Track Listing

1. Now
2. Unbelievable
3. You're So Beautiful
4. Everyday
5. Long Long Way To Go
6. Four Letter Word
7. Torn To Shreds
8. Love Don't Lie
9. Gravity
10. Cry
11. Girl Like You
12. Let Me Be The One
13. Scar

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20409 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-30
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
UK version of their 2002 album features the bonus tracks 'Kiss The Day' & 'Long Long Way To Go' (Acoustic).

Amazon.com
Despite all the tragedies and VH1 specials that have befallen them, Def Leppard remain one of the most reliable British arena-rock bands out there. After briefly losing direction in the dour '90s, the band rebounded with 1999's exuberant Euphoria. Things stay mercifully on course with the scintillatingly titled X (as in the Roman numeral for 10, they tell us with a wink). "Torn to Shreds" and "Cry" are classic stonewashed-denim rockers, lifted straight from the 15-million selling Hysteria blueprint. Meanwhile, "Long, Long Way to Go" arrives as the obligatory lighter-waving ballad in the fine tradition of "Love Bites." Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for the heavy metal Duran Duran. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Self belief at work
2002 saw Def Leppard release this album to very little press or push. Let's face it they weren't going to score a hit single anyway so why spend the money on a PR push. Anyway the album starts off with the quite acceptable Now. An upbeat rock `n' roll number. After that we go straight into a ballad. Like the world needs more of them by this band.

Though as the album unfolds it seems that the presence of outside writers hasn't altered the bands chemistry but has probably kept things fresh for the boys in the band. The feel of the tracks is not altered - check out You're So Beautiful - this is quintessential 90's Def Leppard. Lots of production and technology poured into a track with big choral effects. Lyrically the album is the same as their last ten years. Meaning it's pretty much all kept within the human realm which is firstly comfortable and secondly connective. Value is added by the fact that some versions of this album came with bonus tracks and these versions seem quite readily available. No lyrics in the booklet - nice portrait photos of the guys - but no lyrics.

But who cares about lyric sheets when it's mostly all ballad stuff anyway...track after track of soft rock wimpouts. Some respite is provided by the production values but tunes with life such as Four Letter Word and Cry are far too infrequent. It's not like I'm hankering for endless rehash of Wasted, Rocks Off or High `n' Drys' AC/DC influenced grunt but some more uptempo rock songs would of been nice. And a few tunes (I'm thinking tune #7, Torn To Shreds here) do have full instrumentation but as usual only during the chorus; fellas the template is beyond boring by now! And while we're comparing this to their earlier stuff why have they not done something like Die Hard The Hunter? Maybe not musically, but you know, perhaps something with some intellectual heft to it? You see I'm a fan of this band. And can accept totally that they'd get mellower with age as most bands tend to. But your supposed to bring maturity and insight to even things out. There is none of that here. And that's such a shame as given the low expectations for this album you'd think they'd have the guts to do a few different things and visit a few different sub genres, crank the guitars every now and then. I mean Viv Campbell used to be a great metal guitarist for example and surely there is still some testosterone in his system? Well, there is the bonus track Kiss The Day with a darn good guitar attack. One on the whole album, wow....

But I refuse to petulantly give this one star as a lot of studio work has obviously gone into this and it's not a bad thing to throw on when your mentally busy with something. Good background music and little of it will demand your attention nor will it be too heavy to put on when your wife is around.

Pathetic attempt to rehash nothing for $$$
So bad. I loved Def Leppard in the early 80s and lost touch and interest completely until I was surprized by SLANG in the mid-90s and the fact that they were experimenting and doing what it seemed like that wanted to do creatively.
I admit when I read they were 'returning' to their glory days that I lost interest again until just a week or two ago when the SPARKLE LOUNGE came out. Again, I was impressed by some of it (except for the hideously BLECH duet with Tim McGraw...a putrid grasp for a crossover hit...yuk), so I decided to investigate their 2002 release X figuring perhaps it may have some good stuff on it.
Don't be fooled. It doesn't. It's bland emotionaless heartless pop and I can't grasp why on earth money and popularity would be more important than actually making good music which they're obviously capable of.
One listen to this record and their intentions are clear and it's aweful. And it didn't work.
Keep making music that rocks and that you like guys.
Stay away from this album.

Half Bad, Half Good
This should be a warning to every band that thinks using outside writers will get you hit singles. They won't and in the case of "X" they just make about half of the album really awkward sounding. The album starts off nicely with "Now" but quickly goes straight down with "Unbelievable". What IS unbelievable is that the band convinced themselves that recording this song was a good idea. That's followed by 4 so-so songs that all sound a little too pop for Def Leppard. Then without warning the album starts to actually get good with "Torn To Shreds" through the epic "Scar" with the exception of the sticky sweet misstep of "Girl Like You". Let's see, the first half of the album was written or co-written by outside writers and was very poor while the second half was all penned by Def Leppard and was actually pretty good. Hopefully we can chalk this up to a lesson learned and just forget that "Unbelievable" every happened.