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04-22 Def Lep give you what you want
03-17 New Def Leppard LP, Single
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In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands
thatrockedharder(andweremoredangerous) than the Sheffield-based quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times
quiteaswell.Emergingin the late '70s aspart ofthe New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Def Leppard actually owed more to theglamrockand metal
of the early '70s, astheir sound wasequalparts T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen, and Led Zeppelin. Bytoningdowntheir heavy riffs and
emphasizing melody, DefLeppard werepoisedfor crossover success by 1983's Pyromania,andskillfullyused the f ...read more
In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands
thatrockedharder(andweremoredangerous) than the Sheffield-based quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times
quiteaswell.Emergingin the late '70s aspart ofthe New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Def Leppard actually owed more to theglamrockand metal
of the early '70s, astheir sound wasequalparts T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen, and Led Zeppelin. Bytoningdowntheir heavy riffs and
emphasizing melody, DefLeppard werepoisedfor crossover success by 1983's Pyromania,andskillfullyused the fledgling MTV network to their
advantage. The musicianswerealreadyblessed with photogenic goodlooks,but theyalso crafted a series of innovative, exciting videos that made
them into stars.Theyintended tofollowPyromaniaquickly butwere derailed when their drummer lost an arm in a car accident, the first of many
problemsthatplaguedthegroup'scareer.They managed to pull through such tragedies, and even expanded their large
audiencewith1987'sblockbusterHysteria.Asthe '90s began, mainstream hard rock shifted away from their signature pop-metal and
towardedgier,louderbands,yetthey maintained asizable audience into the late '90s and were one of only a handful of '80s metalgroups to
survivethedecademore or lessintact.
Def Leppard had their origins in a Sheffield-based group that teenagers Rick Savage (bass) and Pete Willis
(guitar)formedin1977.VocalistJoeElliott, a fanatic follower of Mott the Hoople and T. Rex, joined the band several months
later,bringingthename Deaf Leopard withhim.After aspelling change, the trio, augmented by a now-forgotten drummer,
beganplayinglocalSheffield pubs, and within a year the bandhadaddedguitarist Steve Clark to the lineup, as well as a new
drummer.Laterin1978, they recorded their debut EP, Getcha Rocks Off,andreleased it ontheir own label, Bludgeon Riffola. The
EPbecameaword-of-mouth success, earning airplay on the BBC. The groupmemberswere still in theirteens.
Following the release of Getcha Rocks Off, Rick Allen was added as the band's permanent drummer, and
DefLeppardquicklybecamethesubjectof the British music weeklies. They soon signed with AC/DC's manager, Peter Mensch,
whohelpedthemsecure a contractwithMercury Records.On Through the Night, the band's full-length debut, was released in1980andinstantly
became a hit in the U.K.,alsoearning significant airplay inthe U.S., where it reached number 51 on thecharts.Overthe course of the year, Def
Leppardrelentlesslytoured Britain and America, playingtheir own shows whilealsoopeningconcerts for Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, and
JudasPriest. High'n' Dry followed in 1981 and becamethegroup'sfirstplatinum album in the U.S., thanks to MTV's strong rotation of "Bringin'
ontheHeartbreak." MTV would be vitaltotheband'ssuccess in the '80s.
As the band recorded the follow-up to High 'n' Dry with producer Mutt Lange, Pete Willis was fired from the bandforalcoholism,andPhilCollen,a
former guitarist for Girl, was hired to replace him. The resulting album, 1983's Pyromania,becameanunexpected blockbuster,duenot onlyto Def
Leppard's skillful, melodic metal, but also to MTV's relentless airingof"Photograph"and "Rock of Ages." Pyromania went ontosell tenmillion
copies, establishing Def Leppard as one of themostpopular bands inthe world. Despite their success, they were about toenter atryingtime for
their career. Followinganextensive internationaltour, the group reentered the studio to record the follow-up, butproducer
Langewasunavailable,sothey began sessions withJim Steinman, the man responsible for Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell. The pairingturned out to
be ill-advised, so thebandmembers turned to their former engineer, Nigel Green. One month into recording, Allen lost his leftarm
inaNewYear'sEvecar accident. The arm was reattached, but it had to be amputated once an infection set in.
Def Leppard's future looked cloudy without a drummer, but by the spring of 1985 -- just a few months after his accident --
Allenbeganlearningto play a custom-made electronic kit assembled for him by Simmons. The band soon resumedrecording,andwithin a
fewmonthsLange wasback on board, having judged all the existing tapes inferior and ordered theband to beginworkall over again.
Recordingsessionscontinuedthroughout 1986, and that summer, the group returned to thestage fortheEuropean Monsters of Rock tour. Def
Leppardfinallycompleted theirfourth album, now titled Hysteria, early in1987.Therecord was released that spring to lukewarm reviews, with
manycriticsclaiming that thealbum compromisedLeppard'smetalroots for sweet pop flourishes. Accordingly, Hysteria was slow out of
thestartinggates -- "Women," thefirstsingle, failedtoreally take hold -- but the release of "Animal" helped the album gather steam. The
songbecameDef Leppard'sfirst Top40hitin the U.K., but more importantly, it launched a string of six straight Top 20 hits in the
U.S.,whichalsoincluded"Hysteria,""Pour SomeSugar on Me," "Love Bites," "Armageddon It," and "Rocket," the latter of which arrived in1989,
afulltwoyearsafter the release of Hysteria.During those two years, Def Leppard's presence was unavoidable -- theywere thekings ofhigh-
schoolmetal, ruling the pop charts and MTV,and teenagers and bands alike replicated their teased hairandripped jeans,even when the
grimyhardrock of Guns N' Roses took hold in 1988.
Hysteria proved to be the peak of Leppard's popularity, yet their follow-up remained eagerly awaited in the early '90s,astheband
tookabreakfrom the road and set to work on a new record. During the recording process, however, SteveClarkdiedfrom an overdose
ofalcoholanddrugs. Clark had historically battled with alcohol, and following the Hysteriaheyday,hisbandmates forced him to take
asabbatical.Although hedid enter rehab, Clark's habits continued, and his abusewassocrippling that Collen began recording the majority of
theband'sguitar leads.Following Clark's death, Def Leppardresolvedtofinish their forthcoming album as a quartet, releasing Adrenalize in
thespringof 1992.Adrenalize was greetedwithmixedreviews, and even though the album debuted at number one and contained
severalsuccessfulsingles,including theTop20hits "Let's Get Rocked" and "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad," the record
wasacommercialdisappointmentinthewake of Pyromania and Hysteria. After its release, the group added former Whitesnake
guitaristVivianCampbell tothelineup,thusresuming Def Leppard's two-guitar attack.
In 1993, Def Leppard released the rarities collection Retro Active, which yielded another Top 20 hit with
theacousticballad"TwoStepsBehind."Two years later, the group released the greatest-hits collection Vault while preparing for
itssixthalbum.Slang arrived in thespringof 1996,and while it proved more adventurous than its predecessor, it wasgreetedwithindifference,
indicating that Leppard's heydayhadindeedpassed and they were now simply a very popularcultband.Undaunted, Leppard soldiered on,
returning to their patented pop-metalsound forEuphoria, which was released inJuneof1999. Despite the success of "Promises," the record
failed to produce any additionalhits,resulting in areturn toadultpopballadry on 2002's X. The two-disc Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
arrived in 2005, followed in2006byYeah!,astrongcollection of covers. In 2008, the guys released their ninth studio album, Songs from the
SparkleLounge,whichdebutedatnumber fiveand was supported by a lucrative summer tour. Material from that tour helped make up the
bulkofMirrorBall:Live &More, a three-disc livealbum containing a full concert, three new studio recordings, and DVD footage. « hide |
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