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Post by quarky on May 25, 2022 8:08:48 GMT -8
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Post by Dan on May 25, 2022 9:20:37 GMT -8
Maybe it's just me but I don't remember previous releases creating this much traffic on this board. At least it feels incredibly busy.
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Post by mikeleppard on May 25, 2022 9:37:20 GMT -8
So far, the only slow down point on the album, for me, is Goodbye For Good..., not because it's bad, but because it doesn't have the energy of the previous songs... The first half of the album is awesome, no matter what kind of music style the band bring to us, what a album...  |
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Post by mikeleppard on May 25, 2022 9:40:13 GMT -8
All We Need reminds me a little bit to It's All About Believing, in the same vein, great track... great track!
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Post by mikeleppard on May 25, 2022 9:44:04 GMT -8
Aside from the 70 glam rock influence, there is a loooot of Beatles influence as well....
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Post by CindyJ on May 25, 2022 9:52:19 GMT -8
DEF LEPPARD
Diamond Star HalosBludgeon Riffola / Mercury Rating: 7 out of 10 With such an abundance of certified, timeless anthems in their now vast catalogue, DEF LEPPARD could absolutely be forgiven for resting on their laurels, touring the world on an endless nostalgia trip and never again making a new album. But the one thing that has always made the British crew so widely appealing is that DEF LEPPARD have never stopped behaving like the wide-eyed, priapic teenagers they were when they penned "Hello America" all those years ago. The band's recorded output over the last 20 years has certainly included some dubious moments, but the overall impression has continued to be of a band in love with rock 'n' roll, enormous singalong tunes and the whole arena rock experience. If 2015's self-titled album turned out be a long way from the definitive work its title promised, it still had plenty to commend it, and lots of evidence that DEF LEPPARD are still more than capable of whacking out an irresistible, hard rock showstopper. We may be past the point where they will ever make a certified classic again (and with both "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" on the books, why would they need to?),but DEF LEPPARD are still enthusiasts at heart, and "Diamond Star Halos" is an album with a big, stupid grin on its face. What hits home hardest here is how relaxed DEF LEPPARD are right now. "Diamond Star Halos" is low on shiny bells and high-tech whistles, but it compensates by being (mainly) full of simple, heartfelt and punchy songs. "Take What You Want", "Kick" and "Fire It Up" provide a perfect opening trilogy, with all the giant hooks, glam-meets-metal riffs and expensive but understated production anyone could possibly need. "This Guitar" and "Angels (Can't Help You Now)" depict the LEPs in languid, country rock mode, aided hugely by two stunning guest vocals from ALISON KRAUSS and some beautiful guitar solos. "Lifeless" and "SOS Emergency" are a little darker and grittier than their counterparts, with both existing in a similar sonic ballpark to the ageless "Animal". Closer "From Here To Eternity" is a wonderfully indulgent ballad: '70s glam flamboyance colliding with some classic LEPPARD vocal harmonies; "Liquid Dust" is a joyously schmaltzy salute to ELTON JOHN and THE BEATLES with elegant waves of stirring strings. Of course, this wouldn't be a DEF LEPPARD record without a couple of major clangers. "U Rok Mi" is as lyrically feeble and goofy as its title suggests (and yes, they definitely do this stuff on purpose!), while "Gimme A Kiss" is a hard rocker so slight that its inclusion is genuinely bewildering. For the most part, however, "Diamond Star Halos" is a very good time had by all. Source
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Post by diva on May 25, 2022 10:06:14 GMT -8
They just added stickers on Instagram. I have no clue how to use them, but there you go.
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Post by CindyJ on May 25, 2022 10:23:19 GMT -8
Just got email notification that my black vinyl with signed lithograph has been shipped! Woohoo!
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Post by CindyJ on May 25, 2022 10:39:20 GMT -8
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Post by mikeleppard on May 25, 2022 10:54:34 GMT -8
So, several tracks have Ronan as a drum programmer... Rick Allen hasn't been mentioned so much regarding this album... How much would his collaboration have been? Or he just not played on the record?  |
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Post by Jefflep on May 25, 2022 10:59:06 GMT -8
I was really concerned about how involved Rick was. I want him to have as many opportunities to shine as possible. I know Lep is his bread & butter, but as a human & an artist I hope he was able to express himself and add a fine a dimension to the music that he can be proud of. So, several tracks have Ronan as a drum programmer... Rick Allen hasn't been mentioned so much regarding this album... How much would his collaboration have been? Or he just not played on the record? |
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Post by tsmith on May 25, 2022 11:16:57 GMT -8
Have gotten to listen.
My initial impression...Love it! Very strong, huge sound and pretty easily exceeds the last couple albums, at least for me. This just feels bigger and more in the vein of the Slang through X era IMO. I loved the first 3 singles and have talked about them plenty but it's still my favorite 3 track start to an album since Hysteria. Other instant standouts for me are SOS Emergency and Gimme A Kiss as they both are in the classic Leppard, melodic style I dig.
Liquid Dust, U Rok Mi, All We Need, Open Your Eyes and Unbreakable....all sounded interesting. Liquid Dust is definitely a Slang type tune. U Rok Mi is an X type tune and I dig the groove of it. All We Need does remind me a little of It's All About Believin'. With Open Your Eyes I get a little bit of a Day After Day vibe. Unbreakable also is pretty good and felt "Euphoria-ish" to me.
That leaves 5 tunes I haven't mentioned yet. First, This Guitar is probably my least favorite song on the album. I just don't care for the Country twang of this one but it does feel like there's a good song there with a different arrangement. Next is Goodbye for Good This time. It's okay, but I don't care to hear so much orchestration in a Leppard song and it just kind of felt like a bit of a downer after a lot of excitement with previous tracks. Angels (Can't Help You Now) is next and I really don't mind this one and can see it growing on me as I dug the way it kind of builds up. Lifeless follows and it's okay I guess and has some decent harmonies but the Country vibes hold it back from being better IMO. I heard the Joe only version also and I probably prefer the Krauss version as it adds some nice color to the tune. Lastly, From Here to Eternity is okay but is like a Pearl of Euphoria combined with Blind Faith type of song and those just aren't my cup of "Leppard tea". Everyone has different tastes though so I'm sure plenty will dig these tunes and maybe they do become growers for me.
Overall though, there's easily 10-11 tunes I find myself digging which is still a solid album worth of material. Without a doubt TWYW, Kick, Fire It Up, SOS Emergency and Gimme A Kiss are my highlights as these catchy, melodic type tunes are my sweet spot for Leppard. And U Rok Mi is close to a highlight that has a cool vibe about it. And like I said earlier, no question for me that this album exceeds at least the past couple albums. We'll see how it stacks up against the others with more listens.
After a few more listens, thought I'd come back and do my ranking of the tunes for my tastes. I clearly prefer the more rocking songs over the ballads and/or more eclectic sounding stuff.
1. Take What You Want
2. SOS Emergency
3. Gimme A Kiss
4. Kick
5. Fire It Up
6. U Rok Mi
7. Unbreakable
8. All We Need
9. Liquid Dust
10.Open Your Eyes
11.Angels (Can't Help You Now)
12.Lifeless
13.From Here to Eternity
14.Goodbye for Good This Time
15.This Guitar
Sorry if I said too much but hard to contain the excitement!
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Post by mike1990 on May 25, 2022 11:23:56 GMT -8
Have gotten to listen. I'm not saying too much until I get to listen in better quality and not while I'm working but just have to share some quick thoughts. My initial impressions....Very strong and pretty easily exceeds the last couple albums, at least for me. This just feels bigger and more in the vein of the Slang through X era IMO. I loved the first 3 singles and have talked about them plenty but it's still my favorite 3 track start to an album since Hysteria. Other instant standouts for me are SOS Emergency and Gimme A Kiss as they both are in the classic Leppard, melodic style I dig. Liquid Dust, U Rok Mi, All We Need, Open Your Eyes and Unbreakable....all sounded interesting. Liquid Dust is definitely a Slang type tune. U Rok Mi is an X type tune. All We Need does remind me a little of It's All About Believin' like was said earlier. With Open Your Eyes I get a little bit of a Day After Day vibe. Unbreakable also is pretty good and felt "Euphoria-ish" to me. That leaves 5 tunes I haven't mentioned yet. First, This Guitar is probably my least favorite song on the album. I just can't stand the Country twang of this one and not sure I have much desire to hear this again. I'm not sure the Joe only version can save it for me either. Next is Goodbye for Good This time. It's okay, but I don't care to hear so much orchestration in a Leppard song and it just kind of bored me after a lot of excitement with previous tracks. Angels (Can't Help You Now) is next and I really don't mind this one and can see it growing on me as I dug the way it kind of builds up. Lifeless follows and that's another one that's not working for me as the song just kind of feels....well...Lifeless lol. I heard the Joe only version also and it really doesn't change my thoughts. Lastly, From Here to Eternity is okay but is like a Pearl of Euphoria combined with Blind Faith type of song and those just aren't my cup of "Leppard tea". Everyone has different tastes though so I'm sure plenty will dig these tunes! Overall though, there's easily 10-11 tunes I find myself digging which is still a solid album worth of material. Without a doubt TWYW, Kick, Fire It Up, SOS Emergency and Gimme A Kiss are my highlights as these catchy, melodic type tunes are my sweet spot for Leppard. And like I said earlier, no question for me that this album exceeds at least the past couple albums. We'll see how it stacks up against the others with more listens. Sorry if I said to much but hard to contain the excitement! I actually like This Guitar more than I thought I would. But I agree with your assessment where you say it feels more like a Slang-X kind of vibe. It definitely feels that way Out of the ballads, I don't really care for Goodbye for Good, but I do like Angels. Of course that may change over time I can definitely see why quarky said a good amount of people won't like it. I dig it one time through though |
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Post by tsmith on May 25, 2022 11:42:15 GMT -8
I feel like there was definitely a cool concept in This Guitar and the idea about a Guitar or music saving somebody is excellent. But I'd have rather heard some kind of acoustic take like a Two Steps Behind or some other type of acoustic start that maybe exploded into something else in maybe a Bringin' On The Heartbreak type way.
The whole Country flavor just really killed it quickly for me.
[/quote]I actually like This Guitar more than I thought I would. But I agree with your assessment where you say it feels more like a Slang-X kind of vibe. It definitely feels that way
Out of the ballads, I don't really care for Goodbye for Good, but I do like Angels. Of course that may change over time
I can definitely see why quarky said a good amount of people won't like it. I dig it one time through though[/quote]
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Post by Armageddonit on May 25, 2022 11:44:52 GMT -8
Alright....how are folks hearing this today?  |
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Post by mikeleppard on May 25, 2022 13:42:32 GMT -8
After listening to the whole record, I realized that maybe this should have been an 11 or 12 track album, with 3 or 4 more bonus track (taken from the 15)... So I tried to make MY OWN DSH if that was the case, here is my 12 picked songs for it:
Side A:
01 - Take What You Want
02 - Kick
03 - Fire It Up
04 - Liquid Dust
05 - U Rok Mi
06 - Goodbye For Good This Time
Side B:
01 - All We Need
02 - SOS Emergency
03 - Angels (Can't Help You Now)
04 - Unbreakable
05 - Lifeless
06 - From Here To Eternity
Bonus tracks (international releases, japanese releases, special edition, etc):
This Guitar
Open Your Eyes
Gimme A Kiss
Plus, the four bonus already annaunced...
Go try this selection and running order once you have the time to do it.
What do you think?
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lecko
Jr. Member
Posts: 13
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Post by lecko on May 25, 2022 14:03:14 GMT -8
I had just one wish about this album. Give as Paper sun style song, or at least Scar or Wings of an Angel.It seems there is nothing close to that.
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Post by mike1990 on May 25, 2022 14:12:53 GMT -8
After listening to the whole record, I realized that maybe this should have been an 11 or 12 track album, with 3 or 4 more bonus track (taken from the 15)... So I tried to make MY OWN DSH if that was the case, here is my 12 picked songs for it: Side A: 01 - Take What You Want 02 - Kick 03 - Fire It Up 04 - Liquid Dust 05 - U Rok Mi 06 - Goodbye For Good This Time Side B: 01 - All We Need 02 - SOS Emergency 03 - Angels (Can't Help You Now) 04 - Unbreakable 05 - Lifeless 06 - From Here To Eternity Bonus tracks (international releases, japanese releases, special edition, etc): This Guitar Open Your Eyes Gimme A Kiss Plus, the four bonus already annaunced... Go try this selection and running order once you have the time to do it. What do you think? Gimme a Kiss as a bonus track?! Blasphemy! Just kidding. Gimme a Kiss is probably my favorite track after 2 listens, so I'm obviously biased lol |
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Post by Jefflep on May 25, 2022 14:27:07 GMT -8
Did you guys receive yours early???0
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Post by gibsonp on May 25, 2022 14:41:31 GMT -8
Would you say “Gimme A Kiss” is better than “Gimme A Job”?
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Post by Blair on May 25, 2022 14:55:10 GMT -8
Would you say “Gimme A Kiss” is better than “Gimme A Job”? Anything is better than Gimme A Job. |
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Post by Armageddonit on May 25, 2022 14:57:45 GMT -8
Would you say “Gimme A Kiss” is better than “Gimme A Job”? Anything is better than Gimme A Job. Maybe not All Night.😁 |
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Post by gibsonp on May 25, 2022 14:59:51 GMT -8
Yeah, I’m inclined to agree with you. Just wanted to make sure the floor hadn’t moved. Would you say “Gimme A Kiss” is better than “Gimme A Job”? Anything is better than Gimme A Job. |
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Post by tsmith on May 25, 2022 15:28:02 GMT -8
Not bad but I couldn't leave off Gimme a Kiss or Open Your Eyes. I'd put those 2 in and add Goodbye for Good This Time and Lifeless to the bonus tracks. That would be a killer 12 track album and frankly, probably something like what my spotify playlist will look like  After listening to the whole record, I realized that maybe this should have been an 11 or 12 track album, with 3 or 4 more bonus track (taken from the 15)... So I tried to make MY OWN DSH if that was the case, here is my 12 picked songs for it: Side A: 01 - Take What You Want 02 - Kick 03 - Fire It Up 04 - Liquid Dust 05 - U Rok Mi 06 - Goodbye For Good This Time Side B: 01 - All We Need 02 - SOS Emergency 03 - Angels (Can't Help You Now) 04 - Unbreakable 05 - Lifeless 06 - From Here To Eternity Bonus tracks (international releases, japanese releases, special edition, etc): This Guitar Open Your Eyes Gimme A Kiss Plus, the four bonus already annaunced... Go try this selection and running order once you have the time to do it. What do you think? |
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Post by CindyJ on May 25, 2022 15:41:03 GMT -8
ALBUM REVIEW: Def Leppard – Diamond Star HalosSeven years after their previous, eponymously titled, album Def Leppard are back with Diamond Star Halos (UMG). It is a long gap between records and right from the off their trademark arena-ready hard rock is in full swing in ‘Take What You Want’ – with it’s crunching chords and touches of On Through The Night. The first three tracks conform to their trademark sound, with the seventies-inspired, glam stomper ‘Kick’ one of the highlights – they have compensated for the familiarity by stuffing it full of hooks. ‘Fire It Up’ is a hard rocker with a slinky little riff and daft and hackneyed lyrics designed purely for a singalong. There are a few more rockers like this on the record, like the glossy melodies and chunky guitars of ‘SOS Emergency’, but the rest of the sixty-one minutes is a varied and diverse affair. Which is a refreshing move for the twelfth record of a band in their forty-fifth year, the most intriguing of which is ‘This Guitar’ – a ballad featuring country musician Alison Krauss which flirts heavily with the genre and is better than it has any right to be. Alas, whilst well intentioned, this approach does not pay off as the vast bulk of this record is overdone, middle of the road and unmemorable. ‘Goodbye For Good This Time’ is the former; a catchy but overblown and gushing ballad, complete with orchestration and the so-bad-it’s-good line; “there’s a lie in belief”. Talking of ballads, none here match the giddy heights of ‘Animal’ or ‘Hysteria’ – the mid paced ‘Angels (Can’t Help You Now)’ is better but you will struggle to recall it the second it is over. ‘Open Your Eyes’ is a slow burner, with Rick Savage‘s bass line the key to its subtle charms. The rest needs more fire and energy, more upbeat tracks and silly anthems. ‘From Here To Eternity’ closes off the record in a moody but slightly dull fashion. Diamond Star Halos is a wide and varied album that, despite the odd chink of light, is run of the mill and forgettable. Rating: 5 / 10 THOMAS THROWER Source
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Post by tsmith on May 25, 2022 15:41:49 GMT -8
Agree. I'm not sure what my favorite is....I basically have 5 favorites. I still might have to give the nod to Take What You Want. I really dig SOS Emergency too though. Gimme A Kiss, Kick and Fire It Up aren't far behind. I do kind of like U Rok Mi quite a bit too. The more I listen to this album, the more it just makes me smile. After listening to the whole record, I realized that maybe this should have been an 11 or 12 track album, with 3 or 4 more bonus track (taken from the 15)... So I tried to make MY OWN DSH if that was the case, here is my 12 picked songs for it: Side A: 01 - Take What You Want 02 - Kick 03 - Fire It Up 04 - Liquid Dust 05 - U Rok Mi 06 - Goodbye For Good This Time Side B: 01 - All We Need 02 - SOS Emergency 03 - Angels (Can't Help You Now) 04 - Unbreakable 05 - Lifeless 06 - From Here To Eternity Bonus tracks (international releases, japanese releases, special edition, etc): This Guitar Open Your Eyes Gimme A Kiss Plus, the four bonus already annaunced... Go try this selection and running order once you have the time to do it. What do you think? Gimme a Kiss as a bonus track?! Blasphemy! Just kidding. Gimme a Kiss is probably my favorite track after 2 listens, so I'm obviously biased lol |
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Post by steellepp on May 25, 2022 16:02:53 GMT -8
Got my notice from Walmart that my LOs shipped!😁
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Post by Armageddonit on May 26, 2022 4:35:24 GMT -8
First playthrough thoughts. Joe is right it is a quantum leap for the band. It feels like it has alot of X and Slang vibes to me which is great because I love both records. Very cool record.
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Post by CindyJ on May 26, 2022 4:40:59 GMT -8
Woke up to emails from CD Japan and Talkshop Live. Japanese CD with bonus tracks and signed CD have been shipped!
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Post by quarky on May 26, 2022 5:02:30 GMT -8
I was wondering, if This Guitar was going to be a single originally, does that means there is a video for that too somewhere?
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