Album · 30 years old this year
Slang
Slang is the sixth studio album by Def Leppard, released in May 1996 on Mercury Records. It was a clear step away from the band's trademark sound, with a more alternative, post-grunge colouring. The band produced it themselves alongside Pete Woodroffe, making it their first record since 1980 made without Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The cover also breaks with tradition, as it is the only one of their albums without the familiar logo, although the singles still carried it.
It follows Adrenalize and is the first album of new material to feature guitarist Vivian Campbell, who had already appeared on Retro Active and on a new song for Vault. It reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 in the UK. For anyone who knows the band mainly through Hysteria, it is a fascinating look at them changing course.
Slang: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 46:03Tracklist
- 1Truth?Campbell, Collen, Elliott, Savage3:01
- 2Turn to DustPhil Collen4:22
- 3SlangPhil Collen and Joe Elliott2:38
- 4All I Want Is EverythingJoe Elliott5:20
- 5Work It OutVivian Campbell4:50
- 6Breathe a SighPhil Collen4:07
- 7Deliver MePhil Collen and Joe Elliott3:04
- 8Gift of FleshPhil Collen3:48
- 9Blood Runs ColdPhil Collen and Joe Elliott4:27
- 10Where Does Love Go When It DiesPhil Collen and Joe Elliott4:05
- 11Pearl of EuphoriaCollen, Elliott, Savage6:22
- Produced by
- Def Leppard, Pete Woodroffe
- Recorded at
- A House in Spain, Bow Lane Studios (Dublin, Ireland), Marbella, Spain, Joe's Garage (Dublin, Ireland)
- Recorded
- May 1994–February 1996
- Mixed by
- Pete Woodroffe
- Mixed at
- The Enterprise
- Engineered by
- Ger McDonnell, Pete Woodroffe
- Label
- Mercury Records
- Length
- 46:03
Line-up
- Joe Elliott · lead vocals
- Def Leppard · guest
- Malvin Mortimer · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Slang” · 22 April 1996
- “Work It Out” · 10 May 1996
- “All I Want Is Everything” · 16 September 1996
- “Breathe a Sigh” · 18 November 1996
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1996 | 5 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1996 | 14 |
| Swedish Albums · 1996 | 5 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1996 | 7 |
| Scottish Albums · 1996 | 9 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1996 | 12 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1996 | 12 |
| Finnish Albums · 1996 | 13 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1996 | 14 |
| Swiss Albums · 1996 | 19 |
All 16 charts
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1996 | 24 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1996 | 25 |
| German Albums · 1996 | 34 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1996 | 38 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2014 | 49 |
| Dutch Albums · 1996 | 61 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1996 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1996 | Gold |
| United States · 1996 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
42.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.7k
ListenBrainz listeners
52k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
750
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
More from Def Leppard
Full discography →
The Def Leppard E.P.
1978
On Through the Night
1980
High ’n’ Dry
1981
Pyromania
1983
Hysteria
1987
Adrenalize
1992
Retro Active
1993
Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980–1995
1995
Euphoria
1999
X
2002
Best Of
2004
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
2005
Yeah!
2006
Songs From the Sparkle Lounge
2008
Mirror Ball: Live & More
2011
Viva! Hysteria: Live at The Joint, Las Vegas
2013
Def Leppard
2015
Live at Abbey Road Studios
2018
The Story So Far: The Best of Def Leppard
2018
The Early Years 79–81
2020
Electric Warriors
2021
Deep Cuts
2021
Old School Leppard
2021
Let There Be Drums
2021
The Two Arm Years
2021
Leppard on the Loose
2021
Diamond Star Halos
2022
Pour Some Sugar on Me
2023
The best of 1996
All of 1996 →
Hero of the Day EP
Metallica · 1996
Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine · 1996
Ænima
Tool · 1996
Load
Metallica · 1996
Pinkerton
Weezer · 1996
Life Is Peachy
Korn · 1996
Roots
Sepultura · 1996
No Code
Pearl Jam · 1996
The Great Southern Trendkill
Pantera · 1996
Down on the Upside
Soundgarden · 1996
October Rust
Type O Negative · 1996
MTV Unplugged
Alice in Chains · 1996
More on Mercury Records
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1996-05-13 vs 1996-05-10 (musicbrainz), 1996-05-14 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 May 1996 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 13 May 1996 | |
| Wikidata | 14 May 1996 | |
| US release | 14 May 1996 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 May 1996 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | ZA | Mercury Records | 6001210845935 | other |
| 1996 | CA | Mercury Records | 731453249325 | other |
| 10 May 1996 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011348853 | original |
| 10 May 1996 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011348860 | original |
| 13 May 1996 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453249325 | other |
| 14 May 1996 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453248625 | other |
| 14 May 1996 | US | Mercury Records | 731453248625 | other |
| 14 May 1996 | CA | Mercury Records | 731453248625 | other |
| 10 February 2014 | US | Bludgeon Riffola Ltd. | 698268951914 | other |
| 11 February 2014 | US | Bludgeon Riffola | 698268951518 | deluxe |
| 21 June 2019 | XE | Bludgeon Riffola | 602567313830 | other |
| 24 February 2023 | — | EMI | 602455084798 | deluxe |
| 25 October 2023 | JP | Bludgeon Riffola | 4988031597583 | other |
| 18 April 2026 | GB | — | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |