10 Hated Rock Albums That Are A Lot Better Than You Remember
7. X - Def Leppard
The word "sellout" has been used so often in the music industry that people often forget what it even means. Even though there have been many bands who have made more radio-friendly music to get on the charts, that doesn't always equate to a drop in quality across the board. Case and point: Def Leppard's album X.
Across this album, all of the rock and roll from decades past is muted for the most part, replaced with a polish that screams '00s pop. Whereas this would cause many rock fans to go crazy, it's not like Leppard didn't have poppy tendencies to begin with. As it stands, X feels like the more pop-driven sound that their collaborations with Mutt Lange had only hinted at, with songs like Now and Torn To Shreds going over surprisingly well. The band's work with ballads certainly hasn't gone anywhere either, with Long Long Way To Go being one of the best slow-jams they have made since their '80s heyday.
Even though the Leppard we know and love has a very different musical costume on for this outing, it still fits them fairly well in the long run. So next time someone tries to write this album off as just "the sellout record," give it a try a see what a way with melody these rockers really have.