Def Leppard - Yeah!

This is Def Leppard’s 10th official new studio release, if you include Retro Active -- a mix of old tracks redone, soundtrack cuts and a couple of covers. It’s been four years since their last studio release, the fantastic and underrated X album. Yeah! has no new original songs at all, instead it’s all covers. So why no new songs from the band? Isn’t four years long enough? Guess not for Def Leppard!

X was released just three years after its predecessor, Euphoria in 1999, another great underrated release that suffered from lack of promotional support, but then I’m sure most folks already know these guys take forever to release an album, right?

Yeah! is apparently something these guys have wanted to do for years, as their tribute to what they grew up listening to and being influenced by. To see the inclusion of tracks by 70’s UK teen heartthrob David Essex, and "Hanging On The Telephone," originally recorded by a band called The Nerves in 1976 but made famous by Blondie, stuns me! Other covers are more akin to the style we expect from Def Leppard and they don’t disappoint with their interpretations.

Opener "20th Century Boy" is done excellently with backing vocals by Stevie Lange. She had a long stint doing many session background vocals during the late-70’s/early-80’s and was also lead vocalist with an awesome band called Night. They’ve done this one proud for sure.

"Rock On" starts in similar fashion to the original, but creeping up on you with screaming guitar phasing in and out and rich layering before rocking in towards the end, then they just kill it dead to finish! Hearing Joe Elliott singing something made famous by Debbie Harry is surreal, so strange! It’s okay, though, and it rocks, it just seems a little out of place against the pedigrees of the other tracks.

"Waterloo Sunset" is next and just the way it comes in reminds me of two other old hits, "Dear Prudence" (as done by Siouxsie And The Banshees) and "Tempted by Squeeze," another successful act in the UK. Leppard certainly give it a new breath of life from the original by The Kinks. Works well.

Next up is what I feel is the ace in this pack. Sweet were always underrated as a rock band and Def Leppard serve up a rip roaring version of "Hell Raiser" that you just can’t help but join in with on the chorus. Brilliant!

ELO’s "10538 Overture" is given the Def Leppard treatment next and it’s a shame they didn’t pick something like "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" or "Do Ya" to cover, but I guess Ace Frehley already did an excellent version of "Do Ya"! It’s okay, but I just think another ELO track would’ve maybe worked better here.

"Street Life" by Roxy Music is next and again, I think it’s a little out of place on a Def Leppard album. Bryan Ferry was always the king of smooth, more so in Roxy’s latter years. Def Leppard ROCK! Smooth really isn’t what they do, but they make a reasonable stab at it.

"Drive In Saturday" is so clearly David Bowie it’s a genuine attempt to pay their dues to the guy and it’s good representation of the original!

To cover a Free song is cool, although I’m not aware of many previous covers of Free other than "Wishing Well" or "All Right Now," so it’s commendable to hear "Little Bit Of Love," which really is great.

"The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll" by Mott The Hoople, you just knew it would be spot on, great stuff.

"No Matter What" was the first US single off the album and I’ve heard it many times redone and this also has a slight edge, courtesy of one Mr. Elliott’s raspy vocals! Good one Joe.

Next up, "He’s Gonna Step On You Again" was apparently a Top 5 hit in the UK for John Kongos in 1971. Hand on heart, sadly I don’t recall this guy’s name at all, but the track sounds familiar for sure. In the booklet notes, Elliott says this inspired their drum sound for Def Lep’s huge hit "Rocket," but "Rocket" it’s not.

"Don’t Believe A Word" is next, the classic by Thin Lizzy, huge fav band of mine and guys, I take my hat off to you on this. You did Phil proud! Sweet, guys!

To wrap up, they rock out with the old chestnut "Stay With Me," excellent summing up of The Faces, where, of course, Rod Stewart moved onto after his stint with Jeff Beck.

Lot’s of people have knocked Def Leppard for this release and yes, I’d liked to have seen a new album of THEIR material but you know, this isn’t bad at all really. Good diversion guys!