Yeah! (Def Leppard album)

Yeah! is the ninth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard. It is the first cover album by the band. It was originally intended to be released on 20 September 2005, but it was announced on 31 March 2006 that the album would be released on 23 May 2006. The album charted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200[3] and No. 52 on the UK Albums Chart.[4]

Yeah!
Studio album by
Released23 May 2006
Recorded2003–2006
GenreHard rock
Length53:43
Label
Producer
  • Def Leppard
  • Ronan McHugh
Def Leppard chronology
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
(2005)
Yeah!
(2006)
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
(2008)
Singles from Yeah!
  1. "No Matter What"
    Released: May 2005
  2. "Rock On"
    Released: April 2006
  3. "20th Century Boy"
    Released: July 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Artwork

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The accompanying booklet contains photographs of the band members recreating classic images from 1970s album art.

There are also four group photographs in the CD booklet – on the cover, the centre, inside back cover and the back cover.

Reception

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Rating the album 4.5 out of 5, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Yeah! as the band's best effort since Hysteria, noting how the band "no longer sound as slick and calculated as they did on their albums after Hysteria; they sound alive and vigorous, making a convincing case that they're now their own best producers." Erlewine concluded that "few bands could achieve an artistic comeback via a covers album, but as this glorious record proves, there are few bands like Def Leppard."[5]

In a 3 out of 5 review, Andy Greene of Rolling Stone wrote that Yeah! was the band's "most convincing album in fourteen years", citing "Rock On" and "Stay With Me" as highlights. He concluded by saying that "none of the arrangements veer far from the originals, but they don't need to - it's good enough to just hear the band having fun and to see where all the Hysteria came from."[6]

Track listing

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Bonus material

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iTunes bonus track (initial release only)
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."How Does It Feel"Slade5:20
Best Buy bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."No Matter What" (Live)Pete HamBadfinger2:58
16."Winter Song"Alan HullLindisfarne4:35
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."American Girl"Tom PettyTom Petty and the Heartbreakers3:34
16."Search and Destroy"The Stooges3:27
Wal-Mart bonus EP (sold separately)
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."American Girl"PettyTom Petty and the Heartbreakers3:34
2."Backstage Interview No. 1"  3:12
3."Search and Destroy"
  • Pop
  • Williamson
The Stooges3:27
4."Backstage Interview No. 2"  2:01
5."Space Oddity"BowieDavid Bowie5:27
6."Backstage Interview No. 3"  2:43
7."Dear Friends"Brian MayQueen1:28
8."Heartbeat"JobriathJobriath2:44

Personnel

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Additional personnel

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  • Emm Gryner—backing vocals, piano on "The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll"
  • Ian Hunter—spoken intro on "The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll"
  • Justin Hawkins – backing vocals on "Hell Raiser"
  • Marc Danzeisen – drums and harmony/backing vocals on "American Girl"
  • t42design – artwork
  • Vartan – art direction on cover
  • Clay Patrick McBride – photography on cover art, back cover, trays
  • Mick Rock – photography on inner sleeve

Charts

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Chart performance for Yeah!
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 95
French Albums (SNEP)[8] 161
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 73
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] 48
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 25
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 57
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 52
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[15] 4
US Billboard 200[16] 16

References

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  1. ^ Yeah! at AllMusic
  2. ^ Andy Greene (12 June 2006). "Def Leppard Yeah! Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Allmusic (Def Leppard charts and awards) Billboard albums".
  4. ^ "Def Leppard The Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  5. ^ "Def Leppard Yeah! Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  6. ^ Andy Greene (12 June 2006). "Def Leppard Yeah! Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 77.
  8. ^ "Lescharts.com – Def Leppard – Yeah!". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Def Leppard – Yeah!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Def Leppard – Yeah!". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Def Leppard – Yeah!". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Def Leppard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2024.