Your personal Tumblr journey starts here
Def Leppard - Blog Posts
So wild and free so far from me You’re all I want, my fantasy
Oh, look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown Oh oh, look what you’ve done
Photograph I don’t want your Photograph I don’t need your Photograph all I’ve got is a photograph But it’s not enough
Photograph 1983
my love language is showing u rock song i like
Def Leppard- Pyromania
listened on CD from 1983
summary: picture this. a young punk rock lady has reached the end of her collegiate rope and all she seems to be enjoying is fun prog rock. as if from the cosmos, def leppard descended into her listening habits like a merciful angel. i love def leppard!! they are so so fun and talented?! call me basic but i absolutely adore this album. got hysteria and am on the cd hunt for high n' dry!
background: this album is a slight departure from the more heavy-metal attitude the band had with their earlier releases (high n' dry). this is when they introduced the absolute icon Phil Collen on the guitar!!! i think his noise is integral to the commercial pop-leaning success of this album, simply because his licks are so good that you sing the guitar part (which i've only experienced with eddie van halen, randy rhodes, and george harrison).
read below for tracklist & review!
tracklist
rock! rock! (till you drop): this is the most fun way to open this album. epic thirty second opening with a killer guitar lick and iconic vocals?! i'm a lesbian, so the rock and roll male obsession with "rocking" hot chicks isn't entirely lost on me, so i honestly have just chosen to find it funny. like sure. women are fabulous. mutual understanding. in my opinion a little bit of an underrated banger.
photograph: i feel so basic loving this track so much but there's a reason this song did so well commercially. i think it's because this song emphasizes the vocals the most out of any song on the album; other tracks on the album are aiming to showcase all the instruments on a more equal spectral field. this one is much more sing-along-with-joe which works because the lyrics are easy, memorable, and fun. i need joe's syncopated singing "I! NEED! ONLY! YOUR!" injected straight into my veins.
stagefright: this is my favorite song on the album!? this is so underrated?! if i love a song, i am able to get a pretty clear imaginative movie going whenever i listen to it; and this one is CRYSTAL CLEAR. HELL YEAH!!!!! do i have any clue what he's saying? barely. but i'm rocking right there with him.
too late for love: i can appreciate a good ballad and this one is that. a good. ballad. nothing crazy but i'm not going to hate on a ballad. musical diversity! the lyrics on the verses are unique and interesting.
die hard the hunter: this is the final boss music i didn't ask for, and don't really listen to often, but once i get into the groove of this longer piece i can really enjoy it.
foolin': i saw somewhere on here somebody hating on foolin' and it made me oddly protective over the song for a bit. i think i just really like how it's mixed and the background vocals work really well with the lead vocals. is the chorus the most life-changing thing on the planet? no, but those prechoruses are bangers.
rock of the ages: for a while listening to this album, i kinda wrote this song off since it's one of their more popular ones (my innate need to be quirky and different) but the more and more i listened to it and learned the lyrics, i am officially a convert. this is fun as hell!
comin' under fire: we're back on the power ballad train and i think this is the fastest tempo ballad so i'm more of a fan. when i put this cd in my player i want to be doing a quick little dance and making this most of my curly mullet. i wanna dance. so i usually go "this one is really good" and then skip it... (sorry...) guitar is epic!!
action! not words: yeah sure. they're saying "shock me". suuuuure. i've grown an appreciation for this one.
billy's got a gun: now THIS is the power ballad i've been WAITING FOR!!! never skipping this one. the bgv on "can you feel it in the air?" are reason to listen by themself. they clearly had fun constructing this song and all the different parts working together. major banger.
watched the hysteria def leppard biopic
thoughts, feelings, and snide remarks:
where's my terror twin fanclub jacket
2. my favorite part about my audio production degree is watching what studio producers are actually doing in movies. for example, this producer turned up volume in two different places and was like yeah. i mixed the fuck outta "bringing on the heartbreak". ate that up. taking these cool cats to the top of the pops.
3. phil collen says "a million guys would trade places with you- hell, they'd give their left arm" to rick allen post-accident and it is silent for TEN WHOLE SECONDS!! I COUNTED!!
4. this low budget tv movie had a goddamn dream and yknow what i support it trying its best. some actor got to be mfking joe elliott and live his fantasy! good for him!
5. holy shit if this didn't have the rights to play actual def leppard songs this would be MISERABLE
anyways it got three and a half stars out of five on my letterboxd
to the surprise of no one i have continued to listen to a stupid amount of def leppard and i'm cutting my hair like joe tomorrow
yes that is how i talk to my hairdresser we're cool like that
a whole new beast unlocks in me when joe elliot hits the high note on photograph
i dance in my room VERY often but that note gets the full invisible-mic-in-hand backbend to the floor and a slow slide to lying down
guys i just felt myself fall in love with def leppard. i felt the synapses lock into place. it's them. it's def leppard i've been looking for my whole life. def leppard. damn.
(Hopefully) Obscure Band Facts
In 2019, four spider species were discovered and named after Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden singer), Rick Allen (Def Leppard drummer), Klaus Meine (Scorpions singer), and André Matos (Angra singer) by Christina Rheims.
Source