Songs from the Sparkle Lounge

Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is the ninth studio album and 14th album overall from the English hard rock band Def Leppard. It was released on 25 April 2008 in Europe and 29 April in North America.

History
In an Interview on Rockline radio, two band members, Joe Elliott and Vivian Campbell stated that the title of their latest studio album would be Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, saying that "Until someone comes up with a better name this will be the final title upon release". They also mentioned the possibility of previous Def Leppard album producer Mutt Lange being involved with a few songs for the album, but in the end this collaboration did not turn out to be possible due to scheduling conflicts. However, Joe Elliott has stated that the band and Mutt Lange still plan to work on a few songs together in the future.

In an interview with Billboard.com, Joe Elliott stated that the album title is a reference to a backstage area at shows where the band would work on new material. "It was a mini (drum) kit, mini amps, a tape recorder and sparkly lights." Elliott also stated that they would not be performing any previews of the songs, as they did not want them appearing on websites such as YouTube prior to the release of the album.

Members of the band have described the tracks from the album as written in the style of Hysteria, with the production style of High 'n' Dry. The album's first single, "Nine Lives" features country singer Tim McGraw.

Joe Elliott has stated at the band's official site that the concept of this album is that it sounds more like "early 70's AC/DC" and much like Led Zeppelin's song "Rock and Roll".

The title of one of the songs in the tracklist, "Give It Away," was changed to "Gotta Let It Go."

On 25 April 2008, Def Leppard's record label opened a website with teasers of every song on the album.

The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, selling about 55,000 copies in its first week of release.

Reception
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge received mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 47, based on 8 reviews. Whereas Alun Williams of About.com gives the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and says "This album is so instant: huge hooks, big choruses and awesome production!"

Deluxe edition bonus DVD

 * "Behind the Curtain"
 * "The Sparkle Lounge Commentary"
 * "Nine Lives" music video

Personnel

 * Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals, additional guitars
 * Joe Elliott – vocals
 * Rick Allen – drums, backing vocals, jazz accordion
 * Phil Collen – guitars, backing vocals
 * Vivian Campbell – guitars, backing vocals

Additional personnel

 * Tim McGraw – vocals on "Nine Lives"