Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 169
 Wow what a surprise album May 4, 2008
Sam Shady (Greenville, SC)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have to admit not having high expectations for this album release. I've been a huge Def Leppard fan since Pyromania. Since Adrenalize they've had their moments here and there....some great. I heard this album was coming out. I heard Nine Lives and was pleasantly surprised. I listened to samples of every song 3 times. I decided to pick it up. It's the most solid release they've had since Adrenalize top to bottom. I'm glad to see it rocks by and large. The catchy guitar hooks are there as are the lyrics. If this were 1989 and it were the next release after Hysteria it would have 3-4 hits on it. The hits that should be are Nine Lives, C'mon C'mon, Hallucinate and Tomorrow. It's not Hysteria. But the sound of the songs probably closely resemble that sound. They seem to have found a creative spark in the studio. Def Leppard is back. My interest has definitely been renewed. If you are a Def Leppard fan you need to buy this album. For me it gets better with every listen. It's stayed in my CD player since I picked it up. That my friends is a sign of a very good if not great album.
Don't Let The Album's Name Scare You Away May 10, 2008
Lee Palmer (Atlanta, GA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I never write reviews, but I felt compelled to pass on the news...
Two listens and I was hooked! I haven't turned on the radio or listened to anything else since I bought this cd last week.
They did it! A classic Def Leppard album. I don't even have to grade this on a curve like some of the recent releases from other groups past their salad days. This cd is for the fans who liked Hysteria and Adrenalize (and the slower songs on Pyromania like "Billy's Got A Gun"), and also for the fans of today's pop/rock who consider Def Leppard the theme song music of the 80's. They still have it and then some. The only negative thing about the album is the name of the album, its not the manliest cd name for rock gods.
This is a modern sounding album... I was amazed by how quickly the songs stuck with me and I couldn't wait to get out of the office to hear them on the commute home. The songs are well done with great melody and backing vocals. They are all different from each other and are the best rock songs I have heard from any 80's group in a very long time. Maybe since the early 1990's when Bon Jovi was more rock than country.
Don't believe any reference to Def Lep's Slang or Metallica's St. Anger if you hated those albums like I did. They are not trying to be TLC this time (or Korn in the case of Metallica), they're being themselves and its their best album since Adrenalize. It may be even better than that. Sure, they've had some great singles since Adrenalize (like: Long Long Way To Go, Waterloo Sunset, Promises, Paper Sun, Etc), but only a few songs per album truly stood out. This is the best complete album from start to finish - 8 or 9 of the songs could be singles.
Too bad this album didn't come out back in the early 1990's when Viacomm MTV/VH-1 and pop radio still would have given them the airtime they deserve. Go ahead and listen to the samples here on Amazon or on i-Tunes...
Here's a brief track by track analysis. "Go", "Nine Lives" and "C'Mon C'Mon" open up the album and all 3 rock. I admit I was skeptical when I heard Tom McGraw was on a song, but it really works and its the rockin' sing along song this summer needs. It's now (May 2008) on the page to vote for the top videos on VH-1.
Song #4 "Love" starts out slow but at 1:45 it picks up a bit and by 3:00 it sounds like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"... Song #5 "Tomorrow", #6 "Cruise Control" and #7 "Hallucinate" are all faster-paced catchy sing along rock songs. Every single one has a memorable chourus that will sound great in concert.
I was thinking this was a Billy Joel remake but its not; song #8 "Only The Good Die Young" sounds like a cross between "Waterloo Sunset" and a Beatles song from "Sargent Pepper"... starts off slow and builds momentum.
Song #9 "Bad Actress" is the fastest paced, hardest rocking song... Reminds me of "Run Riot" from Hysteria with thrashin' drums and guitar... Would go great on a future version of the Guitar Hero game.
Usually by song #10, an album has lost its energy and edge, but this cd finishes strong. Song #10 "Come Undone" sounds like it could have been on Hysteria also. Song #11 "Gotta Let It Go" starts off at a medium pace sounding like Matchbox 20, BuckCherry or Nickelback, but the chorus is another fist pumping pick-me-up song.
These guys deserve some airplay and strong album sales for this one. I was happy to see it at #5 on Billboard last week. True, the teenagers who buy most of the music today don't like to listen to music by artists who are their parents age, but they should check this out. Don't people like to crank up anything other than rap anymore? I honestly cannot see how people who buy millions of Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, etc cd's which are complete snoozers... I think people buy them as background music to chill to, but not pay attention to, like dental office lounge music. This album is the opposite; it's "foreground music"... Its hard to stop listening after a few times.
If you want to sing along with a well-written, performed, produced and packaged modern sounding album in 2008, this is it. It's a great blend of classic Def Leppard with a some Queen/Beatles elements as well as today's "hard pop" and rock artists. My favorite albums of the past few years have been Three Days Grace's "One X" and Green Days "American Idiot" and this is the group at their best like those albums.
Hopefully people will hear that its out somehow and give it a listen. It should appeal to men and women aged 16 to 46 who know anything about Def Leppard at all; the 50+ million of us who have bought their cd's. Even today's radio superstars like "Fall Out Boy", "Good Charlotte" and "Panic At The Disco" can't say that.
Listen to the samples a few times, they don't lie, but buy the entire album since there's no filler on this one. You'll get your money's worth if you're a true classic or modern rock fan. Believe the reviews (most are good), stop reading and start buying!!! You won't be disappointed.
A Fun Ride April 30, 2008
Tina L. Hartman (Tennessee)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I haven't enjoyed a Def album more since Retroactive. Solid percussion coupled with the fun guitar riffs and the trademark harmonizing makes it a really exciting release. The songs "Go" and "C'mon, C'mon" are catchy enough to justify buying the album. Definitely release candidates. Lots of good stuff to be found throughout. Thanks guys!
If you like Def Leppard, buy Songs from the Sparkle Lounge! April 30, 2008
Wisdom
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is filled with a whole lot of modern well written and performed Def Leppard songs. The production couldn't be better. I agree with a previous review that Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is a cross between Slang and Hysteria. It's better than Slang and as good as Hysteria. It's a deal for under $15.00 bucks! Songs from the Sparkle lounge will easily stand the test of time! Def Leppard should perform at least 4 or 5 of these songs live in concert!
 Thoroughly enjoyable album May 1, 2008
Brandon J. Smith
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
As my excitement built for another new Def Leppard cd, I listened to the mini-clips on amazon.com to preview the songs. Uh-oh, I thought. This doesn't sound so great. When the cd arrived, though, it was like night and day. The songs positively jumped out of the speakers.
"Go" rocks HARD. "Nine Lives" gets better every time I hear it. "C'mon C'mon" opens with a riff reminiscent of "I want to Tell You" by the Beatles, and continues with a great glam beat, eventually melting away into the accoustic guitars of "Love," a beautifully sung ballad. And the good stuff just continues from there. (Especially "Bad Actress," which has some of the best Def Lep lyrics in years: "Can't sing, can't dance, can't fit in your pants / You're a bad actress.")
Def Leppard has defied everyone's expectations for years, and they do it again here. If there's any disappointment, it's that it never reaches the level that Yeah! did. That cd just came out of nowhere and blew the roof off the place. This cd has more in common with Euphoria, because it sounds like the Leps playing with their classic sound in a modern arena. The difference is that they sound more comfortable here than they did on Euphoria, less self-conscious. I think the lessons of Yeah! were learned and applied here: play from a place of joy, and make the music that you love. The result is another great Def Leppard album. Long-time fans, you're gonna love it.
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