Published: May 17, 2006 09:11 pm      

Def Leppard covers songs from their roots

With over 65 million albums sold worldwide Def Leppard have little left to accomplish. I mean, what do you do when you already have not one but TWO diamond selling records (a diamond certified album has sold in excess of 10 million records)? Apparently you record and album’s worth of cover songs because you want to. That’s fine with me as Def Leppard does it with style, offering there most solid record in years.

Def Leppard is a band that has always been lumped into the hard music genre even though they don’t have a single album that would suggest they were a heavy band at all. They have always been a rock band that was tremendously popular on the radio. You won’t find Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden cover songs here, “YEAH!” blatantly reminds longtime fans, new fans, and critics, that Def Leppard’s musical roots are firmly placed in the soil of ’70s British pop music.

On “YEAH!” Def Leppard performs songs originally recorded by bands like Mott the Hoople, Sweet, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Thin Lizzy, David Essex, ELO, John Kongos, Blondie, The Kinks, T. Rex, Faces, and Free. The band does a superb job of keeping that raw ’70s rock sound while still being the over-the-top Def Leppard that fans love.

It’s hard to pick highlights on this album because nearly every song on it was a hit originally and even today is staple of classic rock radio. These songs have stood the test of time. That said, I suppose I gravitate towards a few of the songs more than others. For me “Hanging on the Telephone” is a highlight. Recorded originally by The Nerves but made popular a year later by Blondie, has a great guitar riff that goes well with driving fast down the interstate on a sunny summer day. T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” is another fun moment. This has long been a favorite song of mine and Def Leppard do a superb job with it. Other highly enjoyable moments include David Essex’s lesser known hit “Rock On” and The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset.”

Overall this album is a fun ride that fans of great rock music with undoubtedly enjoy. These are songs that have been proven great by a band that has been proven great. “YEAH!” will be released Tuesday, May 23, on Island Records and will be available everywhere.

Def Leppard will be on tour throughout the summer with fellow diamond selling rock act Journey. They will hit our area in September.

Mark Fisher of Fairmont writes music features and reviews for the Times West Virginian.