Welcome back. Last week, we talked about the Cybernauts ‘Live’ album that was released in 2000 in Japan only. In 2001, they released a Deluxe Version of the album in the UK and the 2nd CD was studio recordings the band had done. If you remember, the Cybernauts are Joe Elliott and Phil Collen from Def Leppard; Trevor Bolder & Woody Woodmansey from David Bowie’s Spiders From Mars and then on keyboard is Dick Decent. They came together as a Mick Ronson & David Bowie tribute band for the Mick Ronson Memorial show back in 1997.

This week, we are talking about the 2nd CD in the Deluxe Edition called ‘The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts’. The Japanese only release was in June 2001 and consists of all studio recordings the band did of these David Bowie songs. We get 7 tracks and one hidden track which is an alternate version of one of the other seven.

The first four tracks were recorded on August 8, 1997 at Bow Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland the day after they recorded the live show we saw on last week’s post. They didn’t waste any time getting these recorded…why not, they were on fire the night before so capture some of that magic. The first track is “Manic Depression” and it is not a David Bowie track as you already guessed. Nope, this is a Jimi Hendrix one and the band gives it a little psychedelic vibe and Phil does a bang up job doing his best Hendrix. Joe’s vocals are put through something to give it that spacey feel to it. A really cool opening track. “All the Young Dudes” is up next and the Mott the Hoople track is done as it should. Some great keyboards, great vocals and those gang vocals on the chorus see a band that loves and appreciates this music.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5YkUvfcmy6k%3Fsi%3D14VCnW1ak_fBfNK1

On the live version of this song, “Moonage Daydream”, Phil Collen’s guitar work was nothing short of perfection and this is no different here on the studio track. He opens it with a tasteful solo before Joe comes in on vocals and damn, he nails it. But Phil is king here as this is highlight reel as the back half of this song sees his talent spilling out on all sides. Next up is “The Man Who Sold the World”. The studio track is okay, I think I liked the live version better as the guitars had more punch and Joe sounded better. However, Phil does do a great job here, I just liked the sonics of the live show better.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=V7WVWP_YGsw%3Fsi%3DdtS9BW3jLvx5SpeY

The next batch of songs were recorded on January 8, 2001 in Tokyo, Japan. First we get “Time” which is a Bowie song they didn’t play live. This one has Dick Decent doing some old timey vaudeville style piano playing and it is glorious. Joe is having fun with this one getting in to his inner Bowie. There are some great harmonies and it is an all around fun song to hear. From the same album as “Time”, we also get “Panic in Detroit” and this is a straight up rocker. A highlight of the album for sure.

The final “official” track on the album is “Lady Grinning Soul” is a song I don’t recall at all. I love Dick Decent’s piano playing as his fingers are flying over the ivories. A very different track with so much going on including some flamenco style guitars, electric guitars and so much more. An intricate piece and a gem of a song. After a long 10 minutes of silence, a hidden track emerges. This time we get an acoustic version of “Moonage Daydream” and is it good…yeah…damn straight it is. Phil’s playing might be even better then on the earlier track. Joe’s sounds even better with his vocals more front and center. Wow!! Worth the 10 minute wait.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=f9w2yu7zFhk%3Fsi%3D06l4ghyDRQjHwOYN

I have to say that these studio recordings are amazing. For the most part, they take that energy and love of these songs from the live show and transport them to studio recordings. Musically, it is spectacular and vocally, Joe is up for the challenge. Only one track was so-so, but the rest kicked ass. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. I don’t usually like covers albums, but this is a covers/tribute band so makes sense. If you like Leppard, Mick Ronson or David Bowie, this 2 CD set is a must. I got lucky and got mine fairly cheap but this is a hard one to come by and you will pay a pretty penny so be prepared. But so, so worth it!!

NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – ‘X’ (2002)

THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES

1. Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
2. First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
3. Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
4. On Through the Night (1980)
5. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
6. High & Dry (1981)
7. Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
8. Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
9. Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
10. Pyromania (1983)
11. “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
12. “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
13. Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
14. Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
15. Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
16. Hysteria (1987)
17. “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
18. “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
19. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
20. “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
21. “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
22. “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
23. “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
24. Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
25. Rarities – Volume One (2018)
26. Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
27. Historia – DVD (1988)
28. Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
29. Adrenalize (1992)
30. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
31. “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
32. Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
33. Retro Active (1993)
34. Visualize DVD (1993)
35. Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
36. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
37. “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
38. Video Archive (1995)
39. Slang (1996)
40. Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
41. Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
42. Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
43. Euphoria (1999)
44. Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
45. Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
46. Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
47. Cybernauts – Live (2000)
48. Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
49. X (2002)
50. Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
51. Best of Def Leppard (2004)
52. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
53. Yeah! (2006)
54. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
55. Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
56. B-Sides (2021)
57. Yeah! II (2021)
58. Yeah! Live (2021)
59. CMT Crossraods – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
60. Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
61. Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
62. Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
63. Def Leppard (2015)
64. The Lost Session (2018)
65. Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
66. Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
67. Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
68. Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
69. Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
70. Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
71. Diamond Star Halos (2022)
72. High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
73. Drastic Symphonies (2023)
74. Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
75. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
76. Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:

1. The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
2. Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
3. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
4. Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
5. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” –  5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
6. Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
7. “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
8. “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
9. Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
10. X: World Tour (2003)
11. Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
12. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
13. Viva! Hysteria (2013)
14. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
15. Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
16. The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
17. The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
18. Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
19. Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
20. Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
21. The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
22. The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
23. London to Vegas (2020)
24. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
25. The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
26. The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
27. Def Leppard Funko Pop!