Bring Back Glam! Favorite Albums Of 2023

Now that 2023 is officially over and behind us, I wanted to share some of my favorite releases of the past year.

These are in no particular order – just stuff I really enjoyed and kept coming back to, time after time. An asterisk means I bought the vinyl version, too!   

• Conquer Divide, Slow Burn*
• Dirty Honey, Can’t Find The Brakes
• Beartooth, The Surface
• I See Stars, D4MAGE DONE
• Stray View (Dave Escamilla new project), “What’s Done Is Done” (just a song but I hope the future album is just as good!)
• Asking Alexandria, Where Do We Go From Here?
• Steel Panther, On The Prowl
• Attack Attack! Dark Waves*
• Winger, Seven
• Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic, Drastic Symphonies *
• Falling In Reverse, Neon Zombie (well, really the track “Watch The World Burn”)
• The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds

The video for "Watch The World Burn" has to be the best music clip of the year, by far:

The Best Gift Of All

I am blessed and received many nice gifts from my family and friends this year. One of the coolest gifts I've received in a long time came from my buddy Jim. He got me a bottle of Def Leppard gin! It's one called "Animal" of course. I have to have the liquor to drink while listening to my favorite tune of the same name, right? Jim also got me a vinyl copy of Badlands for my birthday back in August. Needless to say, he won gifting this year for sure. He gets me and my love for all things Glam and vinyl.

In kind, I found him a 1969 original UK pressing of the Pink Floyd album Ummagumma. Floyd is his favorite band and nothing makes me happier than to find original runs of special albums.

I hope Santa was good to you too, and that you got lots of nice rock n' roll gifts.

Here's a photo of what the beautiful Def Leppard gin bottles look like:

DEF LEPPARD Celebrate Their 45th Anniversary With Two New Premium Gin Products https://t.co/PLTAW9anMC pic.twitter.com/e7d6l0jrIX

— Hair Metal Is Sexy (@HairMetalIsSexy) June 13, 2022

Just Announced: Def Leppard, Journey Summer Tour

Def Leppard and Journey are heading out on the road this coming summer! Special guests are Steve Miller Band, Heart and Cheap Trick, depending on city.

I would personally rather see Steve Miller Band as an opener versus all other options, but we will see. Right now there is only one Ohio date and it is on the other end of the state from where I live and the opener should be Heart. See below for the list of dates and openers.

Tickets on sale Friday, December 15!

Def Leppard Share Video For 'Take What You Want'

There are no rules surrounding music videos, albums or releases of either anymore. Def Leppard released the album Diamond Star Halos in 2022. One of the songs on that album is "Take What You Want." Now the band has released an official video for the track. It is comprised of live shots from The World Tour.

Honestly, the clip is a total mood. Long live rock n' roll! Long live stadium rock!

Def Leppard Scores Top Chart Slot... For Classical Music

Def Leppard continues to celebrate the success of their most recent release Drastic Symphonies. The album has reached the top of the classical crossover chart. It also reached the top classical spot, which is probably more significant for a non-traditional classical act. You have to wonder... will Drastic Symphonies earn a Grammy nomination?

Thanks for rocking Drastic Symphonies to the top of the Classical Charts!! 🤘👊💥 pic.twitter.com/NS8xlGXjGg

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) September 14, 2023

Is Drastic Symphonies the album that gets Def Leppard a Grammy nomination/award?
byu/RockinBob625 indefleppard

Def Leppard and Motley Crue On '60 Minutes Australia' Tomorrow

This is kind of a big deal: Def Leppard and Motley Crue will be on 60 Minutes (Australia) tomorrow night. 60 Minutes features are long-form journalism, so the piece should give some nice interviews and background info on the joint tour of both bands. The Australian news program started back in 1979 and has been a down-under news staple since then.

I'm sure the video will be available for worldwide distribution after the initial broadcast. Keep your eyes peeled.

Sunday Night on @60Minutes9 Australia 🇦🇺

What happens when two of the biggest - and loudest - bands of the 80s get together? Catch Def Leppard and @MotleyCrue on #60Mins, SUNDAY at 7PM.#DefLeppard #MotleyCrue pic.twitter.com/0n4ye9pE3t

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) July 28, 2023

Last In Line Announces Fall Tour

Last In Line will tour America this fall. The band is basically the original DIO lineup... without Ronnie James Dio of course. This makes Last In Line a super group now, featuring folks like Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice. Of course, Vivian is also a guitarist for Def Leppard and when I saw the tour announcement yesterday, my first thought was... "How does he have the energy?"

Maybe these guys that tour relentlessly are super-human or something. All I know is I am usually exhausted by work and I'm not traveling from place to place and changing time zones constantly. My job isn't physical. I'm not in the heat.

Last In Line will tour in support of a new album called Jericho, which came out at the end of March. Clearly Last In Line couldn't tour because of Vivian's Def Leppard commitments, but the fall is fair game. Last In Line will also be part of the Rock Legends Cruise XI with Sammy Hagar and Bret Michaels in February 2024.