[2008-04-29] Def Leppard "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge"

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

No track listing yet, but the first single off the album will be called "Nine Lives," and it will feature a guest appearance by Tim McGraw. Yep, you read that right. Tour kicks off March 27.

(Details added by Linda)

1. Go
2. Nine Lives (featuring Tim McGraw)
3. C'mon C'mon
4. Love
5. Tomorrow
6. Cruise Control
7. Hallucinate
8. Only The Good Die Young
9. Bad Actress
10. Come Undone
11. Gotta Let It Go

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015D3Z80/?tag=imwan-20

Billy Taylor · 16 Mar 2007

This could get worse before it gets better.

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

No track listing yet, but the first single off the album will be called "Nine Lives," and it will feature a guest appearance by Tim McGraw. Yep, you read that right. Tour kicks off March 27.

Actually, McGraw wrote the song with them. Def Leppard have been off my list since Hysteria which ended their Metal years. Up until Pyromania, damn they were good on those first three records.
Anyway, I'm sure this will be abysmal. I believe they're touring the States with Reo Speedwagon and someone else.

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

Just checked, and the tour is Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon and Styx, which pretty much kills it for me. Without Dennis DeYoung in the latter, I doubt I could sit through the other two to get to what would likely be a one-hour set from Def Leppard.
But I'm excited about the new CD. Have loved practically every disc from Pyromania forward. Yes, even Slang.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

This is the first Def Lep album title since Pyromania to not be a one-word title. The fact that Def Lep collaborated with Tim McGraw is a wee bit unsettling, but I'll reserve judgment until I hear the album.

eelkiller · **Joined:** 10 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 1681

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

The fact that Def Lep collaborated with Tim McGraw is a wee bit unsettling

For me that is an understatement of major proportions :shock:

Ignohippo · **Joined:** 06 Mar 2007 **Posts:** 697

IMO there has been some pretty good stuff from Lep since Hysteria. It's just been way too inconsistent. Slang was a great record – it was just too different at the time to get played on radio.Hysteria was the same way when it first came out – Slang just didn't have the benefit of radio-friendly hits like Animal and Hysteria. It was also killed because it followed Adrenalize which was complete crap. The only negative about Slang was that there wasn't enough rock stuff and there were too many ballads without much in the middle. The half of Retro/active that was written during the Hysteria era was awesome (too bad they remixed most of it), and X was their best album in quite a while.

The first reports from the band was that this was more of a rock record in the veign of High'N'Dry, which would be just what the doctor ordered for me. New press releases are saying that it's more of a tribute to their favorite 70s stuff – which would be ugly. Everytime they go to that cheesy 70s glam crap I completely lose interest (and I'm talking about their originals not the stuff from "YEAH!").

I've heard, even though McGraw worked with them on the first song, they absolutely are NOT going the route of Bon Jovi with this album. It worked for BJ on Lost Highway, but it wouldn't work for Leppard.

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

Sadly, I haven't cared about these guys since 1983 and I think Joe Elliot's voice has been shot for years (at least live), but again, those first 3 albums were killer (wish they'd remaster them some day). Judging by the potential song titles here, I'll be skipping another album from them. Nonethless, here's some info on the album from Blabbermouth.net (and it's now pushed back to May 6)...

DEF LEPPARD's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"Well, it's one of the constants in the history of DEF LEPPARD, and we regret to inform you that it has popped up again: the release of the band's new album, 'Songs from the Sparkle Lounge', has been pushed back (even though the date we mentioned two weeks ago was only a tentative date to start with). The album is now scheduled to come out on May 5 in the UK and May 6 in North America (international dates have not been confirmed yet, but it will probably be May 6 as well). I guess we don't need to tell you that these dates are also tentative and subject to change.

"We can also give you the working titles of all the tracks scheduled to appear on the album. From the way things look now, 11 songs from the Sparkle Lounge will be making their way to your CD player:

01. Nine Lives
02. C'mon C'mon
03. Go
04. Love
05. Cruise Control
06. Bad Actress
07. Hallucinate
08. Tomorrow
09. Come Undone
10. Only the Good Die Young
11. Give It Away

"Please note that some of these titles may still change (they're working titles, after all) and that they are not listed in any particular order."

"Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" will be the band's first LP since last year's "Yeah!", which was a collection of covers of songs by artists who had influenced the band. Their most recent studio album of original material was 2002's "X".

The first single off the album is a song called "Nine Lives", which features a guest appearance by country star Tim McGraw.

DEF LEPPARD will team up with STYX and REO SPEEDWAGON for a North American tour in March/April. The trek will consist of around 20 dates.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

Some interesting releases from Def Lep via Japan:

http://www.melodicrock.com/

MORE SPARKLE FROM DEF LEPPARD:
Universal Japan have announced a April 30 release date for the new Def Leppard album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. Their description of the title is one interesting aspect: "Advanced Japanese release (subject to change) of the new full-length album from legendary hard rock band Def Leppard features song structure reminiscent of hit album "Hysteria" with sound production similar to that of "High 'n' Dry."
The other interesting news is that the release will be as a regular CD and a limited edition SHM-CD format. For those new to this term: "The SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing, SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc, allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players."

At the same time - Universal will release five of the band's other studio albums: On Through The Night, High 'n' Dry, Pyromania, Hysteria & Adrenalize as Cardboard Sleeve SHM-CD Limited Edition re-issues.

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:53 am

Bump ~ added cover art and pre-order link to the first post.

Music4Life · 01 Oct 2006

Hmmm, reminds me of the cover of "Ringo"...

Jeff

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

http://www.melodicrock.com/

Friday, March 28, 2008

DEF LEPPARD PREVIEW SPARKLE LOUNGE ON ROCKLINE BROADCAST:
Def Leppard appeared on the nationally syndicated US radio show Rockline this week to preview songs from their new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, due out at the end of April.
Cleaver move this. The band played 7 full tracks and 4 short snippets, comprising the 11 songs of the new album. The full length previews were interspersed with a Rockline tag to prevent bootlegging and the quality is obviously radio broadcast only, but nevertheless, the tracks can be found in cyberspace for checking out at least...and that's exactly what I have done over the last few hours.
Singer Joe Elliott last week described the album as a rock album, rather than a pop album, which he likened the last original studio album X to. I have to agree. There is a definite attitude change from the slick and polished X record.
From this small and sonically limited preview, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge sounds more aggressive, rawer in it's production style - in that it has a more live, energetic feel and the songs are definitely more dominated by guitar and a certain 70s glam feel.

I've already talked about Nine Lives, which is a good fun song in fairly typical Def Leppard style.
So to the other tracks - just a quick first listen opinion. Full review of the album when it is released.
C'mon C'mon - a big pop anthem drum beat, totally 70s glam and a song with a raw live feel. I imagine this would be a good concert track as it is very simple and easy to learn.
Tomorrow - Perhaps my favourite of the songs at this early stage. I love the hook and the chorus is very catchy. A strong guitar hook...cool song and classic Leppard in style.
Cruise Control - Very modern in it's style and delivery. A darker Slang kind of vibe with effects laden vocals and production. Less appealing initially, but an interesting contrast to the "happier" tracks and perhaps a subtle grower.
Go - Another heavy and quite dramatic song with a big modern guitar riff and more production effects and programming. Perhaps the most challenging track of the new ones. Sounds like Slang a decade later. The slow tempo and heavy beat makes for an imposing track. Some fans might struggle with the direction fo this one.
Bad Actress - One of the faster and more furious rockers I have heard from the band. catchy, but not instant and a bit of a grower. More 70s glam influences and a cool flurry of guitars.
Hallucinate - A much simpler and straight forward song that mixes Yeah! with Euphoria. Uptempo again, showing that this record is generally a good time, "up" record.

One can't get as much from the brief snippets played - but in brief: Only the Good Die Young - Mid-tempo melodic 70s glam; Come Undone - Mid-up tempo rocker; Gotta Let it Go - Dramatic 70s inspired rock anthem...backing vocals sound promising; Love - the only ballad of the album, which sounds ok.
Initial conclusion - a guitar fuelled, good time record that clearly does as the band said it would - mixes the vibe of Yeah! with more traditional Def Leppard sounds (Euphoria, Slang and X).
Musically adventurous in places, but to these ears, it sounds pretty solid so far.

Linda · **Posted:** Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:15 pm

The release date has now been brought forward to April 29th. Here's the official press release:

BAND RETURNS WITH BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM
"SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE" SET FOR RELEASE ON APRIL 29
Album Release Kicks Off With U.S. Spring Concert Tour!

Album Contains 11 NEW Original Songs Including the Single "Nine Lives" Featuring Tim McGraw

Def Leppard, Great Britain's premiere arena rock band, is back with a bang--kicking off 2008 with the release of their 14th studio album and a U.S. arena concert tour scheduled for this spring. Entitled Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UMe), the album contains 11 new songs including the highly-anticipated single "Nine Lives" featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with country music superstar Tim McGraw. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is Def Leppard's first album of brand new material since 2002's X and begins yet another remarkable new chapter in the band's 30-year recording career.

Recorded last year during month-long stints at lead singer Joe Elliott's Dublin studio, the album's title refers to a backstage area called "The Sparkle Lounge" on Def Leppard's 2006 tour where the band would go to write songs. Tracks from the album have been described by the group as written in the style of Hysteria, with the production of High 'n' Dry.

"The whole record's got a great '70s feel," said lead singer Joe Elliott. "By our standards, it's a very different album as we've been very adventurous, musically, on certain numbers. On the album there are classic Def Leppard songs and then there's also tracks that are very new-wave influenced while others sound like middle-to-late '70s AC/DC. There will definitely be some moments on it where anybody that's familiar with our music will go, 'Whoa! I wasn't expecting that!'"

The foundation for the album's collaboration with country music superstar Tim McGraw was layed at Def Leppard's 2006 Hollywood Bowl show where McGraw joined the band on stage for an encore performance of "Pour Some Sugar on Me." The artists stayed in touch following the performance, and when the band started writing the song "Nine Lives" they immediately thought of reaching out to McGraw to sing on it. Guitarist Phil Collen flew to Nashville to play it for McGraw who loved it and recorded the song in Nashville shortly after. Other standout tracks on the album include "Go," reminiscent of the band's classic track "Rocket" in its power and aggressive tribal beat; "Love," an emotive and moving epic song; and the anthemic "Tomorrow," a song written by guitarist Collen about the death of his father.

With more than 65 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, Def Leppard--Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums)--continues to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists. The group's spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name and they are an institution in the touring industry as they continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

http://www.melodicrock.com/

DEF LEPPARD POSTPONE SEVERAL SHOWS:

This message came out over the wires late Friday to ticket holders for some scheduled Def Leppard shows: "We're very sorry to announce that the shows in Quebec City, Ottawa, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Grand Rapids have been postponed due to an illness in the Def Leppard camp. We are working with the other bands to find makeup dates for all of these shows, so please stay tuned for more details! The moment we have any additional information we will pass it along! This does not affect the benefit in Chicago on 4/14, as that show is not part of the Def Leppard/Styx/REO package."

The information I have is that band members Phil Collen and Joe Elliott both came down with a virus and both have lost their voices and there was just no way to do the shows. Apparently the band expect to make up the postponed dates in August. Get well soon guys...

Ignohippo · **Joined:** 06 Mar 2007 **Posts:** 697

I heard the Rockline broadcast and, from what i heard, this album is pure crap. I would file this one with Adrenalize and Euphoria.
Perhaps my hate for it is because Joe Elliott sounded off months ago that this would be their return to High N' Dry style rock. This isn't anywhere close. They need to stop trying to be a 70's glam band and go back to being Def Leppard.

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

Bonus tracks are not looking exceptional at this point -- just alternate takes of two tracks:

"Love" (Piano Version) (UK & Japan Bonus Track)
"Nine Lives" (Def Leppard Version) (Japan Bonus Track)

Some UK sites are showing a Deluxe Edition, with a bonus DVD that contains:

"Behind The Curtain" (making of doc)
"The Sparkle Lounge Commentary" (band members talking about the tracks)
"Nine Lives" (video of the single)

Music4Life · 01 Oct 2006

Look for them to appear on "Dancing with the Stars" next Tuesday (I'm not kidding) 4/29. My how the mighty have fallen...

Jeff

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

Music4Life wrote:

Look for them to appear on "Dancing with the Stars" next Tuesday (I'm not kidding) 4/29. My how the mighty have fallen...

Jeff

Man, they fell years and years ago, somewhere around 1987...it's pathetic what they've become.

Midnightwind · **Joined:** 08 Mar 2008 **Posts:** 71

1987 they were still huge and HYSTERIA is one of the all time biggest sellers, so no, they didn't fall around 1987. More like 1995.

[2008-04-29] Def Leppard "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge"

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