I heard that Def Leppard was releasing a new album and I did some reminiscing about those pop-rockers. There path has been an interesting one. By the time I was old enough to know about the Leppards, they were already the one-armed-drummered-pretty-poster-boys for glam rock. Leather and spandex, ugly guitars, the one-armed drummer - they had it all. I bought Hysteria on cassette at a fair. I wore it out. Then I discovered something very interesting: they had done other albums. How novel. I made a powerful discovery then, one that I will share with you, if you don't already know. In their early years, the Leppards were a driving force in the NWOBHM with the kind of impact that led young bands like an unnamed garage band that would become Pantera to learn and play the album On Through the Night from beginning to end.
So . . . I have put up a new player to the right. It only has three songs. I know you want to know why if they had three albums before Hysteria why I could only find three songs. First off, I tried not to put anything that was remotely a hit on there. Okay, Too Late for Love still gets a lot of air time, but I was desperate. The web site that does the players there did not have a single song from On Through the night. Not a one. I recommend Rock Brigade or Sorrow is a Woman if you want more vintage stuff.
These are just some tunes that might surprise you if thinking of the Leppards instantly makes you start humming Two Steps Behind. Watch out for the B-word in Let It Go, its right in the first verse, but do take note of the fine cow-bell work. The drummer did have both arms in those days. The riff in H&D should speak for itself, and as I already said, TLFL is just a fine tune that leans more towards their old sound than where they were going by Pyromania.
As a sidenote - I have a friend who refuses to listen to Led Zeppelin on moral grounds but thinks the Leppards are swell. Keep that in mind as you enjoy these tunes.
R.
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4 comments:
I love old Def Leppard. I think On through the Night is my favorite of their albums. It's too bad playlist doesn't have Rock Brigade or something. That would have been sweet.
I loved Def Leppard. In fifth grade my friend Kim and I wore out a copy of Hysteria. We listened to it as loud as possible in my living room every afternoon afterschool for weeks.
I don't listen much anymore, but can appreciate your comments and the playlist you posted as well.
E.
I love Def Leppard! Pyromania was the album that gave me my first taste of real rock music. (In the 6th grade...Hysteria was more like 11th grade for me...dang, I'm getting old!)
I don't suppose they had more songs from High 'n Dry? Bringin' on the Heartbreak (maybe that counts as a hit though), Switch 625, Lady Strange...lots of great stuff there.
Interesting tidbit about Pantera. I knew that they had an early incarnation as a hair-metal outfit, in which they made 4 albums that were commercially unsuccessful, but didn't know that the Lep was their inspiration.
Hey -- I know this might get lost, the post not being current anymore, but I wonder if you've heard the new Def Leppard album.
I haven't bought or listened to a new one since they put out Slang in about 1996. The few more recent songs I've heard just don't do anything for me (they're all midtempo, rather featureless things), but I wonder if maybe they're doing some cool stuff that the casual bystander wouldn't hear.
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