Tag: Brian May

Def Leppard – ‘Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard’ (2023) – Book Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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In 2023, Def Leppard felt it was time to tell their story, in their words. ‘Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard’ is a personal account of Def Leppard from their formation all the way up to 2022’s last studio album ‘Diamond Star Halos’. The book was released in 2023 and there were several versions you could buy. By the time I got around to buying it and the only option available to me was the Publisher’s Edition which is strictly the book. There were other options you could’ve purchased as well.

There was the Deluxe Copies which was Editions Numbered 1 to 350. The Deluxe copies are fully bound in black vegan leather, with an inset aluminium plate on the front, printed with a portrait of the band, and the Def Leppard logo blocked on the back. Every Deluxe copy is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Vivian Campbell. Presented in a clamshell box, the interior holds the specially pressed 7″ single. The red and black marbled vinyl presents two previously unreleased live recordings: the A-side is ‘Animal’ (performed at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018), and the B-side is ‘Slang’ (recorded in Las Vegas, 2019). A compartment under the book includes five Diamond Star Halos guitar picks in a small cloth bag and three replica tour passes. A large pull-ribbon, printed with the Def Leppard logo, lifts the book.Exclusive to the Deluxe copies is a signed and numbered photographic print of Def Leppard on stage at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Wembley Stadium, 20 April 1992. Suitable for framing, the print is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell. Completing the Deluxe boxed set, a second recess under the book contains a collectable cassette of the band’s latest studio album, Diamond Star Halos.

The Collector’s Copies were Numbered 351 to 1,500. The Collector copies are 3/4 quarter bound in black vegan leather, with a portrait of the band printed on an aluminium plate front cover and the Def Leppard logo blocked on the back cover. The 296-page book is finished with colour foil blocking on the spine, and red page edging. Every copy in the edition is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Vivian Campbell. Presented in a clamshell box covered in a montage of images with an inset Def Leppard logo sticker and tour pass, the interior lid holds a specially pressed 7″ single. The red and black marbled vinyl presents two previously unreleased live recordings: the A-side is ‘Animal’ (performed at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018), and the B-side is ‘Slang’ (recorded in Las Vegas, 2019). A compartment under the book includes five Diamond Star Halos guitar picks in a small cloth bag and three replica tour passes. A large pull-ribbon, printed with the Def Leppard logo, lifts the book.

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Queen – ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon – Christmastime 1975’ – Bootleg Review

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I love me a good bootleg and I found with this one. It is from Queen and it is called ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odean at Christmastime 1975’. In fact, it was recorded on December 24, 1975. The bootleg came out some time in 1976 and I love the simplicity of it all. A green sheet with a photocopy of the band and setlist in black. Nothing fancy about it at all. Nothing on the back cover and the labels on the vinyl were white and someone had typed ‘Side One’ or ‘Side Two’ depending on the side. No expense was spared…LOL!!

And like all bootlegs, there are mistakes. The opening track is listed as “Now I’m Sure”…and I’m sure that is wrong. It should be “Now I’m Here”. If that wasn’t enough, Roger Taylor is now spelling his name differently as Rodger Taylor. That “d” makes a difference. The other thing, this isn’t the full show. It is a single LP so several songs and medley were cut, but what you get here is still rather amazing. It is the best of the best.

What was special about this show is it was broadcast live on the BBC and it was the first time the band had ever done that. With that being said, the sound quality on this is exceptional (with minor exceptions). This is one of the cleanest sounding bootlegs I have ever owned. However, what makes this bootleg obsolete now is that the band actually did release this show officially on November 20, 2015. It was called ‘A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975’.

That didn’t matter to me, as I love bootlegs and still wanted it as it was a cherished piece in the bootleg world back in the 70’s. Plus, nothing beats the simplicity of the whole set. This was so prized because several songs on this set were later dropped from the setlist and did not appear on any official live release back in the day. In the grand scheme of things, yes, I can get the official release, but this to me is more authentic and more special. Now, let’s get to the music.

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Def Leppard – ‘Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews’ (2006) – (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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In 2006, Def Leppard released their 9th studio album, ‘Yeah!’. It was a covers album and had 14 tracks on it. The band, however, recorded a ton more songs that were not used. Some wound up on the Japanese Edition as bonus tracks, others as Best Buy bonus tracks, Target and even iTunes. You would literally need to buy 5 versions of the album to get all the tracks. Well, you don’t really need to buy the Japanese edition because the Wal-Mart edition had the two Japanese Bonus Tracks as well as 3 more songs and a selection of interviews with the band. This version has the most bonus tracks of any of the other offers and is a great buy. It would’ve been released on the same day as the album which was May 23, 2006.

The opening track is the only song that breaks the band’s rule about all being British songs. It is cover of the Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker’s “American Girl”. I want to say that all these songs are the demos because they aren’t played with all the band members. This one has Joe on vocals, but it is Vivian Campbell on all instruments except Marc Danzeisen on drums. Additional backing vocals with Jesse Sheely. The song captures the energy of the original, the guitar sound like they should and the harmonies are great. A fun, energetic song and a great choise.

The first interview with the band, “Backstage Interview #1”, sees the band talking about the most recent tour with little snippets from each member. They all say it has been great, but Rick Allen says travel was hard. They also talk about how the audience seems to change with each tour.

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Def Leppard – ‘Visualize’ (1993) – DVD Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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Def Leppard were trying to keep product moving to keep the fans happy between albums. They didn’t want the gaps between albums, that tended to be rather long, to not have anything come out. So, on October 5, 1993, they released another VHS video and this one was called ‘Visualize’. My copy is on DVD which came in 2001, but the original was a VHS only edition. It contained  promo videos, interviews and concert footage and it won a 1993 Metal Edge Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Home Video.” It ended up selling only around 50,000 copies in the States. I know I had it in VHS, got rid of that when the DVD came out and bought it again. On DVD, it is coupled with another VHS only release called ‘Video Archive’ which we will talk about later.

When you start the DVD, it makes you pick which language you want and it was so tempting to pick something other than English, but I went with the English version since I am uneducated American who only knows one language. When you click “Visualize” it starts out with some live footage and an interview short with the band, first Joe Elliott then Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen, Rick Allen and then Rick Savage. Good to see all the guys getting face time.

Video wise, the first one is off “Hysteria” and was the final single called “Rocket”. The reason it is here is the video ‘Historia’ was released prior to “Rocket” coming out as a video single. The “Rocket” video is a great one with the band in a warehouse with TVs all around showing clips of rockets and the band’s favorite artist that inspired them like Bowie and Elton John for just a few. The next video was for “Switch 625” and this was done only as a tribute to the passing of the band’s great guitarist, Steve Clark. He has been missed. The video is prefaced by a Japanese interview where Steve talks and jokes around. The band then talks about what he means to them. Very touching tribute.

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January 2024 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Welcome to the first Purchases wrap ip of 2024. And January was a big month for CDs, thanks in part to 2nd & Charles and their great sale of Buy 5, Get 5 Free! I always take full advantage of that sale and this time was no different. And instead of only buying 5 and getting 5, I found enough to Buy 10 and get 10 Free. Here are the 10 I bought…

And here are the 10 I got for Free (or could be the other way around, doesn’t matter)…

And then shortly after that, something I bought with my Christmas Gift Cards I received showed up. I have been wanting this vinyl for quite some time and I finally bought it. If that wasn’t enough, later in the month I was at an antique shop called ‘Sleepy Poets’ and I found the cassette for the same album. Had to buy it. Now, I have it on CD, vinyl and Cassette…

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Def Leppard – ‘Live at the L.A. Forum 1983’ (2018) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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Def Leppard had made it big time with their third album ‘Pyromania’. The tour was huge. It traveled the world and saw millions of fans flock to their shows. They were on fire and the flame was growing hotter and hotter. There had been no shows released until the Deluxe Edition of Pyromania saw the light of day in 2009. That was the first time we had a taste of Live Leppard from 1983. Of course, this was only on CD. It wasn’t until the release of the giant box set ‘The Collection, Vol. 1’ in 2018 that we were able to get this on vinyl which is what we are reviewing here today.

The show was night two at the L.A. Forum on September 11, 1983 and thanks to MTV and Def Leppard’s high profile videos, the crowd was massive and the energy was high and electric. The band was in fine form and ready to rock. This show had been bootlegged heavily back in the day so now we get a freshly mixed and wonderfully sounding show. This would be the first live show Leppard had ever released that wasn’t a video. As a fan, we were thrilled to finally get an early show with Steve Clark on guitar. Now, since then we have a handful of live shows from that era and Leppard had released several newer shows, but this was the first one to see a CD release that we could pop in our car or home stereo and turn it up to 11.

Side One:

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Friday New Releases – July 14, 2023

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Welcome to New Release Friday! We have another batch of releases for you this week. Close to 40, but not quite. A ton of variety so hopefully there is something for everyone. I might stream the Brian May Deluxe set of Star Fleet Sessions with Eddie Van Halen on it, but that might be it. However, no buying this week which is good as the wallet needs a break. What are you interested in hearting this week? Let me know and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

  • download-16  Brian May – Star Fleet Sessions (Deluxe Edition) – (Duck Productions / Universal International)
  • 61aNcqw77lL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones – (6 Ace Records / Thirty Tigers)
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Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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How does Jeff Scott Soto end up doing Queen songs at Queen conventions? Well, he had always loved Queen and Freddie Mercury was a big influence on his life, but that is common with a lot of people. For Jeff, it all started back in 1999 when one fateful day he met Jacky Smith who was the head of the Queen Fan Club. That chance meeting led to Jeff getting to meet Brian May and a chance to jam with him and the SAS Band at the annual Freddie Mercury Birthday Party.

That keep him in touch with the Queen family and in 2002, Jacky asked him to come to one of the Queen conventions. He made an appearance and actually jammed on a few songs during the convention. The feedback was so great, Jeff was brought back to do the North America convention as the first was in the UK. This led Jeff to be brought up on stage at an after party with Brian and Roger Taylor when they received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If that wasn’t enough, Jeff was asked to come back in 2003 and instead of a handful of songs, they wanted Jeff to perform an entire set of Queen songs. But not as a tribute act, as a real act and doing everything his way with his own band.

Jeff brought his solo band with him which was Gary Schutt, Howie Simon and Alex Papa. Now, Jeff was a massive Queen fan and knew all the songs, even the deep cuts. However, his band only knew the hits. This was the Queen Convention and “the Hits” aren’t enough. You need deep cuts. So, the band took a crash course in Queen and after several rehearsals, the band was ready to go. What we get here on a 2 CD set is the entire set they performed and it is massive. They played around 45 cuts (some in song melodies) and it was incredible. They released it on video and CD. I have the CD, but I need to get the video. Let’s get to it.

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Friday New Releases – April 22, 2022

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Happy Friday!! Welcome to another Friday of New Releases and we have around 50 choices for you this week. That should mean there is something for everyone and if not, stop being so picky!! Kidding! There are only a couple of releases I am looking in and they are marked in Blue. Let me know what you want to hear this week and let us know what we may have missed as I am sure there is something. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

  • 711boDcj13L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Aldo Nova – Reloaded – (MRI): Just 3 weeks after his release of The Life & Times of Eddie Gage E.P. (which was pretty darn good), Aldo is back with another Reloaded. He released one a few years ago where he reworks his classic hits. I have to say, I am not real thrilled with this concept as you can’t improve on perfection. Could this be his ‘This Left Feels Right’? I am afraid so as it doesn’t feel right…but maybe I’ll be wrong.
  • 61YFRs2333L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Dorothy – Gifts from the Holy Ghost – (Roc Nation Records): Dorothy is back with another rock release. I really dig her vocals and the band ain’t half bad either. I am hoping for some more rock greatness from this stellar band.
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Queen – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Studio Album Series)

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Here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music, we went through and reviewed all the Studio Albums for the band Queen. And to do this, we are used the 40th Anniversary 2011 Remastered CDs as our source as I picked up the 3 Volume Box Set for Christmas 2020. And with any good series, we will start with their debut album and work our way through all the studio albums in chronological order. There were 15 albums and all with the same band members of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. How many bands can say that? Not many.

What was great about going through them all in order is that you see how the band evolved over time and how much they experimented whether it was successful or not. You see the highs and the lows, where the band hit its groove and where they were wandering around lost. They did move soundtracks, the rocked out, they had fantasy songs, rockabilly, disco and even metal. They did it all. Now let’s go through and see where they ranked worst to first.

THE WORST – ‘MADE IN HEAVEN’ (1995):

The album did not have a cohesive feel and it shouldn’t since it wasn’t really written as an album. It was a last ditch effort to pull as many Freddie songs together as they could for one final release.  And I don’t think it is one they should’ve done mainly because all these songs aren’t really up to the Queen Standard in my book.  There were way too many ballads, they used two songs that were already released as Freddie solo songs and I don’t think the material was all that great to begin with.  I feel they should’ve left well enough alone as I think ‘Innuendo’ was a great way to go out, but what do I know.  My Overall Score is a 2.0 Out of 5.0 Stars. There were a few tracks worth having, but overall not enough to make this a must have album.

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