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Post by diva on Jun 2, 2022 9:22:34 GMT -8
If the band made an 80’s sounding album, then the reviewers would complain that the band is trying to recapture old glory. 🤷♀️
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Post by Armageddonit on Jun 2, 2022 9:44:12 GMT -8
If the band made an 80’s sounding album, then the reviewers would complain that the band is trying to recapture old glory. 🤷♀️ They did once in 99. Euphoria. I agree with Joe, it's "patchy".
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Post by foolin3 on Jun 2, 2022 10:41:15 GMT -8
If the band made an 80’s sounding album, then the reviewers would complain that the band is trying to recapture old glory. 🤷♀️ They did once in 99. Euphoria. I agree with Joe, it's "patchy". It is incredible to me when I watch these reviews! I am 50 years old and have loved this band since the beginning. I am the same age as most of if not all of the "it's not HND" crowd! If I want to hear something that sounds like OTTN, HND, PYRO, guess what I do? I listen to those albums! Honestly its not the same band, its not the same band members, not the same producer. For the love of goodness, if they would have rinsed and repeated the same thing over and over for 42 years, I would probably be tired of it. I love me some ACDC, but can anyone honestly tell me they listened to any of the newer albums from start to finish like they did highway to hell? I have enjoyed every phase of this band, I for one love when they do something different, I love the mid tempo songs, I love that they remind me a couple times on new albums that they can still give me the epics. I love the quality of the music. Amazing some of the reviews say things like there's 7 or 8 good songs the rest are fillers or throw aways! Ummmm I listen to a ton, if not most albums that have 1 or 2 decent songs. What an amazing standard this band has set, that if every song is not considered a possible hit, single or great tune that the album gets bashed. Also how many times does Joe have to say it "THEY ARE NOT A BLEEPIN METAL BAND". Sorry had to get that out.
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Post by drappelfed on Jun 2, 2022 10:50:49 GMT -8
I think they could get hints of the old stuff, but it wouldn't be the same. 2 different guitarists, who both wrote songs. Phil and Viv write much different. Not bashing Rick here, but he only plays with one arm now, and that more than anything has changed the sound. I'm not sure he had any part in the record. Joes voice is much different now as opposed to 30 years ago. They just don't qrite the same kind of songs anymore. I would love to hear one of those old tunes with the haunting guitar sounds, but its just not Phil. Maybe Viv, but he doesn't seem to have the opportunity.
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Post by drappelfed on Jun 2, 2022 10:58:30 GMT -8
They did once in 99. Euphoria. I agree with Joe, it's "patchy". It is incredible to me when I watch these reviews! I am 50 years old and have loved this band since the beginning. I am the same age as most of if not all of the "it's not HND" crowd! If I want to hear something that sounds like OTTN, HND, PYRO, guess what I do? I listen to those albums! Honestly its not the same band, its not the same band members, not the same producer. For the love of goodness, if they would have rinsed and repeated the same thing over and over for 42 years, I would probably be tired of it. I love me some ACDC, but can anyone honestly tell me they listened to any of the newer albums from start to finish like they did highway to hell? I have enjoyed every phase of this band, I for one love when they do something different, I love the mid tempo songs, I love that they remind me a couple times on new albums that they can still give me the epics. I love the quality of the music. Amazing some of the reviews say things like there's 7 or 8 good songs the rest are fillers or throw aways! Ummmm I listen to a ton, if not most albums that have 1 or 2 decent songs. What an amazing standard this band has set, that if every song is not considered a possible hit, single or great tune that the album gets bashed. Also how many times does Joe have to say it "THEY ARE NOT A BLEEPIN METAL BAND". Sorry had to get that out. Well said. I've said the same in other posts. For some reason the bar is set to high. If its not a perfect record its trash. I love ACDC also, but your right. A couple good songs and a lot I'm never going to listen to again. Its that way for most bands. Its why people buy one song at a time. Def Leppard has never given us that. Ever!
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Post by TurnToDust86 on Jun 2, 2022 12:43:25 GMT -8
Hard to believe it was a week ago this evening that the album hit streaming/iTunes. After my first listen, I knew I would need to take my time in gathering my thoughts about this album. Each time I started a post, I would get stuck and give up. But I think I'm ready now, haha.
I did the 'old school' thing for the 2015 album since it seemed possible (probable?) that it could be the band's last studio album at that point in time. So when the self titled album dropped, I had only heard "Let's Go." And I didn't bother with streaming/downloading, instead opting to go to Best Buy to pick up the CD on the morning of the album release like I had done so many times before. Then I took it home, popped it in my barely working stereo that I had gotten for Christmas in 2000 and sat in front of it, listening intently for the very first time.
None of that would be possible for me with DSH. For one thing, Best Buy doesn't even sell CDs any more! Not to mention that my poor stereo doesn't play CDs any more. Poor gal still provides audio for my TV but the CD drawer doesn't even open. She had a good run though.
Since I'd gotten my one last classic experience with a new Lep album, I accepted the modern times for this one. I listened to all three singles upon release and when the new album hit iTunes at 11PM Central on May 26, I downloaded it and started listening right away. Being late at night with my wife and daughter sleeping upstairs, I couldn't utilize my stereo so I settled for my earbuds while sitting on the couch in my basement with my dog & cat joining me. I had nothing else on around me as I wanted to be free of any distractions aside from my dog wanting constant attention.
Lep album releases, being so few and far between, are good reference points for where I am in life. It was neat to be in my Lep-decorated basement in my own house for this one. Now I'm married and a father. For the sake of comparison, I lived in an apartment for the 2015 album and wasn't yet married or a father... And for Sparkle Lounge, I was single and living in my parents' house! I also had different jobs for each of those and different cars for two of those. So much change in life between albums.
Anyway, when I first listened to the 2015 album having only heard "Let's Go" ahead of its release, I had the benefit of having "Dangerous" be the first song I'd hear for the very first time upon listening to the album. For DSH, I had put myself in a bit of a bad position by listening to the first three singles since that meant "This Guitar" would be the first song I'd be hearing for the very first time when the album dropped. I was trying to keep an open mind for that one and was intrigued by it since it dates back to the X era, but I also had major concerns about it since it had three huge strikes against it for my personal tastes: an outside writer, an outside singer, and the stylings of country music.
When the song played, I was prepared to hate it for those three reasons (especially for being even remotely country, since I f*cking hate country music). Surprisingly I didn't hate it, but it still seemed to set a bad tone for me upon that first listen for the rest of the album. It certainly picked up once I got past that and moved into the more classic Lep stylings of "SOS Emergency." Still, starting with "This Guitar" made listening to the entire album feel like bashing a square peg into a round hole. Nothing was aligning or clicking with me like I expected.
Of course, a lot of that is down to the pressure that comes with listening to a Lep album for the first time anyway. It's an experience unlike any other band/artist that I listen to that have the freedom of me listening to new music with little to no expectations at all. With Lep however, the expectations are always sky high, no matter how much I try to keep them in check. When reviews start dropping, negative ones have little effect while positive ones will cause a huge jump in excitement even though I know I'll be forming my own unbiased opinion when I finally get to hear it.
Another reason I felt a little put off is that I absolutely loved the 2015 album from the very first time I listened to it, and that had also come after a seven year gap that resulted in sky high expectations. Kicking off with "Dangerous" was certainly a great way to start that experience, but so much of that album was immediate for me. From the very first listen, "Dangerous," "All Time High," and "Wings Of An Angel" especially were instant classics for me. By the end of day one, I was able to pick out my favorites and I knew which songs were my least favorites. Seven years later, my opinion remains virtually the same.
With DSH after the first listen, I couldn't pick anything out as a favorite. Aside from the singles, the songs all ran together as if I was too overwhelmed to absorb any of it. When the album finished playing that first time, I sat there in silence trying to understand how I was feeling as I'd never felt that way after listening to a Lep album for the first time. The closest experience would probably be when X came out in 2002. Upon that first listen, I was a bit disappointed at how poppy most of the album was. Even so, I had instant favorites and I was excited about the album and grew to love it with each listen. 20 years later, I appreciate it much more than I did back then, especially in the wake of what has followed.
After giving myself a minute to contemplate DSH, I decided to give it another listen even though it was midnight, I was exhausted from the work week and playing a softball game at 9:15 PM, and planned on getting up early to hit Target for a CD before work. I hoped that maybe I had finally gone too far with expectations ahead of the release and had all the panic of Leslie Knope on a first date... Which meant I could relax and have a normal experience for the second date. (Sorry if that's an obscure reference.)
Because of the late hour, I skipped right to "This Guitar" for my second listen. And it actually improved upon my second spin. As did each subsequent track. In fact, I was enjoying the hell out of the album on that second listen. It was surprising but relieving to feel that way. The pressures of that first spin were gone and now I was able to just take in each new song as it played. I still didn't have anything jump out at me as an instant favorite like I did with DL15, but I was at least enjoying DSH.
Normally I take Def Leppard release days off work. Since the album dropped on the Friday before a holiday weekend and my team is already shorthanded, I wasn't able to do that this time around. But I still got up early and went to Target before work hoping to snag a CD to check out the first set of bonus tracks. My local store had put the sticker for the album on the shelf earlier in the week so I knew it was coming... But when I arrived, it wasn't there and the employees had no idea if they had anything in stock yet. Between having to work and not being able to get the CD, it's a good thing I had listened the night before rather than try to go old school again.
I listened to DSH three more times throughout the work day and two more times in the evening. And over and over again over the course of the weekend and throughout the week that has followed. Favorites and least favorites are now apparent, though my opinion on this album as a whole is still evolving. Some of my own expectations were wildly subverted. At some point during the weekend, I was over the moon with it. Then at the beginning of the week, some of the shine started to fade a bit. Then it started to rebound. The star ratings on my phone have been changing every couple of days as I struggle to figure out exactly how I feel about certain tracks.
SIDE A - Take What You Want / Kick / Fire It Up / This Guitar
"Take What You Want" was an instant classic. It's everything I want from Def Leppard. A heavy riff, a great melody, Joe putting some energy into his vocals, a pre-chorus good enough to be a chorus, and guitar solos from both Vivian and Phil. It doesn't feel too short or unfinished in any way. As the opening song for the album, I had high expectations and it more than delivered. It's damn near perfect.
"Kick" was merely 'ok' to me as the first single. It grew on me over time and I still struggle to rate it on my phone (Is it three stars? Four stars? Depends on my mood!). It's certainly catchy, if not a bit too derivative. But I love the production on it, which stands out even more to me now after hearing how 'thin' the live version sounds in comparison. I'm sure the difference will be less noticeable when hearing it in a stadium versus listening to the XM broadcast from The Whisky, but still.
"Fire It Up" was a mixed bag for me when it was released. I wasn't crazy about the 'fire it up' bits, I loved the verses (strange as they are) thanks to how Joe sings it over that beautiful mix of drums & guitars, but I was really underwhelmed by the pre-chorus and especially the chorus. And from the very first listen, I hated the middle 'high high higher' bit. And I still do. With more listens, the pre-chorus grew on me a little. Not so much the first part, but the "let me see ya light, spark the dynamite, here we go." I love that part. I like the riff and the solo. The verses of this song are almost exactly what I was expecting, but the pre-chorus & chorus are not. I was hoping for more energy and something a little less... Plain, I guess. With a title like "Fire It Up," I was expecting a bit more of a rip-roaring rocker (perhaps Thousand Foot Krutch is to blame). This track has pieces of a song I would love mixed with pieces of a song I don't.
Both "Kick" and "Fire It Up" improved for me within the context of the album though, so I enjoy both more when listening to the album all the way through. Had "Kick" not come along late in the game and then become the first single, does that mean "Fire It Up" would have been the first single? If so, yikes. That makes me more appreciative of "Kick," as I think "Fire It Up" would have set a bad tone for me (and others) for the album. Either way, by the time this one had settled in, I was a bit over Phil's work with outside writers. Which only increased my hesitation toward the next track.
"This Guitar." The first of four songs I had concerns about coming into the album. For the intro and first verse, those concerns were at the forefront. It cannot be understated how much I dislike country music. I dislike it on the same level as, say, Journey. I didn't like when Tim McGraw was featured on "Nine Lives" and as soon as I got my hands on the McGraw-less version of that song, it has been all that I've listened to. But... Much to my surprise, I didn't have that much disdain for "This Guitar" when it started. In fact, some of my dread was relieved within the first 10 seconds of the song with Alison's "oooh." I had even less concern when the second chorus hit and the music picked up. At that point it took on more of an acoustic Lep ballad style and it had become clear that Alison's vocals, both when shared with Joe and when just adding flare to the gaps, actually added to the song. Which is exactly why "Nine Lives" with Tim McGraw didn't work. He added nothing to the song. Not a single thing. He traded lines with Joe and removing him doesn't change or detract from the song itself. In fact, his presence makes it worse. Alison's vocals on "This Guitar," however, really add to the song. It sounds much fuller and more beautiful with her vocals on it. Phil plays a great solo on this one and I love how personal the song feels for him.
I got my hands on the Japanese CD yesterday, so I've now had a day or so to soak in the Joe-only version of "This Guitar." Obviously we get a much clearer listen of his vocal and the band's backing vocals shine through more. I don't think the song suffers from removing Alison, but there is a clear difference between the versions and it does sound a little less orchestral when it comes to the vocals and even some of the music. It maybe sounds ever-so-slightly less country without her too. The slide guitar keeps it in that realm, but the rest of it takes on more of a "Let Me Be The One" feel to it. My personal tastes when it comes to Lep are to hear Joe sing lead and that's it. The one exception is "We Belong," though there are times that I prefer to listen to the version with him singing lead all the way through rather than listen to the full band album version. In the long run, I think I will prefer the Joe only version of "This Guitar" simply due to my tastes, but it may also come down to what mood I'm in and which version I want to hear.
SIDE B - SOS Emergency / Liquid Dust / U Rok Mi / Goodbye For Good This Time
"SOS Emergency" immediately sounded like a blend of some Manraze stuff and some of the latter day prototypical Lep songs like "Hallucinate" or "Dangerous." My first couple of listens had me put off a bit though, as the mix on the backing vocals made it impossible for me to make out a single thing they were even saying. It was distracting but eventually that went away and I started to enjoy the song more. I love the intro and verses, but I'm a bit back and forth on the chorus. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I feel it could be better. Still, it's a highly enjoyable song since it is much closer to classic Lep than the three songs that preceded it. This song was badly needed here.
Similarly, "Liquid Dust" immediately reminded me of Manraze too... Specifically "Edge Of The World," which is what I referred to when we did the post guessing what each song sounded like a couple months ago. That's one of my favorite Manraze songs and it's one I really wish would have been reserved for Lep, and "Liquid Dust" only confirms that feeling. My expectations were high for this one due to the early comparisons to Slang and "Turn To Dust," and I see where those came from. I'm a sucker for rock songs that incorporate middle eastern melodies and instrumentation (see also Aerosmith's "Taste Of India" and Slash's "Spirit Love"). So I still really enjoy this song even if it didn't quite live up to those early comparisons. And while it does have similarities to "Edge Of The World," that song is better than "Liquid Dust."
Hearing about Phil playing a ukulele on the album, along with the nonsensical title, brought on some concerns about "U Rok Mi." But I was keeping an open mind after seeing reviews, especially by some forum members, praise the rock element of the song. Thankfully they were right, as the rock portion of this is damn good and has some of the best backing vocal production on the album. It's a complete contrast to the buried mess I heard on "SOS Emergency" upon those initial listens. This one will fall into a similar category as "Battle Of My Own" for me, in that it's that Zeppelin-esque rocker that's a little out there but really good. The chorus isn't groundbreaking by any means but as a throwaway rocker mixed with artsy-fartsy instrumentation, it's a really enjoyable song.
Coming into the album, my primary concern was Alison Krauss and the two possibly countrified songs. Less of a concern was Mike Garson featuring on piano on two songs. I did have a concern that they would sound too Down 'n' Outz-ish, but as a fellow fan of Bowie's Aladdin Sane album, I was excited at the thought of Garson playing on a Lep album. Our first taste came via "Goodbye For Good This Time," and it was quickly apparent this was in fact a small leap from songs found on DNO's This Is How We Roll. Garson's work on this track is beautiful, Joe's vocal is fantastic, and the lyrics are darker than I expected. The backing vocals are huge and the strings definitely add to the song. But... This is still my least favorite song on the album. It builds, sure, but not to what I wanted to hear from it. Perhaps if the band had done this together in a studio and turned it into a guitar song, I would have liked it more as a Lep song. I do like it, but it's skippable for me and perhaps should have been left for Down 'n' Outz.
SIDE C - All We Need / Open Your Eyes / Gimme A Kiss That Rocks / Angels (Can't Help You Now)
It probably doesn't help "Goodbye For Good This Time's" case that it precedes my favorite three song run on the entire album. I just want to get through that song and get straight into "All We Need," another one of the most classic sounding Lep songs on the album. The U2 comparisons are apt but once it gets past the intro, it reminds me of some classic Lep singles from the old days. That chorus is so damn good and I love how the backing vocals join in with Joe on the final run. Despite the 'light-ness' of the song, we still get some heavier rhythm guitar under the guitar solo. Both the verses, guitar solo, and outro run longer than expected, which is one of several examples on this album where they weren't rushing to finish a song in three minutes (I'm looking at you, Sparkle Lounge), instead allowing it to properly breathe and flow. Amazing song.
I was quite excited to hear "Open Your Eyes" thanks to its comparisons to the Slang era and it does not disappoint. For once, Joe's lower vocal suits the song and the lyrics are pretty damn cool. The chorus backing vocals sound a bit weird to me, but that's ok as it fits with the song. I love pretty much every darker, heavier song the band has ever done so it's no surprise that this one ranks high for me. I love the atmospherics in the middle of the song, though another guitar solo would not have hurt it. Joe offsets the lower vocals of the verses with much higher vocals in the final chorus, pushing the song to another level before we get a proper guitar solo for the outro... Which is really my only complaint with the song. Since it runs over 4:00, it doesn't feel rushed, but I definitely could have gone for a mid-song solo and especially an extended outro solo beyond what we got. They could have let the outro run on this song for another two minutes and I would have loved every second of it.
"Gimme A Kiss That Rocks" is just plain old, stupid fun. And it completes the trifecta of the mid-tempo commercial rocker, the dark heavy rocker, and now the fast-paced riff driven rocker. The lyrics are dumb but fitting for this type of song and I love everything about it musically. Could do without that kiss at the end though!
Having knocked out three different types of rockers, the only way to close out this side of the album is with a ballad. After "Goodbye For Good This Time" being bit of a letdown for me, I was skeptical going into this one. Thankfully it takes on a little more of a traditional approach with the guitars to start things off. Joe delivers another great vocal, as he always does on these types of songs. I was still a bit 'meh' on the song as it went into the second part of the verse and was still refrained, but it was clearly building up. I could only hope that it would actually build to the level that I had hoped for on "Goodbye For Good This Time" (only for it to never come). Thankfully this time, it did. That massive chorus kicked the door down and filled my earholes with an archetypal orchestra of Leppard backing vocals. The drums remain as we get another great solo from Phil and then another huge chorus to finish this one off. This song was everything that I wanted to hear from "Goodbye For Good This Time" and is easily my favorite of the two songs to feature Mike Garson. The way the song meanders to the finale is so damn good that this feels like possibly the most epic ballad Lep has ever done. Could this have been a Down 'n' Outz song? Absolutely. But this time, there are enough Leppard elements to make it work. And I love it.
SIDE D - Lifeless / Unbreakable / From Here To Eternity
Since I'd been concerned about Alison Krauss's vocals and the country nature of "This Guitar," it's only natural that those concerns carried over to "Lifeless" as well. But this song was actually quite immediate for me thanks to that chorus. Plus once you get past the intro part, it's much more of a traditional sounding Lep song from the X era than "This Guitar." Once again, Alison's vocals enhance the song by filling in some gaps and perfectly blending with Joe's lead during the second verse. I really like that he handled the first verse alone and then she joined in for the second on this one, as it pushed the song to another level once the second verse kicked in. This is actually once of the first songs that I had stuck in my head and actually knew the words to the chorus, as it's that damn catchy and easy. Vivian's solo on this one is awesome, which is no surprise as his usually are, and it was refreshing at this point having heard Phil on the majority of the songs.
The Joe only version of "Lifeless" once again loses a tiny bit of its country flare without Alison's vocals. It's interesting though, because Alison is more prevalent on "This Guitar" but I think her absence has more of an effect on "Lifeless." Especially once it gets to the end of the first chorus and her "ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" isn't there. Still, the standard Lep backing vocals still carry the song and it sounds even more like something that would have been on the X album without Alison's vocals. It still works without her and I love both versions.
And it's here that my expectations had been fully subverted, as I had been more concerned about the Krauss tracks than the Garson tracks coming in... And yet it was the Krauss tracks that I enjoyed more. Once again, I do think that I'll be listening to the Leppard-only versions more in the long run just due to my preference of hearing Joe and Joe only sing lead on Def Leppard songs. But the Krauss versions do offer a different, pleasant listening experience so I will return to them from time to time even if I shift them off the normal album on my phone or the CD copy in my car. These two songs succeed in every way that the McGraw version of "Nine Lives" failed.
When the guitar intro to "Unbreakable" started, I thought we were in for another darker rocker... But then it morphed into a verse that mixes AC/DC with Garbage. Two of my favorite bands blended together by my favorite band. What an odd and unexpected twist. Upon my first few listens, I did think the song may have benefited from being a full on rocker through the verses... But then I went back and read Phil's track by track on iTunes and found they apparently tried that and it didn't work: "We initially tried it like a rock thing—it almost sounded like AC/DC—but it wasn’t working." I do still like how it gets beefed up for the chorus and then has even heavier guitars under the awesome solo by Vivian. And once again I'm happy they allowed the solo to go on more than four bars, as this is another song that would have been a full 90 seconds shorter had it been on the Sparkle Lounge album. The song itself would not have been out of place on that album, it just wouldn't have been as good. Or sounded as good.
When we were doing our guesses on what each new song sounded like back in March, this is what I wrote about "From Here To Eternity":
Turns out, "From Here To Eternity" is "Blind Faith" meets "Kings Of The World." And I f*cking LOVE IT. Rather than focus on piano like "Love" and "Kings Of The World," this one puts guitars at the forefront and is way better for it. The chorus, expectedly, goes into Queen territory but not to the same obscene level as "Love" and especially KOTW. Then when that verse kicks in... My goodness. The melody on the verse is so, so, so good, especially with the guitar riff & tone underneath, and the building pre-chorus makes the song even better. And none of that would be possible without Joe's amazing vocals on this song. He goes from dark and ominous to soaring higher and higher without skipping a beat, which perfectly builds to that massive chorus. The song continues into epic territory thanks to yet another excellent solo from Viv and then a vocal break before we get into that final chorus. And once again my only complaint would be that the song fades out rather than staying loud, giving more time for an extended solo, and then having a proper ending (which can be heard on the track, they just chose to fade it out for some reason). While sharing many traits of "Love" and "Kings Of The World," this song takes the good elements from those and makes it work as a proper rock song. This song works in every way the other two didn't.
I have to hand it to Sav for bookending the album with two awesome but stylistically different rockers.
As for the two alternate versions of the Garson tracks... Neither do anything for me. The Avant-Garde mix of GFGTT is exactly what I expected it to be. Though it gets off-putting when the piano seemingly goes out of rhythm with the song. I get that it's Garson's style or whatever but when it sounds out of sync I can't stand it. When I saw the other version of "Angels" was noted as a "stripped" version, I had hopes for it cutting back on the piano/strings so it could take on more of an acoustic/bass/drums type version... And I still had hopes for that as the song built to the chorus. But unfortunately that wasn't the case. Once again it's mainly piano/strings. I miss the days when we got proper, extra songs as bonus tracks rather than just these piano & strings things we've gotten on almost every album since 2008.
Diamond Star Halos is a great album. It's hard to say where it will end up ranking for me as time passes, but I suspect somewhere around the DL15 album (middle of the pack). It seems unlikely to rank higher than self-titled, but only time will tell. No songs from DSH have jumped out to join my Top 30 favorite Lep songs playlist. Self-titled has two on the list. The closest from DSH would be "Take What You Want," "Open Your Eyes," and "From Here To Eternity." But I can't quite give them that bump.
As much as I am enjoying DSH, I hope this album will bring the 'influence era' to a close. Hopefully there will be another album (or two), and hopefully we won't have to read the words "Queen/Sweet/Slade/Bowie/T. Rex/Hoople" in every single interview about it. I 'get' why the album is titled Diamond Star Halos, but I also don't like it at all. Then again, I haven't liked an album title since Euphoria so that is nothing new. Still, the only thing less original than doing a self-titled album is stealing a lyric from someone else's extremely popular, well-known song. Much of this album still sounds very much like Def Leppard, but I get why some fans will not connect to it at all. Sav himself has even acknowledged that fans may prefer a more guitar driven rock sound like Pyromania in the same way that he would want Queen to stick to the sound of their first five albums. Thankfully he wrote a song just like that for this album. Perhaps now that we've had a Lep covers album, multiple side projects, and portions of Sparkle Lounge/Mirror Ball/Def Leppard/Diamond Star Halos all paying tribute to their influences... They can get back to just being Def Leppard?
I mean, similarly, if Mott The Hoople was still around, would Joe want them to be Mott The Hoople or be 95% focused on their influences?
It's funny, because I used to be concerned about the band's multiple side projects taking away from the pool of songs that could be used for Lep. At the time, the claim was that they sounded 'too different.' Now, we have songs being used for Lep that sound like those side projects, especially Manraze & Down 'n' Outz. Which only confirms that had the songs used for side projects drained the well that could have been used for Lep. Songs like "Every Second Of Every Day," "Low," "Skin Crawl," "You're So Wrong," "Over My Dead Body," "Edge Of The World," "This Is How We Roll," "Last Man Standing," "Let It Shine," and "Walking To Babylon" all could have been Def Leppard songs. In the case of the Manraze songs especially, they likely would have been even better had they been Leppardized.
But! Piling onto my 'be Def Leppard' point from above, let the side projects sound like the side projects since they aren't going away. And let Leppard sound like Leppard. We don't need multiple bands all sounding the same.
To be clear, I would rather have this album than have no album at all. And I certainly understand the benefits of writing and recording this way. If that's the way it'll be from here on out AND it means more frequent new music from the guys, then I'm all for it! But there is part of me (and Vivian, apparently) that hopes they don't entirely do away with getting together to work on new music. There is a clear benefit to working that way, especially if it gets us more Elliott/Collen/Campbell tracks. Getting Collen & Campbell together to trade guitar licks has resulted in some of the band's best post-Vault, pre-influence material, whether it's "Pearl Of Euphoria," "Paper Sun," "Day After Day," or "Scar." The band getting together to play live certainly added more of a rock element to the 2015 album that is less prevalent on DSH. If they don't get together though, hopefully Vivian will take it upon himself to write more for the band. He likes when they rock, so he should write rock songs for the band, simple as that (hypothetically speaking, I'm not saying writing is easy!).
Plus the band has once again spun how they work to fit their current situation. Back in the day, the song was king. No one was married to an idea because they were all about what made the song as good as it could be. Songs were dissected, Leppardized, and put back together better than they started. Now they accept a complete song as-is and claim they're all 'alpha-males' fighting for their songs, which doesn't seem to have ever been the case before. And that's why we wind up with something like "Fire It Up" that has pieces of a great song but is lackluster elsewhere. They don't need to accept things as set in stone. There's always room for improvement.
If DSH will be the template for Lep albums moving forward... It's not my first choice, but I'll gladly take that over the alternative of no new music at all. Even with my minor gripes, there's a lot to like on the album and a lot to love on the album. To put something out of this quality at this stage in their career is still quite impressive.
I intended this to be a quick review... My apologies.
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Post by quarky on Jun 2, 2022 13:25:53 GMT -8
As much as I am enjoying DSH, I hope this album will bring the 'influence era' to a close. Always good to hear what other people think! To me though, it kind of feels the opposite. I feel like some of the writing and songs on the previous albums have been almost "dumbed down" in comparison. How many times in the past did we read the band say that they felt restricted in what they put out because of expectations? Because of what people think Def Leppard need to sound like? And then with DSH, they go and absolutely blow the doors off by ignoring those expectations. I completely understand why some people would prefer to see another rocker swapped in instead of a more mellow song, but to me right now, this is the strongest album for decades. Since Hysteria actually. But to do that, to put out such a strong album, I think they actually dropped some of the more Leppard style expectations and just thought "screw it, we are going to do what we want", and it works, it really does. I think if you take individual songs, you could argue that they could be replaced/improved, but that is true for every album since Hysteria too. I think the difference is that this album, to me, is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. Which was the last album you could say that about? Probably Hysteria (again). My overriding impression when I first heard this at the London listening party was that regardless of how good this really is (the proof will be in six months/twelve months), I would be absolutely staggered if any album going forward is as good as this. I would love to see them try though. Hopefully we get more music, but I think the collaborations could be something we see again too (hoping we see more new music at some point). Like the co-headlining tours, it does feel like this is a strategy for the band. No complaints if it works for them though and helps us see more music.
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Post by TurnToDust86 on Jun 2, 2022 13:37:30 GMT -8
As much as I am enjoying DSH, I hope this album will bring the 'influence era' to a close. Always good to hear what other people think! To me though, it kind of feels the opposite. I feel like some of the writing and songs on the previous albums have been almost "dumbed down" in comparison. How many times in the past did we read the band say that they felt restricted in what they put out because of expectations? Because of what people think Def Leppard need to sound like? And then with DSH, they go and absolutely blow the doors off by ignoring those expectations. I completely understand why some people would prefer to see another rocker swapped in instead of a more mellow song, but to me right now, this is the strongest album for decades. Since Hysteria actually. But to do that, to put out such a strong album, I think they actually dropped some of the more Leppard style expectations and just thought "screw it, we are going to do what we want", and it works, it really does. I think if you take individual songs, you could argue that they could be replaced/improved, but that is true for every album since Hysteria too. I think the difference is that this album, to me, is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. Which was the last album you could say that about? Probably Hysteria (again). My overriding impression when I first heard this at the London listening party was that regardless of how good this really is (the proof will be in six months/twelve months), I would be absolutely staggered if any album going forward is as good as this. I would love to see them try though. Hopefully we get more music, but I think the collaborations could be something we see again too (hoping we see more new music at some point). Like the co-headlining tours, it does feel like this is a strategy for the band. No complaints if it works for them though and helps us see more music. Agreed! I don't want it to sound like I don't enjoy this album because I very much do. And their influences will always be a part of what they do, no matter the sound. Lately though, it has just felt like being on a date with a girl and she spends the majority of the time talking about her parents. Hey, I respect where you came from, but I'm interested in you, not your parents! Def Leppard are legends in their own right and shouldn't be afraid to do what they want. That's exactly what they've done here. I think by passing off their influences off so often, it can come off as undermining their own legendary status as creators and innovators. Pay your respects, sure, but acknowledge your own status too. They said the 2015 album was them doing what they wanted to do no matter the style, DSH took it several steps further. That's great! I'm just saying after 16 years of influence talk, maybe now shift the focus to putting Lep's name at the front. Which goes double for touring as a headliner.
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Post by quarky on Jun 2, 2022 13:42:37 GMT -8
Lately though, it has just felt like being on a date with a girl and she spends the majority of the time talking about her parents. Which goes double for touring as a headliner. It definitely seems like part of their formula doesn't it. But we can always hope!
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Post by quarky on Jun 2, 2022 14:53:32 GMT -8
Don't know this guy. Think he does a podcast or something
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Post by tsmith on Jun 2, 2022 15:08:04 GMT -8
I'm kind of with you both here. I couldn't agree more with Curt in that I'm tired of hearing about their influences and the girl talking about her parents is a brilliant comparison lol. On the flip side though, I feel like something happened to the band on this album by channeling their influences. I think in a weird way it got them back to being Def Leppard if that makes any sense. I mean, essentially this band over the years has been a band that's always kind of pushed the rock and pop boundaries in a melodic way by injecting their own style into it and for me that's when they've done some of their best stuff. However, I feel like they kind of lost that focus with Sparkle and even the S/T. For me, those albums felt more like a collection of songs that generally lacked the detail and ambition I was always used to feeling with their albums. Don't get me wrong, there's still some good songs there. But for me, DSH feels like a band that got their mojo back and this feels more like a "Def Leppard" album to me than the past couple did. They kind of pushed some boundaries and did some melodic, catchy tunes that sound like Def Leppard without blatantly copying themselves. So I guess that just leads me to wonder if channeling their influences is what got them to make this good of an album? If so, I'll take it lol! I am tired of hearing about their influences though and I've said before I don't really much care for any of their influences. I just want them to be Def Leppard and make fun, catchy, melodic music with some more serious/epic type rockers mixed in and a token ballad here or there. Thankfully, they've done a lot of that on this album. As much as I am enjoying DSH, I hope this album will bring the 'influence era' to a close. Always good to hear what other people think! To me though, it kind of feels the opposite. I feel like some of the writing and songs on the previous albums have been almost "dumbed down" in comparison. How many times in the past did we read the band say that they felt restricted in what they put out because of expectations? Because of what people think Def Leppard need to sound like? And then with DSH, they go and absolutely blow the doors off by ignoring those expectations. I completely understand why some people would prefer to see another rocker swapped in instead of a more mellow song, but to me right now, this is the strongest album for decades. Since Hysteria actually. But to do that, to put out such a strong album, I think they actually dropped some of the more Leppard style expectations and just thought "screw it, we are going to do what we want", and it works, it really does. I think if you take individual songs, you could argue that they could be replaced/improved, but that is true for every album since Hysteria too. I think the difference is that this album, to me, is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. Which was the last album you could say that about? Probably Hysteria (again). My overriding impression when I first heard this at the London listening party was that regardless of how good this really is (the proof will be in six months/twelve months), I would be absolutely staggered if any album going forward is as good as this. I would love to see them try though. Hopefully we get more music, but I think the collaborations could be something we see again too (hoping we see more new music at some point). Like the co-headlining tours, it does feel like this is a strategy for the band. No complaints if it works for them though and helps us see more music.
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Post by cmerritt on Jun 2, 2022 15:13:58 GMT -8
Don't know this guy. Think he does a podcast or something he has a podcast called Def Lep pod, on Spotify, Apple etc, the podcast is very good, his knowledge of the band is great and his podcasts on leppard albums and certain songs are great, there is very little else out there podcast based that solely focuses on Def Leppard, I’d encourage anyone to have a listen.
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Post by aloysius on Jun 2, 2022 16:30:39 GMT -8
I've listened for a week. Here's my take on this album...
It's not the kind of evolution I want from Def Leppard. I appreciate what they've done. There are STRONG musical moments on this album. There's lots of catchy stuff. There are 5 or 6 songs I will regularly listen to, but the album as a whole just doesn't scratch my itch.
TWYW...killer
Kick...fun
Fire It Up...grows on you
This Guitar...it's pretty and you can tell it's personal storytelling from Phil, but it feels out of place.
SOS Emergency...feels like Hallucinate recycled
Liquid Dust...Feels like Energized re-attempted, but with the recycled riff from the Undefeated solo. Thumbs down.
U Rock Mi...kinda dig the uke intro and the strong bass work from Sav but still a miss
Goodbye For Good...I appreciate the orchestration and the Phil solo is IMPRESSIVE but not a DL song in my book
All We Need...ok
Open Your Eyes...dark, not bad
Gimme A Kiss...classic Lep but not great Lep
Angels...NOPE
Lifeless...not a bad song but not a Lep song
Unbreakable...now this one got me. Disco Lep. Can't get the chorus out of my head, plus Viv's solo is outstanding.
Eternity...Beatles and Queen had a baby. One of the 5 or 6 I'll keep listening to.
Other thoughts...
Joe sounds good, but isn't pushing any of these songs except for TWYW.
Understand he wasn't in album mode, but I want MORE VIV and less Phil. Both are outstanding but Viv's playing lands more with me.
Like that Sav got more chances to show his chops.
I wanted an excellent hard rock album. Instead DL gave us a rock/power pop album with smatterings of hard rock. It's not the misstep that X was, but it feels like a stretch.
5 out of 10 for me.
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Post by DesertSun81 on Jun 2, 2022 21:17:58 GMT -8
Great review as always! I'm with you that no other band can replicate for me what it's like hearing a new Lep album for the first time, and it's so rare. I so vividly remember my first listens going back to being a 7 year old kid with HYSTERIA (which I know you can relate). It's a shame you didn't enjoy the first listen here more...glad you rebounded quickly. This album alone is making me reconsider not adopting vinyl, and with your review setup in a vinyl format it's making me want to go out and buy a record player even more. I'm aligned a lot with what you've said. AWN/OYE/GAK is also my favorite 3 song run on the album. Putting ANGELS in that fourth spot on vinyl easily makes that my favorite segment of the album. I've thought the exact same thing you said about appreciating KICK even more due to potentially keeping FIRE IT UP away as the first single. I hate to say that as I don't dislike the song (and it's actually grown on me quite a bit since first listen), but I don't think it would have gone down well at all as the leadoff. Makes you wonder what the release cadence would've been in '21 with DSH a 14 song album. Would SOS or GAK have been featured instead? Perhaps TWYW leading off instead? As I said before I don't want to imagine the album without the song. Enjoyed your parallel on Lep releases with life which definitely always goes 100 miles an hour. So much can change in 1 year let alone 7 of them. You can now gauge Lep releases with the age of your kids like I do...I had 1 newborn with SFTSL to now 14 and 10 year old daughters (and quickly approaching birthdays). Will I have a daughter in college when we get the next one (I hope they don't make us wait 5-7 more years with their newfound remote recording)? No reason not to be optimistic given the current climate. Hard to believe it was a week ago this evening that the album hit streaming/iTunes. After my first listen, I knew I would need to take my time in gathering my thoughts about this album. Each time I started a post, I would get stuck and give up. But I think I'm ready now, haha.
I did the 'old school' thing for the 2015 album since it seemed possible (probable?) that it could be the band's last studio album at that point in time. So when the self titled album dropped, I had only heard "Let's Go." And I didn't bother with streaming/downloading, instead opting to go to Best Buy to pick up the CD on the morning of the album release like I had done so many times before. Then I took it home, popped it in my barely working stereo that I had gotten for Christmas in 2000 and sat in front of it, listening intently for the very first time.
None of that would be possible for me with DSH. For one thing, Best Buy doesn't even sell CDs any more! Not to mention that my poor stereo doesn't play CDs any more. Poor gal still provides audio for my TV but the CD drawer doesn't even open. She had a good run though.
Since I'd gotten my one last classic experience with a new Lep album, I accepted the modern times for this one. I listened to all three singles upon release and when the new album hit iTunes at 11PM Central on May 26, I downloaded it and started listening right away. Being late at night with my wife and daughter sleeping upstairs, I couldn't utilize my stereo so I settled for my earbuds while sitting on the couch in my basement with my dog & cat joining me. I had nothing else on around me as I wanted to be free of any distractions aside from my dog wanting constant attention.
Lep album releases, being so few and far between, are good reference points for where I am in life. It was neat to be in my Lep-decorated basement in my own house for this one. Now I'm married and a father. For the sake of comparison, I lived in an apartment for the 2015 album and wasn't yet married or a father... And for Sparkle Lounge, I was single and living in my parents' house! I also had different jobs for each of those and different cars for two of those. So much change in life between albums.
Anyway, when I first listened to the 2015 album having only heard "Let's Go" ahead of its release, I had the benefit of having "Dangerous" be the first song I'd hear for the very first time upon listening to the album. For DSH, I had put myself in a bit of a bad position by listening to the first three singles since that meant "This Guitar" would be the first song I'd be hearing for the very first time when the album dropped. I was trying to keep an open mind for that one and was intrigued by it since it dates back to the X era, but I also had major concerns about it since it had three huge strikes against it for my personal tastes: an outside writer, an outside singer, and the stylings of country music.
When the song played, I was prepared to hate it for those three reasons (especially for being even remotely country, since I f*cking hate country music). Surprisingly I didn't hate it, but it still seemed to set a bad tone for me upon that first listen for the rest of the album. It certainly picked up once I got past that and moved into the more classic Lep stylings of "SOS Emergency." Still, starting with "This Guitar" made listening to the entire album feel like bashing a square peg into a round hole. Nothing was aligning or clicking with me like I expected.
Of course, a lot of that is down to the pressure that comes with listening to a Lep album for the first time anyway. It's an experience unlike any other band/artist that I listen to that have the freedom of me listening to new music with little to no expectations at all. With Lep however, the expectations are always sky high, no matter how much I try to keep them in check. When reviews start dropping, negative ones have little effect while positive ones will cause a huge jump in excitement even though I know I'll be forming my own unbiased opinion when I finally get to hear it.
Another reason I felt a little put off is that I absolutely loved the 2015 album from the very first time I listened to it, and that had also come after a seven year gap that resulted in sky high expectations. Kicking off with "Dangerous" was certainly a great way to start that experience, but so much of that album was immediate for me. From the very first listen, "Dangerous," "All Time High," and "Wings Of An Angel" especially were instant classics for me. By the end of day one, I was able to pick out my favorites and I knew which songs were my least favorites. Seven years later, my opinion remains virtually the same.
With DSH after the first listen, I couldn't pick anything out as a favorite. Aside from the singles, the songs all ran together as if I was too overwhelmed to absorb any of it. When the album finished playing that first time, I sat there in silence trying to understand how I was feeling as I'd never felt that way after listening to a Lep album for the first time. The closest experience would probably be when X came out in 2002. Upon that first listen, I was a bit disappointed at how poppy most of the album was. Even so, I had instant favorites and I was excited about the album and grew to love it with each listen. 20 years later, I appreciate it much more than I did back then, especially in the wake of what has followed.
After giving myself a minute to contemplate DSH, I decided to give it another listen even though it was midnight, I was exhausted from the work week and playing a softball game at 9:15 PM, and planned on getting up early to hit Target for a CD before work. I hoped that maybe I had finally gone too far with expectations ahead of the release and had all the panic of Leslie Knope on a first date... Which meant I could relax and have a normal experience for the second date. (Sorry if that's an obscure reference.)
Because of the late hour, I skipped right to "This Guitar" for my second listen. And it actually improved upon my second spin. As did each subsequent track. In fact, I was enjoying the hell out of the album on that second listen. It was surprising but relieving to feel that way. The pressures of that first spin were gone and now I was able to just take in each new song as it played. I still didn't have anything jump out at me as an instant favorite like I did with DL15, but I was at least enjoying DSH.
Normally I take Def Leppard release days off work. Since the album dropped on the Friday before a holiday weekend and my team is already shorthanded, I wasn't able to do that this time around. But I still got up early and went to Target before work hoping to snag a CD to check out the first set of bonus tracks. My local store had put the sticker for the album on the shelf earlier in the week so I knew it was coming... But when I arrived, it wasn't there and the employees had no idea if they had anything in stock yet. Between having to work and not being able to get the CD, it's a good thing I had listened the night before rather than try to go old school again.
I listened to DSH three more times throughout the work day and two more times in the evening. And over and over again over the course of the weekend and throughout the week that has followed. Favorites and least favorites are now apparent, though my opinion on this album as a whole is still evolving. Some of my own expectations were wildly subverted. At some point during the weekend, I was over the moon with it. Then at the beginning of the week, some of the shine started to fade a bit. Then it started to rebound. The star ratings on my phone have been changing every couple of days as I struggle to figure out exactly how I feel about certain tracks.
SIDE A - Take What You Want / Kick / Fire It Up / This Guitar
"Take What You Want" was an instant classic. It's everything I want from Def Leppard. A heavy riff, a great melody, Joe putting some energy into his vocals, a pre-chorus good enough to be a chorus, and guitar solos from both Vivian and Phil. It doesn't feel too short or unfinished in any way. As the opening song for the album, I had high expectations and it more than delivered. It's damn near perfect.
"Kick" was merely 'ok' to me as the first single. It grew on me over time and I still struggle to rate it on my phone (Is it three stars? Four stars? Depends on my mood!). It's certainly catchy, if not a bit too derivative. But I love the production on it, which stands out even more to me now after hearing how 'thin' the live version sounds in comparison. I'm sure the difference will be less noticeable when hearing it in a stadium versus listening to the XM broadcast from The Whisky, but still.
"Fire It Up" was a mixed bag for me when it was released. I wasn't crazy about the 'fire it up' bits, I loved the verses (strange as they are) thanks to how Joe sings it over that beautiful mix of drums & guitars, but I was really underwhelmed by the pre-chorus and especially the chorus. And from the very first listen, I hated the middle 'high high higher' bit. And I still do. With more listens, the pre-chorus grew on me a little. Not so much the first part, but the "let me see ya light, spark the dynamite, here we go." I love that part. I like the riff and the solo. The verses of this song are almost exactly what I was expecting, but the pre-chorus & chorus are not. I was hoping for more energy and something a little less... Plain, I guess. With a title like "Fire It Up," I was expecting a bit more of a rip-roaring rocker (perhaps Thousand Foot Krutch is to blame). This track has pieces of a song I would love mixed with pieces of a song I don't.
Both "Kick" and "Fire It Up" improved for me within the context of the album though, so I enjoy both more when listening to the album all the way through. Had "Kick" not come along late in the game and then become the first single, does that mean "Fire It Up" would have been the first single? If so, yikes. That makes me more appreciative of "Kick," as I think "Fire It Up" would have set a bad tone for me (and others) for the album. Either way, by the time this one had settled in, I was a bit over Phil's work with outside writers. Which only increased my hesitation toward the next track.
"This Guitar." The first of four songs I had concerns about coming into the album. For the intro and first verse, those concerns were at the forefront. It cannot be understated how much I dislike country music. I dislike it on the same level as, say, Journey. I didn't like when Tim McGraw was featured on "Nine Lives" and as soon as I got my hands on the McGraw-less version of that song, it has been all that I've listened to. But... Much to my surprise, I didn't have that much disdain for "This Guitar" when it started. In fact, some of my dread was relieved within the first 10 seconds of the song with Alison's "oooh." I had even less concern when the second chorus hit and the music picked up. At that point it took on more of an acoustic Lep ballad style and it had become clear that Alison's vocals, both when shared with Joe and when just adding flare to the gaps, actually added to the song. Which is exactly why "Nine Lives" with Tim McGraw didn't work. He added nothing to the song. Not a single thing. He traded lines with Joe and removing him doesn't change or detract from the song itself. In fact, his presence makes it worse. Alison's vocals on "This Guitar," however, really add to the song. It sounds much fuller and more beautiful with her vocals on it. Phil plays a great solo on this one and I love how personal the song feels for him.
I got my hands on the Japanese CD yesterday, so I've now had a day or so to soak in the Joe-only version of "This Guitar." Obviously we get a much clearer listen of his vocal and the band's backing vocals shine through more. I don't think the song suffers from removing Alison, but there is a clear difference between the versions and it does sound a little less orchestral when it comes to the vocals and even some of the music. It maybe sounds ever-so-slightly less country without her too. The slide guitar keeps it in that realm, but the rest of it takes on more of a "Let Me Be The One" feel to it. My personal tastes when it comes to Lep are to hear Joe sing lead and that's it. The one exception is "We Belong," though there are times that I prefer to listen to the version with him singing lead all the way through rather than listen to the full band album version. In the long run, I think I will prefer the Joe only version of "This Guitar" simply due to my tastes, but it may also come down to what mood I'm in and which version I want to hear.
SIDE B - SOS Emergency / Liquid Dust / U Rok Mi / Goodbye For Good This Time
"SOS Emergency" immediately sounded like a blend of some Manraze stuff and some of the latter day prototypical Lep songs like "Hallucinate" or "Dangerous." My first couple of listens had me put off a bit though, as the mix on the backing vocals made it impossible for me to make out a single thing they were even saying. It was distracting but eventually that went away and I started to enjoy the song more. I love the intro and verses, but I'm a bit back and forth on the chorus. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I feel it could be better. Still, it's a highly enjoyable song since it is much closer to classic Lep than the three songs that preceded it. This song was badly needed here.
Similarly, "Liquid Dust" immediately reminded me of Manraze too... Specifically "Edge Of The World," which is what I referred to when we did the post guessing what each song sounded like a couple months ago. That's one of my favorite Manraze songs and it's one I really wish would have been reserved for Lep, and "Liquid Dust" only confirms that feeling. My expectations were high for this one due to the early comparisons to Slang and "Turn To Dust," and I see where those came from. I'm a sucker for rock songs that incorporate middle eastern melodies and instrumentation (see also Aerosmith's "Taste Of India" and Slash's "Spirit Love"). So I still really enjoy this song even if it didn't quite live up to those early comparisons. And while it does have similarities to "Edge Of The World," that song is better than "Liquid Dust."
Hearing about Phil playing a ukulele on the album, along with the nonsensical title, brought on some concerns about "U Rok Mi." But I was keeping an open mind after seeing reviews, especially by some forum members, praise the rock element of the song. Thankfully they were right, as the rock portion of this is damn good and has some of the best backing vocal production on the album. It's a complete contrast to the buried mess I heard on "SOS Emergency" upon those initial listens. This one will fall into a similar category as "Battle Of My Own" for me, in that it's that Zeppelin-esque rocker that's a little out there but really good. The chorus isn't groundbreaking by any means but as a throwaway rocker mixed with artsy-fartsy instrumentation, it's a really enjoyable song.
Coming into the album, my primary concern was Alison Krauss and the two possibly countrified songs. Less of a concern was Mike Garson featuring on piano on two songs. I did have a concern that they would sound too Down 'n' Outz-ish, but as a fellow fan of Bowie's Aladdin Sane album, I was excited at the thought of Garson playing on a Lep album. Our first taste came via "Goodbye For Good This Time," and it was quickly apparent this was in fact a small leap from songs found on DNO's This Is How We Roll. Garson's work on this track is beautiful, Joe's vocal is fantastic, and the lyrics are darker than I expected. The backing vocals are huge and the strings definitely add to the song. But... This is still my least favorite song on the album. It builds, sure, but not to what I wanted to hear from it. Perhaps if the band had done this together in a studio and turned it into a guitar song, I would have liked it more as a Lep song. I do like it, but it's skippable for me and perhaps should have been left for Down 'n' Outz.
SIDE C - All We Need / Open Your Eyes / Gimme A Kiss That Rocks / Angels (Can't Help You Now)
It probably doesn't help "Goodbye For Good This Time's" case that it precedes my favorite three song run on the entire album. I just want to get through that song and get straight into "All We Need," another one of the most classic sounding Lep songs on the album. The U2 comparisons are apt but once it gets past the intro, it reminds me of some classic Lep singles from the old days. That chorus is so damn good and I love how the backing vocals join in with Joe on the final run. Despite the 'light-ness' of the song, we still get some heavier rhythm guitar under the guitar solo. Both the verses, guitar solo, and outro run longer than expected, which is one of several examples on this album where they weren't rushing to finish a song in three minutes (I'm looking at you, Sparkle Lounge), instead allowing it to properly breathe and flow. Amazing song.
I was quite excited to hear "Open Your Eyes" thanks to its comparisons to the Slang era and it does not disappoint. For once, Joe's lower vocal suits the song and the lyrics are pretty damn cool. The chorus backing vocals sound a bit weird to me, but that's ok as it fits with the song. I love pretty much every darker, heavier song the band has ever done so it's no surprise that this one ranks high for me. I love the atmospherics in the middle of the song, though another guitar solo would not have hurt it. Joe offsets the lower vocals of the verses with much higher vocals in the final chorus, pushing the song to another level before we get a proper guitar solo for the outro... Which is really my only complaint with the song. Since it runs over 4:00, it doesn't feel rushed, but I definitely could have gone for a mid-song solo and especially an extended outro solo beyond what we got. They could have let the outro run on this song for another two minutes and I would have loved every second of it.
"Gimme A Kiss That Rocks" is just plain old, stupid fun. And it completes the trifecta of the mid-tempo commercial rocker, the dark heavy rocker, and now the fast-paced riff driven rocker. The lyrics are dumb but fitting for this type of song and I love everything about it musically. Could do without that kiss at the end though!
Having knocked out three different types of rockers, the only way to close out this side of the album is with a ballad. After "Goodbye For Good This Time" being bit of a letdown for me, I was skeptical going into this one. Thankfully it takes on a little more of a traditional approach with the guitars to start things off. Joe delivers another great vocal, as he always does on these types of songs. I was still a bit 'meh' on the song as it went into the second part of the verse and was still refrained, but it was clearly building up. I could only hope that it would actually build to the level that I had hoped for on "Goodbye For Good This Time" (only for it to never come). Thankfully this time, it did. That massive chorus kicked the door down and filled my earholes with an archetypal orchestra of Leppard backing vocals. The drums remain as we get another great solo from Phil and then another huge chorus to finish this one off. This song was everything that I wanted to hear from "Goodbye For Good This Time" and is easily my favorite of the two songs to feature Mike Garson. The way the song meanders to the finale is so damn good that this feels like possibly the most epic ballad Lep has ever done. Could this have been a Down 'n' Outz song? Absolutely. But this time, there are enough Leppard elements to make it work. And I love it.
SIDE D - Lifeless / Unbreakable / From Here To Eternity
Since I'd been concerned about Alison Krauss's vocals and the country nature of "This Guitar," it's only natural that those concerns carried over to "Lifeless" as well. But this song was actually quite immediate for me thanks to that chorus. Plus once you get past the intro part, it's much more of a traditional sounding Lep song from the X era than "This Guitar." Once again, Alison's vocals enhance the song by filling in some gaps and perfectly blending with Joe's lead during the second verse. I really like that he handled the first verse alone and then she joined in for the second on this one, as it pushed the song to another level once the second verse kicked in. This is actually once of the first songs that I had stuck in my head and actually knew the words to the chorus, as it's that damn catchy and easy. Vivian's solo on this one is awesome, which is no surprise as his usually are, and it was refreshing at this point having heard Phil on the majority of the songs.
The Joe only version of "Lifeless" once again loses a tiny bit of its country flare without Alison's vocals. It's interesting though, because Alison is more prevalent on "This Guitar" but I think her absence has more of an effect on "Lifeless." Especially once it gets to the end of the first chorus and her "ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" isn't there. Still, the standard Lep backing vocals still carry the song and it sounds even more like something that would have been on the X album without Alison's vocals. It still works without her and I love both versions.
And it's here that my expectations had been fully subverted, as I had been more concerned about the Krauss tracks than the Garson tracks coming in... And yet it was the Krauss tracks that I enjoyed more. Once again, I do think that I'll be listening to the Leppard-only versions more in the long run just due to my preference of hearing Joe and Joe only sing lead on Def Leppard songs. But the Krauss versions do offer a different, pleasant listening experience so I will return to them from time to time even if I shift them off the normal album on my phone or the CD copy in my car. These two songs succeed in every way that the McGraw version of "Nine Lives" failed.
When the guitar intro to "Unbreakable" started, I thought we were in for another darker rocker... But then it morphed into a verse that mixes AC/DC with Garbage. Two of my favorite bands blended together by my favorite band. What an odd and unexpected twist. Upon my first few listens, I did think the song may have benefited from being a full on rocker through the verses... But then I went back and read Phil's track by track on iTunes and found they apparently tried that and it didn't work: "We initially tried it like a rock thing—it almost sounded like AC/DC—but it wasn’t working." I do still like how it gets beefed up for the chorus and then has even heavier guitars under the awesome solo by Vivian. And once again I'm happy they allowed the solo to go on more than four bars, as this is another song that would have been a full 90 seconds shorter had it been on the Sparkle Lounge album. The song itself would not have been out of place on that album, it just wouldn't have been as good. Or sounded as good.
When we were doing our guesses on what each new song sounded like back in March, this is what I wrote about "From Here To Eternity":
Turns out, "From Here To Eternity" is "Blind Faith" meets "Kings Of The World." And I f*cking LOVE IT. Rather than focus on piano like "Love" and "Kings Of The World," this one puts guitars at the forefront and is way better for it. The chorus, expectedly, goes into Queen territory but not to the same obscene level as "Love" and especially KOTW. Then when that verse kicks in... My goodness. The melody on the verse is so, so, so good, especially with the guitar riff & tone underneath, and the building pre-chorus makes the song even better. And none of that would be possible without Joe's amazing vocals on this song. He goes from dark and ominous to soaring higher and higher without skipping a beat, which perfectly builds to that massive chorus. The song continues into epic territory thanks to yet another excellent solo from Viv and then a vocal break before we get into that final chorus. And once again my only complaint would be that the song fades out rather than staying loud, giving more time for an extended solo, and then having a proper ending (which can be heard on the track, they just chose to fade it out for some reason). While sharing many traits of "Love" and "Kings Of The World," this song takes the good elements from those and makes it work as a proper rock song. This song works in every way the other two didn't.
I have to hand it to Sav for bookending the album with two awesome but stylistically different rockers.
As for the two alternate versions of the Garson tracks... Neither do anything for me. The Avant-Garde mix of GFGTT is exactly what I expected it to be. Though it gets off-putting when the piano seemingly goes out of rhythm with the song. I get that it's Garson's style or whatever but when it sounds out of sync I can't stand it. When I saw the other version of "Angels" was noted as a "stripped" version, I had hopes for it cutting back on the piano/strings so it could take on more of an acoustic/bass/drums type version... And I still had hopes for that as the song built to the chorus. But unfortunately that wasn't the case. Once again it's mainly piano/strings. I miss the days when we got proper, extra songs as bonus tracks rather than just these piano & strings things we've gotten on almost every album since 2008.
Diamond Star Halos is a great album. It's hard to say where it will end up ranking for me as time passes, but I suspect somewhere around the DL15 album (middle of the pack). It seems unlikely to rank higher than self-titled, but only time will tell. No songs from DSH have jumped out to join my Top 30 favorite Lep songs playlist. Self-titled has two on the list. The closest from DSH would be "Take What You Want," "Open Your Eyes," and "From Here To Eternity." But I can't quite give them that bump.
As much as I am enjoying DSH, I hope this album will bring the 'influence era' to a close. Hopefully there will be another album (or two), and hopefully we won't have to read the words "Queen/Sweet/Slade/Bowie/T. Rex/Hoople" in every single interview about it. I 'get' why the album is titled Diamond Star Halos, but I also don't like it at all. Then again, I haven't liked an album title since Euphoria so that is nothing new. Still, the only thing less original than doing a self-titled album is stealing a lyric from someone else's extremely popular, well-known song. Much of this album still sounds very much like Def Leppard, but I get why some fans will not connect to it at all. Sav himself has even acknowledged that fans may prefer a more guitar driven rock sound like Pyromania in the same way that he would want Queen to stick to the sound of their first five albums. Thankfully he wrote a song just like that for this album. Perhaps now that we've had a Lep covers album, multiple side projects, and portions of Sparkle Lounge/Mirror Ball/Def Leppard/Diamond Star Halos all paying tribute to their influences... They can get back to just being Def Leppard?
I mean, similarly, if Mott The Hoople was still around, would Joe want them to be Mott The Hoople or be 95% focused on their influences?
It's funny, because I used to be concerned about the band's multiple side projects taking away from the pool of songs that could be used for Lep. At the time, the claim was that they sounded 'too different.' Now, we have songs being used for Lep that sound like those side projects, especially Manraze & Down 'n' Outz. Which only confirms that had the songs used for side projects drained the well that could have been used for Lep. Songs like "Every Second Of Every Day," "Low," "Skin Crawl," "You're So Wrong," "Over My Dead Body," "Edge Of The World," "This Is How We Roll," "Last Man Standing," "Let It Shine," and "Walking To Babylon" all could have been Def Leppard songs. In the case of the Manraze songs especially, they likely would have been even better had they been Leppardized.
But! Piling onto my 'be Def Leppard' point from above, let the side projects sound like the side projects since they aren't going away. And let Leppard sound like Leppard. We don't need multiple bands all sounding the same.
To be clear, I would rather have this album than have no album at all. And I certainly understand the benefits of writing and recording this way. If that's the way it'll be from here on out AND it means more frequent new music from the guys, then I'm all for it! But there is part of me (and Vivian, apparently) that hopes they don't entirely do away with getting together to work on new music. There is a clear benefit to working that way, especially if it gets us more Elliott/Collen/Campbell tracks. Getting Collen & Campbell together to trade guitar licks has resulted in some of the band's best post-Vault, pre-influence material, whether it's "Pearl Of Euphoria," "Paper Sun," "Day After Day," or "Scar." The band getting together to play live certainly added more of a rock element to the 2015 album that is less prevalent on DSH. If they don't get together though, hopefully Vivian will take it upon himself to write more for the band. He likes when they rock, so he should write rock songs for the band, simple as that (hypothetically speaking, I'm not saying writing is easy!).
Plus the band has once again spun how they work to fit their current situation. Back in the day, the song was king. No one was married to an idea because they were all about what made the song as good as it could be. Songs were dissected, Leppardized, and put back together better than they started. Now they accept a complete song as-is and claim they're all 'alpha-males' fighting for their songs, which doesn't seem to have ever been the case before. And that's why we wind up with something like "Fire It Up" that has pieces of a great song but is lackluster elsewhere. They don't need to accept things as set in stone. There's always room for improvement.
If DSH will be the template for Lep albums moving forward... It's not my first choice, but I'll gladly take that over the alternative of no new music at all. Even with my minor gripes, there's a lot to like on the album and a lot to love on the album. To put something out of this quality at this stage in their career is still quite impressive.
I intended this to be a quick review... My apologies.
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Post by andylgr on Jun 2, 2022 22:08:29 GMT -8
Some great comments about the album, can’t agree more with the fact they keep on about the 70s and their influences. I didn’t get into Def Leppard to hear them try and imitate their idols, I got into them for how they sounded. No one can deny that Leps have a distinctive sound and style like no other, I get that bands evolve and change and of course they can do what they want, but it baffles me when they try and distance themselves from that at times.
I’ve been struggling this last week to play the album as much as I’d like, I’ve tried it in one go and I’ve also split it into the 4 sides of vinyl, which I think is how one of the reviews maybe Classic Rock, spoke about it.
So far I’m not a fan of the tracks that end the first 3 sides (This Guitar, Goodbye for Good and Angels). They don’t fit what I like about Leppard ballads and are a style of song that doesn’t really appeal to me in general.
However of the rest my favourites are TWYW, Kick, Fire it Up (much better in the flow of the album), SOS, Liquid Dust ( I love some of the phrasing of the lyrics and the Indian style riff, U Rok Mi, Open your Eyes, Gimme a Kiss and From Here to Eternity.
For me this is an album that needs more time to bed in.
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Post by quarky on Jun 2, 2022 23:17:30 GMT -8
he has a podcast called Def Lep pod, on Spotify, Apple etc, the podcast is very good, his knowledge of the band is great and his podcasts on leppard albums and certain songs are great, there is very little else out there podcast based that solely focuses on Def Leppard, I’d encourage anyone to have a listen. Yeah, my terrible attempt at sarcasm. His podcast is incredible, and it also gave me the kick to create my own podcast episodes for work (which are terrible in comparison).
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deef
Jr. Member
Posts: 95
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Post by deef on Jun 3, 2022 2:11:11 GMT -8
When will we know how Diamond Star Halos performed on the US Billboard 200?
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Post by edwardcreighton on Jun 3, 2022 2:42:23 GMT -8
maybe late sunday united states time.
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Post by Blair on Jun 3, 2022 3:20:15 GMT -8
Review from Melodic Rock Source65/100 Def Leppard are back for their first studio album since the 2015 self-titled release. Things to note about this album: Songwriting direction comes from Joe and Phil almost entirely. The album is a real mish-mash of styles, with influences from Adrenalize to X to Slang. There is no one dominant theme to the album and it’s all relatively mid-tempo’d. Joe’s voice is also a long way from its best and he sings within himself quite comfortably here, just don’t expect any old-school screams or vocal theatrics. Despite the 7-year gap between records, many of the songs on Diamond Star Halos sound like they have been leftovers from past records. For me there is a good 10 song record in amongst these tracks, but at 15 there are too many fillers and for that reason the album’s overall rating suffers. Too look at this album objectively, you have to get past the ‘oh my, its anew Def Leppard album’ hysteria first. The album gets off to an energetic start, with 3 solid typical mid-tempo, mid-heaviness rockers – the type of song Def Leppard could write in their sleep. The country tinged duet This Guitar (featuring Alison Krauss) totally kills momentum and is the first instant-skip for repeat album playthroughs. At 15 tracks, this was a bonus track if there was ever was one. SOS Emergency gets things back on track with a cool pop/rock anthem, lead by a heavy riff that sadly doesn’t dominate through the song. A nice ‘Promises’ or Animal’ style commercial song. Liquid Dust sounds like a Slang off-cut. I dig the vibe as I love that album, but the chorus here is a bit of a non-event. The title U Rok MI is everything I hate about classic rock bands trying to sound cool. As much as I loved the band at the time, ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ was lame in 1992 and U Rok MI in 2022 is just juvenile. It’s another modern rocker with a Slang meets Adrenalize vibe. Goodbye For Good This Time is a big sounding ballad, with some orchestral parts and an atmospheric feel, but the chorus does nothing for me and the melody just drags. Unusual for Def Leppard to fail to deliver when it comes to the ballads. I like All We Need, which is a pleasant melodic feel good number, almost directly contrasted by the dark and moody, modern rocker Open Your Eyes, which I feel again suffers from lack of a good hook. Gimmie A Kiss That Rocks is another silly title, but its nice to hear an uptempo song after several mid-tempo tracks. Old school Def Leppard here that might have sounded at home on Adrenalize. Angels is another moody ballad. Its ok but lacks that knockout hook again. The relatively slow Lifeless immediately sounds tinged with that American country influence and once again features Alison Krauss on duet vocals. Sorry, but no thanks. Unbreakable and From Here To Eternity are both mid-tempo modern rockers with more Slang overtones. Still, both tracks are missing a knockout chorus and the dominance of slow to mid-tempo tracks on the album weight heavily on my enjoyment of the album. All in all, just an average album for me. Half ok, half skippable or missing that certain spark the band used to deliver. It’s quite a moody/modern record after the first 3 tracks and I normally like that direction by the band. Here though, there is a serious lack of memorable choruses. I went out and purchased a copy of the CD. I didn’t want the deluxe edition because the bonus tracks are only alt-versions and the packaging is a shitty digipack. So I went for the preferred jewel case, just a shame I couldn’t get the cover in colour that way. It won’t be an album that I return to rotation. If I’m going to listen to some Leppard, I’ll go with Pyromania, Hysteria, Slang and X.
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Post by jdwalker on Jun 3, 2022 4:22:45 GMT -8
Alrighty, one week and 5-6 listens in, here is my track ranking from DSH.
Songs 1 to 12 all have elements that I enjoy while the remaining 3 are yet to grab me.
1. Take What You Want 2. SOS Emergency 3. From Here To Eternity 4. U Rok Mi 5. Kick 6. Liquid Dust 7. Lifeless (been a big improver for me over the last few days) 8. Open Your Eyes 9. Unbreakable 10. Fire It Up 11. Goodbye For Good This Time 12. All We Need _______________________________
13. Angels (Can't Help You Now) 14. Gimme A Kiss 15. This Guitar
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Post by cmerritt on Jun 3, 2022 4:38:43 GMT -8
There’s a fella on YouTube, calls himself Vinylizer, he’s reviewed the album, honestly, it just shows how lazy people can be when in condemning a bands work, lazy and atrocious review. Check it out though lol, maybe it’s just me.
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Post by tsmith on Jun 3, 2022 4:54:12 GMT -8
I like this stuff I tossed my initial song ranking in this somewhere earlier in this thread but thought I'd do it again after all the listens I've had as I have a much better feel now as to what's grabbing me. My top 5 feel pretty locked in although there isn't much separating the 2-5 spots. I think the toughest part for me is sorting out my 6-9 range as I basically like all those songs equally and I could basically flip flop any of those. Still struggling with the 4 tracks in the 12-15 range. They're all well done songs with fine musicianship but just aren't what I personally want from Def Leppard. I guess I just like the flow of the album better without those tracks than with them. 1. Take What You Want 2. Kick 3. SOS Emergency 4. Gimme A Kiss 5. Fire It Up 6. Unbreakable 7. U Rok Mi 8. All We Need 9. Open Your Eyes 10. Liquid Dust 11. From Here to Eternity __________________________ 12. Lifeless 13. Angels 14. Goodbye For Good 15. This Guitar Alrighty, one week and 5-6 listens in, here is my track ranking from DSH. Songs 1 to 12 all have elements that I enjoy while the remaining 3 are yet to grab me. 1. Take What You Want 2. SOS Emergency 3. From Here To Eternity 4. U Rok Mi 5. Kick 6. Liquid Dust 7. Lifeless (been a big improver for me over the last few days) 8. Open Your Eyes 9. Unbreakable 10. Fire It Up 11. Goodbye For Good This Time 12. All We Need _______________________________ 13. Angels (Can't Help You Now) 14. Gimme A Kiss 15. This Guitar
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Post by diva on Jun 3, 2022 5:58:28 GMT -8
Review from Melodic Rock Source65/100 Def Leppard are back for their first studio album since the 2015 self-titled release. Things to note about this album: Songwriting direction comes from Joe and Phil almost entirely. The album is a real mish-mash of styles, with influences from Adrenalize to X to Slang. There is no one dominant theme to the album and it’s all relatively mid-tempo’d. Joe’s voice is also a long way from its best and he sings within himself quite comfortably here, just don’t expect any old-school screams or vocal theatrics. Despite the 7-year gap between records, many of the songs on Diamond Star Halos sound like they have been leftovers from past records. For me there is a good 10 song record in amongst these tracks, but at 15 there are too many fillers and for that reason the album’s overall rating suffers. Too look at this album objectively, you have to get past the ‘oh my, its anew Def Leppard album’ hysteria first. The album gets off to an energetic start, with 3 solid typical mid-tempo, mid-heaviness rockers – the type of song Def Leppard could write in their sleep. The country tinged duet This Guitar (featuring Alison Krauss) totally kills momentum and is the first instant-skip for repeat album playthroughs. At 15 tracks, this was a bonus track if there was ever was one. SOS Emergency gets things back on track with a cool pop/rock anthem, lead by a heavy riff that sadly doesn’t dominate through the song. A nice ‘Promises’ or Animal’ style commercial song. Liquid Dust sounds like a Slang off-cut. I dig the vibe as I love that album, but the chorus here is a bit of a non-event. The title U Rok MI is everything I hate about classic rock bands trying to sound cool. As much as I loved the band at the time, ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ was lame in 1992 and U Rok MI in 2022 is just juvenile. It’s another modern rocker with a Slang meets Adrenalize vibe. Goodbye For Good This Time is a big sounding ballad, with some orchestral parts and an atmospheric feel, but the chorus does nothing for me and the melody just drags. Unusual for Def Leppard to fail to deliver when it comes to the ballads. I like All We Need, which is a pleasant melodic feel good number, almost directly contrasted by the dark and moody, modern rocker Open Your Eyes, which I feel again suffers from lack of a good hook. Gimmie A Kiss That Rocks is another silly title, but its nice to hear an uptempo song after several mid-tempo tracks. Old school Def Leppard here that might have sounded at home on Adrenalize. Angels is another moody ballad. Its ok but lacks that knockout hook again. The relatively slow Lifeless immediately sounds tinged with that American country influence and once again features Alison Krauss on duet vocals. Sorry, but no thanks. Unbreakable and From Here To Eternity are both mid-tempo modern rockers with more Slang overtones. Still, both tracks are missing a knockout chorus and the dominance of slow to mid-tempo tracks on the album weight heavily on my enjoyment of the album. All in all, just an average album for me. Half ok, half skippable or missing that certain spark the band used to deliver. It’s quite a moody/modern record after the first 3 tracks and I normally like that direction by the band. Here though, there is a serious lack of memorable choruses. I went out and purchased a copy of the CD. I didn’t want the deluxe edition because the bonus tracks are only alt-versions and the packaging is a shitty digipack. So I went for the preferred jewel case, just a shame I couldn’t get the cover in colour that way. It won’t be an album that I return to rotation. If I’m going to listen to some Leppard, I’ll go with Pyromania, Hysteria, Slang and X. The best part of Unbreakable is the chorus. Lol I do agree that the chorus on Liquid Dust could use improvement.
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Post by pete on Jun 3, 2022 7:40:27 GMT -8
After constantly listening to this for the last few days I’ve decided this is a grower of an album. Still feel it’s a little over long but it’s an excellent piece of work and a valuable addition to the discography.
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Post by diva on Jun 3, 2022 9:00:39 GMT -8
After constantly listening to this for the last few days I’ve decided this is a grower of an album. Still feel it’s a little over long but it’s an excellent piece of work and a valuable addition to the discography. I could make a naughty joke here, but I’ll refrain. Just wanted everyone know that I could. 😂
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Post by Armageddonit on Jun 3, 2022 11:28:22 GMT -8
After a week this is how rank them.
1.) Unbreakable (That Viv solo!!!) 2.) TWYW 3.) Goodbye...(possibly my favorite DL ballad ever, Phil's acoustic Spanish solo is incredible) 4.) Open Your Eyes (that one bass note...then silence...then restarting...so amazing,Phil is amazing here) 5.) FHTE (I can picture a black and white motion picture murder mystery...amazing storytelling) 6.) U Rok Mi (The uke works!) 7.) Lifeless (That Viv solo!) 8.) SOS 9) All We Need 10.) Angels 11.) Gimme A Kiss 12.) Kick 13.) This Guitar 14.) Fire It Up 15.) Liquid Dust
I love this album. It ranks very high with me and feels like want the Slang direction would have been if it were allowed to develop instead of reverting to Eurphoria. It's a statement record.
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Post by DesertSun81 on Jun 3, 2022 12:27:43 GMT -8
This ranking is super fluid at this point but wanted to shake it out for myself as much as this post:
TAKE WHAT YOU WANT OPEN YOUR EYES ALL WE NEED SOS EMERGENCY FROM HERE TO ETERNITY GIMME A KISS THAT ROCKS U ROK MI LIQUID DUST KICK ANGELS UNBREAKABLE LIFELESS FIRE IT UP THIS GUITAR GOODBYE FOR GOOD THIS TIME
It will be interesting to see where I sit with it in 30 days. The beauty of this album and this ranking at the moment is I would place the vast majority of these songs in the top half of their catalog at the moment. It's too early to go there however.
I feel bad having both Alison Krauss songs near the bottom because of how awesome her contributions to this album are. It's really a reflection of the high quality of the album. Once all of the songs completely seep into my DNA I don't think my overall view of this album being awesome will ultimately change much.
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Post by edwardcreighton on Jun 3, 2022 14:57:50 GMT -8
my vinyl bundle arrived.
pity not a lot of rick allen in promo interviews so far.
if i had to cut 2 from DSH, would cut 2 of the ballads. Keep Krauss, let Good and Angels go.
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Post by timzy on Jun 4, 2022 0:46:21 GMT -8
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Post by TurnToDust86 on Jun 4, 2022 6:58:59 GMT -8
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