Def Leppard, "Pyromania"

Def Leppard
"Pyromania"
Mercury (1983)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

There are some acts that simply do not belong in books that claim to contain the thousand best albums of all time. Def Leppard is one of these bands. What's worse is that Def Leppard has two entries in this publication (1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die...Fortunately 1000 Records To Hear Before You Die had enough sense to stay away from Def Leppard). Had the editors veered a bit farther from the mainstream, they surely could have found two better entries than "Hysteria" and "Pyromania." Jazz, classical, and a hundred other genres ignored. But, ultimately, the playlist of this blog is not in my hands, but theirs. So let's get this over with.

From a strict sales perspective, "Pyromania" certainly belongs, as did its follow-up, "Hysteria." "Pyro" has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S., but sales is the ultimate story of Def Leppard. Its first two albums failed to make a serious dent in the American market, and so for round three, they went to the proven Robert "Mutt" Lange for help. Lange surely recognized a hint of AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson in Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott's yowling. Lange had turned DC's "Back in Black" into the second best-selling album of all time, and he had to be sure he could do the same for Def Leppard. He, more or less, did. Aside from the sales and producer, it would be a shame to compare the two bands any further.

Elliott opens the album about as Brian Johnson-esque as he could, on the track "Rock Rock (Till You Drop)." But in reality, his voice is more similar to Dr. Rockzo, the "rock 'n' roll clown" who makes frequent on the animated metal satire, "Metalocalypse." This is to say, his voice is obnoxious. AC/DC's songwriting is full of humorous double entendres and catchy hooks, the likes of which cannot be found on "Pyromania" (although "Pour Some Sugar on Me" would later live up to DC's standards). Finally, DC's guitar approach was riff upon excellent riff with the occasional solo flourish, while Phil Collen of Leppard makes up for the band's lack of recognizable riffs by summing up the '80s in a series of over-the-top solos.

The singles are, for the most part, underwhelming. Despite VH1's adoration of "Photograph," it is nothing more than a tale of Elliott's creepy post-mortem fascination with Marilyn Monroe. "Rock of Ages" is so remarkably prestigious that The Offspring stole the intro for their even more classy "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)." "Too Late For Love" doesn't live up to the band's other ballads, like "Bringin' On The Heartache" and "Love Bites." The only redeeming track here is "Foolin'," which manages a halfway catchy hook.

Undoubtedly, this post makes me seem like a Def Leppard-hater, and for the most part, that's accurate. But, if you insist on a Leppard entry in the thousand best albums ever, at least stick with "Hysteria," which is a bigger and much better version of "Pyromania."

INTERESTING FACT: There are no Def Leppard songs featured in the musical "Rock of Ages," which is based on '80s rock and of course, named after the Leppard track. This is because the Universal Music Group did allow the musical's producers to get licensure for any of its songs. The song is often performed legally, following the final curtain call, for good measure.

"Foolin'"

Def Leppard, "Hysteria"

Def Leppard
"Hysteria"
Bludgeon Riffola (1987)
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

From the beginning, if there was going to be a heavy metal band that would swing for the pop charts, Def Leppard was going to be it. The band, largely thanks to Joe Elliott – whose voice was more hair than heavy metal – was simply less sinister than its fellow Englishmen, Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden. The Robert “Mutt” Lange appeal to a more mainstream audience featured on “Hysteria” was only natural.

The most important part of any pop song is its hook. If the audience has something punctuating the song that they can sing along with wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter too much if everything else is garbage. It’s interesting to note that the album’s biggest hit, and I would argue the most iconic hook of the ‘80s, was one of the last tracks to be written for the record. I refer, of course, to “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

This song is about as pop as a rock band can get, which is why its often confused for a Bon Jovi track. The layout makes this an almost perfect example of ‘80s rock pop: First, guitarist Steve Clark warms up the verse with a brief lick typical of the decade’s six-string theatrics. Towards the end of the verse, the pace quickens upon the line “Take a bottle…”, sucking the listener into the inescapable whirlpool of the hook: “Pour some sugar on me.” It’s no wonder that this gets the crowd at any bar, birthday party, or bat mitzvah to sing along.

Another easy way for rock bands of Def Leppard’s ilk to get mainstream attention is via the ballad. Seemingly every hair/heavy metal band has one popular ballad to its name. It’s always been my belief that ballads are Leppard’s strong point (over heavier fare), and the track “Love Bites” is no exception (“Bringin’ on The Heartbreak” from 1981’s “High ‘n’ Dry” is the band’s best however). The verses of “Bites” are a little undercooked but, like any good popular song, the hook has just as much bite as the song's subject.

I’m not a very big Def Leppard fan on the whole, and the same applies to this album. Other heavy/hair metal bands are much stronger instrumentally and lyrically in my opinion. Nonetheless, I can’t argue with the strength of singles like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites.” When you’re in pop music, people tend to only listen to the singles anyhow.

INTERESTING FACT: It was believed by many that the mumbling at the end of "Love Bites" said "Jesus of Nazareth, burn in hell." The actual line was producer Lange echoing the song's sentiments with "Yes it does, bloody hell." Bible-beaters remain unconvinced.

"Love Bites"