//Bala, I agree with your views on the recognition. Since I am digressing too much, still would like to know yours and KV's views on them on why you say so, we can continue in PM. I have never heard their music after 80s/early 90s. It seems they were not doing good in 90's/2000s. I will end linking their biography: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/def+leppard/biography.html//
Deff Leppard, Bon Jovi-a rock aattathula serthukka manasu varla. Too "light" for rock. By light, i don't mean to compare that with metal or hard rock.
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man"
Bala,
As I mentioned in PM, I was loving Def Leppard in 80s as much I loved Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Metallica, Steely Dan, Van Halen, Mega Death, Guns 'n' Roses, Bon Jovi, Deep Purple and so on. At-least their first four albums; On Through the Night, High 'N' Dry, Pyromania and Hysteria were thoroughly enjoyable and there were enough rock elements to be classified under Hard Rock/Heavy Metal. Hysteria being my most favorite album, every one of them right from the title song, Animal to Armagadden It, I really loved it.
The last album which I listened; Adrenalize (released in early 90s), I too didn't like much. I think from mid 90's they were deviating from Hard Rock/Heavy metal to Glam-metal (as KV pointed out) and Pop. To be honest, I have never listened to them after Adrenalize. Even many links says that they were good at the start and won many accolades. http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/def+leppard/biography.html
So from your posts, I guess you are talking about Def Leppard from his mid 90s where he kind of lost his touch on rock. Or you have never convinced right from his first album that it had Rock?. This is what I would like to know also with reasons, if possible, since I thoroughly enjoyed his first four albums, which can be classified as Hard Rock. The starting guitar pieces in Hysteria even proves that. I have already posted the youtube link for that.
These songs were blasting in our college hostels. Def Leppard's 'Rock of Ages', 'foolin', 'Pour some sugar on me'. You might listened these, but just in case, Please hear the ferocious guitars and racy rhythms through out these songs.
Rock of Ages. Please hear the guitar crescendo from 2:48-3:18. Pulsating!
Foolin'
Pour some sugar on me
I feel all the above three falls under Rock/Hard Rock. As I hear and understand, the guitar riffs are highly distorted in these songs, even though 'Rock' also has the same distorted guitars, the tone of these guitar are more rough, compared to normal Rock guitar. Also coming to the rhythm aspect, I think Hard Rock rhythm normally is very fast and uneven and sometimes very aggresive with more usage of hi-hats often to show the power, unlike Rock Guitar which is normally even. In these senses, Hysteria song could be classified more closer towards Rock, than Hard Rock, but I could not feel light. Lyrics is another important aspect in these songs. If you consider the lyrics, as per my reading and understanding, if the lyrics convey anger, depression, death etc, then that would classify under Hard Rock/Heavy metal, but in all these songs, the lyrics were mainly about love, so just from the lyrical stand point, it cannot be Hard Rock, but the singing and the orchestration does not convey that. Anyway, I think we are not considering the lyrics at all. So, if you just ignore the lyrics, then the above three songs can fall under Hard Rock having satisfied the orchestration/arrangments/singing aspects.
Bala,
You were saying that Def Leppard songs (I think in general) are too light for you to be considered as Rock. But you were also saying, it does not mean, I could not compare with hard rock or metal. I don't get this. Please explain. If it is light for even Rock, how it can be considered for Hard Rock/Metal. Hard Rock is more heavier right?
KV,
On the other hand, you were saying they are not even Hard Rock or Heavy metal, but just glam-rock/glam-metal. Please explain.
Also please listen to the above three songs, in case you have not heard and let me know if this is still light and could not be even considered as Rock. We (our friends) normally consider Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits et. al as Rock (don't want to go into its sub-genres) and Def Leppard, Van Halen, AC/DC et. al as normally Hard Rock and Mega Death, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, et. al as Heavy Metal. Normally Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genre can step on each other depending on the songs. Please correct me. Nice to have such a discussion, having spent our youth/college days listening to these bands, it is better to know the terms correctly and the reasoning.
v_sji, adhennamO theriyala, defflep 'set' aagavE illa. 'idhu paper roast-a? paper roast na eppidi irukkanam theriyuma?' feeling.
I think I don't find them musically interesting; will try to write more later. ippo konjam bis bis.
I yam. Who can forget Bohemian Rapsody, Another one bites the dust, We will rock you, Crazy little thing called love and many more. It's unfortunate Freddie Mercury died early.
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