Slang (album)
| Slang | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Def Leppard | ||||
| Released | 14 May 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1994–1995 in Marbella, Spain and 1996 at Bow Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 45:58 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Pete Woodroffe and Def Leppard | |||
| Def Leppard chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Slang | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Chicago Sun-Times |  [1] |
| The Cincinnati Post | (D+)[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+) link |
| Sputnik Music | link |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed) link |
Slang is the sixth studio album by British hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1996. The album marked a radical musical departure from their signature sound, and was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe.The album charted at #14 on The Billboard 200[3] and #5 on the UK Albums Chart.[4] It is also the only Def Leppard album that does not feature their recognisable logo in its artwork.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Between the releases of Retro Active and Slang, Def Leppard endured hardships including Phil Collen's divorce, the death of Rick Savage's father and Savage's battle with Bell's Palsy, and the arrests of both Rick Allen and Joe Elliott for spousal abuse and assault, respectively. Though the band says Adrenalize was recorded during a bleaker time, the absence of Mutt Lange (for the first time on a Def Leppard record since 1981) made it possible for the band to show what they were really feeling.[5] Says Joe Elliott, "There was a period with Mutt where if you came out with anything slightly negative, it was 'Fuck it!' and it was gone!" Continues Phil Collen, "We've all got personal things that have happened during the recording of Slang, and we've just ploughed on and some of it has come out on the record."
Doing without the services Mutt Lange, the band changed another habit by recording together as a band, in a townhouse in Marbella, Spain. Slang would feature less production in favour of a more organic sound, catalysed by drummer Rick Allen's reversion to a semi-acoustic kit. "We'd got so sick of recording the old way. We didn't want to do it any more. We wanted the music to be more personalised and let the character of the individuals to come out," explains Rick Savage.[5]
Songs such as "Turn to Dust" introduced sarangi and other instrumentation atypical for the band. The album's lyrical content featured a darker and more introspective turn for the most part, with lighter fare restricted to the Prince-influenced "Slang".
Slang was the first Def Leppard album to fail to achieve platinum sales in the US. Elsewhere, the album performed better: it placed four singles on the UK charts, and did go platinum in Canada. On the supporting tour the band performed for the first time in Southeast Asia, South Africa and South America.
A limited edition release included a 6-track bonus disc, "Acoustic in Singapore", recorded live in October 1995.
[edit] Re-issue
On 22 November 2011, Phil Collen revealed in an interview to the Birmingham Express And Star newspaper that the band plan to reissue Slang in the future with extra tracks included. He stated the band "...did have a lot of songs when we recorded, different versions, songs that never quite got finished." On 26 December 2011, Vivian Campbell gave an update on the re-issue whilst speaking on his Facebook page in response to fan questions about Christmas songs. "We did once record a song called "Heavy Metal Christmas" during the Slang sessions - tongues very firmly in cheeks! It was actually a proper (and rather good!) song but was lacking lyrics - hence the goof-off title. It'll likely see the light of day when we re-release Slang soon. Some unheard stuff, too, as far as I know."
On January 18th 2012, Vivian mentioned on his Facebook regarding the proposed re-issue that "Ownership of Slang masters (and all out-takes) revert to us later this year, so there's a good chance that we'll re-release with bonus material."
[edit] Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Truth?" | Phil Collen, Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Turn to Dust" | Collen | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Slang" | Collen, Elliott | 2:37 |
| 4. | "All I Want Is Everything" | Elliott | 5:20 |
| 5. | "Work It Out" | Campbell | 4:49 |
| 6. | "Breathe a Sigh" | Collen | 4:06 |
| 7. | "Deliver Me" | Collen, Elliott | 3:04 |
| 8. | "Gift of Flesh" | Collen | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Blood Runs Cold" | Collen, Elliott | 4:26 |
| 10. | "Where Does Love Go When It Dies" | Elliott, Collen | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Pearl of Euphoria" | Elliott, Collen, Savage | 6:21 |
| 12. | "Move with Me Slowly" (Japanese edition bonus track) | Collen | 6:19 |
| Acoustic in Singapore (limited edition bonus disc) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Armageddon It" | Steve Clark, Collen, Elliott, Mutt Lange, Savage | 4:16 | ||||||
| 2. | "Two Steps Behind" | Elliott | 4:01 | ||||||
| 3. | "From the Inside" | Elliott | 3:28 | ||||||
| 4. | "Animal" | Clark, Collen, Elliott, Lange, Savage | 3:47 | ||||||
| 5. | "When Love & Hate Collide" | Elliott, Savage | 4:18 | ||||||
| 6. | "Pour Some Sugar on Me" | Clark, Collen, Elliott, Lange, Savage | 4:08 | ||||||
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | RIAA | Gold |
| Canada | CRIA | Platinum |
| United Kingdom | BPI | Gold |
[edit] Personnel
- Rick Allen – drums, percussion
- Vivian Campbell – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, dulcimer, vocals
- Phil Collen – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, mandolin, vocals
- Joe Elliott – lead vocals, additional guitar on "Pearl of Euphoria", additional bass on "Pearl of Euphoria"
- Rick Savage – bass, acoustic guitars, synth bass, vocals
[edit] Additional musicians
- Gloria Flores – Spanish voice on "Slang"
- Ram Naravan – intro sarangi sample on "Turn to Dust"
- Craig Pruess – string and percussion arranging and conducting on "Turn to Dust"
- Av Singh – dohl on "Turn to Dust"
- Shyam Vatish – outro sarangi sample on "Turn to Dust"
- Pete Woodroffe – piano on "Blood Runs Cold", keyboard strings on "Where Does Love Go When It Dies"
- Gavyn Wright – string leader on "Turn to Dust"
[edit] Production
- Pete Woodroffe – producer, engineer, mixing
- Def Leppard – producer
- Ger McDonnell – engineer, programming on "Truth?"
- Matt Pakucko – mixing assistant
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks – programming on "Slang" and "Breathe a Sigh"
- Hugh Drumm – programming on "Truth?"
- Jeff Murray – art direction
- Jager di Paola – design
- Cynthia Levine, Jeff Rooney – photography
[edit] Notes
- ^ Barron, John (2 June 1996). "Spin Control". Chicago Sun-Times: pp. 13
- ^ Wilson, Ken (20 June 1996). "Leppard lacking in appeal". The Cincinnati Post: pp. Metro 20
- ^ "Allmusic (Def Leppard charts and awards) Billboard albums". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4062.
- ^ "Def Leppard chart stats". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=398.
- ^ a b Ewing, Jerry (June 1996). "Def Leppard". Metal Hammer: pp. 58–60
[edit] References
- (1996) Album notes for Slang by Def Leppard [CD booklet]. London, England: Mercury (314 532 486-2).
- "Band Biography". DefLeppard.com. Def Leppard. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071211201322/http://www.defleppard.com/band/index.html. Retrieved 20 December 2007.
