I was originally skeptical about this album. I really did not know what to expect especially after Def Leppard's last album X. The band seemed to forget they were a rock band. However, after buying this album my skepticism was put to rest. Leppard has not rocked out this hard since Pyromania. They have gone back to their roots, literally, recording an album of some of their favorite songs from the 60's and 70's. It also sounds like they tuned their guitars lower like they do when they play live. This gives the album a concert-like feel. You can tell they put a lot of time into recording these songs and they played each one with enthusiasm. This is quite different from X in which they seemed like they were trying too hard to be something they are not.
The band invited various people to play on YEAH! including family members, Ian Hunter, Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) and others. Here is a run down of the album:
1. 20th Century Boy: T-Rex
Great opening song! After listening to this one I could tell immediately this album was going to be good.
2. Rock On: David Essex
I love the hard rocking ending they added to this one something the original did not have.
3. Hanging on the Telephone: made famous by Blondie
Interesting chose, still a decent song.
4. Waterloo Sunset: The Kinks
I remember listening to a clip of this a long time ago, however I don't remember it being this good.
5. Hell Raiser: Sweet
Never knew Motley Crue ripped this song off (Kickstart My Heart). Kind of sad but I still like both songs still. Justin Hawkins helps Leppard out on this one.
6. 10538 Overture: ELO
Sounds like nothing Def Leppard has recorded before. Very classical sounding.
7. Street Life: Roxy Music
Rocks pretty hard. Puddle of Mud ripped some of the parts of this song off when they made She Hates Me.
8. Drive-In Saturday: David Bowie
One of the slower ones on the album. Leppard tried to record it closely to the original.
9. Little Bit of Love: Free
An upbeat song.
10. The Golden Age of Rock `N' Roll: Mott the Hoople
My favorite song on the album. The band just lets it rip on this one.
11. No Matter What: Bad Finger
The band seems to love this one. It was previously released on Rock of Ages greatest hits. I think its ok but not near the best on this album.
12. He's Gonna Step on You Again: John Kongos
I love the rhythm on this song. Some of Rick Allen's best drum work ever.
13. Don't Believe a Word: Thin Lizzy
The band recorded this one with a classical rock style.
14. Stay With Me: Rod Stewart
Phil Collen sings on this one. He sounds very similar to Rod. It was originally released as a B-Side for X.
The album art is also very good. It contains pictures of the band dressed as Glam Rockers. They all look like David Bowie. In the booklet Phil and Joe explain why each track was chosen and what each song means to them.
I highly recommend this album.
OK, first off, been a fan of the Leps since I was 15 and "Pyromania" was first released and "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" was all over MTV...twas 1983 and my impressionable mind was molded by the Leps music, just like what happened to the Leps themselves with the bands and who's songs the Leps cover all over "Yeah!!"
This record makes a whole lot of sense and squashes many things that people mistakenly think the Leps are, musically. NWOBHM or pop-metal??!!?? BAH!!
Try glam-influenced powerpop, or a British, glam-influenced Cheap Trick, and you're on target. And honestly, I think it's a mistake that the Leps are constantly on nostalgic summer package tours with horrible corporate rock bands like Journey...shoot me, Journey fans, I don't care, your band and taste is terrible!!! Same with KISS!!! If anything, the Leps should play with musically-compatible bands like Cheap Trick, or newer Britpop bands like the Arctic Monkeys or the Kaiser Chiefs or great new Scottish bands like the View or the Fratellis, to show these younger bands and fans they are still vital...not just for their parents' generation. Gosh, I feel old.
Anyhoo, about the Leps' recent covers album, "Yeah!!!", from 2006, it's possibly the best covers album in recent memory, if not EVER. It's totally fun, not obvious, has many of my fave bands and shows the band's impeccable taste and ability to rock out and have a good time...it probably made the band feel like kids again. The album artwork and nods to the classics is a nice fun touch...the liner notes are informative and infectiously written by Phil and Joe, both obviously music connosseurs and collectors. The intros by Sav and Viv are cool as well.
Now, there are 4 different versions of the album...the regular 14-tracker, the BestBuy version with 2 bonus tracks, the Target edition with 2 completely DIFFERENT bonus tracks, and the Japanese edition has 2 bonus tracks. PLUS Walmart had a separately-sold companion bonus DISC with 8 more tracks (5 additional covers and 3 interviews) which put the whole project into proper perspective. The Japanese disc has only 2 of these Walmart tracks as bonuses. Here's my take on the whole kitten caboodle:
REGULAR ALBUM:
1- "20th Century Boy"...the T-Rex song, an amazing song and great energetic cover...fits the Leps to a T.
2- "Rock On"...the David Essex song, also covered by Michael Damian (a #1 hit in the US but it was lame) and Toni Basil!?!?...her version was cool and on the US version of "Word Of Mouth" following "Mickey"...the Leps cover beats them all...love the way the song kicks in, AC/DC-style.
3- "Hanging On The Telephone"...the 1976 Nerves powerpop classic popularized by Blondie...surprisingly awesome.
4- "Waterloo Sunset"...the 1960s Kinks classic, originally placed on the Leps 2CD import "Best Of", in a better home here on "Yeah!!", great version that grows on you.
5- "Hell Raiser"...the Sweet classic...I know the Leps have cited Sweet as an influence, and they give a kicking rendition here...the funny, campy Steve Priest vocal lines are done here by, NOT Joe Elliot, but guest Justin Hawkins, former lead singer/songwriter of campy Brit hardrockers the Darkness, to fine fun effect...
6- "10538 Overture"...ELO's debut single, when Roy Wood was in the band, after the Move split up...GREAT and a surprisingly fitting choice for the Leps...great guitar work, and features guests on strings, the Stepaside Symphonia...
7- "Street Life"...the 1973 Roxy Music classic...shows the Leps are NOT a pop metal band, but a glam-influenced powerpop band, more taken by punk and new wave, as 1970s UK glam was the precursor to this inferior style of rock, and the Leps do some nice noise on their guitars...LOVE this song...
8- "Drive-In Saturday"...the obscure-in-the-US, HUGE-in-the-UK David Bowie classic from 1973's "Aladdin Sane"...see my take on previous song by Roxy Music.
9- "Little Bit Of Love"...the Free song, a big surprise for me, as I am NOT a Paul Rodgers/Bad Company fan at all...I think BC was probably the most overrated band of them all, really boring actually. Free, on the other hand, I have not heard much of, besides "All Right Now", which was decent but played out, yet still better than all of Bad Company combined. Perhaps, Paul Rodgers sounded great in this band, I don't know, but this song is actually a pretty good pop tune...I may have to investigate Free's catalogue now.
10- "The Golden Age Of Rock 'N' Roll"...the Mott The Hoople classic...probably my fave track on all of "Yeah!!"...just amazing, what rock & roll is all about...Ian Hunter is just swell, as a rock & roller, as a songwriter and as a person...I had the opportunity to see Ian live recently and he blew me away...pictures I took, I gave doubles to Joe himself when I met him at the aftershow party for the NYC "X" club gig at Irving Plaza, now the Fillmore, because I knew Ian was Joe's hero. Ian does the intro here...very cool...and features guests like Joe's wife on BV's, Viv's bro on honking sax and Canadian singer/songwriter Emm Gryner on BVs and piano...just awesome...and I can hear the Sex Pistols influence here too, as is mentioned in the liner notes.
11- "No Matter What"...the Badfinger powerpop classic...arguably the first ever true powerpop song, let alone hit, and yeah, the Leps' version is almost identical, which proves that the Leps are, at heart, a powerpop band, not a metal/pop metal band. Love this remix better than the version on the US 2CD "Rock Of Ages" collection...fits better here too, as this is, after all, an album of covers.
12- "He's Gonna Step On You Again"...the John Kongos classic...honestly, I thought I was the only one who knew who John Kongos was!!! I had the original album with this song, and "Tokoloshe Man", on it...both songs were covered by UK rave rockers Happy Mondays in the early 90s...the band recently reunited as well...turns out the Leps, espesh Joe, were big fans as well...possibly because of the "jungle drums"...great track.
13- "Don't Believe A Word"...the Thin Lizzy song...see my entry for the Sweet cover...I knew Phil Lynott was a big influence on the Leps as well, and this is a great song...I'm also happy they didn't do one of the obvious songs either...here or on the whole album really...
14- "Stay With Me"...the Faces song...featuring PHIL on lead vocals and Joe on Ian McLagen-ish keyboards...it kicks arse, nuff said...the Faces were the only time Rod Stewart was any good, and I do agree with Joe that "Pool Hall Richard" was their best song.
Now, the bonus tracks:
Target's CD:
15- "Action" (Live, 2005)...the Sweet song, and the studio version was a B-side and on 1993's "Retroactive" compilation...GREAT live version with lots of exuberant energy...being it's a live track, not studio, nothing has been recycled, and it's from the recent 2005 US Rock Of Ages tour.
16- "When I'm Dead And Gone"...an obscure 1970 UK hit by British duo McGUINNESS FLINT, written by Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle. Before getting this CD, I had never heard this song or of the act before, but this cover is totally charming, a memorable and melodic, scruffy, acoustic, singalong, off-the-cuff track...a true gem with no pretentions whatsoever.
BestBuy's CD:
17- "No Matter What" (Live, 2005)...a cool live take of the Badfinger classic, probably from the same show, definitely the same 2005 US tour as the Leps cover of "Action".
18- "Winter Song"...another 1970 obscurity by UK band LINDISFARNE...like the McGuinness Flint song, I had never heard of this either, but it's equally as good, and makes me want to investigate further. The song is more reflective and is a moving Christmas-y type of song, not unlike something Cat Stevens would do...done acoustic style by the Leps...
WalMart CD:
19- "American Girl"...the Tom Petty classic...proves again how the Leps are more powerpop than metal...Joe sounds a bit like Tom here as well, and his jangly Byrds-y style fits the Leps much better than you would think...one of 2 bonus tracks on the Japanese edition of "Yeah!!"...
20- Backstage Interview #1...the band talks about the 2005 tour and their fanbase evolving & getting older.
21- "Search & Destroy"...the Iggy & The Stooges dangerous punk prototype from 1973's Bowie-produced landmark "Raw Power" album...with PHIL singing lead and playing all instruments...just proves that Phil comes from the punk world, whilst the rest of the Leps were from the glam and powerpop world...this track sounds like the Stooges themselves and Phil like Iggy that it's uncanny...it sounds vital and dangerous...this track is the second of 2 bonus tracks on the Japanese "Yeah!!"...
22- Backstage Interview #2...sums up the purpose of "Yeah!!", their inspirations, the rules for picking the tracks, and it shows how the Leps are more glam/powerpop than pop-metal...
23- "Space Oddity"...the second Bowie cover, done completely by Joe...shows how talented he really is as a 1-man band...doesn't sound far from the original at all, from the playing and arrangement to the atmosphere...pretty remarkable actually...
24- Backstage Interview #3...a conclusion to a swell interview...
25- "Dear Friends"...an obscure Queen song written by Brian May (whom I met in JFK airport in 2003, BTW, totally nice gracious guy), from Queen's 1974 debut album...sung and played completely by bassist Rick Savage...shows how talented and overlooked he is in the Def Leppard canon...the guy's a great singer in his own right and a talented multi-instrumentalist as well...who knew???
26- "Heartbeat"...an obscure 1974 song by [...] UK glamster JOBRIATH BOONE, who was always referred to as a poor man's David Bowie. Apparently, Morrissey was a huge Joby fan, that he reissued an album (or a compilation, I'm not sure) called "Jobraith" on his reactivated Attack label through Sanctuary. The guy died of AIDS in 1993 in NYC, depressed and broke...maybe he will get his due, I'm not sure, but Joe was apparently a fan...enough that he covered "Heartbeat", playing fairground organ and backed by Dave Browne on piano and Ronan McHugh on cellos...this cover is quite moving, maybe moreso that Joby died of AIDS...
Anyhoo, overall, possibly the best covers album ever recorded...now that Def Leppard got this long-gestating album out of their system...they've been wanting to do a covers album or their take on Bowie's "Pin-Ups"...since they got a record deal back in 1979, or at least Joe did...now, they can do a kickbutt album of new Lep originals...I heard the next album will be sort-of like "Back In Black"...
I think the band is revitalized...just like the Smithereens are after doing their recent cover album of the Beatles debut, "Meet The Smithereens"...that's what covers albums actually do when done right...they refresh the band and remind them of why they became a band in the first place...that's what happened with Def Leppard and "Yeah!!", but what makes this covers album better than most is that it's not just a footnote curio...it's a fun, rocking record that will be listened to many times in the future, as it stands up against the rest of Def Leppard's catalogue...
It will also remind people of what rock & roll is all about, period.
'Nuff said, I'm done.
When I had heard that the follow up to the greatest hits package was a covers album, I wasn't all that enthused. But until they put out a disc of absolute [...] (they came dangerously close with Adrenalize), I'll always be one of the first to buy Lep's new material. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Here's my review in a nutshell: BEST ALBUM SINCE "HYSTERIA".
Here's why it works. For the last 15 years or so, DL have tried so hard to follow some type of contrived formula to prove that they can be the next Aerosmith in terms of longevity and popularity. "Adrenalize" (Hysteria Lite), "Slang" (We can change with the times!), "Euphoria" (We want to be an Eighties band again), and "X" (Look how mature we've become. Kinda) all were out to PROVE something. To thier credit, there was a lot of quality music on these offerings. But it just seemed like the FUN and ENERGY were being replaced by FORMULA and DESPERATION. "Yeah" leaves all that behind, and should be a template for all future Def Leppard material. Stop trying so damn hard to create the NEXT BIG DEF LEPPARD HIT, and just play what you like and have fun doing it. The enthusiasm is contagious.
Anyway enough of that rant, I've been waiting a long time for them to come around! High points of the album: "Rock on" gives me chills everytime it kicks in at the end. "Hangin' on the Telephone" is great, fun and fast (remember when Lep did songs at a pace other than mid-tempo?) My wife could listen to "Waterloo Sunset" on a loop all day long, very classy. "10538 Overture" has a nice texture to it. I like the groove on "He's gonna step on you". And "Don't believe a word" is just a great song, particuraly Viv's solo. This is the type of ROCK SONG they should be doing more of: short, fast-paced songs with a 'tude, and maybe less of the plodding, "serious", 5 minute epics that, while great songs, are kind of a drag on the fun factor (White Lightning, Pearl of Euphoria, Paper Sun, etc...). There's really not a song on this album that I would skip over, stellar effort with a lot of highlights. Joe's voice is the best it's been in years, the guitar play is incredible, and I'm hearing things in the drum bits that I didn't think a one-armed drummer could pull off. Maybe it's electronically manipulated, but it sounds great.
Sorry I've run on for so long, go buy the album!
I must ashamedly admit that most of these songs are completely new to me. I was never much of a glam fan, although I'd heard some songs of the era, mostly Bowie and the occasioanal T.Rex tune.
First off, the band makes these songs sound new, "20th Century Boy" in particular. I wouldn't have guessed that they were remakes. It just sounded to me like DL had written a new album.
Second, the band really must love the songs and/or bands that they'd covered, The energy is at a very high level.
And not all of this is glam. There's some ELO, Blondie, Faces, and others.
Sure I'd heard "Rock On", "No Matter What", and "Don't Believe a Word many times over the last 30 odd years, but here they SOUND new. The It's actually the ones that I HADN'T heard that are most interesting. My favorite has to be their version of The Kinks, "Waterloo Sunset". Just a great melody over a typically heavy Def Leppard rhythm section.
Lastly, this makes me want to go back to the source and check out some of these artists that I'd missed (or more likely unjustly ignored) all those years ago.
This disc make me realize, once again, that these guys, like most musicians, are music FANS first and foremost. And for them to create something this good only drives that point further home.
A good buy and damned near a must have.
Privacy PolicyTerms of UseContact Us