UAWIL #284: Def Leppard - Slang with Neil from Def Lep Pod
About this episode
The episode discusses Def Leppard's album 'Slang' and features insights from Neil of Def Lep Pod on its significance and reception.
By 1996, Def Leppard needed to try something different. Their 80s heyday had long since passed and the grunge/nu metal era made them unwanted icons of a forgotten age. They got a new wardrobe, split up to write their songs and even left the stylized Def Leppard logo off of their album Slang to tread new paths without longtime producer Mutt Lange. Some saw it as a reaction to grunge as it sounded nothing like Hysteria or Adrenalize which had preceded it - the high harmonies and big, hooky riffs were gone. But Def Leppard fans saw it as the boys stretching out after a decade with Mutt and expressing themselves as mature men dealing with life on their terms. Though The Wolf and Action didn't take to this album when it was released May 13, 1996, a teenaged Neil from Def Lep Pod was all about the Slang record. It came at the right time in his life and Neil knows Slang (as he does so many things Def Leppard) back to front and then some. He knows every demo version of every song and brings not only his generational point of view of the English fans story in contrast to that of Action and The Wolf. Vivian Campbell finally earned songwriting credits on a Def Leppard album and his solo…
More episodes of The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast
- UAWIL #283: Stewart Copeland's Police - Deranged for Orchestra
- UAWIL #282: Jeff Beck - Wired
- UAWIL #281: The Rolling Stones - Black & Blue
- UAWIL #280: Robert Plant Live
- UAWIL #279: Suzi Quatro Interview
- First Concert Memories #33: Steve Kilbey of The Church
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast podcast page.