Review of Yeah

I just read a review of Def Leppard's Yeah album from a music critic Chris Akin and I've read many reviews on music and this is possibly the worst piece of CRAP I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

This critic is blind to what Def Leppard is really like as he makes personal attacks on the band and the covers CD Yeah. I will give you a few quotes from him. As a journalist, I try to be very objective when it comes to different bands as I have my favorites and my least favorites but I try to give all of them a fair shake but this guy spares no lives as he drives the blade deep into the hearts of Def Leppard, twisting the knife as he steals the life of Def Leppard's Yeah.

Even though an old review, the fans will remember this as a very spiteful review and I'd compare this to a car crash with no survivors. However, this is just an opinion and doesn't mean that because of this review, Def Leppard might as well toss out their Union Jack flag and go back to the UK with their tail between their legs.

No, it simply means that this guy has not actually listened to this CD with an obective outlook and instead, slashed it to pieces before it could even draw a breath. He buries this CD in an unmarked grave and stomps all over it and dances praise because he murdered the YEAH album and laughs wickedly, knowing he has gotten away with the crime.

Def Leppard over the past decade has had its share of reviews that reek of jealousy and spite because the critics seem to only want to give rave reviews to the newer generation of bands and casually push Def Leppard over the cliff, hoping no one will find them again and pray that the rotting corpse of their reviews don't come back to bite them in the ass or haunt them in their dreams but still they have no conscience as they continue their killing spree and look for more victims to add to their list of murder.

Here is some of what this critic had to say about Def Leppard and their album yeah.

"Their continual downward spiral from greatness through mediocrity to downright awful seems complete with the release of Yeah! After several listens, it is apparent that the band that made such killer albums as High & Dry and Pyromania no longer exists. In its place is a shell band with a bad singer that would never have gotten big if they had come out with anything they have released after 1988.

Yeah! is crap, plain and simple. Elliott, for his part, proves yet again that his voice is shot from years of touring. He's lifeless as Hell, and for the first time, he's just completely abandoned the idea of shifting outside of his speaking voice at all. Gone is all the attitude and all the energy, replaced by dull, standard presentation of a bunch of cover songs."


This guy obviously has no ear for music and the review a crime in itself and the critic deserves life with no possibililty of parole because he literally chokes the life out of this CD and the band. Attacks on the band are clearly stated and he Figuretively snuffs their lives out with the stroke of the keyboard.

If their careers depended on this critic, they would have been over before they got started and Def Leppard would have never made it. In his humble and yet horrific opinion, this guy has shot down Yeah in cold blood and never bothered to call 911.

To read more on this delightful *coughs, gasps and chokes on the word I used for this review because it is far from delightful, go here to this link. RC Music

Def Leppard Craves Respect

The Post Gazette says Def Leppard craves respect and talked with Joe Elliott and Phil Collen of Def Leppard at the show in Cincinatii Ohio. Joe Elliott goes on about the days of making the cover of magazines and now, its more important if you make it on the front of a website.

Comments that Joe is a bit pudgier than he used to be and Phil is stocky, well built. I ask you, what does that have to do with things? Is appearance more important than performance.

Joe comments on being hated to be labeled a hair band but in the time of Poison but it was a time thing Phil Collen commented. Joe Elliott wants critical acclaim but says they've achieved different levels of success and even though they won't make the cover of Rolling Stone anymore, they have a place in history. With two albums that have gone ten times platinum, Joe Elliott feels they've passed the test.

In spite of all the negative reviews I read on Def Leppard, they continue to be a positive place in music. After 30 years of being in the spotlight, they STILL continue to shine so no matter what the critics say and if they haven't officially been made an icon, we know as fans of their music that they are indeed Icons and have definitely earned our respect.

For more on this article, click this link. Post Gazette

Urge Veg Rockers not to perform at Brutal Rodeo

In 1983 veteran Rocker Phil Collen went vegetarian out of empathy for the animals who suffer cruel deaths on factory farms and trust me, they are VERY cruel, I have seen some of these myself and some animals are skinned ALIVE, while still others are beaten, strangled, starved and often made to live in cruel conditions and the rodeos are even worse, horses, bulls and other animals are often hit, shocked and put to death in the most painful ways imaginable after breaking their legs during bull riding competitions and bronco riding.

Phil Collen eventually urged some of his other band mates to go vegetarian and some of the fans went vegetarian in support of them. The Cheyenne Frontier Days are one of the largest and most violent rodeos in the US and animals are beaten, run until they can no longer stand and eventually die and most times not quickly.

Animal Cruelty is one of the least prosecuted crimes in the world and we must put a stop to this. Tell Def Leppard and Bon Jovi that animal cruelty is not COOL. Read more at this link. Rodeos

Rock of Ages

The RFT Music sat down with Def Leppard's Phil Collen in an exclusive Interview with the guitarist and asks Phil about rehearsals and the songs he'd rather never play again including Pour Some Sugar on Me , Rock of Ages and Photograph but explains that when they get out on the stage, it's a different vibe, there's a different reaction. All of a sudden, it's fine, it's great. But rehearsing them it's a different story. You go, "Oh my God, it's like watching paint dry."

He asks him about the new album and how the songs are going and what they sound like and Phil says "To put it in a nutshell, it sounds like Hysteria songs done in the style of High 'N' Dry, with no ballads. If that makes any sense." For more on this article, go to this link. RFT

Fan Interviews Part 6 Natalie

RC: Hi Natalie, welcome to the Rock Chronicles, I will be asking

you a series of questions pertaining to Def Leppard, the new tour,

the new album and of course the Men of Def Leppard.

First, tell me bits about yourself, where do you come from,

what are your interests and what do you do?

Natalie: Hiya, thanks for the invite!
Well I'm from Metro-Detroit and still living there.
I've been in customer service, mostly retail, for 18 years.
I enjoy hanging out with friends and family playing games,
attending community festivals, listening to music and watching TV.
and movies.

RC: My first question for you Natalie is how did you become interested in Def Leppard?

What about them made you a fan?

Natalie: I discovered DL back in 1983 on MTV.
Like other girls, LOL, I thought they were really
cute and I could dance to the music. I stayed a fan
because of their long-standing friendship and their continued
efforts to give the world great music for the whole family to enjoy.

RC: With the new Downstage thrust tour kicking off, the boys are excited and

the fans are excited about seeing them again. What about the new tour do you expect

to be different besides the runway and them singing the new song off High and

Dry which everyone knows what it is now?

Natalie: Even though they're not previewing any new songs,
I believe they are gonna showcase, thru the older songs, the "new"
direction in sound for their upcoming album .

RC: At the shows, the excitement can get very intense and I often see fans getting

smashed and of course the popular crowd surfing. It’s not so common at a Lep show

and over the years, I’ve seen the fans of Def Leppard become a little mellower.

For this tour, do you expect the crowds will be a little more excited and if there are

instances where the crowds tend to smash fans, do you think more should be done

or more security put in the crowds to prevent people from getting hurt?

Natalie: I don't think DL fans are mellower, just more

Family-oriented. I think bad scenes happen when there's been
excessive alcohol- drinking. So perhaps there should be a cut-off time
for the alcohol sales at shows.

Which would give people a small chance to sober up during the headliner's
set.

RC: When I attended the Aerosmith show last time, they had a runway too and

there were several fans that got up on the runway and attempted to stand next to the guys

and one lucky gal got to dance with Steven during the song Walk this Way, two actually.

Do you expect fans to be doing that at the Lep shows and would you do it, if you got the chance?

Natalie: LOL! Ya never know who might give that a try.
But, I couldn't see myself doing that.

RC: With the new tour and it being just a tour to be touring tour, do you think that the

boys tend to get a little restless and want to entertain the fans because they love playing live

or is this perhaps a promotional tool or a little of both?

What I mean is, its obvious they love playing for an audience and I love them for it and

love seeing them play but with lack of publicity now days, I think its important that they do

tour as much as they have been so they don’t drop from the spotlight, would you agree?

Natalie: I might get in trouble here, LOL! But I am worried that DL are
"over-touring" the States. With each tour of summer-theaters they
"take away" anticipation for the AVERAGE fans. DIEHARDS will always be
excite IF they booked a tour in Australia, they would be playing an
arena or stadium because no one has had the chance to see them in like 15
years from what's been said on DL's own forum.

Whereas here they're kinda stuck with measly 15,000 seaters.
DL wants to be like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.
Both of them to my knowledge have only gone on tour when they had
a record to promote, even if it was just a "best of" collection.
In my mind, touring just to tour is what "one-hit" wonders do NOT
major bands like DL.

They NEED to make this the first and last time they do an

"extra" tour.

RC: In light of that, Joe said on Rockline that when they come back and do a world tour,

they will probably start with European dates because touring the US again would be

over exposure, do you think that? Do you think it’s possible to have TOO much Def Leppard?

Natalie: Unfortunately the management doesn’t really bother with lot
tour publicity because regular concertgoers are "used" to seeing DL on
their summer-theater rosters.

So they DO need to make us wait and hopefully they can build enough
anticipation to start booking arenas again.

RC: Now I want to ask you a few questions about the fan club and meet and greets.

Now Def Leppard has a new fan club that you pay thirty-five dollars a year for and you

get to purchase tickets before the general public BUT the one thing if you notice, the fan

club doesn’t have the 4 star and 5 star packaging. I mean ANYONE can get those if they

have the money to spend and it costs a lot.

Do you think that the packages should be for just anyone or should it belong to fan

club members only?

I mean, you don’t really get a whole lot except buying tickets before the public can, a t shirt

and exclusive diary entries from the band.

Aerosmith offers packages but they are only available if you belong to the fan club.

Do you think that Def Leppard should do the same?

Natalie: I think these "fan cubs" are money-grabs from the

MANGESMENT AND RECORD LABELS. I don't believe DL and other bands
have a lot of input in these things. Personally, I view artists'
official websites as the modern, and much more ethically run, equivalent
of fan clubs.

RC: Along the same lines, do you think the fan club should offer more like have the

packages exclusive to the fan club, offer meet and greets WITH the packages and a

photo op with Def Leppard and autographs?

The packages cost a lot of money and you don’t get a whole lot, except a good seat MAYBE

and I say maybe because if you get less than front row, you risk having a six foot tall person in front of you and then it’s no better than being fifteen rows back.

I am short and I can’t see half the time when I go to a show. I’ve asked this of another fan in a different way but I think it’s important the boys know what is lacking in their fan club. I love that they are doing it but what do you think about it?

Natalie: The only way I'd pay extra is if it was a charity auction.

RC: Since we seem to be on the subject, in your honest opinion, do you think the fan club is offered based on money? Do you think Def Leppard after all these years are in this for the money when it comes to the fan club and the VIP packages? Maybe they don’t get the royalties from the packages, I don’t know but surely some of it goes to them so do you think that Def Leppard are in it for the money or are they trying to offer the fans a better show?

Natalie: Like I said earlier, I doubt DL has very much input where
that's concerned.

RC: I’ve also asked this of other fans but I’ll ask you as well. Do you think the meet and greets should come back and if so, how would you do it if it were you?

Natalie: Meets and greets should be done thru either radio
contests or contests on the OS. That would be a lot fairer
for the fans that can't afford hundreds of dollars just for a
few minutes of the band member’s time.

RC: Anymore, I think the meet and greets have declined because for one, they don’t have a lot of time anymore and they’ve also had problems with stalkers. Do you think that if they were offered a secure environment with a maximum say 50 people per meet and greet, they might consider bringing it back? I was thinking, why not put this to a vote on DL.com, I am sure the fans would want it, what do you think?

Natalie: Absolutely! I'm sure if safety measures were taken
they would probably do more of them .

RC: Def Leppard has been touring with big name acts in the past three years, taking a bit away from their set since they share billing with these acts. Although there are a lot of bands that I like that have toured with them, I would like to see Def Leppard play a full set.

I am sure the fans would like to see that too so what if it were suggested that at least once a year, Def Leppard plays in say ummm 50 cities with the band of their choice and play a festival of sorts, have like six bands on the same stage within a week and all of them play a full set. What would you think of that?

They did something very similar in Burlington Iowa where I saw them. They had Def Leppard, Poison, Survivor, Cheap Trick, Trick Pony I think that’s their name and more. Anyway, they all played the same stage a day apart and it was great.

Natalie: That's sounds like an interesting idea.

RC: Who is your favorite Lep member and if you could ask him one thing, what would it be?

Natalie: Joe first, Phil second! For Joe, I'd ask If he still gets
nervous when he meets up with his own idols like Bowie? For Phil,
I'd ask what song or artist made him decide to go after being guitarist?

RC: I have asked that of all the fans but I think it’s important. Anyway, let’s talk about Joe for a minute. Joe is the lead man, front man for Def Leppard and the most talked about, the most photographed and the most interviewed.

Do you feel he gets too much of the spotlight, even though he is lead singer? I mean, the lead man is always going to get a lot of attention but I see Sav, Viv and Rick getting the least attention, at least when it comes to interviews, photos and stuff.

Natalie: I think they all have a love/hate feeling about that.

RC: I love Joe, don’t get me wrong but I was just curious. Now with Joe I have debated on whether to get into this or not considering he may see this but I decided to go for it. Joe has been quoted on the Official site as having hated Fan Fiction.

I don’t remember how long ago it was but he said something like people who write this stuff need to get a life and quoted some part from something he apparently read. You have read fiction. Do you think Joe has a point or do you think that perhaps Joe is just uncomfortable with being a character in a story?

Natalie: LOL! I view fan fiction as the internet version of romance novels.
Given that Joe is a man, I'm guessing that he has NEVER visited a Bookstore
and purchased & read a romance novel! If he did he would understand where
MOST of these stories are actually coming from. Yes there is a SMALL
percentage of writers & readers that have trouble with fiction and reality.

But those people usually get themselves BANNED from fiction sites because of that.
Most writers are just practicing their skills with a set of "characters" and timelines
that already exist which acts like their muse. Most readers are just choosing to read

fan fiction over other genres. NOONE with a HEALTHY mind takes these stories seriously.
Its just pure fun.

RC: Do you think maybe Joe just thinks it is too far fetched and some of it is I am sure but from Joe’s point of view, do you think the fiction is just something that Joe thinks is delusional? In other words, do you think Joe thinks that and would you agree with him or disagree?

Natalie: Yes some are pretty far-fetched, but those are either meant to
be humor or are badly-written.

RC: Switching gears, let’s talk about Sav. Sav has had to overcome some major obstacles in his life with his bells palsy and losing his father but he’s managed to recover almost completely from the bells palsy and looking at him, you wouldn’t know he had it. If he hadn’t recovered, do you think that would have hindered his career in the band considering he sings with them or could that have been worked around? I’d hate to see anything happen to any of them because they are all so sweet but do you think he would have even wanted to go on with the band if he couldn’t sing?

Natalie: I think DL would've worked around his difficulty.

RC: Do you think that perhaps Rick and Sav have something in common with overcoming a major setback that could have ended both their careers?

Natalie: Absolutely! Rick probably served as Sav's inspiration when he
started dealing with Bell's palsy.

RC: Speaking of Rick, what he does with Raven Drum is remarkable and it helps a lot of people. Do you feel that people who bid on the Raven drum auctions and win, do so to meet Rick and in hopes of meeting the others alone or do you think they also do it to contribute to a worthy cause or maybe a little of both?

Natalie: Probably a little of both.

RC: Switching gears again, Viv has gotten a lot of flack over the years because some still feel Steve’s loss and they feel for lack of a better term, offended that someone had to take Steve’s place when that is far from the truth. Viv is a wonderful man that is truly talented and he’s funny, sweet and caring and in my opinion a brilliant addition to the Def Leppard family. Do you think Viv will ever stop being called the new guy or will people finally accept him in the role as a Def Leppard member?

Natalie: Well, in my mind he is just as important at this point as Phil.
Some of the people that call Viv that also can't accept that fact that Phil replaced Pete!
Those people need to start living in the present.

RC: Do you think Viv was the perfect choice for the role he plays now?

Natalie: Absolutely!

RC: Let’s talk about the new album. There is a lot of speculation on the name and without even hearing the album, fans already wonder how the album will be. Would you vote for that name or give it something else? Does Sparkle Lounge sound anything like a Def Leppard album to you?

Natalie: Who knows, LOL! A lot of people were shocked by the title
Slang too! Whatever it is will end up being perfect for that record.

RC: Here I am judging it myself when I haven’t heard it but I am just getting opinions on what the fans feel about it. I would buy anything they put out because I love Def Leppard but let’s say with Def Leppard’s fan base and the style of music they play, if they were to suddenly go Country, would you continue to like them and buy their albums?

Bret Michaels of Poison has done a country album and promoted it on a solo tour so do you think Def Leppard could do one IF they wanted to?

Natalie: I can't imagine them doing country.
BUT I always thought they would do a great job with the blues!
A lot of their own idols in British Classic and Glam rock had some
blues in their catalogs. So it seems like a natural fit! Plus Viv
has already dabbled in it with his solo album!

RC: I will ask you a couple of more questions and then we’re done. Natalie, if the guys came to you and asked you to write a song with them or help them with something they did, could you do it and would you?

Natalie: I'm not really musically inclined,
BUT I'd be more than willing to give them my honest opinion
if they needed a "fresh" ear to listen to a track they were having
trouble with.

RC: Final question. What has been your all time favorite Def Leppard piece of history? In other words, what part of Def Leppard’s career do you remember most as being a true part of history that will be remembered decades from now?

Natalie: Hysteria really is their crowning glory!
Hopefully they will be blessed like that again!

RC: Thank you Natalie, for participating in this interview with me. This has been a Rock Chronicles interview with the fans part 6.

Lumino Magazine Sings Hi Praises for Def Leppard

Lumino Magazine sung nothing but praises for Def Leppard's performance in Chicago, unlike the Chicago tribune previously reported but then it helps if the reviews come from the female gender as she sings about how sexy they are and noticing them half naked.

I notice that too of course but this reviewer is obviously a fan and likes Viv. Unlike the Chicago Tribune, Lumino Magazine said Joe's voice is in top condition and says Def Leppard makes us glad we can hear and also said " Sex appeal and musicianship abounded as veteran band Def Leppard took the stage in their twenty-seventh year together. Headlining a triple-billed concert with Foreigner and Styx, Def Leppard clearly knew what they were doing and had a hell of a time doing it."

The only thing that this reviewer gets wrong is that they've been together 27 years but they've been together 30 years. Together since 1977, ironically, the same year as the death of Elvis Presley, Def Leppard has matured from being a very young band with Joe's voice raw and sounding much like his voice was changing, to a band that can literally bring down the house with their rendition of Pour Some Sugar on Me and Armageddon it and God's of War but the Gods of War were absent on this tour but maybe they will make a cameo at future shows since this is barely the tip of the iceberg for the 2007 Downstage thrust tour.

Def Leppard in 1977 started out as a band that often rehearsed in the factory where singer Joe Elliott formerly worked and sometimes in Joe's garage. With curly brown hair and a voice raw with talent and literally raw vocals that of course developed into a powerful voice that would make history and 30 years later, Def Leppard has truly become a musical inspiration and years from now, newer bands will look back when asked who their musical inspirations were and they will say "Def Leppard"

Not only has their talent improved and like fine wine, keeps improving with age, their attractiveness doesn't go unnoticed as they have grown into mature, fine looking men, from the days of their teen years to the present.

As the new tour continues, fans throughout the US will be waiting anxiously for their turn to rock with the boys from the UK and they will bring their CD covers, wear the famous Union Jack shirt along with worn, historic other t shirts from concerts long since passed from Hysteria days and older.

The one thing that rips a hole in time and space and changes history is the boys new runway (Catwalk) and they use it to the maximum as they greet their fans with hand slaps and high fives. This is a refreshing idea and brings the band closer to the fans that have supported them for 30 years, along with the newer generation of fans, often the sons and daughter's of the fans that attended their shows in their own youth.

I can't wait to get on the road and see them in person once again. Maybe this time, I will have my opportunity to pose with Joe and get to ask him some questions. For the link to this wonderful review, click below.

Lumino Magazine

Chicago Tribune says Def Leppard Delivers Nostalgia but...

Chicago Tribune had little if anything nice to say about Def Leppard's Chicago performance on June 30th. The Chicago Tribune says they deliver Nostalgia but the lyrics are corny and tossed around gooey glam hooks and hi-hat beats like pieces of candy.

I've come across very few critics that can say anything but positive things about Def Leppard nowdays so in my humble opinion, they are either too old to rock or need their hearing checked along with their eyes. However, Def Leppard has rocked to their classic tunes for 30 years and very few new songs are heard but the Def Leppard fans of the past, present and future don't care as long as their boys continue rocking and they can see them where they perform the best, LIVE and ONSTAGE. The Critics will fall by the wayside and vanish into oblivion when ten years later, Def Leppard still tours and they have long since quit the jobs they are barely qualified for.

With the new album coming out, can Def Leppard turn things around and make the critics eat crow? I will certainly be there to feed it to them if they do and I am sure Def Leppard would enjoy the show. I hope they like theirs toasted and well done because crow is hard to swallow raw. For more on this article, click this link Chicago Tribune