As some of you may know I'm a long-time rock fan, so this blog will feature posts from important milestones in rock as well as more general posts, music-related and otherwise.
In 1983 Def Leppard, a young band hailing from Sheffield, released their third album 'Pyromania' . Benefiting from the sure touch of famed producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange (who had delivered hit albums for AC/DC, Foreigner and many others) this was to be the album that changed the band's lives for good. Lange had produced their previous album 'High 'n' Dry', but this time around had a hand in much of the songwriting.
According to the sleeve notes the album was recorded 'between bouts of World Cup soccer' (referring to the 1982 tournament won by Italy) and during the sessions, founding guitarist Pete Willis was fired by the band. He had already co-written several songs and contributed rhythm guitar by then; his guitar parts were left on the final record. Willis was replaced by Londoner Phil Collen who quickly settled into the group, adding more guitar parts and lead solos. The record was released in January of 1983; Leppard supported the new record with a UK tour in February of that year, playing the halls and theatres up and down the country. Unbeknownst to all, that would be the last British fans would see of the group for three years; huge fame, fortune and tragedy awaited the band.
In the States, the then-new MTV channel picked up on Def Leppard's videos and gave lead-off single 'Photograph' extensive airplay. That was the catalyst which launched the band into superstardom; the album sold heavily across the pond with only Michael Jackson selling more records with his iconic 'Thriller' album (a subject for another post!) Vocalist Joe Elliott was frequently seen in a sleeveless Union Flag shirt, and was amused to see replicas of the item being bought by hordes of American rock fans as the group's popularity snowballed. Further hits came with 'Rock of Ages' and 'Too Late For Love' and by the end of the year, the group were enjoying Stateside success on a scale not seen since Zeppelin.
The band had massive plans for the follow-up and had initially recruited Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman to helm the project, but the partnership failed to ignite and he was soon let go. The band had still not got started properly by the end of 1984 when drummer Rick Allen, back home for the Christmas holiday, suffered a motor accident which cost him his left arm. After a lengthy convalescence, he astonished his fans by pledging to continue playing with a specially-customised electronic drum kit. The accident completely changed the group's plans and it was not until 1986 that they returned to the stage, performing at that year's Monsters of Rock festival. Eventually, Lange returned to the producer's chair, and four years after 'Pyromania', the 'Hysteria' album was finally released. The big question was whether it could emulate the success of their third album; we know the answer to that now (!) but, that's a whole different article!
From Def Leppard's breakthrough album 'Pyromania', here is the lead-off single 'Photograph', which is still a staple of their live set today.
**** 2023 Update ***** old dead link replaced
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