I think Phil Collen sucks balls!

[VitaminG]

I can't say I disagree at all.

On Through The Night and High and Dry I enjoy, and most of Pyromania. I really haven't listened to anything past that and have never really cared for Phil as a player or for Def Leppard as a shitty prancing tight-pants-no-shirts-and-lipstick "metal" band.

I didn't mind the no-shirt thing. With all the big hair and makeup, frilly neckerchiefs made it even harder to tell who the chicks were. That bassplayer in Poison was kinda hot. And remember when Roxy Petrucci was playing lead guitar in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion?






At least with no shirts on, Def Leps hairless pubescent chests marked them as skinny dudes.

[DonP]

I'll just stop in to say that I love the first three Def Leppard CD's/LP's/whatever, but that is it for me.

[markD]

i always thought def lepard sucked - i was more a maiden guy...angel witch, too. to me def lepard was always "poppy" and "weak".....

[MikeStrat]

What's wrong with Hot Topic?

[veemagic]

Tone, everyone must be a little gay...I sure am. I have so much gayness at times. My wife walks in my music room, and there I am, in my undies, listening to "Sister Christian" while lighting fireworks..doin' blow.

That there might be one of the best visuals I've have read this year! and a new sig line is born!!! Thank you very much!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

i always thought def lepard sucked - i was more a maiden guy...angel witch, too. to me def lepard was always "poppy" and "weak".....

I like Maiden and much harder stuff, too. I am not one of those guys that has to have everything 100% iron fist up your ass thrash metal all the time, I like some good hard rock too, and that's what old Leppard was.

I do not like "pop metal" and that is what Leppard quickly became. I have a theory that they got a taste of all the young pussy that "Photograph" brought to the shows and they said "How could we turn THAT up to eleven? Stupid pop songs about coating each other with sweeteners? Let's go for it!"

Music made by people in it for the pussy is the worst. I have a hard time blaming them (liking pussy a lot myself) but it's still awful music.

[toejam]

I'll just stop in to say that I love the first three Def Leppard CD's/LP's/whatever, but that is it for me.

Same here. Though, I think On Through The Night and High & Dry are better than Pyromania. It was all downhill from there.
I bought Hysteria, mainly because it was the return of Rick Allen, but I just really couldn't get into that album all that much.

[markD]

I like Maiden and much harder stuff, too. I am not one of those guys that has to have everything 100% iron fist up your ass thrash metal all the time, I like some good hard rock too, and that's what old Leppard was.

I do not like "pop metal" and that is what Leppard quickly became. I have a theory that they got a taste of all the young pussy that "Photograph" brought to the shows and they said "How could we turn THAT up to eleven? Stupid pop songs about coating each other with sweeteners? Let's go for it!"

Music made by people in it for the pussy is the worst. I have a hard time blaming them (liking pussy a lot myself) but it's still awful music.

oh, i feel you....just with def lepard being a part of the NWOBHM, i thought they were crap. there were plenty of bands, like tygers of pang tang that offered up a "variety" in their tunes without being totally "pussified".

[SausageofPower]

Yeah, Phil is definitely not one of my favorites. To me, Steve was the heart and soul of that band and when he died so did they.

That being said, I'd take a PC-1 in a heartbeat.

[axmann]

First two albums and after that I was done. I found it interesting(the first two) after that kind of pukey.

[CowboyFromHell]

I'm gonna go against the grain on this one in a way. It was Pyromania that got me into DL then I listened to their earlier stuff. Hysteria went the way of the woman, so to speak, so I guess I have to agree that after Pyromania they pretty much did go downhill but their accomplishments are hard to argue. Like em or hate em, they are one of the biggest ticket sellers in history.

[DonP]

If my sister didn't by Pyromania, I might not have heard of them (but then again, they were on MTV 24/7). I just got done playing Rock Brigade and Wasted. They were pussified back them

Iron Maiden better? Hell yeah. I worry about the day the I get bored with Maiden because I listen and play more Maiden than anything else, but I don't get tired of it. NOTB was my first metal LP. Every guitar I have sounds like Dave Murray or Adrian Smith

Don't forget Saxon if we are bringing up other metal from the UK.

[fullmetalguitar]

Hmm, guess I'm gonna go against the flow of this thread and say I'm a Phil Collen fan. Pyromania came out right about the time that I started playing guitar. The song and video for "Photograph" were all over radio and MTV. I loved it. I wanted that Ibanez destroyer with the three humbuckers. Def Lep was also my first ever concert on the Pyromania tour.

Yeah, I know that Phil is not the best "shredder," but not everyone is. I think his soloing fits well within the context of the songs. When he tries to improvise shredding live, that's when it gets sloppy. I love the songs on Pyromania. I like the hooks, harmony vocals, pop-rock sensibility, and even Phil's solos. By the way, Pyromania was completely written and recorded (other than the guitar solos) when Phil came in to replace Pete Willis. Pete plays guitar on all the tracks. If Pyromania is not your cup of tea, you'd have to blame Mutt Lange I guess. Hysteria is a different story since Phil plays the vast majority of the guitar on that one. To me there is a much more noticable difference between Pyro and Hysteria than High & Dry and Pyro.

I also like Phil because he has been super nice and gracious every time I've met him, which is several times. I've met other musicians that don't even have a tenth of the fame or success that Phil has who have been complete dicks. I know that doesn't make Phil a better guitarist, but he'll always be cool in my book (even if he likes to wax his chest and pose shirtless!!!).

[xenophobe]

There, I said it. Sure, he has nice guitars. Sure, he has a nice ear for tone and plays a Marshall JMP-1. Sure, the man can play (sometimes). Sure, much like Sammy Hagar ..he made DL sell more records, but in my book he killed what I ever loved about DL.

I agree, but I think Scott Ian and Danny Spits suck more ass than PC.

[surfreak]

I also like Phil because he has been super nice and gracious every time I've met him, which is several times. I've met other musicians that don't even have a tenth of the fame or success that Phil has who have been complete dicks. I know that doesn't make Phil a better guitarist, but he'll always be cool in my book (even if he likes to wax his chest and pose shirtless!!!).

+1.

But showing off your Red Bull can sixpack all the time is just too gay.