Tag: Joe Elliott

Bon Jovi – ‘Forever (Legendary Edition)’ (2025) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Last year, Bon Jovi released their 16th Studio album, ‘Forever’. It was an album I wasn’t sure we would ever get. Jon had some serious vocal issues, so bad in fact he needed surgery. Back in 2022, Jon Bon Jovi went under the knife to fix his vocal cord problem that had been well documented by the cruel trolls of the internet. After watching the documentary, ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story’, we got to see first hand how bad things were for Jon. It is amazing he is even able to still sing. When I did the review of the ‘Forever’ album, I asked…will we ever see them live again? We were real unsure back then, now the answer is a resounding yes. They have announced a few shows in 2026 with more to come in 2027 from what I hear.

After the release of ‘Forever’, Jon received a lot of phone calls from artists wanting to cover songs off the album. So many, in fact, he stopped and had an idea. Why have people cover the songs when they could join him and sing with him and make a duet album of all the songs from the album. And that is what he did. The album came out on October 24, 2025. The band added one new track called “Red, White and Jersey” to give the fans a little something new for buying the album again. However, that was not needed as the artists that joined Jon were enough for me to want to grab it. I mean, come on…he has Robbie Williams, Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), James Bay and Bruce Springsteen…that was enough for me. In fact, the list of artist is very diverse covering Rock, Country, British Pop and even Gospel.

Like with the last album, I bought one of every physical format including vinyl and CD. This time around though I went with the standard black vinyl instead of a colored variant. I kept it simple and save a few bucks. My vinyl collection for Bon Jovi is still complete! With format aside, how do the songs stand up as duets, honestly, I was a little surprised at how well they do. We might as well get to it and discuss.

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The Collection: Ep. 81 – Bon Jovi: Forever & Forever (Legendary Edition)

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This week we are going to talk about Bon Jovi’s latest album, Forever (Legendary Edition) as well as the original Forever album. The album came out on October 24, 2025 and I figured we would walk through each song, discuss the duet partners and how much we like or dislike each song. This is the band’s 16th and 17th Studio albums and honestly, I am so happy they are still putting out new music. I haven’t liked everything this band is done, but new music is better than no music. We have vinyl, CDs and even a cassette to show off this week. I hope you enjoy.

So go check it out as it is live right now on YouTube. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Def Leppard – ‘Greatest Hits: Walmart Exclusive’ (2025) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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I’m not sure the reason behind this next one. Def Leppard has numerous greatest hits album, but for some strange reason, it was believed the world needed a new one. What we have is simply called ‘Greatest Hits’ and is on vinyl only and Exclusive to Walmart on a rather cool Orange & Yellow vinyl. It was released on Friday, August 29th (I believe) and I got it on that Saturday when I got bored and figured, why not take a drive to Walmart and pick this up. You see, I refuse to order from Walmart.com because my account with the store was hacked and someone bought over $600 worth of stuff…which I was able to dispute and get resolved since I received nothing from this screw up by Walmart!!

Anyway…sorry…went off on a tangent there. Back to this release. This is simply a money grab, pure and simple. And of course they grabbed my money since I collect anything Def Leppard…I know…it is a sickness. But what is great about this release is really NOTHING!! Well, the colored vinyl is cool, but that is it. The packaging is rather plan with an all black background with the Def Leppard logo and in very small print ‘Greatest Hits’. The track listing is SAD…really sad. We have five from ‘Hysteria’, three from ‘Pyromania’, one from ‘High ‘n’ Dry’ and one from ‘Vault’. That is it! 10 tracks that we have a MILLION FREAKING TIMES on other greatest hits compilations. And no insert! Nothing new, nothing special, nothing to run out and grab unless you are a fool like me.

SIDE 1:

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Def Leppard – “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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Back in June 2024, Def Leppard released a new single called “Just Like ’73” and it was in support of any album. In fact, not sure if this will be on a new album or if this was simply a new song to support their Summer Stadium Tour. Whatever the reason, I’ll always take a new single. This one came out on the Streaming services, but physically you could get it on 7″ Single or on a CD Single that I believe was only available in Japan. The vinyl was released on August 2, 2024

The 7″ Single came in two colors. You got your standard black vinyl or a bright sky blue color. And if you can’t decide which one, do like me and buy both. I still need the CD single though as it didn’t come out the same time as the vinyl, I don’t believe or I would’ve bought it.

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Def Leppard – ‘Pyromania’ (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition – 2024) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of one Def Leppard’s biggest albums, ‘Pyromania’, they give the album the justice it needs and released an awesome box set in 2024. And what a great set it is. It has 4 CD’s, 1 Blu Ray and even includes a hard back book. It is all housed in a cardboard box that is of great quality and the images are fantastic. The housing of the CDs & Blu Ray is not a gate-fold, but instead an incredible tri-fold. The original album is remastered, there is a disc of unreleased demos and mixes, a live set from Germany and the famous live show from 1983 at the L.A. Forum. It is splendid and I have to say that as this is one of my all-time favorite albums.

But before we get to the set, what was going on in the Def Leppard world at the time of the album? Well,…here it is…The tide was changing, Def Leppard’s success was palpable at this point, but not quite there…YET! Robert John “Mutt” Lange was back as producer and the band hit the studios in January 1982 and went through November of that year at Park Gates studio in London. All didn’t go smoothly, there was one big issue and that issue was Pete Willis.

Pete’s drinking problem was…well, becoming a problem. It was causing issues that were impacting his work and the band. It got so bad that on July 11, 1982, mid-way through work on the album, the band fired Pete. This was not a rash decision as it was discussed fully amongst the band because on July 12, 1982, the very next day, the band announced his replacement in the likes of Girl’s guitarists, Phil Collen. By this point in recording, Pete had already recorded all his rhythm parts and those are still on the album. Phil came in and added a few guitar parts and as well as some solos, he had it easy.

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Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at the Leadmill (RSD – 2024) – Album Review

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At one time in their career, Def Leppard made a statement that a band only releases a live album when they have run out of ideas. I’m not sure the actual count, but we are on maybe the fifth or sixth live album they’ve released now. And based on ‘Drastic Symphonies, I would say they are out of new ideas. With that aside, I’m still a massive fan and buy everything. In fact, back in April 2024 for Record Store Day, I got in line to get the very limited vinyl release of ‘One Night Only: Live at the Leadmill’ which was a Record Store Day First (not exlcusive) release and limited to only 6,000 copies. And I was able to grab one.

That is what we are reviewing today. It came in a beautiful gatefold with a great live shot of the band at the club and is on 2LP’s of a cool silver cover that coincides with the album cover. The LPs are housed in a thick cardboard like sleeve with some great pictures of the band members taken at the show. They later released it on October 11, 2024 in CD format that either had a DVD or a Blu-Ray included. And, I have the CD/Blu Ray combo as well as I like to have at every format (I know I didn’t get the DVD but the Blu Ray is better visually so that is all I need).

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Def Leppard – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (Updated) – (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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If you read my site, you know Def Leppard is one of my all-time favorite bands, if not the #1 band on my list.  And for that, this list was extremely hard for me to do, yet easy as well.  I will already go ahead and say it, there is not a horrible album in this bunch only some I like more than others and yet a few that are absolute no-brainers as the top choices.  And yes, I am biased.

Speaking of top choices, my Top 5 is my Top 5 because each album is completely different.  The band completely changed up the sound and style on each of these albums and when the band does that, for me they hit it out of the park.

From the very beginning in 1980 with their debut and all the way up to today, the band has been mainstay in my musical journey.  In 2019, they were inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and all I can say is it is about damn time!!!  They received the highest public vote so I am not the only one that things these guys from England are pretty darn great. And their last studio album was 2023’s ‘Drastic Symphonies’…so they are still going strong…sort of.

So, let’s get to it.  Here is my favorite Def Leppard albums from the worst one to the very best.  I hope you enjoy it.

WORST – DRASTIC SYMPHONIES (2023)

This album is basically dreadful with some shining moments. There are only 6 tracks worth listening to in my opinion and the rest was waste of time. They did at least experiment with a few tracks, although some were so bad they hurt, at least they tried. The problem was they should’ve “Tried” on all the songs rather then simply add orchestration to a lot of the original tracks. That is laziness. Keep “Turn to Dust”, “Paper Sun”, “Hysteria”, “Too Late For Love” and “King of the World”, skip the rest.

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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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Def Leppard – ‘Drastic Symphonies’ (2023) – Picture Disc (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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I know, I know…I reviewed this album last week. But this is The Collection Series and since a Picture Disc is very different from the normal vinyl and other items, I figured it deserved its own post. So bare with me…

In 2023, Def Leppard did something they hadn’t done in years. Give us a new album a year after the last studio album. In 2022, we were given ‘Diamond Star Halos’ and in 2023, ‘Drastic Symphonies’. Now, ‘Drastic Symphonies’ isn’t technically a studio album. And it isn’t technically a greatest hits compilation. Instead, what we are given is a remix album. Yes, Def Leppard chased the trend (although rather late) and gave us a Symphonic album. They remixed or reworked their songs and added classical music orchestration to it. The album was released on May 19, 2023, one week shy of the one year anniversary of the prior album. In my opinion, they should’ve taken much more time with it and got it right. Why? Let me explain.

A proper Symphony album is done live as that is where you really notice the difference. This is not a proper Symphony album. Instead, Def Leppard did one of two things with the songs. They either completely re-worked the song with the symphony dramatically added in a well thought out manner (sometimes it works, sometimes not). Or…they took a song and put in some symphony in places on the original track. The second way is pure and utter laziness and never works. Wiki says they completely redid all the songs with the exception of the vocals…but listening to it…I disagree. Some of these songs sound exactly like the original with symphony added and all I can say to that is “What is the freaking point!!”

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Def Leppard – ‘Drastic Symphonies’ (2023) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic10 Comments

In 2023, Def Leppard did something they hadn’t done in years. Give us a new album a year after the last studio album. In 2022, we were given ‘Diamond Star Halos’ and in 2023, ‘Drastic Symphonies’. Now, ‘Drastic Symphonies’ isn’t technically a studio album. And it isn’t technically a greatest hits compilation. Instead, what we are given is a remix album. Yes, Def Leppard chased the trend (although rather late) and gave us a Symphonic album. They remixed or reworked their songs and added classical music orchestration to it. The album was released on May 19, 2023, one week shy of the one year anniversary of the prior album. In my opinion, they should’ve taken much more time with it and got it right. Why? Let me explain.

A proper Symphony album is done live as that is where you really notice the difference. This is not a proper Symphony album. Instead, Def Leppard did one of two things with the songs. They either completely re-worked the song with the symphony dramatically added in a well thought out manner (sometimes it works, sometimes not). Or…they took a song and put in some symphony in places on the original track. The second way is pure and utter laziness and never works. Wiki says they completely redid all the songs with the exception of the vocals…but listening to it…I disagree. Some of these songs sound exactly like the original with symphony added and all I can say to that is “What is the freaking point!!”

Not all the songs were that way though. So it is worth going through them regardless what I think about the songs and the album overall. First, the orchestration on the album was done by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with the arrangements done by Eric Gorfain and they do a fantastic job overall. No fault of theirs for what is wrong with the album. They recorded their parts at Abbey Road Studios in London, so that is pretty cool. On to the music.

“Turn to Dust”, from ‘Slang’, opens the album and all I can say is…”This is how the album should have been done with EVERY song!”. They completely re-worked this song and what was a really cool song on ‘Slang’ is actually taken up a notch with this one. The orchestration mixed with the Eastern style music is a match made in heaven. By far, the best song on the album as it is purposeful and mindful on how orchestration can enhance and even improve a song. And if that wasn’t good enough, “Paper Sun” is done exactly the same way…well thought out and executed. The two best songs on the album for sure!!

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