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Post by diva on May 28, 2022 6:07:45 GMT -8
I think I'm basically feeling the same as you for a lot of the songs you mention with the exception of This Guitar as I'm just way out on that one. For some reason I'm okay with Lifeless but This Guitar just makes me cringe. I think a little bit of it might be the placement as the 4th track on the album too. It just really kills the momentum for me and like it rolling from TWYW, Kick & Fire It Up right into SOS Emergency much better. Then Liquid Dust provides a nice change of pace after SOS. Feel same about Goodbye for Good. Again, much prefer the track list going from U Rock Mi into All We Need without the diversion and sort of killing the fun vibes. By the time Angels rolls around, I think at that point I feel ready for a ballad. Like you say, I think Angels just feels more like a Def Leppard song to me with the harmonies and such and it strikes a better balance than GFGTT. I also think I enjoy things more just having one orchestrated type tune than 2 as two kind of becomes overkill for me. So if I'm picking one to leave in, it would be Angels. And I think I've gotten to the same place as you on From Here to Eternity. It's basically some combination of Kings of Oblivion, Pearl of Euphoria, Blind Faith and Kings of the World and I'm not a fan of any of those eclectic type songs. I think I like Eternity slightly more than those songs I mentioned but still struggling to get through it. Basically everything else is awesome for me though and the clapping doesn't bother me. I'm loving the fun, catchy, melodic tunes on this and for me that makes it easily better than the last two albums where I didn't get those same vibes nearly as much as I get them here. I don't know if I've really sorted out where it fits amongst Slang, Euphoria and X yet. It's definitely a bit more disjointed than those albums but at the same time feels like some combination of those but it still has a unique/fresh feel. It might be the newness of it all, but I do kind of feel like I might like this album more than all 3 of those albums (especially after I remove the 3 tunes I don't care for). It's very close though and probably will just depend on my mood on a specific day lol. I also have to add that I think I've seen way more positive reactions to this album on the sites and music groups I visit than I remember in quite some time. Yeah, there's the people who want Pyromania and Hysteria again that still aren't happy but those people are never happy lol. Overall it just feels like more people are digging this one to me but maybe that's just me seeing what I want to see so I don't know  Either way, they've done something great here that proudly sits in their catalog! So here are my thoughts on the new album after 5 play throughs. Lots of good traditional Def Leppard material, particularly the rockers which I won't go into here. Instead I want to talk about the other tracks where they pushed their boundaries. This Guitar - I love this, beautiful guitar work, soulful Goodbye for Good This Time - sticks out too much. Good song but too Down n Outz, ruins flow of the album Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - Again a lot like Down n Outz but they make it work better within the context of a Def Leppard album. It gets the balance right between keeping it Def Leppard but pushing themselves in a new direction. Lifeless - Same as This Guitar, great effort, soulful, beautiful From Here To Eternity - oh my God is this not a re-write of Kings of Oblivion and has all the same faults? Too Queen. Just yuck. Slang was awesome for many reasons, but the main reason is they pushed themselves but kept it a cohesive listening experience and all the songs were of high quality. This album reminds of X. Not in the poppy sense, but in that 80% of it is Viv era Def Leppard, and 20% trying something different. So it feels like X disjointed at times. One last complaint, Kick is very high quality, but I'm tiring of the 70s clappy songs, they've flogged it this trick too many times. But all the tracks I don't mention are excellent, and the production is the highest it's been since X which is very welcome. I'd put it on a par with X, not as good as Euphoria or Slang, better than S/T and SFTSL. Still love 12 of the 15 songs so very happy. Ita with the album being well received. I’ve only see one negative tweet about the album. |
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Post by Jefflep on May 28, 2022 6:37:34 GMT -8
I am still gonna need to spend some more time with it. I still have questions lol
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deef
Jr. Member
Posts: 96
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Post by deef on May 28, 2022 6:53:44 GMT -8
Still don’t have a favourite off the record, but Unbreakable is so dang poppy and fun!!!
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Post by Pippa73 on May 28, 2022 7:00:14 GMT -8
Or put simply I like all the tracks apart from the last one, but not the flow of the album.
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Post by kenny9592 on May 28, 2022 7:26:15 GMT -8
Listened to this on the way to and from seeing “Top Gun: Maverick” yesterday. Felt like I was back in high school. Both are well done. On top of that, my vinyl with the signed lithograph was in the mailbox today! Whoo hoo!  |
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Post by DesertSun81 on May 28, 2022 7:53:55 GMT -8
I think it's cool how all of us hear vastly different things while listening. This is probably the case with Leppard's catalog more than most as well because their back catalog now is so incredibly diverse and many fans are fans for many different reasons. FHTE after several listens does not remind me much of anything they've done previously. While KOO is one of my favorites on EUPHORIA and for me has some of the best guitar work/riffs of the Phil/Viv era and one of my favorite vocals from Joe, I don't hear any resemblance to FHTE but now I'm intrigued to go back and listen. I had made the comment from the reviews read that the song may have things in common with POE, but I don't really hear that either. FHTE is also significantly more interesting musically than BLIND FAITH is for me. The only thing all these songs have in common IMO is they are all album closers.  FHTE is another example on this album of how the vocals and vocal melodies just lift the song to a higher level. There's so much going on vocally that I feel I still have many listens to go before I have the song down...I love the complexity and unorthodox song structure of this one (which may partially be on accident if you listened to Viv on Sirius yesterday during the album playback). I think I'm basically feeling the same as you for a lot of the songs you mention with the exception of This Guitar as I'm just way out on that one. For some reason I'm okay with Lifeless but This Guitar just makes me cringe. I think a little bit of it might be the placement as the 4th track on the album too. It just really kills the momentum for me and like it rolling from TWYW, Kick & Fire It Up right into SOS Emergency much better. Then Liquid Dust provides a nice change of pace after SOS. Feel same about Goodbye for Good. Again, much prefer the track list going from U Rock Mi into All We Need without the diversion and sort of killing the fun vibes. By the time Angels rolls around, I think at that point I feel ready for a ballad. Like you say, I think Angels just feels more like a Def Leppard song to me with the harmonies and such and it strikes a better balance than GFGTT. I also think I enjoy things more just having one orchestrated type tune than 2 as two kind of becomes overkill for me. So if I'm picking one to leave in, it would be Angels. And I think I've gotten to the same place as you on From Here to Eternity. It's basically some combination of Kings of Oblivion, Pearl of Euphoria, Blind Faith and Kings of the World and I'm not a fan of any of those eclectic type songs. I think I like Eternity slightly more than those songs I mentioned but still struggling to get through it. Basically everything else is awesome for me though and the clapping doesn't bother me. I'm loving the fun, catchy, melodic tunes on this and for me that makes it easily better than the last two albums where I didn't get those same vibes nearly as much as I get them here. I don't know if I've really sorted out where it fits amongst Slang, Euphoria and X yet. It's definitely a bit more disjointed than those albums but at the same time feels like some combination of those but it still has a unique/fresh feel. It might be the newness of it all, but I do kind of feel like I might like this album more than all 3 of those albums (especially after I remove the 3 tunes I don't care for). It's very close though and probably will just depend on my mood on a specific day lol. I also have to add that I think I've seen way more positive reactions to this album on the sites and music groups I visit than I remember in quite some time. Yeah, there's the people who want Pyromania and Hysteria again that still aren't happy but those people are never happy lol. Overall it just feels like more people are digging this one to me but maybe that's just me seeing what I want to see so I don't know Either way, they've done something great here that proudly sits in their catalog! So here are my thoughts on the new album after 5 play throughs. Lots of good traditional Def Leppard material, particularly the rockers which I won't go into here. Instead I want to talk about the other tracks where they pushed their boundaries. This Guitar - I love this, beautiful guitar work, soulful Goodbye for Good This Time - sticks out too much. Good song but too Down n Outz, ruins flow of the album Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - Again a lot like Down n Outz but they make it work better within the context of a Def Leppard album. It gets the balance right between keeping it Def Leppard but pushing themselves in a new direction. Lifeless - Same as This Guitar, great effort, soulful, beautiful From Here To Eternity - oh my God is this not a re-write of Kings of Oblivion and has all the same faults? Too Queen. Just yuck. Slang was awesome for many reasons, but the main reason is they pushed themselves but kept it a cohesive listening experience and all the songs were of high quality. This album reminds of X. Not in the poppy sense, but in that 80% of it is Viv era Def Leppard, and 20% trying something different. So it feels like X disjointed at times. One last complaint, Kick is very high quality, but I'm tiring of the 70s clappy songs, they've flogged it this trick too many times. But all the tracks I don't mention are excellent, and the production is the highest it's been since X which is very welcome. I'd put it on a par with X, not as good as Euphoria or Slang, better than S/T and SFTSL. Still love 12 of the 15 songs so very happy. |
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Post by dsmithkma on May 28, 2022 8:41:11 GMT -8
Really loving the new album but it's mastered too hot for my taste but most modern music is, killing the dynamics.
"This Guitar" is fantastic but I'm a sucker for Alison Krauss and I think her and Joe sound wonderful together...can see this getting some radio love on country stations.
Overall, after a few listens I'm digging it. 7/10 for me.
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Post by Dan on May 28, 2022 8:58:47 GMT -8
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Post by CindyJ on May 28, 2022 9:13:54 GMT -8
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Post by deflepp10 on May 28, 2022 9:15:41 GMT -8
I might be in the minority but after a few full listens front to back I feel U Rock Mi should have been the clear next single. While I enjoy this guitar and the album ( post on that later as this album takes me in so many directions I love it)
Was hesitant when I read the reviews of U Rock Mi but I think it's stellar, Phil knocked it out of the park, well done Phil!
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Post by Armageddonit on May 28, 2022 9:28:50 GMT -8
I might be in the minority but after a few full listens front to back I feel U Rock Mi should have been the clear next single. While I enjoy this guitar and the album ( post on that later as this album takes me in so many directions I love it) Was hesitant when I read the reviews of U Rock Mi but I think it's stellar, Phil knocked it out of the park, well done Phil! Great choice, could be a amazing single. |
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Post by diva on May 28, 2022 10:15:57 GMT -8
I might be in the minority but after a few full listens front to back I feel U Rock Mi should have been the clear next single. While I enjoy this guitar and the album ( post on that later as this album takes me in so many directions I love it) Was hesitant when I read the reviews of U Rock Mi but I think it's stellar, Phil knocked it out of the park, well done Phil! Great choice, could be a amazing single. Same! |
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Post by foolin3 on May 28, 2022 10:31:56 GMT -8
I might be in the minority but after a few full listens front to back I feel U Rock Mi should have been the clear next single. While I enjoy this guitar and the album ( post on that later as this album takes me in so many directions I love it) Was hesitant when I read the reviews of U Rock Mi but I think it's stellar, Phil knocked it out of the park, well done Phil! I remember, at some point Phil saying, Sugars riff was taken from a song called white lines, from grandmaster flash and the furious five. Go listen to that song and then listen to u rok mi. I hear the same riff/bass line or whatever it is. I agree this is the single on this album! |
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Post by tsmith on May 28, 2022 11:39:37 GMT -8
FHTE doesn't remind me musically of stuff like KOO, Pearl of Euphoria, Blind Faith, etc but the only reason I pointed it out is that it's kind of like those tunes in that it's very eclectic and very different. They're just more artistic type tunes and I guess I'm not a very artsy guy I do like it better than those tunes I mentioned though and I'm still a little on the fence with it. It's still well toward the bottom of songs for me on this though. It's definitely a unique song and does have that 1940's gangster type of vibe. And it very much sounds like outro music so it's a good album closer. I think it's cool how all of us hear vastly different things while listening. This is probably the case with Leppard's catalog more than most as well because their back catalog now is so incredibly diverse and many fans are fans for many different reasons. FHTE after several listens does not remind me much of anything they've done previously. While KOO is one of my favorites on EUPHORIA and for me has some of the best guitar work/riffs of the Phil/Viv era and one of my favorite vocals from Joe, I don't hear any resemblance to FHTE but now I'm intrigued to go back and listen. I had made the comment from the reviews read that the song may have things in common with POE, but I don't really hear that either. FHTE is also significantly more interesting musically than BLIND FAITH is for me. The only thing all these songs have in common IMO is they are all album closers. FHTE is another example on this album of how the vocals and vocal melodies just lift the song to a higher level. There's so much going on vocally that I feel I still have many listens to go before I have the song down...I love the complexity and unorthodox song structure of this one (which may partially be on accident if you listened to Viv on Sirius yesterday during the album playback). I think I'm basically feeling the same as you for a lot of the songs you mention with the exception of This Guitar as I'm just way out on that one. For some reason I'm okay with Lifeless but This Guitar just makes me cringe. I think a little bit of it might be the placement as the 4th track on the album too. It just really kills the momentum for me and like it rolling from TWYW, Kick & Fire It Up right into SOS Emergency much better. Then Liquid Dust provides a nice change of pace after SOS. Feel same about Goodbye for Good. Again, much prefer the track list going from U Rock Mi into All We Need without the diversion and sort of killing the fun vibes. By the time Angels rolls around, I think at that point I feel ready for a ballad. Like you say, I think Angels just feels more like a Def Leppard song to me with the harmonies and such and it strikes a better balance than GFGTT. I also think I enjoy things more just having one orchestrated type tune than 2 as two kind of becomes overkill for me. So if I'm picking one to leave in, it would be Angels. And I think I've gotten to the same place as you on From Here to Eternity. It's basically some combination of Kings of Oblivion, Pearl of Euphoria, Blind Faith and Kings of the World and I'm not a fan of any of those eclectic type songs. I think I like Eternity slightly more than those songs I mentioned but still struggling to get through it. Basically everything else is awesome for me though and the clapping doesn't bother me. I'm loving the fun, catchy, melodic tunes on this and for me that makes it easily better than the last two albums where I didn't get those same vibes nearly as much as I get them here. I don't know if I've really sorted out where it fits amongst Slang, Euphoria and X yet. It's definitely a bit more disjointed than those albums but at the same time feels like some combination of those but it still has a unique/fresh feel. It might be the newness of it all, but I do kind of feel like I might like this album more than all 3 of those albums (especially after I remove the 3 tunes I don't care for). It's very close though and probably will just depend on my mood on a specific day lol. I also have to add that I think I've seen way more positive reactions to this album on the sites and music groups I visit than I remember in quite some time. Yeah, there's the people who want Pyromania and Hysteria again that still aren't happy but those people are never happy lol. Overall it just feels like more people are digging this one to me but maybe that's just me seeing what I want to see so I don't know Either way, they've done something great here that proudly sits in their catalog! |
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Post by CindyJ on May 28, 2022 12:03:35 GMT -8
Today Joe opened his Planet Rock radio show with Gimme A Kiss That Rocks, played Open Your Eyes fifteen minutes into the show, played Goodbye For Good This Time at the show's halfway point and ended the hour with SOS Emergency.  |
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Post by Dan on May 28, 2022 12:16:55 GMT -8
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Post by sugarme on May 28, 2022 12:21:38 GMT -8
After my first run through- I really like U Rok Mi and Gimme a Kiss. I agree a single could be there ( either way ) and I was humming the chorus from both all day. Catchy fun and great guitars! Found myself skipping a couple tracks that will definitely take some time to sink in... Still think TWYW will become a classic Lep song. Hit it out of the park and fingers double crossed to hear it live!
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Post by Dan on May 28, 2022 12:30:13 GMT -8
Gave in and ordered the regular LP from Amazon. It will get here before the picture disc. No local stores had the album in stock in vinyl. This album has so much ear candy I couldn't resist. Plus I love the artwork.
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Post by quarky on May 28, 2022 13:05:59 GMT -8
Sorry for the stupid questions, but what would U Rok Mi do as a single these days? I mean, I love it but do radio stations only play songs released as singles? Will radio stations in the US play it anyway if a single but not if it isn't? I haven't really listened to the radio for about 20 years, mainly because it is rubbish here, so not sure if "singles" are really the same as they were back then?
Streaming services add album tracks anyway so it can be added to auto-curated playlists regardless, so I am genuinely curious what difference it would make after the album has already been released?
For My Guitar I wonder if they agreed with Alison to release it anyway (hence it being on the stickers)? Plus, maybe for the (hopeful) cross over appeal?
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Post by treffo on May 28, 2022 13:49:39 GMT -8
A lot of great guitar work. Anyone have a list of whos doing the solos on each track? I was going to suggest that, the only notable solos i can remember from Viv and i have only listened to the record twice are the first solos in Lifeless and From here to Eternity, also apparantly he plays slide guitar on one of the tracks , i didnt pick that up, anyone know? Sounds like Viv on Unbreakable too. And a small part of U Rok Mi. And of course the first half of TWYW. |
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Post by diva on May 28, 2022 13:54:55 GMT -8
The solos are credited in the liner notes
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Post by steellepp on May 28, 2022 14:31:07 GMT -8
One thing I read somewhere is that this album seems to be set up for the vinyl release. Each side (side D being the exception) starts with a rocker. Then through the songs on that side and closing with one of the ballady songs. I did get that vibe a bit on my first listen through on vinyl
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Post by Dan on May 28, 2022 18:42:05 GMT -8
I've listened to the album in fits and starts since the Friday release. I've listened to the songs both in order and at random individually. It sounded really good in either of those situations. I've finally gotten to listen to it in one sitting. I'm gobsmacked. As a total package, front to back, this is awesome! I agree with one reviewer that From Here to Eternity is like the credits rolling. That final track changes pace and brings you back to earth after the ride that was the preceding 14 tracks. It's right up there with the bands best album closers in my opinion.
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Post by PyroGirl83 on May 28, 2022 19:56:57 GMT -8
Really LOVING this album! A reward for all of us after getting through the last two years. I hope to make it to a show this summer to hear the songs they play from this album. I would have loved for From Here to Eternity to have been released as a single.
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Post by thebspolice on May 28, 2022 21:31:15 GMT -8
This is such a fantastic album. It sounds like a current album but also strangely sounds like it could have came out in the late 90's.
With This Guitar being the 4th single I hope the label pushes more singles aswell. Open Your Eyes would make a killer single on rock radio.
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Post by timzy on May 29, 2022 0:32:32 GMT -8
I have ordered my delux cd from record store on Friday, lets hope it arrives :-)
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Post by quarky on May 29, 2022 2:48:35 GMT -8
Seen an advert for it on Spotify!  |
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Post by jdwalker on May 29, 2022 3:23:37 GMT -8
Can we acknowledge how good Sav's bass sounds on this album? Not sure if it's just me, but it seems far more prevalent in the mix than previous Leppard releases. It cuts through beautifully on tunes like 'Liquid Dust', 'U Rok Mi' and 'All We Need'.
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Post by martyd on May 29, 2022 4:33:01 GMT -8
Can we acknowledge how good Sav's bass sounds on this album? Not sure if it's just me, but it seems far more prevalent in the mix than previous Leppard releases. It cuts through beautifully on tunes like 'Liquid Dust', 'U Rok Mi' and 'All We Need'. It's not just you - I've been thinking the same myself. The number of tracks where you can hear a distinct bass line I think exceeds any previous album. And it sounds great. Nothing quite so obvious that's going to replace "Man Enough" as the ringtone on my phone, but very prominent. Definitely adds to the different textures in each song. |
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Post by tsmith on May 29, 2022 6:07:28 GMT -8
I've settled on sort of my personal 11 track playlist for this album that for me makes it absolutely killer. I know plenty like the songs I don't so no offense...all just personal preference  Anyways, for me its: Take What You Want Kick Fire It Up SOS Emergency Liquid Dust U Rok Mi All We Need Open Your Eyes Gimme A Kiss Angels (Can't Help You Now) Unbreakable For me, I just love the setup of TWYW, Kick, Fire It Up and then rolling into SOS Emergency as that makes for an amazing 4 track start to the album. Then Liquid Dust is a nice little change of pace which rolls perfectly into U Rok Mi. Then I like getting back to a little more traditional sounding tune with All We Need, followed by a small diversion type tune with Open Your Eyes. Then I'm back into a classic rocker with Gimme A Kiss before a break with Angels which I'm ready for by this point in the album. Then the album wraps with a catchy, somewhat different but still very much Leppard sounding song with Unbreakable. That's 11 killer tracks that sort of hold my attention throughout and really make it a nice, cohesive listen for me. Little explanation on the songs I've left out. This Guitar I've talked about....Just don't like Country and the song just kills the flow for me. I just find when listening to it I'd much rather hit skip and get to SOS Emergency. Goodbye for Good is okay and I appreciate the musicianship but I only need 1 piano ballad and I like Angels better. Lifeless - I was a little on the fence with this one. Nice harmonies and Krauss adds to the song for sure...but again, it's just giving me too much of a Country pop vibe and that's not what I want from Def Leppard. Lastly, From Here to Eternity - It's a cool concept, the story is interesting and it is a good closer. And I like it more than This Guitar, GFGTT and Lifeless. This is one I could see possibly growing on me. But at the same time, not really finding much desire to listen to it right now as it's just too eclectic and "Queenish" for my tastes. I find I'd much rather just skip back to the beginning of the album and that's what I've been doing as I get about half way through the song so chopped it out. I've also been kind of doing the same thing as I look back at the Slang through the S/T albums as I try to figure out where this new one sits amongst those albums for me. As I look at it, I'm generally coming up with 7-8 tracks on each one if I were to do the same sort of thing by making my "album playlist". And that's way less than the 11 I've got here. So I'm really concluding this is my favorite album from this lineup! Just an exceptional album that's a fine addition to their catalog and I really appreciate the effort that went into making this. It definitely shows in the attention to detail in everything from the songs to the artwork and marketing surrounding the album. Now I'm just hoping it's not another 7 years before the next one |
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Anyways, for me its: