Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
| Songs from the Sparkle Lounge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Def Leppard | ||||
| Released | April 25, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2006–2008 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal[1] | |||
| Length | 39:12 | |||
| Label | Mercury Island, Universal Music Enterprises (US) |
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| Producer | Ronan McHugh Def Leppard |
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| Def Leppard chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Billboard | link |
| Rolling Stone |  link |
| Kerrang! | |
| Classic Rock |   |
| NOW | link |
| Mojo | link |
| The Observer | link |
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is the ninth studio album and 14th album overall from the English hard rock band Def Leppard. It was released on April 25, 2008 in Europe and April 29 in North America.[2][3]
Contents |
History [edit]
In an Interview on Rockline radio, two band members, Joe Elliott and Vivian Campbell stated that the title of their latest studio album would be Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, saying that "Until someone comes up with a better name this will be the final title upon release".[4] They also mentioned the possibility of previous Def Leppard album producer Mutt Lange being involved with a few songs for the album,[4] but in the end this collaboration did not turn out to be possible due to scheduling conflicts. However, Joe Elliott has stated that the band and Mutt Lange still plan to work on a few songs together in the future.
In an interview with Billboard.com, Joe Elliott stated that the album title is a reference to a backstage area at shows where the band would work on new material. "It was a mini (drum) kit, mini amps, a tape recorder and sparkly lights."[5] Elliott also stated that they would not be performing any previews of the songs, as they did not want them appearing on websites such as YouTube prior to the release of the album.
Members of the band have described the tracks from the album as written in the style of Hysteria, with the production style of High 'n' Dry. The album's first single, "Nine Lives" features country singer Tim McGraw.
Joe Elliott has stated at the band's official site that the concept of this album is that it sounds more like "early 70's AC/DC" and much like Led Zeppelin's song "Rock and Roll".
The title of one of the songs in the tracklist, "Give It Away," was changed to "Gotta Let It Go."
On April 25, 2008, Def Leppard's record label opened a website with teasers of every song on the album.
The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling about 55,000 copies in its first week of release.[6]
Reception [edit]
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge received mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 47, based on 8 reviews.[7] Whereas Alun Williams of About.com [8] gives the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and says "This album is so instant: huge hooks, big choruses and awesome production!"
Track listing [edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go" | Phil Collen, Joe Elliott | 3:20 | |
| 2. | "Nine Lives" (featuring Tim McGraw) | Collen, Elliott, Tim McGraw, Rick Savage | 3:32 | |
| 3. | "C'mon C'mon" | Savage | 4:09 | |
| 4. | "Love" | Savage | 4:17 | |
| 5. | "Tomorrow" | Collen | 3:35 | |
| 6. | "Cruise Control" | Vivian Campbell | 3:03 | |
| 7. | "Hallucinate" | Collen | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Only the Good Die Young" | Campbell | 3:34 | |
| 9. | "Bad Actress" | Elliott | 3:03 | |
| 10. | "Come Undone" | Elliott | 3:32 | |
| 11. | "Gotta Let It Go" | Campbell | 3:55 | |
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Total length:
|
39:12 | |||
| UK and iTunes bonus track | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 12. | "Love" (piano version) | Savage | 4:22 | |||||||
| Japanese bonus tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 12. | "Love" (piano version) | Savage | 4:22 | |||||||
| 13. | "Nine Lives" (Def Leppard version) | Collen, Elliot, McGraw, Savage | 3:33 | |||||||
Deluxe edition bonus DVD [edit]
- "Behind the Curtain"
- "The Sparkle Lounge Commentary"
- "Nine Lives" music video
Chart positions [edit]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Billboard 200[9] | 5 |
| 2008 | UK Albums Chart[10] | 10 |
| 2008 | Ireland Albums Chart | 32 |
| 2008 | New Zealand Albums Chart | 26 |
| 2008 | Germany Albums Chart | 43 |
| 2008 | France Albums Chart | 118 |
| 2008 | Canadian Albums Chart | 7 |
| 2008 | Swiss Albums Chart | 26 |
| 2008 | Sweden Albums Chart | 26 |
| 2008 | Norway Albums Chart | 15 |
| 2008 | Finnish Albums Chart[11] | 27 |
| 2008 | World Albums Chart | 8 |
Personnel [edit]
- Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals, additional guitars
- Joe Elliott – vocals
- Rick Allen – drums, backing vocals, jazz accordion
- Phil Collen – guitars, backing vocals
- Vivian Campbell – guitars, backing vocals
Additional personnel [edit]
- Tim McGraw – vocals on "Nine Lives"
References [edit]
- ^ Thomas, Stephen (2008-04-29). "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge - Def Leppard". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (Ltd.Deluxe Edt.): Def Leppard: Musik". Amazon.de. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "News". Defleppard.com. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ a b Rockline Radio highlights, DefLeppard.com News
- ^ Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, Radio Luxembourg
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Madonna Leads Busy Billboard 200," Billboard.com, May 7, 2008.
- ^ "Def Leppard:Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ "Def Leppard - 'Songs From The Sparkle Lounge' - review of Def Leppard CD". Classicrock.about.com. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Allmusic (Def Leppard charts and awards) Billboard albums".
- ^ "aChart.us". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Suomen virallinen lista". Pop.yle.fi. 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
