We all know how the future turned out for Def Leppard, and when you hear this album now you can see all the elements were in place to make a great rock band. They just needed the right producer, and boy did they get the right one – but not on this album. This album as produced by long time Judas Priest producer Tom Allom. I think I mentioned in a previous review that I saw them at a pub in Sheffield completely by accident just before their Getcha Rocks Off EP came out. That EP was raw but killer, and you knew that they had a shot. Now those songs appear on this album, albeit re-recorded. It shows that if you have the right record label it means everything.
I remember the song Hello America caused a bit of a stir when renowned rock journalist Geoff Barton accused the band of selling their souls to the USA and waving bye bye to the fans in the UK. He sought of had a point as they became huge because of the US, but there is no way anyone could have guessed how huge they would become.
There are some good songs on this album namely Rock Brigade, Wasted, Overture, Hello America, When The Walls Came Tumbling Down, and the classic Getcha Rocks Off. Any one of those songs would not be out of place in a modern Leppard set if they chose to play them. Of course, the “Getcha” is missing from this album and it’s been shortened to just “Rocks Off” but it’s still a great tune. Still a fun record.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
