The Divisive Albums Podcast Episode -1: Def Leppard’s Slang

The “pre-pilot” episode of the Divisive Albums Podcast, which I did mainly to test out a few things. The first was whether the concept would hold my interest long enough to warrant my wanting to do future episodes. The second was whether I was good enough and entertaining enough that people would actually want to listen.

In the episode, I discuss the following. SHOW NOTES!

0:00: Intro and what the podcast is about
0:41: About me and my musical tastes, which will influence what’s selected for future episodes
1:17: Introducing our band: Def Leppard!
1:22: Who are Def Leppard, and how big are/were they? (Answer: Absolutely HUGE in the 80s)
2:55: What were the circumstances around Def Leppard’s divisive album? (Answer: Def Leppard were really REALLY uncool by the mid-90s. They were also sick of “being Def Leppard” recording-wise)
4:25: We finally name the album: 1996’s Slang!
4:55: A brief discussion of Def Leppard’s pre-megafame albums, and what I expected out of this album.
5:25: “Truth?” excerpt and thoughts
6:03: “Slang” introduction, excerpt, and thoughts
7:01: Discussing the lyrics on the album as a whole, which are “darker” than typical Def Leppard
7:20: Excerpts from “Gift of Flesh” and “Pearl of Euphoria”, showing some more of the 90s industrial influence
8:20: Discussing the sound of the album as a whole and how Def Leppard put what they’re influenced by in their songs.
8:59: Excerpts from the “Life Is a Highway”-esque “Work It Out” and the 90s R&B imitation “Breathe a Sigh”
9:55: Discussion about how the album sounds like Def Leppard playing at being Everything But Def Leppard for an album
10:20: The album’s chart performance (It was not good relative to previous Def Leppard albums in the US, though it did better overseas)
10:40: So how IS this album (Answer: Actually pretty good, though also different enough from their established sound that it likely would’ve derailed them even if grunge/alternative rock hadn’t rendered them persona non grata in the mid-90s)
11:08: Where to buy the album, and discussion on bonus tracks in the Deluxe Edition of the album
11:54: Outro and social media: Twitter, Website, Discord

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