Slang (album)
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Slang is an album by British hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1996 (see 1996 in music). A radical departure from their signature sound, this album was not received very well by American fans and is their lowest selling album to date.
The record was an experiment of sorts by the band wherein they eschewed their standard writing style of every member having input and each wrote on their own influenced by what they were listening to at the time. Primarily written by Collen and Elliott and recorded in a house in Spain, Slang features less production, in favor of live recordings (including drummer Rick Allen's reversion to a semi-acoustic kit). Songs such as "Turn to Dust" and "Pearl of Euphoria" introduced sitar and other East Indian sounds and instrumentation, which may have turned off many fans.
Though the album spawned four singles and three videos (Work It Out, Slang, All I Want Is Everything, Breathe A Sigh), it was considered something of a failure, selling less than one million units worldwide. For some bands, this could be considered good, but for a group whose ten albums have sold an average of 7.5 million units each, this could only be considered a bad thing.
Track listing
- "Truth?" (Campbell, Collen, Elliott, Savage) - 3:00
- "Turn to Dust" (Collen) - 4:21
- "Slang" (Collen, Elliott) - 2:37
- "All I Want Is Everything" (Elliott) - 5:20
- "Work It Out" (Campbell) - 4:49
- "Breathe a Sigh" (Collen) - 4:06
- "Deliver Me" (Collen, Elliott) - 3:04
- "Gift of Flesh" (Collen) - 3:48
- "Blood Runs Cold" (Collen, Elliott) - 4:26
- "Where Does Love Go When It Dies" (Collen, Elliott) - 4:04
- "Pearl of Euphoria" (Collen, Elliott, Savage) - 6:21
Personnel
Def Leppard- Rick Allen - percussion, drums
- Vivian Campbell - dulcimer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, background vocals
- Phil Collen - acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric guitar, vocals, background vocals
- Joe Elliott - bass, guitar, vocals
- Rick Savage - synthesizer, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals, background vocals
Production
- Producers: Def Leppard, Pete Woodroffe
- Engineers: Ger McDonnell, Will Shapland, Pete Woodroffe
- Mixing: Pete Woodroffe
- Mixing assistant: Matt Pakucko
- Mastering: Bob Ludwig
- Programming: Bobby Brooks, Brad Buxer, Hugh Drumm, Ger McDonnell
- String arrangements: Craig Pruess
- Percussion arrangement: Craig Pruess
- Art direction: Jeff Murray
- Design: Jager de Paola
- Photography: Cynthia Levine, Jeff Rooney
- Liner note producer: Terry Zoakitny
Charts
Album
Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 14 |
Singles
Billboard (North America)| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Work It Out" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 |
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