The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

While the first song I ever heard by Def Leppard was "Rocket" from Hysteria , the first new album I bought immediately after it was released was Adrenalize . The first single off said album was "Let's Get Rocked." At one point in the song, the following words are sung: "It was Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven. It makes me wanna scream. Bach, Tchaikovsky, violins - turn it off, that ain't my scene." Well, 31 years later, that is Def Leppard's scene - as they've teamed up with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to produce their 14th album, Drastic Symphonies .  The British rock trio Muse has taken over the top spot as my all-time favorite band. One reason for that is their brilliant mesh of rock and classical music. There's just something about the combination of rock 'n' roll and orchestras which create an almost indescribably epic experience. Having said that, while I was excited to hear my former favorite band, Def Leppard, attempt to m...

12. X (2002) - 5.5/10: Def Leppard's first album of the century was their poppiest, least memorable album to date. To their credit, most of the songs are catchy, with: "Scar," "Torn to Shreds," and "You're So Beautiful" being the best of the bunch, yet a Def Leppard album void of an arena rock anthem just doesn't seem right. Not a bad effort, but definitely my least favorite of the batch. Top of Their Game: "Scar," "Torn to Shreds," "You're So Beautiful" What Were They Thinking?: "Cry" If the Album Were a Headline: "Pop Pop ('Til You Drop)" 11. Euphoria (1999) - 6.0/10: The rock vets tried to bounce back from their 1996 grunge effort, Slang , with this more classically Leppard-sounding record, but with mixed results. "Paper Sun" and "Promises" may be two of the band's best written songs, yet there are more fillers present than one would like. Fun album overall, ...

100. "C'mon C'mon" (Songs From the Sparkle Lounge) 99. "Battle of My Own" (Def Leppard) 98. "Now" (X) 97. "Action! Not Words" (Pyromania) 96. "Cruise Control" (Songs From the Sparkle Lounge) 95. "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down" (On Through the Night) 94. "Slang" (Slang) 93. "Sorrow Is a Woman" (On Through the Night) 92. "Only the Good Die Young" (Songs From the Sparkle Lounge) 91. "Long Long Way to Go" (X) 90. "Broke 'n' Brokenhearted" (Def Leppard) 89. "Disintegrate" (Euphoria) 88. "Demolition Man" (Euphoria) 87. "Guilty" (Euphoria) 86. "Blood Runs Cold" (Slang) 85. "Love Don't Lie" (X) 84. "Tomorrow" (Songs From the Sparkle Lounge) 83. "Girl Like You" (X) 82. "To Be Alive" (Euphoria) 81. "It Don't Matter" (On Through the Night) 80. "No No No" (High ...

Rock legends Def Leppard released their 12th LP over the past week, aptly titled Diamond Star Halos - in reference to lyrics from the T. Rex classic, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," one of the band's biggest influences. On the album - the first since their eponymous release in 2015, the rock vets pay homage to T. Rex and their other influences - namely David Bowie and Queen, but with a Lep twist. The end result is the band's best LP since Hysteria 35 years ago.  Before I provide reviews of all 15 tracks on the album, I want to say just one thing: I can't tell you how many times I've read comments from critics and laypersons alike that Def Leppard just isn't the same band they were in the '80s. Well, no shit. This argument drives me nuts. I hear it about every band that's released a handful of records or more. Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, and Vivian Campbell are all either approaching 60 or have already eclipsed it. No matter how m...

Podcast: I Feel Snitty Episode 102: "Debunk You in a Heartbeat" (parody based on the Def Leppard song, "Miss You in a Heartbeat") Premiere Date: 12/19/20 Length: 3:54 (246 words) Link: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/debunk-you-in-a-heartbeat-parody-based-on-the-def-leppard-song-miss-you-in-a-heartbeat/ Transcript:  “Debunk You in a Heartbeat” (to the tune of Def Leppard’s “Miss You in a Heartbeat”) I believe that there’s nothing deep inside Your mind at any one time We sure found out, you thought facts were such a crime The more you speak, the more you fail   Yet you still speak and speak, you still lie away Cause the truth don’t matter anyway   (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you in a heartbeat (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you right away (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you in a heartbeat ‘Cause it ain’t the truth, if you say it is Oh no   When your lips move, I breathe a heavy sigh Knowing damn well you’re gonna lie To fib is easy, it ain’t easy to fact-che...

The latest episode of my podcast ("I Feel Snitty"), entitled, "'Debunk You in a Heartbeat' (parody based on the Def Leppard song, 'Miss You in a Heartbeat')" is now available! Here are the lyrics: “Debunk You in a Heartbeat” (to the tune of Def Leppard’s “Miss You in a Heartbeat”) I believe that there’s nothing deep inside Your mind at any one time We sure found out, you thought facts were such a crime The more you speak, the more you fail   Yet you still speak and speak, you still lie away Cause the truth don’t matter anyway   (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you in a heartbeat (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you right away (ooh ooh ooh) I’ll debunk you in a heartbeat ‘Cause it ain’t the truth, if you say it is Oh no   When your lips move, I breathe a heavy sigh Knowing damn well you’re gonna lie To fib is easy, it ain’t easy to fact-check stuff But I do it anyway to piss you off   Yet you still speak and speak, you still lie away ‘Cause ...

In its first year of eligibility, Nirvana got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Def Leppard, meanwhile, has yet to be inducted. To this, I say, WTF? (No, Phil Dunphy, it's not "Why the face?") Let's take a look at each band... Nirvana released just three albums between the years 1989 and 1993. The band was essentially done on April 8th of 1994 when lead singer Kurt Cobain shot and killed himself. They have 21 singles to their credit and have sold an estimated 80 million albums worldwide. In the years following Cobain's death, he has often been criticized for ripping off other artists, including the Pixies, Killing Joke, Garden of Delight, The Royals, The Damned, Sex Pistols, Blue Oyster Cult, Boston, Melvins, The 4 Skins, Zebra, Link Wray, The Cult, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Butthole Surfers, Los Brujos, Devo, the Psychedelic Furs, The Smithereens, Fang, etc. Def Leppard, meanwhile, has released eleven studio albums between the years...

I thought I'd take some time away from the crazy world of politics and write about one of my loves, one of the things which helps keep me reasonably sane despite the before-mentioned craziness - music. I have a wide range of likes when it comes to music. Growing up, my mom preferred to listen to oldies, while my dad opted for classic rock, and my family in Michigan listened to, what else, but Motown. My brother involved himself in jazz band, introduced me to some alternative rock bands. A few friends of mine enjoyed rap and/or country. Through it all, I've come to enjoy at least a few songs from every genre, including country, which is without question my least favorite style of music. Even so, though, I can't help but feel like rock 'n' roll runs through my veins. I loved it when I was a child and my dad played: Boston, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Aerosmith from his record player, and I've been hooked ever since....

"Debunk You in a Heartbeat" I believe that there's nothing deep inside Your mind at any one time We sure found out, you thought facts were such a crime The more you speak, the more you fail Yet you still speak, you still lie away 'Cause the truth don't matter anyway (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you in a heartbeat (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you right away (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you in a heartbeat 'Cause it ain't true, if you say it is Oh no When your lips move, I let out a heavy sigh Knowing damn well you're about to lie To fib is easy, it ain't easy to Google the truth But I do it anyway to piss you off You still speak, you still lie away, 'Cause the truth don't matter anyway (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you in a heartbeat (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you right away (oohh oohh oohh) I'll debunk you in a heartbeat 'Cause it ain't true, if you say it is I know you're ...

It's honestly been a great year for me on the music front. As of a couple weeks ago, my three all-time favorite bands had released new albums this year, and not only that, but in my opinion, it was some of each artist's best work in a number of years. First, Marilyn Manson released The Pale Emperor on January 15th. While his previous few albums had all been solid, each with a number of clever and catchy tracks, they all felt as though the band was searching for direction - to either continue with the old or try something new, which left the albums somewhat inconsistent in theme and sound. With The Pale Emperor , however, that long sought consistency and direction were found, and in a big way, as I believe it to be the band's best album since Holy Wood in 2000. Next, Muse released their concept album Drones on June 5th. While critics didn't hail it as highly as the band's previous releases, I personally loved it, and felt it was far superior to their previous two...