Welcome to a rainy south Manchester, where the weather has turned autumnal. I had a brief reminder of summer last weekend when I visited Málaga in southern Spain to have a reunion with four of my oldest friends from university. It was great fun to catch up.
The travelling isn’t over though. Mrs PM and I are heading off to Budapest on Monday with two close friends for a river cruise along the Danube. Unfortunately, the heatwave that Europe has experienced this summer means that the river levels are very low in some places so the itinerary has changed to accommodate that.
However, we will still visit four countries in our seven-day trip, including Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Germany. I have never been to Austria or Slovakia so that will be two more countries I can add to the list of countries I have been to.
Shall we dive into some silly questions from Sunday Stealing?
Four Superlatives
1. Your MOST overused word or phrase:
I have no idea. I use the word “Really?” quite a lot to express disbelief at the state of the world.
Newsreader: Donald Trump thinks he can rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
PM: REALLY? Just when you think that the Orange Goblin has reached the bottom of the incompetency barrel he comes out with yet more bullshit. What next? The Atlantic Ocean to become The American Ocean? The UK to become The United American Kingdom?
Mrs PM: Stop ranting.
2. Your BIGGEST expense:
Holidays.
This year I have spent a lot of money going to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Nerja and Málaga in Spain and a river cruise to Hungary, Germany, Austria and Slovakia. In fact, Mrs PM and I are also planning a trip to the Canary Islands in November too.
It all costs money but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. Your WORST fear:
At the moment, I am quite worried about the rise of the far right.
Donald Trump and his MAGA cult in the United States seem to be changing things for the worst across the pond. And here in the UK, Reform UK, led by Trump acolyte Nigel “frog face” Farage are trying to spread the same message in the UK. Farage is using Trumpian tactics and this involves telling lies, changing his mind, coming up with ridiculous populist soundbites and treating reporters as if they are traitors for questioning him (especially female reporters). As a result it seems to be more acceptable to be a racist now in the UK.
The good news is that there are signs that it is all imploding for them. The mid-terms in the US are in November and Trump’s approval rating is at an historic low. This is hardly surprising really given what he is doing and his totally ridiculous war against Iran, leading to the US economy being in a terrible state. Here in the UK, there have been a few scandals recently involving frog face Farage and support for Reform has dropped significantly. We now have a new Prime Minister called Andy Burnham, who was previously the Mayor of Greater Manchester and he seems to be very popular. Time will tell of course and I am hopeful that the British people realise exactly what Farage is.
God help the UK if Farage is elected.
I’m sorry for the mini-rant.
4. Your BEST memory of Summer 26:
I have lots of really good memoires of the Summer of 2026. Probably chief amongst them is the huge party we had to celebrate the marriage last year of my eldest son and his new wife. They had a very quiet family wedding last December and this year they decided to open it up to all of their friends as well with a much bigger post-wedding celebration.
Both events were wonderful and I am very proud of my son and daughter-in-law.
I’m off to Málaga in southern Spain on Friday for a long weekend with some of my old university mates and I’ve been a little busy to post anything for a couple of weeks. With that in mind I thought I would squeeze in a top ten songs post, this time for a band I’ve liked for a few decades, the hard rock band from Sheffield, England – Def Leppard.
Sheffield is 38 miles east of Manchester and has always been an industrial city, being most famous for the steel industry. It’s no surprise that the city gave birth to one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. Def Leppard managed to conquer both the UK and the USA and were absolutely huge in the 1980s and 1990’s on both sides of the pond. I have memories of their first album in 1980, when I was already on the path of loving heavy metal and hard rock and since that time they have just become huge.
The band has had its share of tragedy over the years with the death of their original guitarist, Steve Clark, as well as their drummer Rick Allen losing his arm in a terrible car accident. Yet they have prevailed and Rick has amazed absolutely everyone by continuing to be able to drum even with one arm.
I have been fortunate enough to see them three times in total. The very first time I saw them was in Birmingham at the National Exhibition Centre in 1992 and that is still one of my favourite concerts of all time.
I thought that I would post my ten favourtie songs by the band from over the decades. When you see this list, bear in mind that I love progressive rock and that some of the songs listed below may well be less well known than the huge hits. A person who thinks that he or she is their biggest fan may well frown at my choices. I don’t really care if I’m honest because these are the ones that appeal to me most.
Of course, this is my list right now and if I were to listen again to their entire catalogue this time next year, I would probably change my mind.
Let’s dive in shall we?
10. Go – from “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” (2008)
This is the newest song on the list and is the opening song on the 2008 album “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge”. To be honest, I think as Def Leppard progressed through the decades, they kind of lost that hard edge that they had in their early material. Yet when I heard this song, I was taken back to their more raw earlier work and it is a fantastic way to start an album.
9. Die Hard The Hunter - from “Pyromania” (1983)
Apparently Joe Elliott says that this song was inspired by the movie First Blood, starring Sylvester Stallone in his first outing as John Rambo. I love that movie but I wasn’t keen on the sequels to be honest. As for the song, it is a fine addition to an album that propelled the band to stardom over in the United States.
8. Run Riot – from “Hysteria” (1987)
The “Hysteria” album was absolutely bloody huge and many great songs were released as singles here in the UK. However, of the remaining songs some of them were a little heavier and less radio friendly and this is where I settled in to enjoy the album. “Run Riot” is a fantastic rock song and epitomises everything I love about the band. I love the rebellious nature of the lyrics, which to a certain extent is what heavy metal is partially about.
7. Pour Some Sugar on Me - from “Hysteria” (1987)
I find this song a little strange and a little quirky and, being a weirdo myself, it appeals to me. Unlike the previous song in my list this is a really radio friendly driving song from “Hysteria” and it has something about it that I like. Of course, it was one of their biggest hits and when you see them perform it live, the entire audience joins in the very catchy chorus.
6. From the Inside – from Retroactive (1993)
“Retroactive” is a compilation of B-sides and previously unreleased songs containing some songs that didn’t quite make the cut to appear on any of their previous albums. Yet for me there were some great songs on it, starting with this one. You will find this to be the strangest song in the top ten because it is not a typical Def Leppard song. The band were asked to perform with a band from a different genre and that band was Hothouse Flowers, an Irish rock band that uses traditional Irish music in their repertoire. The song itself is about drug misuse as seen from the drug itself rather than the addict. I think is is a wonderful song with a great melody, despite its rather melancholy subject matter.
5. Paper Sun – from “Euphoria” (1999)
This is my favourite song from the album “Euphoria” by far and is a very dark and emotional song about a terrorist atrocity that occurred in Omagh, Northen Ireland in 1998. The power of the music and the lyrics reflect the tragedy that occurred that day as well as the struggle of the families of the victims to deal with it. Despite the subject matter it is a wonderful song.
4. Desert Song – from “Retroactive” (1993)
“Desert Song” was apparently something that the band were considering adding to “Hysteria” but, in the band’s eyes at least, wasn’t good enough to make the cut. I would have said that that was a disappointment because it is certainly good enough to be one of the best on that album in my humble opinion. However, I am delighted that it appeared as the opening song on “Retroactive” because that way it didn’t just gather dust in Def Leppard’s chest of forgotten music and I was, and still am, able to enjoy this excellent rock song. And what a great way to start an album.
3. Rocket – from “Hysteria” (1987)
I just love this song. It was one of the best songs performed live when I saw the band in Birmingham back in 1992. It pays homage to some of the UK’s classic artists like The Rolling Stones, Elton John, the Beatles, David Bowie and many more. It includes in the middle of the song a wonderful almost tribal drum piece. When I saw them live, the bassist, Rick Savage, stood next to the drum kit and the whole thing was slowly raised up in the air going really high as he and Rick Allen played a great bass/drum piece. Yes, it is a radio friendly song but the single version misses the best bit of the song. I have therefore posted the album version which is the best version in my opinion.
2. Rock of Ages – from Pyromania (1983)
I loved the 1970’s glam rock scene in the UK and Def Leppard borrowed that sound and merged it with a more modern (at the time) hard rock feel to produce the best song on “Pyromania” and my second favourite Def Leppard song. Again this was a highlight from that first Def Leppard concert. The band performed a much longer version of the song and Joe Elliott ran around the huge circular stage getting the crowd to scream “Rock of Ages Rock of Ages Still Rollin’ Rock an’ Rolling”. It was brilliant.
1. Pearl of Euphoria – from Slang (1996)
Slang isn’t regarded as the best album by Def Leppard yet there are some very good songs on it. I think the production on the album was different and some people preferred the style of the earlier albums. I liked it because it sounded different and it stands alone as a great album in my opinion. “Pearl of Euphoria” is the last song on the album and is different again from the other songs, making it totally unique in my eyes. There is a driving, brooding bass line that switches something on in my mind and I find that exciting and fascinating. It appeals to me as a progressive rock fan first and foremost and that is why it is nestling at the top of my list. Sadly, I have never heard them perform it live, although the second time I saw the band live, it was played after the band left the stage and the lights went up. I annoyed my mate because I wanted to stay and listen to it instead of beating the crowds. It was worth the wait in my eyes. I am absolutely certain that few, if any, other Def Leppard fans will agree with me on this.
