Tag: def leppard

Def Leppard obviously need no introduction as every man and his dog have heard this album, it was one of the biggest rock albums of the 80’s. Depending on what you believe or what you read, it was also the album where they became Mutt Lange’s studio playthings. Gone were the raw rockin’ Brit boys from Sheffield, they were transformed into this slick rock n’ roll machine. I think every song has Mutt as a co-writer and every song has radio stamped all over it. Mission accomplished, as far as the label were concerned, everyone made pots of cash.

So many great songs on one album, most bands would have been happy with just one. However, I am going for the one as my favourite that you don’t hear that often and that’s Stagefright. It’s the one where they still sound like Def Leppard with those big sounding guitars front and centre.

Of course, it’s a classic album and deserving of a…

10/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the twelfth album from Sheffield’s finest purveyors of all things rock, and I would say it’s the closest sounding (influence-wise) to the bands that they have cited as inspiration for them to start a band in the first place. There is a very strong 70’s vibe to the majority of the album, and could this be the closest the band have come to being themselves? Even the album title is a reference to T.Rex. They made millions and sold squillions in their golden Pyromania and Hysteria period, but they were criticized constantly for being a producers plaything.  

All the trademark Leppard sounds are here, the big harmonies, the catchy hooks, and big sing-a-long choruses, but this time it’s just a band being themselves. My favourite track is opener Take What You Want, a kick-ass tune that just gets stuck in your head, as all the best songs do. A close second is U Rok Mi, with the Indian-inspired opening rhythmic groove, to the big arena rock chorus.

This album is an example of a band getting more comfortable with who they really are.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

I’ll admit to not being a fan of the super over produced version of the band, which came after the release of this album. To me, this is the last true Def Leppard album – at least the version that was still true to themselves – a good, honest, hard rock band. Let’s get this straight, Def Leppard were never a heavy metal band, because other than Get Your Rocks Off (which was on their self financed EP), they didn’t have any fast songs. This album was the first to be produced by Mutt Lange, but it’s hard to hear his influence on this album, other than to give the band a clear and loud production.

Lead off track, Let It Go, is a classic Leppard tune – at least how I think them to be. High ‘n’ Dry reminds me of AC/DC – that’s who Lange produced before this album. You do wonder if he saw them as a younger version of DC, and after this album he changed his mind with how he thought the direction the band should go. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak was a track built for America, and it was a big single for the band in the US. Switch 625 was an unusual instrumental track that Leppard were not known for – its probably the heaviest moment on the album.

It’s funny listening to this record now. Between this and Pyromania, it’s as though a different band recorded each album. Not long after this, it was decided that Pete Willis would be surplus to requirements, and the band would bring in Phil Collen from Girl – and the rest they say is history. It’s still my favourite Leppard album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.