Press Release: Def Leppard – Songs From The Sparkle Lounge artwork and release dates revealed!

From Bravewords.com:

DEF LEPPARD have issued the following update:

“After previously presenting two ‘teaser’ covers (one with just the band logo and album title font, and one with a closed theatre curtain), we can now finally reveal what is behind the curtain and show you the final artwork for Def Leppard’s new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. As you can see, the band went for a cover in the style of THE BEATLES’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, by using a collage of photos of various people who have a connection with the band in one way or another. Apart from a number of pictures of the band members themselves (throughout the years), you’ll find their parents, crew members, friends, and some artwork characters from the past.”

Def Leppard’s 14th studio album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, is set for release on April 29th in North America, the 30th in Japan and May 5th in the UK. The limited edition Japanese version will feature a bonus track, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes interviews and music videos. The CD will be a limited edition featuring the new deluxe SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) format which is completely compatible with standard CD players.

The finalized tracklisting for the album is as follows: ‘Nine Lives’, ‘C’mon C’mon’, ‘Go’, ‘Love’, ‘Cruise Control’, ‘Bad Actress’, ‘Hallucinate’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Come Undone’, ‘Only The Good Die Young’ and ‘Gotta Let It Go’.

Recorded last year during month-long stints at lead singer Joe Elliott’s Dublin studio, the album’s title refers to a backstage area called “The Sparkle Lounge” on Def Leppard’s 2006 tour where the band would go to write songs. Tracks from the album have been described by the group as written in the style of ‘Hysteria’, with the production of High N’ Dry.

“The whole record’s got a great ’70s feel,” said lead singer Joe Elliott. “By our standards, it’s a very different album as we’ve been very adventurous, musically, on certain numbers. On the album there are classic Def Leppard songs and then there’s also tracks that are very new-wave influenced while others sound like middle-to-late ’70s AC/DC. There will definitely be some moments on it where anybody that’s familiar with our music will go, ‘Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that!'”