Def Leppard’s 2008 album was ‘Songs From the Sparkle Lounge’ and it would be the last studio album from them for around 7 years. In the meantime, we would get some live albums, but mostly we got side projects. And the first one up is from guitarist, Phil Collen. Phil was in a band before Lep called Girl. From that band Girl, he rejoined up with Simon Laffy and the added veteran drummer, Paul Cook from the band The Sex Pistols. I believe you’ve heard of them. The trio started a super group called Man Raze. They actually got together back in 2005, played some live shows, even released a single or two. It wasn’t until June 3, 2008, they released their debut album, ‘Surreal’, in the States.
Now, my copy isn’t the U.S. version. No, I had to have the European version which was released on December 1, 2008. It is the better version for one reason. It contains a 2nd CD of bonus material with 5 additional tracks. I also love that they added the British Flag to the design of the cover. It gives it a slightly cooler look. What you get with this trio is an album that has elements of Phil’s current band, along with Girl, The Sex Pistols and all their influences all rolled in to one. And if you like Phil’s backing vocals in Leppard, well, he is the lead singer here and it is a welcome change of pace. Let’s see what this supergroup brings to the table.
The album kicks off with “This Is” which is a full on ball buster with nothing but angst and speed. The drums pound frantically and the guitar and bass are played at breakneck speed. It brings the punk attitude and the rock sensibility to show us that this band is ready to lay it out all on the table and hold nothing back.
And not to slow things down, they keep up that energy with “Turn It Up” which is more of the same destructive behavior. This one is even a step up with more attitude and Phil sounds even better on this one too. The gang choruses are full like Lep which add even more texture to this one. It is almost a militant drum beat with roaring guitars and a killer solo. A definite highlight of the album.
Then they bring their love for reggae and dub in to the mix with “Runnin’ Me Up”. The tempo slows, but the groove from Laffy is perfection along with the great drumming of Cook you get a rhythm section like none other. What a contrast from the first two songs, but damn it works so well. Phil easily transitions his vocal delivery to fit the style, but this is a highlight for that rhythm section for sure.
Next up is “Every Second of Every Day” which is another style altogether. This time we go more melodic and there definite tones of Def Leppard in this track. Heck, it could’ve fit on any Lep album as I can picture Joe singing it. But this isn’t Joe, this is Phil and it is as good. The choruses are huge and a great singalong song. Come on, join right in. Plus, that guitar tone is pure Phil which means it sounds like Leppard too. And I don’t mind at all!!
“Spinning Out” is another stellar rock track with more nasty bass from Laffy. Phil sings with attitude and a slow coolness. There is a swagger to it and that is driven by Paul’s drumming. The groove is king here and the pocket is tight. As a result, Phil slides in a smooth solo and the band rocks us home another splendid track.
The reggae and dub are back with a splash of rock & roll thrown in for good measure. “Can’t Find My Own Way” is great blend of their influences and Phil spits out these lyrics with a well planned paced. That chorus explodes and gives us the rock side while the verses feel more look a fast paced reggae style. A great mesh of their styles.
The band’s first single released back in 2005 was for “Skin Crawl” and this is a slightly re-worked version of that song. It sees the song go a little darker with more attitude. Laffy’s bass groove is so sweet and powerful while Phil’s vocals soar in the chorus and give us moodiness in the verses. I can see why this one was released as single, a really kick ass track. I could see this one on Slang to as their are some Lep elements in it.
With “Low”, it starts off with a slow guitar sound before quickly picking up the pace and another Leppard style song. Phil’s vocals are massive on the chorus and have that Leppard harmonies. It isn’t quite a ballad, but not a full out rocker either. A happy melding of the two. I’m not sure if this a leftover ‘X’ track or even ‘Songs from the Sparkle Lounge’ as it has a flavor of both and I’m really happy about that fact.
If you like the reggae and rock fusion, then “Connected to You” is right up your alley. It blasts out like a rock track, but the verse grooves are pure reggae. I’ve said this plenty but it is worth noting here as well that Laffy’s bass and Cook’s drums are the perfect rhythm section as they are the groove that works on all these songs. The two almost play as one they are that good. Phil’s gritty vocals attack the song with a fierce attitude and it is another solid track.
The almost metal bass riff and that Leppard style guitar riff are an interesting mix. Phil’s vocals have a lot of effects put on the verse, but the chorus is huge and there is an almost glam feel to it. “Halo” is a different animal then what we’ve heard before and I like the stylistic change. Glam is good. But not the strongest song on the album.
“It’s Entertainment” is a heavy rock track with Cook pounding ferociously on the drums, but the song is very repetitive and the chorus is just lacking. The verses are cooler and have more meat, but that chorus is boring and leaves me empty. The only real misstep on the album.
But that misstep is short-lived as we get to what might be my favorite song on the album. It is the heavy Def Leppard influenced “Shadow Man”. This feels like it could’ve fit on any modern Lep album. It is dark, foreboding and simply put…totally awesome! Phil’s vocals on this one sound a little like Joe Elliott, well, they sound like Phil’s backing vocals behind Joe on all the choruses. And that chorus is huge. It makes the song for me. Catchy, killer guitar solo and that Leppard sound…what’s not to like.
And that my friends is the main album. Now, on Disc 2 we get five more tracks, but these tracks aren’t graded as they are simply bonus material so might be some unusual stuff that I don’t want to take away from how good this album is. The first track is “You’re So Wrong” and it is full of punk attitude and rock ferocity. Phil’s attacks the lyrics with so much angst it is almost too much. The song doesn’t quite feel as finished and flushed out as the album, so see why it was left off, but still a cool track and a perfect bonus CD song and maybe a great B-side as well.
Next is “Low” which was recorded live in 2008 in Burbank, California. Nothing really different from the album version just live. They can’t get the fullness of the chorus as no one is as good as Phil on backing vocals and since he is lead vocals, no one there to do it. But still cool version and great job by the band.
Next up is “Turn It Up” (Deep Dub) mix. The bonus on iTunes was the Dub Mix, but this must take it further with Deep Dub. And unless you are a pure Dub fan (which I am not), then this one is going to sound vastly different, almost unrecognizable as the original song. The steel drum sound is cool, the groove is cool, but the song not so much.
With “Runnin’ Me Up” we get a pure instrumental dub mix and musically it aint’ half bad. There are a spattering of vocals tossed in with a line here or there, but instrumental is mostly the rule here. This is not something I would be looking to play, but might not turn it off it came on.
Lastly, we get a live acoustic version of “Can’t Find My Own Way”. It seems to be a fast, frenzied performance. It has the reggae, dub and rock feel to it like the studio version, maybe sped up faster. And I like it. Not a bad version of the song.
Track Listing:
- This Is – Keeper
- Turn It Up – Keeper
- Runnin’ Me Up – Keeper
- Every Second of Every Day – Keeper
- Spinning Out – Keeper
- Can’t Find My Own Way – Keeper
- Skin Crawl – Keeper
- Low – Keeper
- Connected To You – Keeper
- Halo – Keeper (1/2 Point)
- It’s Entertainment – Delete
- Shadow Man – Keeper
The Track Score is 10.5 out of 12 Tracks or 88%. As I said, I’m not scoring the bonus disc so we stick to the album. The bonus disc is a great addition and an interesting take on the songs, but the album is the focus here. I think Man Raze is mixture of punk attitude, rock demeanor mixed with a love of reggae and dub to help accentuate the songs. They are do a great job of blending styles. I don’t mind the Def Leppard sound on a handful of songs as that is who Phil has been for the last 25 years so it makes sense. I actually encourage that sound. The combination of Phil, Simon and Paul is a great set of musicians that share a similar love for these stylings and it shows. I think any fan of Leppard would find enough stuff here to really appreciate the songs and I am glad to see Lep fans branch out on their own and deliver quality work. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. I think it is pretty damn good and for me it got better with each listen. That is what you want with every album.
NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – ‘B-SIDES’ (2021)
THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES
- Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
- First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
- Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
- On Through the Night (1980)
- When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
- High & Dry (1981)
- Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
- Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
- Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
- Pyromania (1983)
- “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
- “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
- Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
- Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
- Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
- Hysteria (1987)
- “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
- Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
- Rarities – Volume One (2018)
- Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
- Historia – DVD (1988)
- Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
- Adrenalize (1992)
- “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
- “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
- Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
- Retro Active (1993)
- Visualize DVD (1993)
- Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
- Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
- “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
- Video Archive (1995)
- Slang (1996)
- Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
- Euphoria (1999)
- Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
- Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
- Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
- Cybernauts – Live (2000)
- Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
- X (2002)
- Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
- Best of Def Leppard (2004)
- Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
- Yeah! (2006)
- Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
- Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
- Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
- B-Sides (2021)
- Yeah! II (2021)
- Yeah! Live (2021)
- CMT Crossraods – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
- Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
- Def Leppard (2015)
- The Lost Session (2018)
- Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
- Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
- Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
- Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
- Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
- Diamond Star Halos (2022)
- High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
- Drastic Symphonies (2023)
- Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
- Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
- Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
- “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)
PREVIOUSLY POSTED:
- The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
- Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
- “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
- Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” – 5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
- Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
- “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
- “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
- Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
- X: World Tour (2003)
- Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
- Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
- Viva! Hysteria (2013)
- And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
- Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
- The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
- The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
- Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
- Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
- Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
- The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
- The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
- London to Vegas (2020)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
- The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
- The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
- Def Leppard Funko Pop!