Def Leppard "Live At Abbey Road Studios" (2018 Record Store Day EP)
On Record Store Day 2018, the British pop-metal band Def Leppard released the 3-song, 45-rpm, 12-inch vinyl EP Live At Abbey Road Studios. Limited to 4,000 copies, the EP contained live-in-the-studio re-recordings of three songs from the band’s catalogue, recorded in May of 2008 at the world-famous studio in London and remixed in December 2017 at singer Joe Elliott’s Joe’s Garage studio in Dublin. These renditions are basically faithful to their original recordings, with less bombast and a bit more directness.
The first track, “C’mon C’mon”, is a selection from the then-new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. This more-organic version of the decent rocker is arguably no better or worse than the album version. But this version of “Rock On” – the David Essex song that the band had covered on their 2006 album Yeah! – is preferable to the version on that album, as it is a shade less noisy – although it is still a far cry from the minimalist reggae arrangement of Essex’s 1973 original. Speaking of early-‘70’s British rock, the final song re-recorded for this EP was “Rocket”, the 1987 smash hit in which the band first showed their love for the music of that time and place. As he did on this EP’s other two songs, singer Joe Elliott sings more in his early On Through The Night-era voice than in his Hysteria voice. That, along with the reduction in ‘80’s-style studio effects, is what makes this version of “Rocket” different, if not necessarily better or worse, than the well-known original. Live At Abbey Road Studios is a nice collectable for fans, but is for fans only.
Def Leppard “Live At Abbey Road Studios” EP (Bludgeon Riffola 6729347) 2018
Track Listing:
1. C’mon C’mon
2. Rock On
3. Rocket
The first track, “C’mon C’mon”, is a selection from the then-new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. This more-organic version of the decent rocker is arguably no better or worse than the album version. But this version of “Rock On” – the David Essex song that the band had covered on their 2006 album Yeah! – is preferable to the version on that album, as it is a shade less noisy – although it is still a far cry from the minimalist reggae arrangement of Essex’s 1973 original. Speaking of early-‘70’s British rock, the final song re-recorded for this EP was “Rocket”, the 1987 smash hit in which the band first showed their love for the music of that time and place. As he did on this EP’s other two songs, singer Joe Elliott sings more in his early On Through The Night-era voice than in his Hysteria voice. That, along with the reduction in ‘80’s-style studio effects, is what makes this version of “Rocket” different, if not necessarily better or worse, than the well-known original. Live At Abbey Road Studios is a nice collectable for fans, but is for fans only.
Def Leppard “Live At Abbey Road Studios” EP (Bludgeon Riffola 6729347) 2018
Track Listing:
1. C’mon C’mon
2. Rock On
3. Rocket
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