ROCK ON - DEF LEPPARD
Talk about peculiar. We know Def Leppard’s upcoming album of cover tunes, “Yeah!,” is a tribute to the band’s musical heroes, so its tracks were dictated by the heart instead of an A&R man. Still, it’s odd to hear one of Britain’s greatest metal bands perform a sparse, atmospheric ditty like “Rock On” — a cover of David Essex’s 1974 hit, repopularised by Michael Damian in 1989 — with gurgling bass and random guitar wails that fade in and out. The quintet’s ax-men Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen don’t get to rock out until the song is almost over, and with a blink-whoops-you-missed-it running time, that moment shoots right past. The interpretation is solid, but you wouldn’t know you were listening to the band ’til the guitars kick in.Billboard
