|
Quote:
But, yeah, there's a certain charm and humor to the band, which seems to come largely from Joe. And the vegetarian stuff is a surprise to me - an article says Rick Allen made the switch right after the accident. Maybe the band members are weirder and smarter than many other rock stars. Working with Mutt Lange (who also produced Heartbeat City by The Cars and 4 by Foreigner) definitely was a great choice - and the decline began when he backed away. The though-provoking lyrics probably is the best point above. Not that Def Leppard ever wrote great lyrics, but in the heyday they were consistently interesting and usually humorous or genuinely emotional. Or, once in a while, philosophical, like "Gods of Wars," which is my favorite post-Pyromania album track. With almost all songs - "Make Love Like a Man" being a silly exception - worded mysterious enough to invite repeat listens. More on that later. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! :( Now that I've looked up the circumstances surrounding their arrest (My Def Leppard and Well-known domestic violence victims), and have read Joe Elliott's account of what happened in both of those cases (Metal Hammer: Def Leppard ), I think with sympathy and sadness that sometimes people don't learn how to express their anger without being physical, and that if the couples were able to patch up the problems and Rick Allen and Joe Elliott fixed their issues and learned how to control themselves, then I'm glad for them and their families. I would not want to hold their past behavior against them now. I also wonder if rock stars are more likely than the general public to resort to physical violence because they are so used to the power of being listened to on stage and expressing their emotions physically. I have always assumed that music supports peaceful human interactions...but maybe, in the case of some music, it riles people's psyches up and makes them *more* likely to choose to act out physically when they feel anger. * * I like the thought of lyrics being worded mysteriously such that they invite repeat listens. If lyrics are too mysterious and they make no sense, then they become uninteresting to me; but if they are too obvious and easy to understand, then unless they are emotionally compelling they might become boring. * * I hadn't realized that a music group's producer could make such a difference in their music choices and success (which reflects that I really don't know what a "producer" does). I just read about John "Mutt" Lange and see that his hand is deep in many musicians' creations besides those of Def Leppard, Foreigner, and the Cars: "He produced albums for artists such as AC/DC, Def Leppard, The Boomtown Rats, Graham Parker and the Rumour, Outlaws, Foreigner, The Cars, Bryan Adams, Billy Ocean, Savoy Brown, The Corrs and Nickelback. He also wrote and produced songs with Canadian country singer and ex-wife Shania Twain. Her 1997 album Come on Over, which he produced, is the all time best selling album by a female artist. Lange's latest project is a song on Lady Gaga's second studio album Born This Way, titled 'You and I.'" Robert John "Mutt" Lange - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I wonder what knowledge Mutt Lange has about how the public responds to music that has helped his clients' songs be so successful. The article says he co-wrote most of the songs on Def Leppard's High 'n' Dry, Pyromania, Hysteria, and Adrenalize. I didn't realize that producers are also sometimes co-writers of the music. I think Mutt must have good knowledge about how to make "hits." Either that, or he is good at recognizing bands that have the music potential already there, and so then he helps them accentuate it. Hey...get this...I also learned that Mutt Lange is a strict vegetarian! :p: (Our slow plot to take over the world is working. ;)) * * * EDIT: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! :( I just learned that Def Leppard's former producer, vegetarian Mutt Lange, had a full-out affair with wife Shania Twain's friend, denying the whole thing until they were discovered! On the positive side, Shania later married Fred, the friend's former husband, and Shania and Fred (below) seem very happy. :) http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2...wain-3-320.jpg |
Strange but true: when I first went online today, a story about Vivien Campbell getting divorced randomly popped up.
I thought the two domestic violence incidents happened earlier, but I correctly recalled they were within a short time of each other. I had no heard any explanations before. Maybe it's because musicians generally are volatile and very stressed at times - or maybe domestic violence is no different in frequency or reasons than for regular people. As for producers' influences, many are musicians themselves, so it isn't rare that they help with lyrics. The problem with Mutt Lange is that he isn't good with lyrics. Maybe he boosted the humor in some Def Leppard songs, but I doubt he increased their depth. On Waking Up the Neighbors, many of the songs co-written with Lange are some of the worst of Bryan Adams' career, though mostly lyrically respectable songs were the album's singles. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
It's always hard to know when people divorce what is really going on, since there can be stresses unseen by the public such as verbal or physical abuse...but from the *outside* it simply looks like Vivien (love that name!) fell in love with a younger woman and so is dumping his wife. It's strange that Vivien Campbell is filing for full custody of their two children. That doesn't sound in their best interest, and so I'm suspicious of his motives. Well, at least Phil Collen still seems happily married (now)! Relationship breakdowns are hard, so I wouldn't wish them on anyone. I'm curious now about Bryan Adams' songs co-written with Mutt Lange. Ah, "Everything I do I do it for you" and "All For Love" are two. I'm guessing that the frequencing of domestic violence perpetrated by rock stars is no greater than that of the general population, but it just seems to me that it is because rock stars get so much press and attention (like from me, here, in this thread!). About Def Leppard's recent music: I read that Def Leppard rerecorded "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock of Ages" to retain control of their hits after a major disagreement with their ex-record label about the digital rights for their back catalog. Have you heard these recent remakes? I felt they were very well done but not quite as good as the original recordings because the remakes sound a little too clean and not quite as powerful, but they are still very interesting to hear (which you can do at this website): Def Leppard's New Versions of 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' and 'Rock of Ages' -- Double Premiere - Noisecreep * * * Quote:
Def Leppard should sing a song about Shania and Fred! A real love song, not one of their contrived ones. http://img.gactv.com/GAC/2011/01/06/...2_crop_v_e.jpghttp://cdn02.cdn.justjared.com/wp-co...-walk-fame.jpg |
Quote:
|
I dredged up some information on how Mutt Lange writes. Or at least how he did with Bryan Adams (who by the way sounds a little like Joe Elliot).
Bryan Adams Interview | Bryan Adams Anthology | Bryan Adams Songs Based on Mutt's work with Adams and Shania Twain, I'd say he maxes out at generic love songs and never makes lyrics great. Anyway, back to Def Leppard specifically, I'd heard of the remakes before, but had not listened to them, because I'm against all that. Joe Elliot's voice has deteriorated, and it's erratic. The "Rock of Ages" remake makes that too clear. The remake also lacks the musical layering that helped make old Def Leppard songs great. |
Quote:
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:30 AM. |
© 2003-2025 Advameg, Inc.