Customer Reviews

Slang / Acoustic in Singapore

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Def Leppard took the old phrase and lived by it with this CD. In response to the dark grunge music that was flooding the airwaves and MTV at the time, Def Leppard showed they could easily run with the dark masses from Seattle. Slang is complete departure from Leppard's previous work and shows just how versatile and talented these guys really are. You want grunge, they can give it to you, and it's really good too. Hey guys, can you do some country? (just kidding) Slang is dark, moody, and some what disturbing. The fact this album is better overall musically then many of the grunge bands shows that grunge is a fad, and will eventually die out, leaving the really talented bands in place progressively developing their own music. This CD may have been a marketing mistake for the band, but it still has plenty of merit, and anyone who truly likes them will see past the change of pace and see what is really great about Slang.

Slang, in my humble but accurate opinion, is Def Leppard's masterpiece. It's the album that made me a true fan. Music needs substance for me to appreciate it, and it's testament to Leppard's strong songwriting skills that I was a fan before Slang, because up until then, substance seemed to be something they were deliberately avoiding. Joe called the music "Deep and meaningless".

This album has been called an attempt at "modern music", and it may have been, but that's only half of it. Modern elements, like industrial, R&B, rap, and Indian styles were blended, but the upshot of incorporating so many styles gave the album a quality the band hadn't captured before: variety. Not one of these songs sounds alike, and if it wasn't that this was Leppard's only CD daring enough to try variety, you'd guess they were all from different albums.

Before Slang, you could count the number of Leppard songs actually about something on two fingers (as far as I know, "From the Inside" and "White Lightning", with "Gods of War" coming close). Whether these songs on Slang were genuinely autobiographical, whether they were aimed at encompassing a theme or inadvertently tapped into insights the band had been storing subconsciously, they resonate on so many levels. When the lyrics are really good we get songs like "Truth?", probably the most daring song Leppard has done, musically and lyrically; "All I Want Is Everything", the band's most underrated and exceptional ballad yet (my favorite interpretation of the song is that it's about an AIDS victim); and even the most vacuously worded song on the album, "Breathe a Sigh", is still witty, poigant, and popsmart enough that if it had been released by any band but Leppard, it would have shot straight to number one.

Which brings me to another point. Slang didn't sell phenomenally well because of a stigma built up against glam and arena rock. It's sad that Leppard tucked their tails and returned to chewing their 80s bubblegum wad because with another solid release like this they could have struck down the stigma and established themselves as a band of meaning. The ultimate irony is that the next two albums, Euphoria and X, haven't sold Slang's 3million worldwide *combined*.

If I sound bitter, I am. There aren't many bands out there capable of this level of songwriting. Joe has said they're trying to compete with the Mariah Carey's of the world, and let's be honest, Mariah Carey only wishes she could write a song as popsmart as "Breathe a Sigh". Hell, let's get back to the Metal genre and suggest Metallica could write a song as rock steady and hummable as "Work It Out"; I know, I'm shaking my head too. But the irony is, until Slang, I wouldn't have expected Leppard were capable of it either.

This is a great addition to a Def Leppard collection. A new sound for the British band. Experimentation in the indeustrial sounds suit this band well.. but their die hard fans won't care for it. The bonus CD with the unplugged show is phenominal! A must have for all hard core Def Lep fans!

I really can't believe this CD never got any more publicity or airplay than it did. True it was a completely different sound from anything Def Lep had done before but the tunes on here sounded so much like what was getting played on the rock stations of the mid-late nineties that you would think it would have been a hit. I wonder sometimes had they released this under a different band's name what would have happened. Seems almost like rock radio was prejudiced against Def Leppard because hair-metal, arena rock was pretty much dead by the mid-nineties. They were trying to go in a more modern direction but their fans from the 80's didn't like this new direction and the alt-rock fans pictured them as a hair metal band so they were left with no audience. There are some really strong songs on here like "Work It Out", "Slang", "All I want is Everything". "Blood Runs Cold" is a great slower song. "Truth is a great alt-rock song. Yes, alt-rock. Nothing hair metal about this song. People should give this CD a chance. It's really good.

I am a huge fan of Def Leppard. In contrast to many on here, I can say that I absolutely love every song they've ever recorded, with maybe one or two exceptions (such as "All Night.")

"Slang" truly is, from start to finish, a masterpiece. Although it differs from all other Def Leppard albums, I still think it to be the very best of all.

I was never a fan of grunge or alternative music when it first appeared. I can say that Leppard actually, by "leppardizing" this kind of music on songs like Deliver Me and Gift of Flesh, made me appreciate the genre as a whole, to some extent. But even moreso, made me simply love this album.

I probably have listened to this album a couple thousand times since I bought it back in 1996. I still am impressed as I listen to it now.

Blood Runs Cold is PHENOMENAL, just so emotional and spiritual. Where Does Love Go When It Dies= even better, if that's possible. Pearl of Euphoria= SO INTENSE. AWESOME.

All I Want Is Everything= outstanding song!!!!

Deliver Me= one of the best tracks. Gift of Flesh= rocks, and the best lyrics Collen has written.

Turn to Dust= I LOVE the eastern influences and the lyrics. Great! Truth = nice, different opener, very NIN-ish.

Slang=fun pop tune, but different.

Work It Out= my least favorite on the album, but still a great, great song. I really love the song, and am just appreciating now the great breakdown section in the middle.

FINALLY, BREATHE A SIGH! YOU GUYS ALL TEND TO WANT TO DISS THIS SONG, AND SAY IT DOESN'T FIT IN ON THE ALBUM. I SAY, I DISAGREE! THIS BALLAD IS BEAUTIFUL. THE HARMONIES ARE WONDERFUL. I MET PHIL COLLEN 2 YEARS AGO AND TOLD HIM THAT "BREATHE A SIGH" (HIS COMPOSITION) IS INDEED "THE GREATEST SONG IN THE WORLD!"!!!

I must confess that, in the beginning, I didn't care too much for this CD. It took me a dozen listens (I forced myself to listen to it and learn the lyrics, because I have loved this band so much for so many years). I can say that if you don't like the record, but give it another chance, and even "study" the lyrics... you will be converted! I can say this CD is a treasure, a masterpiece, one of the best albums ever recorded by any artist.

Before you scream, I'll admit that this is not the best example of the sound that made Def Leppard a hard rock heavyweight in the 80's. For that, you need to look elsewhere (namely "Pyromania" and "Hysteria"). However, if you ignore for one moment your preconceived notions of this band and give this record a simple listen as if it were an anonymous piece of music, you might be likely to agree that this is one of the greatest, most adventurous album experiences you'll ever hear. This is by far the most mature, subtly complex music that Def Leppard ever recorded, and as a result, my favorite not only of their albums, but a top ten contender on my all time list. Everything is so different on "Slang," you'd think that this band had just come out of the gate. The guitar work on songs like "Turn to Dust" and "Pearl of Euphoria" is inspiring because of its simplicity. The latter song, the album's best track and coda, might as well have belonged to Led Zeppelin. The ballads, particularly "All I Want Is Everything" and "Where Does Love Go When It Dies," are for once sincere and moving, devoid of the usual mushiness that has become a trademark. "Blood Runs Cold," supposedly written about their late guitarist Steve Clark, is poignant in the same way that "Deliver Me" is haunting. Even the title track, the closest thing to traditional Leppard fare, is fresher and more creatively fun than most of their previous songs of the same blend. It is a shame that this material's commercial failure has since forced the band to return to its safer pop sensibilities, instead of allowing them the opportunity to delve into this territory even further, and in essence, grow as musicians and songwriters. We'll never know what could have been. Don't get me wrong, I champion the fun and good times of their 80's heyday as much as any fan. But whereas those albums were strictly geared towards escapist entertainment, "Slang" is the only example of Def Leppard's music that actually touched upon genuine artistry.

Sure, Slang is a bit of a departure for Def Leppard, and no, it doesn't sound like a "fun" record at all, but who ever said a band should stick to one sound, and only one sound?

By the time Slang was released, Def Leppard was one of the biggest bands in the world. They had weathered personnel changes,

a death in the band, and the horrible accident that took the arm of Rick Allen, thier drummer. But still they were big, and very strong. They still are, but when Slang was released they took a chance and put out an album that was dark, and moody. It may not have sold a zillion copies, but it was, and still is, very, very good! The title song, Work it Out, and All I want is everything are three of my favorite Leppard songs. There is nothing at all wrong with an artist making some changes, and putting out something different. An artist must figure (and rightly so) that even if they don't pick up any new fans, the old ones (the true fans) will give the new work a listen and most likely find something they like in the new stuff. I did. I've enjoyed Slang since its release and think it's one of the band's best. If you're new to Def Leppard (where have you been hiding?) then please listen to something else before Slang. You might be just a bit put off by it. But, if you are a casual fan, and looking to expand your collection, then by all means, give Slang a listen. The difference will grab you. And to all you people who think Def Leppard died with Steve Clarke, wake the hell up!

Slang is one of my favorites right behind On Through the Night and Pyromania. Nice mix of ballads, new age touches and melodic rockers. This was a total departure with only a few exceptions. Joe is probably in his finest vocally, considering he was always less than perfect in that department. Here's how I rated Slang.

1. Truth - An angry new age rocker with a dark wall of sound. 7/10

2. Turn to Dust - Eastern flavored with a pretty much vintage Def Leppard chorus. 7/10

3. Slang - Joe raps on this one but catchy. 6/10

4. All I want is Everything - Great Ballad, probably the best ballad they ever done and best song on Slang. 10/10

5. Work it Out - Very nice sonically with honest lyrics and music. 8/10

6. Breathe a Sigh - Attempt at R&B, sound pretty [...]. 4/10

7. Deliver Me - Stark and seroius rocker. Best rocker on the album! 9/10

8. Gift of Flesh - Perfect song after Deliver Me. Very alternative sounding while maintaing their signature sound. 8/10

9. Blood Runs Cold - Nice, spacey ballad, solid vocals from Joe. 8/10

10. Where Does Love Go When it Dies? - Very elegant acoustic and electric guitars with great backing harmonies. 8/10

11. Pearl of Euphoria - Too long and stays in mid tempo rut. 5/10

Overall = 6.5 Solid record

Ever since I laid my hands on Slang, I knew this would be different than their other albums. The cover and the band logo change more or less tells you 'change is coming'.

The band's sound changed and matured. No more "ohh baby you're so hot" lyrics with the requisite "rock god" guitar hooks. This was a new improved Def Leppard.

The first track sounds like nothing they've ever recorded before - industrial beat, some synth loops, outstanding vocals.
The next, "Turn to Dust" is more or less the same in beat, but superior to the first track. Good guitar work by Viv Campbell and Phil Collen.
The third track, "Slang", sounds more like their old stuff, commercial pop like "Pour Some Sugar on me" (from Hysteria). Love the part in the middle: uno, dos, tres, cuatro...
"All I Want" floored me - a beautiful ballad with Joe Elliott doing his best vocal work since the "Hysteria" single.
Track 5, "Work it Out" is undoubtedly, the best song. It has traces of David Bowie, Queen, and other..."we show the world a brand new face, its taken us all this time"..all of this doubt, we get to work it out" sings Elliott in the chorus, maybe sharing with the listener of their doubts on this album? Hey Joe, sure, the album didn't do so well in the charts, but I for one, welcomed change (for the better I might add). The bad news is that the limp performance on the charts prompted a mediocre follow-up (Euphoria), but well... can't win them all!!
Track 6, "Breathe a Sigh" is the one sore spot in Slang. A soft, mushy, Backstreet Boys tune. They should've left it off the record and replace it with "I am your child" for example.

I know this was a very much maligned album, but give it a listen. It grows on you. I think that track order was partly to blame since all the new-style tunes tunes were at the beginning and the more rock-oriented ones at the end of the album. This one rocks and I wish they didn't revert to the 80's with the follow-up.

Other outstanding tracks: "Blood runs cold" very U2, nice guitar, and a vocal-heavy bridge in the middle; "Gift of Flesh" and "Peal of Euphoria", heavy thundering rock at its best.

Leps, if you read this, please go back to this style, and forget the buggle-gum lyrics of Euphoria and the like.

This album got a lot of flack from fans and from critics. I'm not sure why. I think it probably is because this is not an in your face rocking album. But that does not mean it doesn't rock. It is a very experimental album for Def Leppard, but they've done that before. Think of the leap musically between Pyromania and Hysteria. This is a more subtle album than anything they had done previously, and much darker. Come to think of it, that is probably why it has been slammed on. It seems that many people want a band to kick out the same album over and over, and not have an artist as musician stretch his/her/them-selves. I don't want to hear Hysteria again. I have it and love it. But if I want to hear it, I'll put it on my CD player. I admit it took me a few listens to really enjoy this album. And that at first I thought it was a bit wimpy. But then I listened to the intricate, subtle guitar work of songs like Truth and Work It Out. And I began to understand and feel the anger and despair in songs like Truth and Gift of Flesh. Yes, it's dark and disturbing at times. Yes, it's not slam in your face rock 'n roll (excpet for the song Slang). Much more subtle like Animal and Diehard the Hunter. And yes, musically it pushed the band into areas many were afraid to explore. Too bad more people didn't explore it with them and give it a second listen to really appreciate the musicianship on this wonderful album.