't agree with you more on Adrenalize, bosk1. It just feels so dead as an album, despite seeming you should enjoy it.
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For me they only have a top 10 - it's called "High -n- Dry"
Don't care for much of the rest of their output other than an odd track here or there.
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For me they only have a top 10 - it's called "High -n- Dry"
:lol Fair enough. But I have to ask: original or remix?
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Have the Jim Steinman Hysteria tapes ever surfaced?
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For me they only have a top 10 - it's called "High -n- Dry"
:lol Fair enough. But I have to ask: original or remix?
I don't care much for the remix to be honest.
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Only two of us mentioned Slang that I see, anybody else not hate it? I like that they have explored doing different things and think it's pretty fun as an album.
As a whole, no, I don't like it. There are a couple of songs that are okay that I think are worthy of representing the album on a collection, but as a whole, I just don't care for it.
Yeah I pretty much hated it but Breathe A Sigh is a good song. I'd take X over it, and Euphoria.
Album-wise for me
Pyro
Hysteria
High & Dry
Adrenalize
Retroactive
X
Euphoria
On Through The Night
Sparkle Lounge
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I was a huge fan when High n Dry came out. Pyromania is OK and that tour would be my first concert. Very dissappointed with Hysteria, especially after the long wait between albums. Saw that tour 3 or 4 times and thought the opening bands killed them (Queensryce, Tesla) anthough Europe kind of sucked..
Anyway, the only decent thing about Hysteria was the B sides. Remember the 45's covers that you could make a puzzle with?? Those B sides rocked, unlike the album.
When I heard Vivian Campbell was going to join them, I thought great! H e wil inject a little more of a hard rock edge. I bought Adrenalize and almost puked. WTF?? I have sampled a few songs here and there, and based on a recommendation from someone I respect, gave Euphoria a full listen. That sucked too.
While they were to be come wildly famous and successful, they remain as one of my biggest disappointments in music.
Anyway, my Top 17 songs in chronological order:
Rock Brigade
Wasted
Rocks Off
Overture
Let It Go
Another Hit And run
Switch 625
Lady Strange
Mirror Mirror
Die Hard The Hunter
Stagefright
Comin' Under Fire
Action Not Words
Billy's Got A Gun
Tear It Down
Riding Into The Sun
Ring Of Fire
You took the words right out of my mouth. (although I did think that Euphoria was at least as good as Hysteria...and certainly better than Adrenalize or Slang)
But mostly, I think Leppard lost me post-Willis. Everything that Willis was involved in was incredible. Everything after he left was a Journey-clone....and not in a good way.
The first three albums are all fantastic. Everything after that only holds a mild passing interest for me.
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Saw them several times, the best probably at Donington Monsters Of Rock Festival with Rick's first official gig after the accident (they played a small warm up prior to the festival). The ovation he got was spine tingling.
Saying that, I never rated them as a live band. Too much stuff on tape to get any excitement going and Joe's vocals were never great live. Never saw them pre- Pyro though.
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BTW...my album ranking...
1. High 'n' Dry
2. Pyromania
3. On Through the Night
4. Hysteria/Euphoria
5. everything else...some of which I havn't even bothered with. (X, Sparkle Lounge, Yeah)
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Only two of us mentioned Slang that I see, anybody else not hate it? I like that they have explored doing different things and think it's pretty fun as an album.
Oh, it was a struggle to choose 3 songs worth mentioning from Slang :) Actually, it was a struggle getting three out of X and Songs From The Sparkle Lounge too - I don't really feel that Leppard do "bad" albums, but they haven't managed a really strong album since Steve Clark died.
Def Leppard were never just about Steve Clark though, but he was the one who added the special sauce to their output, as far as I'm concerned. What's interesting is the following comment from https://www.steveclarkguitar.com/articles-and-interviews/last-words-from-steve-clark:
"On the older records I came up with virtually all the music."
Which doesn't really tally with the songwriting credits, but then different bands have different ideas as to what constitutes writing and what constitutes arrangement.
Too much stuff on tape to get any excitement going and Joe's vocals were never great live.
Joe's vocals is fair comment, but what have they ever had on tape beyond the intro? (I'm hoping it's not the inevitable answer...)
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Hear's something you don't hear everyday. Def Leppard is looking to take legal action against One Direction because one of their recent tracks is similar to Pour Some Sugar On Me.
https://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/did-one-direction-rip-off-def-leppard-for-new-song/
It kind of sounds like a cover of PSSOM, I don't know but one thing I do know is that I would happily see Def Leppard win over One Direction anyday of the week. :lol
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That article made me listen to a One Direction song of my own free will for the first time of my life...only to hear about 3 seconds and 3/4ths of a chord progression in the chorus that sounded like Pour Some Sugar on Me. Not sure they have much of a case over that as opposed to something like a full melody like the Satch/Coldplay suit back in 2008.
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One has to laugh at the idea that "One Direction" ripped off Def Leppard, as if any of One Direction could write a song if their hair depended on it. I'm sure they all get songwriting credits here and there in the time honoured tradition of "change a word, take a third", though.
The chorus of the song bears a resemblance to Sugar, but I'd say the verses bear more of a resemblance to The Who's My Generation.
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THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY FANS OF DEF LEP:
https://www.defleppard.com/albums/slang-deluxe-edition
Their most underated album, and one of their best.
Yes it was different, but this album is 100% pure class!! :metal
Lots of rare tracks and songs versions in bonus.
And the artwork is sooooo beautiful. :tup
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THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY FANS OF DEF LEP:
https://www.defleppard.com/albums/slang-deluxe-edition (https://www.defleppard.com/albums/slang-deluxe-edition)
Their most underated album, and one of their best.
Yes it was different, but this album is 100% pure class!! :metal
Lots of rare tracks and songs versions in bonus.
And the artwork is sooooo beautiful. :tup
So, you get more bonuses with the iTunes version than the CD? :tdwn
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Don't care about the itunes version, I already know those tracks (there is very little) and to be honest, they are far from being great, compared to the material of the 2 cds. ;)
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Never been a fan of this album. Definitely in my bottom 3, along with Adrenalize and X.
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Wow...
That means that you consider that "Euphoria" and "Songs from the spark lounge" are better than "Slang"... :yeahright
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By leaps and bounds.
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I just don't get it.
"Euphoria" and "SFTSL" are shit albums. :yeahright
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I think you're doing Def Leppard wrong.
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I haven't really been into DL for a very long time. But I just had to jump in and defend Euphoria. I thought that was their best album since Pyromania. (My like for Hysteria is more of a guilty pleasure)
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But I just had to jump in and defend Euphoria. I thought that was their best album since Pyromania.
I would put Hysteria and Retro-Active ahead of it, but yeah, I feel similarly. My top 3 are HND, Pyromania, and Hysteria (awesome 3-album run, by the way), and I'm not even sure which order I would rank them in. Retro-Active would follow closely behind at #4, and Euphoria closely behind that at #5. Then there is a dropoff to me where I would put the "okay" albums (On Through The Night and Sparkle Lounge) and then a dropoff to the "do not like" albums (Adrenalize, Slang, and X).
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I haven't really been into DL for a very long time. But I just had to jump in and defend Euphoria. I thought that was their best album since Pyromania. (My like for Hysteria is more of a guilty pleasure)
I'm an old DL (HnD era) fan too, and Euphoria was stongly suggested for someone like me, being someone that swore off DL ages ago.
Man, did it suck..
I'm sorry.
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I haven't listened to anything other than HnD, Pyro and Retroactive in ages. If memory serves correct my fave tracks from the Euphoria era were the ones that didn't make the cut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M62PWvWGec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JsUIEfbIRg
I like the line at the start of Burnout :D
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For me, Hysteria will always be on top. There just isn't a song I don't like on there. I also think it sounds the best of all their albums.
I used to hate Adrenalize, but I gave it a second chance and one by one it grew on me. There are still two songs on there I don't listen to, but I like the rest. I found that it seemed to follow the natural progression of their sound from HnD -> Pyro -> Hysteria -> Adrenalize. Adrenalize is where it becomes too a bit too poppy for me though, which is why I rank it lower.
Euphoria is a good album with a couple bad songs on it IMO. A lot of the songs sound like classic Def Leppard, and then there is some 90s pop songs stuck right in between. It also suffers from a bad mix I think. I would love to remix that album. All of the sounds are there, but they aren't in balance with each other like they should be. Perhaps that may just be a product of the times.
For their recent output, I don't know. I just don't like how it sounds. Some songs on Sparkle are ok, but to me they sound like standard rock songs (and instrument sounds) with some Leppard elements thrown in. That's why I'm not excited at all about them starting to record a new album. When I think of Def Leppard I just can't get past that huge 80s sound. Somehow I doubt that any new release will have that.
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When I think of Def Leppard I just can't get past that huge 80s sound. Somehow I doubt that any new release will have that.
Vivian has said as much in recent days - they're laying down a few tracks and doing it very raw/live for the first time in eons
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Just got Viva Hysteria on Blu Ray and it's really awesome. Great performance and the Ded Flatbird tracks were great especially all the High n Dry stuff.
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Song from new album I happened to stumble across.
https://soundcloud.com/defleppard/01a/s-JSOoc