Def Leppard on VH1 ...um.. Classic Albums? Surely there's been a mistake.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Okay ...I have little enough time for VH1 anyway as they have a tendency to pass off glorified adverts and fawning anal lolling commentary as historically accurate documentary.

Mercifully I was about to switch off the box and head for the leaba anyway at midnight last night when their Classic Album programme came on and tempted that part of the psyche that rubber-necks at car crashes with the promise of Def Leppards 1987 multi-million selling turd of a yoke 'Hysteria'.

I only watched 2-3 minutes of it -by which time one of them (baldier guitarist) had already uttered that magical line "NO-body else was doing what we were doing at that time...". (well nobody bar Europe, Poison, Faster f**kin pussycat, quiet riot, Bon b@stard Jovi, Motley Crud and a whole legion of other poodle permed muppets)

They also seemed to think that Hysteria made them "the biggest band in the world" even if they had the cop on to qualify such a ludicrous assertion with "...for a little while". (worth bearing in mind this manky record came out within weeks of U2s Joshua Tree and Jackos 'Bad'.)

Actually that reminds me -at least Jacko, for his many faults, seemed a little embarrassed by so many singles being lifted from Bad -these pillocks are downright proud of it -seven singles in all -each one worse than the last.

I'll tell you it's a good thing I'd only had two bottles of Newcastle -any more and I'd be shopping for a new TV today.

[Lim till i die]

Ya found it a bit hilarious myself alright, no surprises for vh1 though (Robbies Williams best male of all time anyone)

Another memorable quote: "I mean there was so many rock bands at the time who weren't about the music, we changed all that"

Upon which I smiled ruefully and turned on Black Books

[Lionel Ritchie]

Ya found it a bit hilarious myself alright, no surprises for vh1 though (Robbies Williams best male of all time anyone)

Another memorable quote: "I mean there was so many rock bands at the time who weren't about the music, we changed all that"

Upon which I smiled ruefully and turned on Black Books

Was that from last night? aw man stop.

Savage beating for Mr. Elliot ...

I somehow, inexplicably ended up on Europes site a while back and they were rationalising their own ****eness and general downfall and namechecked some of their contemporaries like Leppard who suffered similarily from "the rise of grunge in the late 80's and into the 90's". The opined that their "life affirming music" became unfashionable for a time.

Someone please tell them grunge had nothing to do with it ...the fact is their skanger audience switched en masse to what some of them to this day call 'rave'.

[Lim till i die]

Was that from last night? aw man stop.

Savage beating for Mr. Elliot ...

Indeed it was

The sincerity in his eyes as he said was breathtaking

You know they've done more county fairs than the Beatles

[paul_oshea]

i like def leppard

[Lionel Ritchie]

i like def leppard

Ah c'mon Paul where's yer Moxy? I thought you'd mount a more spirited counter than that now. (metaphorically chucks Paul a scabbard) At you -Sir!

[paul_oshea]

Ah c'mon Paul where's yer Moxy? I thought you'd mount a more spirited counter than that now. (metaphorically chucks Paul a scabbard) At you -Sir

no i can only fight the fight on so many threads....

...and besides, you are around a lot longer than I, and therefore know a lot more about GOOD music than I

*Please note the use of the words ( together ) good music. none of that nicole ritchie or any of that crap constitutes the word GOOD.

[drinkfeckarse]

I personally thought Pyromania and Hysteria were/are great albums. Millions of others thought the same.

[paul_oshea]

they did what few did in their time, and that was to break america!!!!

[Lionel Ritchie]

I personally thought Pyromania and Hysteria were/are great albums. Millions of others thought the same.

Isn't there a mathematical formula out there that deals with the probability of someone debating on an internet forum bringing up comparisons with Hitler, the nazis, the rise of nazism etc... that says it's most likely to happen within the first 15 posts? I think I've got it inside ten.

Or if I may paraphrase my dear mum ..." If millions jumped in the Shannon..."

Hysteeeeeeeer -ee -uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!!!

they did what few did in their time, and that was to break america!!!!

So did the prohibitionists -but what the hell does that mean? Few from anywhere "break america" as america isn't really a single unified market -probably even less so than Europe -which is odd considering they all speak the same language allegedly.

With rare exception the two unifying factors in acts that do shift mega units in the states are that they play lowest common denominator muck and that they've a massive, massive money machine behind them them that simply will not let the record fail.

They said as much last night in the two minutes I watched. They totally embraced making a sickeningly commercial record because the massive machine behind them was going to require feeding. They had to sell 5 million to break even.

Christ they didn't even try to play the "musically we'd nowhere else to go coz we'd exausted the genre" card Metallica would play a few years later or the "the next record's just the next record" tripe that REM and U2 come out with.

[tetsujin1979]

they did what few did in their time, and that was to break america!!!!

Big deal, so did Nickelback

[paul_oshea]

nickleback had the advantage of being from north america, joe it is a big deal breaking america.

its a very diverse culture, having said that there taste in music is way better and above those from this side of the pond who go for anything with a base beat and drum


come on fire me up......quality. just listening to it now. do you disapprove Lionel?

BTw, the americans are not just driven by lowest common denomiator - whatever that may be, im not quite sure what you mean - their eclectic listening taste goes a lot further than the above mentioned.....

[drinkfeckarse]

Isn't there a mathematical formula out there that deals with the probability of someone debating on an internet forum bringing up comparisons with Hitler, the nazis, the rise of nazism etc... that says it's most likely to happen within the first 15 posts? I think I've got it inside ten.

Just pointing out a simple fact. They sold millions of records. You don't like them? Grand so, just spare us the big rant. It's hardly worth it.

[noby]

taste in music is way better and above those from this side of the pond who go for anything with a base beat and drum

That's a laughable statement, on so many levels.

As regards DL, I have no interest in them or their genre, but that's no reason to say this album isn't a classic.

[paul_oshea]

noby, that was the point of the statement

[sadloserkid]

Always liked Def Leppard. Sound lads one and all too. The only band from outside the US to ever have two consecutive albums sell over 10 million (or was it 15?) in the US. A lot of highly-rated (read over-rated) British acts like the the Beatles and The Stones and The Smiths have never managed it. Ditto for the likes of The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis.

'Hysteria' is a classic. Dated for sure but a great album.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Just pointing out a simple fact. They sold millions of records. You don't like them? Grand so, just spare us the big rant. It's hardly worth it.

I'll spare you nothing. It's my thread ...if you don't like it's content spare yourself getting offended and uppity, add me to your ignore list and move on to something else -or start up a "Hysteria IS a classic album" thread. I'll be happy to debate it's merits with you.

its a very diverse culture, having said that there taste in music is way better and above those from this side of the pond who go for anything with a base beat and drum

Laughable nonsense aside -It's interesting, Paul, that you issue what I'm guessing is a sly dig at dance music. The last UK acts, that come to my mind, that did serious coast to coast business in the United States are The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and especially Fatboy Slim. All had multi million sellers in the US on as close to their own terms as it gets.

'da leps' sold the pass on doing anything on their own terms at the pre-production meeting before they even sat down to "write" the garbage that comprised their supposedly iconic masterpiece.

'Hysteria' is a classic. Dated for sure but a great album.

It was dated the day they released it SLK. Manky pub rock dressed up spandex and poodle perms. You could likely interchange any song on it with anything Heart had out on their yoke and not notice. Christ you could interchange it with anything Bonnie Tyler was singing in a german beer garden at the time.

[paul_oshea]

good man sadloserkid i like facts to back my points......stone roses are sh1te, oasis are really sh1te for simple minded people with simple tastes, rolling stones are the most over-rated band ever along with the beatles.

The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and especially Fatboy Slim. All had multi million sellers in the US on as close to their own terms as it gets.

hmmmmmm can you link me to this about the prodigy? Dance music has a big "underground" following in the states, and most of it is fed through continental europe and mainly the UK ( the 3 bands you listed are all english bands, that are the leaders in their style of music ), so i wouldn't really hold much to this arguement as in this "genre" of "MUSIC" america doesnt set the tone for the rest of the world unlike others mainly rock, hip-hop and pop.

[drinkfeckarse]

It's my thread ....

[Lionel Ritchie]

good man sadloserkid i like facts to back my points......stone roses are sh1te, oasis are really sh1te for simple minded people with simple tastes, rolling stones are the most over-rated band ever along with the beatles.

Paul I'm not a huge fan of any of the acts you mention there -in fact I fairly despise Oasis -who incidently are no more nor less inclined toward pub-rock than Def Lep.
In that regard -if you're going to call people simple minded for indulging them ...then all I'll say is people who live in glass houses should do their w@nking in the basement.

hmmmmmm can you link me to this about the prodigy? .

Here's the very first link I found as I haven't all afternoon. http://www.sfstation.com/the-prodigy-e26420

"1997's incredibly successful Fat of the Land was the first major electronic music album to crack the US sales charts. Whereas the much-hyped "electronica" revolution was mostly a dud, the Prodigy were an unqualified hit, and helped pave the way for those few electronic acts who achieved serious success in the states. Although electronic music remains to this day something of a novelty on American radio, what little presence it has owes a great deal to the Prodigy's initial success. The strength of propulsive, rock-infused dance singles such as "Firestarter" and "Breathe" insured the group a presence on domestic rock radio for many years to come."
- from popmatters.com

( the 3 bands you listed are all english bands, that are the leaders in their style of music ), so i wouldn't really hold much to this arguement as in this "genre" of "MUSIC" america doesnt set the tone for the rest of the world unlike others mainly rock, hip-hop and pop.

I deliberately listed UK acts as you seemed to imply DefLep deserved a medal for "breaking america". I think you're saying that this is because the americans feel they "own the genre" -if so they're welcome to it. Though I would just say it's a long way back to 1956 (even from a 1987 perspective) when rock'n'roll was seen as an american franchise.

In a sense if I follow the logic of your argument then it makes Fatboy Slims success all the more remarkable as it was widely believed in the US that FBS was a multi-personnel techno rock band in the NIN mould. A myth that Norman Cook was happy enough to play up. Even makes fun of it on the intro to Rockefeller Skank.