Anyone who knows me knows that I've been a Def Leppard fan for DECADES, and I still jam on plenty of their classic tracks. I really don't care for their new stuff, and a lot of the radio single fluff (Pour Some Sugar on Me, for example) I really don't like much at all, but if you listen to most Def Leppard albums, even the recent ones, there are a handful of tunes that you'll never hear on the radio, and they'll never play live. They're not radio songs. No singles. No drippity dippity stupid lyrics. Deep tracks. Tracks that hint at the band they used to be. The band that just wrote what they liked and performed it full of piss and vinegar. The band that modern Def Leppard has all but disowned.
Back in 1979/80, drummer Rick Allen still had both arms, bassist Rick Savage's face wasn't sagging on one side from a degenerative disease, singer Joe Elliot had a horrific perm on his dark brown hair, Steve Clark was alive, and wore his Les Paul below his fucking knees, while trying to keep pint-sized alcoholic firebrand Pete Willis sober enough to play a solid set. Phil Collen, long before he was cut up like aging beefcake, was off in lipstick and eye shadow playing for a glam band called Girl. Before they met Mutt Lange and refined their sound for American audiences.
That's the band that made On Through the Night. The band that lived up to their genre - NWOBHM. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal. THAT band was spoken in the same sentences with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and others, and they weren't doing it ironically or with a wink.
The production is pretty spartan, and it sounds like an album made for little money in 1979, but the brilliant songwriting and arranging was there. The performance was there. Def Leppard were FIRE in 1980. From the opening salvo of Rock Brigade, to the semi-balladry of Sorrow is a Woman, the first hints of epicness in When the Walls Came Tumbling Down - so much energy. So much FIRE. So much talent. Amazing lead guitar work from Willis and Clark.
As we get into side 2, opening with more spitting venom with Wasted and Rocks Off, before wrapping with Answer to the Master and the truly epic closer Overture...
Man, I just love this record.
The first two "heavy" albums I ever had were Quiet Riot's Metal Health and Def Leppard's Pyromania in 1983. I quickly moved past QR, but Def Leppard had some older shit I wanted to mine. Lots of people say High N Dry is their best record - Mutt was in there helping, but he hadn't fully taken over yet. High N Dry is awesome, too, and I love it, but man, when I heard On Through the Night? THAT was my gateway into heavier, proggier stuff like Maiden and that opened a million doors that my ears couldn't get enough of.
Give it a listen, and let me know what you think. Like all albums from that era, it's not long AT ALL by today's standards - probably 40 minutes, tops. It's a totally different Def Leppard than you're used to.
BONUS TRACKS from other albums that rule: Die Hard the Hunter and Billy's got a Gun on Pyromania, Gods of War on Hysteria, White Lightning and Tear it Down on Adrenalize, From the Inside and Ring of Fire on Retro Active, and Paper Sun and Kings of Oblivion on Euphoria.
Back in 1979/80, drummer Rick Allen still had both arms, bassist Rick Savage's face wasn't sagging on one side from a degenerative disease, singer Joe Elliot had a horrific perm on his dark brown hair, Steve Clark was alive, and wore his Les Paul below his fucking knees, while trying to keep pint-sized alcoholic firebrand Pete Willis sober enough to play a solid set. Phil Collen, long before he was cut up like aging beefcake, was off in lipstick and eye shadow playing for a glam band called Girl. Before they met Mutt Lange and refined their sound for American audiences.
That's the band that made On Through the Night. The band that lived up to their genre - NWOBHM. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal. THAT band was spoken in the same sentences with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and others, and they weren't doing it ironically or with a wink.
The production is pretty spartan, and it sounds like an album made for little money in 1979, but the brilliant songwriting and arranging was there. The performance was there. Def Leppard were FIRE in 1980. From the opening salvo of Rock Brigade, to the semi-balladry of Sorrow is a Woman, the first hints of epicness in When the Walls Came Tumbling Down - so much energy. So much FIRE. So much talent. Amazing lead guitar work from Willis and Clark.
As we get into side 2, opening with more spitting venom with Wasted and Rocks Off, before wrapping with Answer to the Master and the truly epic closer Overture...
Man, I just love this record.
The first two "heavy" albums I ever had were Quiet Riot's Metal Health and Def Leppard's Pyromania in 1983. I quickly moved past QR, but Def Leppard had some older shit I wanted to mine. Lots of people say High N Dry is their best record - Mutt was in there helping, but he hadn't fully taken over yet. High N Dry is awesome, too, and I love it, but man, when I heard On Through the Night? THAT was my gateway into heavier, proggier stuff like Maiden and that opened a million doors that my ears couldn't get enough of.
Give it a listen, and let me know what you think. Like all albums from that era, it's not long AT ALL by today's standards - probably 40 minutes, tops. It's a totally different Def Leppard than you're used to.
BONUS TRACKS from other albums that rule: Die Hard the Hunter and Billy's got a Gun on Pyromania, Gods of War on Hysteria, White Lightning and Tear it Down on Adrenalize, From the Inside and Ring of Fire on Retro Active, and Paper Sun and Kings of Oblivion on Euphoria.
I’m so excited to see some Def Leppard ! One of moms favorite bands, though she never had this album ! I was beyond excited to give this a listen.
I'll listen that album and drop my thoughts later! 
I def heard of them before, but knew only the famous songs and not that well 
I gave this album a listen and I must say I really enjoyed it, Overture and Sorrow Is a Woman are probably my favorite. Loved the guitar in all of the tracks! Thanks for the rec Ed!!!! 
