From: pw15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Philip  Wang)
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.metal
Subject: Re: Adams & Leppard [decent titles R us] was Re: Doopth (soory, attempt at Homer SImpson)
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:42:45 GMT
Reply-To: pw15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Philip  Wang)
Organization: Columbia University

In article <1399@eagle.ukc.ac.uk> wgd@ukc.ac.uk (Warren Day) writes:
>In article <1992Jul30.131043.12834@news.columbia.edu>
>pw15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Philip  Wang) writes:
>>Mutt also co-wrote stuff on HYSTERIA
>True, and Pyro. and probably H&D.

Nope, not on H&D. I believe most of the material was fairly old from their
OTTN days or before, but I know "You Got Me Running," "Lady Strange," and
"On Through The Night" were new at the time because in a few interviews Clark
said that without them the entire album would have sounded basically the same,
which isn't really true, but I can see what point he was trying to make
(especially with the thrashy tempo change before the solo in "Lady" and the
Police style song of "Running" and the thrashy style of "OTTN." But Mutt didn't
have any writing credits on this one. Pyro was his first.

>>and was executive producer (whatever that >means) on the new one.
>
>Leppard used to ring him up while he was working with Adams and ask him
>to comment on stuff.
>
Is that all a producer does? I recall Dave Mustaine saying a producer was just
a "highly paid critic." I thought a producer had a few more responsibilities
than that.

>Look at the albums, the day to day producer, the record time and the success.
>
>OTTN	not Mutt  3 months
>H&D	Mutt	  4 months
>Pyro.	Mutt	 12 months
>Hyst.	Mutt	  3 years
>Adren.	not Mutt  3 years
>
>Everytime Mutt has been with them in the studio on a day to day bases the
>length of the recording session has gone up.  This one only took so long
>as Phil played with just about every piece of equipment on the market (no
>joke), did the guitars, changed his mind about the sound, RE-did the guitars,
>changed his mind about the sound again, RE-RE-did the guitars.  They also
>spent a year doing the backing vocals too.

How successful is ADrenalize on the charts? I don't pay attention to them
except to just see if any heavy metal bands ever get on there, and only
sporadically (I haven't seen a Rolling Stone since March and haven't watched
MTV since May), so I have no idea if it's selling well or not. I would imagine
it's doing well, but not like Hysteria.Nevertheless, they have been very
successful with every album. I think they sold out all of their EPs, OTTN went
at least gold, and platinum the rest of them increasingly. Actually, you know,
I find that Def Leppard have never released a truly bad song. Comparatively to
their other material, yes they have, but if you put them up with other pop 
metal bands these days they are actually far and above, in my opinion, with
Adrenalize. Then again, I don't like blues, and most pop metal like Cinderella
and Bon Jovi, and I guess Warrant are bluesy, so maybe that's why I don't get
into them. DL is influenced at first by blues based bands so blues isn't such
a big influence, and anyway their solos don't sound bluesy to me.
>
>Talking of Rock Of Ages, have you read the book?  From some of the stuff you
>say it sounds like you have.

No, I haven't read their book (they had one called "Animal Instinct." Is
that what you're talking about?). For a long time Def Leppard was my most
favorite rock band, so I read every periodical from Guitar Player to Rolling
Stone to learn about these guys.


philip
"Washington Boulevard, east-bound. Thirty-three...Can I get a transfer, man?
Ninety-five cents?! FUCK YOU I'LL SKATE TO THE BEACH, AND I'LL LOOK BETTER
GETTING THERE!!!" - Faith No More, "Death March"
e-mail Philip Wang at pw15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu