So as I told a few of you already I had a momentary lapse of reason the other day and ended up coming home with the new Def Leppard DVD/2 CD Set Combo called And There Will Be A Next Timerecorded in Detroit Rock City on there 2016 Tour.
I decided pretty quickly after I purchased it that I was gonna rip the Two Audio Discs and then pass this on to my sister who is going to see (Lep(COOL!)/Poison(Yuck!!)/Tesla(COOL!) this show Live in early April! Get there early Kristin and Darrenyou don’t want to miss Tesla!
Too be honest I have really no interest in watching any full Live DVD shows and if I do it means I’m gonna get a little pickled up on Beer and hangout with Tbone! OK ok..If Iron Maiden drop a live DVD I’m There! Certain exceptions you could say!
UMMM…Do You Wanna Get Rocked?
Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals
Joe Elliott – vocals
Rick Allen – drums
Phil Collen – guitars, backing vocals
Vivian Campbell – guitars, backing vocals
Disc 2
1. “Rocket”
2. “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”
3. “Switch 625″
4.“Hysteria”
5. “Let’s Get Rocked”
6. “Pour Some Sugar on Me”
7. “Rock of Ages”
8. “Photograph”
When the Lep’s released the self titled studio Def Leppard back in 2015 I may have been one of the early one’s proclaiming it as a worthwhile listen as the album got real good after the halfway point. It’s like Lep stepped up their game 10 Fold and delivered!
I think it may have been at 2Louds Blog as he posted about this Live DVD release and I went nope not interested. See…now you know about my Momentary Lapse Of Reason.
Aaron couldn’t believe I actually purchased a physical copy! Haha. True That Mr Books!
The packaging is pretty decent actually….Nice booklet with credits/info and some written stuff from David Fricke and Phil Collen.
Truth be told the set list here take’s no chances( why is Rock On here? Really??) except for the classic Let It Go from 1981’s Mighty High N Dry album it’s kinda the same ol same ol as Joe and Crew have taken the KISS approach and play it safe…Kinda! But I’m a sucker for anything off of Hysteria and there are a ton of tracks from it. Late Great Guitarist Steve Clark has a co write on 12 of the tracks played on this set and it just goes to show you the huge impact he had on all the Lep music until his untimely death in 1991. I have said before and I’ll say it again a lot of the riff’s went to heaven that day with Steve….
The Guitars of Collen and Campbell breathe life in the tracks. They are huge! Special mention must be made to Vivian Campbell who lays down the law with a lot of rhythm and occasional leads on this release. I mean Campbell was ferocious on those first two Dio albums(Holy Diver/Last In Line) so it’s impressive that he was able to chill out as like I have said in previous Lep live and studio reviews as sidekick Collen can shred solo til your blue. Rocket is so good here check out Campbell’s playing on the left side of your headphones. Airtight flawless….
Joe’s voice is good. I mean if this was the first Lep release I had heard I would have said cool rock voice but the dude has been going at it for over 3 Decades so it’s gonna be road burned a bit right? Still decent enough but the other day at work on the radio Photograph was played and man Joe had deadly pipes back in 83. It’s funny how that resonated with me at that certain moment and then a few days later I buy this DVD set!
Give them credit they drop a couple of tracks from their current studio release which is commendable. Let’s Go one of the current track has that real cool catchy syrupy pre chorus that hooks me in every time.
I have no idea what the DVD will be like as really do I need to post video’s? (Maybe my Sister can review it!) We all know these tracks verbatim!
Overall this is a decent release and the audio is way better than Motley’s The End…. that’s for sure!
When I think of Hysteria I think of millions of copies of this album sold and sugar! Ha! So after a ton of turmoil (Drummer Rick Allen losing his arm no doubt being the worst) from 1983 til 1987 I would read about updates(Circus and Kerrang magazines) on the progress or lack there of the followup to the mega selling Pyromania. Leppard started recording with Jim Steinman (MeatLoafs songwriter/producer) but after a while they punted Steinman(with a huge buyout from what I read) and went back to Mutt Lange the super sonic layered plastered producer who helmed the previous Pyromania(1983) and the Deke approved High N Dry(1981).
So when Hysteria dropped in August of 1987 I was a first day buyer(cassette) and upon first listen it was apparent that this thing in the guitar department was gonna be huge with the guitars sounding like a thousand guitars and of course the curiosity factor of Allen and his electronic drums(Bravo) was another factor like how the hell is he drumming with one friggin arm??
Joe Elliot,Rick Savage,Steve Clark(RIP),Rick Allen and Phil Collen hit a huge payday with this album and to this day it still carries them on rock radio….
Rock Rock Til Ya Drop…..Insert Cash Into Leppards Bank Vault!
WOMEN-Swirling guitars and a slam of Allen’s electronic drums cue up Women which is a good leadoff track and what is even better is when the tempo ramps up at the beginning of the solo. Phil Collen as per his shred protocol of guitar hero slices and dices a pretty slick solo. It’s all here snazzy sing along chorus! Powerful bass sonics. Simple yet effective! Steve Clark blitzes the solo at the end of the tune and as his cool protocol plays a simple yet effective solo to take the song out. Actually it’s one of my fav solos of his. Dude did not have to shred at a million times the speed limit of some(like his partner) Great player that Clark was! As I have said many a time at Mike’s site and here all the great Leppard guitar riffs went to Heaven when Clark passed away. They have never been the same….Anyhoo….
ROCKET-I dig this tune and even though MuchMusic played the tar out of the video I like the sound of this tune as its like we’re landing on the moon! The lyrics are Joe telling us all the influences that have come into the Leppard sound. Kinda corny but catchy as heck! The chorus though is the money shot! Rocket….Satellite Of Love! Huh? Whatever it’s a fun song as it keeps building and building into a aural sonic romp!
ANIMAL-A well written rock track that was a huge hit and it has all the trimmings of Lep single! Once the song hits the chorus it takes this tune to another level. Power chords galore with a snappy happy chorus.
LOVE BITES-Oh,Oh it’s 1987 but by the time Love Bites is released as a single it’s 1988 and Power Ballads are everywhere! This one included but it’s Def Lep so I give them a pass. The song is what I would think would be a Mutt Lange signature piece. Big time hook that draws you into the chorus and along with the twin guitars or is that 500 guitars just gives it enough gas for me not to push skip on the CD player circa 1988.
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME-Ha! What the hell could I say about this tune other than the video being all about Leps live show and a ton of shots of the ladies in the crowd from there 1988 Denver show! What I wish Lep would do is go back to Denver now(2016) and do a casting call and have all the ladies that were in the original video from 1988 show up and for Lep to recut the video! Hahaha…man that would be a hoot! The song is driven by Allen’s electronic drum kit and the song musically is pretty decent kinda plods along but this tune was another biggie from this album.
ARMAGEDDON IT-Back to some great rock! Are You Getting It? This tune starts with a great guitar hook and we’re off. Armageddon It is what I like about Leppard. It’s not rocket science just a great hard rocking track(well hard rocking for Leppard) love Clarks guitar solo after Joe chirps “come on Steve”. Awesome stuff and of course Collen has to have a crack of a solo at the end of the tune as well. Great song.
GODS OF WAR-Side 2 begins with a big Lep song! This is a great track. This has to be Steve Clarks deal this one! Big power chords thumping loud Drums and Bass carry this song and consider that at times Leppard likes to write straight forward catchy songs(Animal,Armageddon It) they can roll the dice and put out big epic rock with a wicked sounding chorus as well! Gods Of War is one of them. They even sample Presidents and such.
DONT SHOOT SHOTGUN-This song and the next one (Run Riot)got buried under a ton of Sugar(get it?) as the singles are the ones everyone would talk about. Don’t kid yourself folks theirs some good rock here! Yeah sure everything is multilayered (guitars,vocals) but when you strip back the sonics It’s a bare bones rock track! The verses are real good even better than the chorus. Collen does his dippity do da shred work as per protocol and yeah I can be a sucker for that kind of solo(in little doses mind you)
RUN RIOT-This is my fav track from Hysteria! Yeah it is! I shit you not! Dig Allen and his drums smashing down a ton of percussion along with a million layered guitars all over the musical map and say what you want Run Riot is a great track with a great solo and real ear catchy chorus. ‘Ruuuuuuuun Riiooooooot!” Big lead and cracking backing vocals deliver me a Lep Sonic Sandwhich! Loooove it!
HYSTERIA-Another biggie Lep single! Wow man for a slower groove like tune this is a masterpiece! Sweeping the landscape musically Clark drives this song with his guitar work. Hysteria is a well written rock track that over time has become one of my sleeper tracks on this album. Great title for this record along with artwork for the cover. Lepp 1987 were the deal and by 1988 they were a Big Fackin Deal!
EXCITABLE-Are You Excitable some one asks and you hear a female panting in the background and this is a goofy tune! Just a cheap over night Lep romp at a 5 and Dime hotel! It’s like Mutt Lange wanted Lep to write a Cars Like song. In the element of this album this tune is the weak link amongst some pretty decent hard rock!
LOVE AND AFFECTION-End of the album closer! A pretty decent tune at a mid clip speed. Like many other tunes which are here singles this could have been one also. Nice tempo and Elliot tosses down a decent vocal and as the song ends, the Leps bid adieu! Good song.
FINAL YAMMER- So your asking ‘Wheres the video Deke?” Ummm well the whole first side (first 6 songs) was released as singles and we all know them right? We have seen the videos a million times over so let’s leave it at that! Seriously would you watch the video of Pour Some Sugar On Me again? Ok, Rockin Roberts of course You would! Haha….
Read somewhere years ago that Lep went into huge debt with this album back in 1987 and when it was released it would have to sell 2 million to break even so when Women was released as the first single it tanked on the charts! There must have been a real freak out at Camp Lep! But no worries 5 other singles were released and I still recall Pour Some….that video on Muchmusic every 5 minutes during the summer of 1988! No looking back for Joe and the boys!
Hysteria is a top-notch album and the last one to feature the great Steve Clark! He was the King Of Lep Riffs. Lep never really recovered from his loss! See my Adrenalize review on how I spin wit and wisdom on that album! Allright a bit of wit no wisdom! Ha!
Folks this is my 300th Post! Holy CRAP! Thanks to everyone who has hooked up for the ride and have taken the time to read,comment,join and follow along!
Had no idea this was my 300 post until after I had finished this review! Kinda appropriate that one of the biggest selling Hard Rock Albums Of All Time would be number 300 don’t you think?
Def Leppard 2015 is a different beast than Def Leppard from 1980,1981,1983 and 1987! Those are the years that On Through The Night,High N Dry ,Pyromania and Hysteria were released and for some that’s where it ends.
For myself when Steve Clark passed away in 1991 the riffs went with him and I only realized after Adrenalize just how much of a impact Clark had in the songs of Leppard!
So there’s a part of me that would understand why people would think that Lep has nose dived in regards to there studio output.
I agree X was a pretty mellow record, Euphoria was just a wanna be 80s record in the late 90s while Slang from 1996 is a classic! Lep reinvents there sound on Slang and I will review that album someday as for me it’s one of thsese under the radar classics! Kinda surprising to say that about a band that sold millions upon millions in the 80s but that just goes to show you how much the musical tide had changed by 1996.
2015 and I’m still a fan of Leppard. I have no desire whatsoever to see them live as I know they won’t top the In The Round Tour of 1992 but as far as recorded material goes I have bought everything they have put out so time after time I go back to Lep whenever new product hits the street and Kabooooooooom! October 30th 2015….Here we go…….
Now Lep as many artists/bands do they released a single called Lets Go which was to hype the self titled Def Lep Hype Machine and I think the Mighty HMO was the first one to talk about it and I think he was iffy with it! Once he said that I didn’t want to hear it just through the iPad i thought I’d wait it out til release day!
Joe Elliot,Rick Savage,Rick Allen,Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell show up in 2015 and will they make the grade?
LETS GO-the intro to Let’s Go is a 80s Hysteria Flashback. Is that the computer voice from Love Bites as well synched in there? Am I tripping? Yup , Joe and crew want me to think that and at this point in my life I’m a-ok with it! Ha what’s wrong with Flashbacks? If it wasn’t for them we’d have no memory at all! The production of this song is produced well by Lep and the prechorus is pure Gold I wish they woulda went with it a little further! The chorus itself is real good and call me a sucker for Ear Candy and well Let’s Go is just that! Like the middle part where they break out some acoustic action before the sonics of the guitars take over. Special thanks to Phil Collen for not over shredding on the guitar solo! Is HMO cringing? Haha…
DANGEROUS-sure Dangerous could have fit on Adrenalize side 2(would have been a improvement). This is the school of rock that Leppard built! Quicky single like tempo! Big crisp clear backing vocals! Fast neat Collen Pickin! Elliot keeps the party going! Dangerous is a great track. I love me some good Ol hard rock bubble gum!
MAN ENOUGH-Rick Savage(bass) and Rick Allen(drums) lock horns with a snappy bass line mixed with drums and I hear Queens Dragon Attack at the start of this tune and if your gonna swipe,swipe from some of the best! Seriously this has the mix of Dragon Attack and Another One Bites The Dust! Dig the sharp jabs of a piano sting in the middle of the track! It comes out of no where! Such a cool song ! It’s different Leppard but the same Leppard if that makes sense!
WE BELONG-this is your typical mid tempo-ishy Lepp song! Each guy in this tune takes a lead vocal line! Yup the two Ricks,Vivan,Phil and of course Joe all singing there say! Has any band done that before? I’m sure Ladano would know! We Belong is a good track and 4 tracks in its ok to take a little breather! Just a little! Nice guitar work…..
INVINCIBLE-Sav and Allen start off this song while Elliot lays down a real chill lead vocal along with a real good pre chorus! It ramps up the and the guitars are crisp,drums are locked in and it’s one of those songs like all Lepp songs actually that has backing vocals but there not the usual big time Lepp style backing vocals that we all know. Lepp is changing it on the fly!
SEA OF LOVE-This album gets real interesting starting with this track! Love the hard rock strumming of the guitars mixed with some cool drums n such from Allen and this is a new hard Rock n Rolla from the boys in 2015! This is a well put together track,different rocking but just flat out rocks! Love the lyrics “drifting on the Sea Of Love…..open your mind be careful what you find!”
ENERGIZED- almost drum machine like as its that kinda mellowish tune but the chorus with the “Energized …Whoah oh Whoah !” Will leave Ya humming it long after its done! Big time added bell and whistles added in regards to the percusion to this song and Lepp even fool the ol buzzard in me thinking I’m gonna skip this track ..Nope I didn’t and Nope I won’t! Wowzers did I just say that?
ALL TIME HIGH-I could see this tune being played live and why not! Love the start stop with the music and Elliot laying down the vocal in between sharp blasts of guitars and drums. It’s Lepp on overdrive as Savage lays down a straight ahead bass Line to keep the song rocking! The prechorus is rock solid quick with a good dose of don’t bore us get to the chorus! This is something that could have fit on sneakey at the end of High N Dry! Yeah it really could have….Crank the vid posted! Damn fine song….
BATTLE OF MY OWN-Zeppelin meet Leppard in this mash up of super cool acoustic jams seriously this is a Zep sounding tune especially when the drums kick in at the half way mark of the tune! You can hear the Zep like influence in the backing track of the song! This is a great song kids! Def Zep it is and while that may be its still Def Lepp! Listen to the vid ….
BROKE N BROKEN-HEARTED-another fantastic driven rocker with a great bass line while Allen on the drums plays straight ahead rock! The guitars are almost Rolling Stones like during the verse’s yet cranked to 10 on the Marshalls! Even Elliot throws down some great lines in this song ‘don’t be crass or I’ll kick your Ass!” Haha! Fair enough Joe even he tosses in a “gonna huff and puff and blow your playhouse down!” Kinda silly but it fits and why not have fun….if Bandana Michaels were to say that in song in the year 2015. I would scoff! Elliot though I’m ok with! Ha! Yup I’m playing favourites!….another song posted so you all don’t think I’m talking out of my arse!
FOREVER YOUNG- holy crap another great track! 3 minutes of pure brilliance! Yep! It’s all hear driving drums and guitars during the verses and a ass kicker of a catchy chorus! Seriously I already got 4 vids posted from this album! I could post the whole damn album it’s that good! Ear Candy is great Ear Candy and this is one of them!
LAST DANCE-is a folky acoustic vibe! Not a rocker by any stretch of the imagination but a good song never the less. Lepp dabble with a lot of acoustic on this album almost weaving in and out of various tracks! It helps when you got the songs to back it up…..this song is acoustic driven with a nice electric solo thrown in at the end…..
WINGS OF AN ANGEL- end of the album Gem! Wings Of A Angel is one of the best written Leppard songs I have heard in years! The song builds in the verse and when it hits the pre chorus its shifts back and upon first listen I was like …crap here we go but Lepp nail to a T a fantastic written chorus with great backing vocals and it must be Campbell who plays the solo as he co wrote this tune and what can you say! Leppard have schooled me bigtime in the do not count us out department! Notice taken! Crank ….no, Jack up the volume on the video!
BLIND FAITH-and so the album comes to a end with some acoustics and a chillness vibe all around the Lep Campfire. This song reminds me of a shot of the Beatles mixed with Wings and just as I hear that scenario! Kaboom comes the drums and some heavy devy guitars courtesy of Campbell and Collen and as quickly as they come they go back to the campfire for a end of song chill out!
IN CONCLUSION-In my humble Rock opinion this self titled Def Leppard 2015 Lep release is there best since Slang and perhaps even since Hysteria! Yeah it’s that good! Amazing that Joe and the boys had enough gas in the creative tank to crank out 14 tracks that are all pretty damn good in each there own way!
Leppard borrows from there past,borrow from some greats yet keeping a eye on the present and rolling it all into one big ball of Rock!
The thing that’s most surprisng is that the album for me gets real good from about track 6 on starting with Sea Of Love! The first 5 tracks are all good but man Leppard shift gears into a real mode of great writing, fantastic arrangements,production and performance and tempo changes on the last 8 tracks!
2015 and I never thought I would be saying that about a Leppard album!
Leppard 2015 is easily making my year end list at Ladanos site……
No word of a lie! Tbone had like three copies on cd of Adrenalize? One was still sealed In plastic 5 years after its release in 1992!
Have no idea why perhaps he will answer to us all about that one!
This album I thought may have been close to 3/4’s Filler but it squeaks by. Now if we’re keeping score here I dig in the Leppard catalogue in no order On Through The Night,High N Dry,Pyromania,Hysteria and one of which flies under the radar which is Slang even that Sparkle Lounge record had some decent moments except for that fuckin awful Hee Haw McGraw track…..
Some others like Euphoria and X just don’t cut the mustard! Perhaps one day I will tackle them but I just can’t wrap my head sonically around them right now!
Mike Ladano at mikeladano.com posted on his blog all the singles on Adrenalize and I was kind of meandering on writing this as I had it sitting for a while in my unfinished posts sections. So reading Mikes writes kinda spurred me on to finish this so here we go….
1992 and the musical landscape has changed! I don’t need to explain in great detail but the usual musical suspects from the Pacific Northwest chucked a lot of Southern Cal Cheeserock Acts into the dumpster and fair enough so many Cheeseball acts were getting deals in the late 80s that the market was over saturated and trust me folks I got hosed on a few(won’t name names yet!).
So Leps are down to 4 as the great King Of Riffs Mr Steve Clark passed away in January of 1991! For me and some others so did the quality of tunes!
So if my memory serves me correct 5 songs on Adrenalize were co written by Clark(good songs)before he passed and 5 without(so so songs) and that kinda shoulda been the sign but here we are 23 years later and I finally figured it out just how important Clark to Leppard was and it isn’t until he dies that I figure it out……
Having said that give Joe Elliot,Rick Allen,Rick Savage and Phil Collen there due. They coulda take their bat and glove and just gone home! Oh wait! That ain’t happening it’s called $$$$$$$$$$$!
LETS GET ROCKED-ok ok i can admit it! When this was released as the opening single I lapped it up! I mean Joe’s asking me If I wanna get Rocked? Absolutley boss I do and here we go and its pretty clear that at the 1 minute mark this is a continuation of Hysteria and well many a band have done this and three acts coming to mind right away ZZ Top with Eliminator followed by AfterBurner and Boston basically after the first Boston tried to duplicate it on the Don’t Look Back album(pretty good) and Third Stage(borderline Meh! except for Brad Delp(RIP) whose vocals save the day) and of course AC/DC with their whole back catalogue(there Gods and they know how to do it!)Leppard though in a way it’s good to be back with some rock and the drums courtesy of Allen have the big percussive sound and Phil Collen shreds into the shredders night with an Solo and man that’s were Steve Clark is missed whereas Clark was the real guitar slinger, playing not nearly the same amount of FAST LOOK AT ME MAMA notes as Collen but more chill,more of an Impact you could say. A thinkers guitar player! Let’s Get Rocked after a while though gets tired but for a moment in 92 Ummm Lets Get Rocked!
HEAVEN IS-“a step in the right direction,kinda…” That’s my quote that I posted on Mikes review of Heaven Is. Leppard knows that it’s all about AirPlay and VideoPlay and that’s what Heaven Is! Keeping the pockets of Record Company Suits filled with dough and come to think of it,they sunk Tbone for three copies of this album! Ha! Heaven Is a straight ahead rock track and with Mutt Lange dialing along for the ride this could have fit perfectly on Bryan Adams Waking Up The Neighbours album which to no ones surprise Mutt Lange wore the producers hat for…..
MAKE LOVE LIKE A MAN-dig the music but man the lyrics are just brutal. So for that I hardly paid attention to it but was forced to when I caught the Adranalize 7 Day Weekend Tour in 1992! The vibe of the tune is good with the use of the percussive beats of Allen but man the lyrics are just (Hey)Stoopid! But can you blame Lep? It was 4 years earlier in 1988 when Pour Some Sugar On Me was huge so I guess Lep thought what the hell it worked once so it should work twice..Nope it didn’t!
TONIGHT-now this is a good track as well. Sure it’s typical Lepp fodder but it’s a well blended piece of melodic Rock using both acoustic and electric guitars and Lepp not overdoing it!
WHITE LIGHTENING-Steve Clark gets his due here man! (7 Minutes of Sonics here!) This is a big blast of tribute Rock to their fallen comrade! Epic building song stsrting off with a solo and if Joe and boys had done more tunes like this on Adrenalize I would have been all for it! They played this tune live as well and lasered the heck out of it ! It was a huge production piece and so be it as Clark was the deal!
STAND UP(Kick Love Into Motion)-Ok fasten up your seat belt but 23 years later and I have to say this is the best well written piece of music on this album! Yeah I just did say that! Stand Up melds some real great rhythm here and the song is performed exceptionally and the chorus is gold! Even Elliot’s voice carries the tune as well and is fit tailor made to this style! Well Done and dare i say it? A Gem!
PERSONAL PROPERTY -a pretty decent rocker with same old same old lyrics but Leppard play this tune like they believe in it and it’s a 4 on the floor Leppy stomper! Well for Adrenalize purposes that is!
HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD-ugh man oh man just so obvious. When Love Bites and such from Hysteria shot to thhe top of the charts I was ok with it. Reason being is Lepp was forging a new sound with that style of writing on Hysteria but here they try to duplicate it and Nope no go Hombre! Too obvious…..Blah!
I WANNA TOUCH-Geez I wish Lepp would have sold this tune to Bandana Micheals and Poison at the time this is right up there alley! I couldn’t even get thru this track after the first 30 seconds so in other words tracks 8&9 on Adrenalize= Skip! That’s being polite!
TEAR IT DOWN-Ok the Lepps dig back in the vaults and recharge the batteries and crank this one out! Kinda like AC/DC musically a bit meaning straight ahead music! No frills and sometimes that’s the best policy! Great chorus and this song boosts up the end of the album after I tossed up my lunch after tracks 8&9!
IN CONCLUSION-Hmmm interesting record looking back on it! But what do you do? 1991 must have been the shits for these guys after Clark passed! Like how the hell do we record a record without the king of riffs! Well they did kinda. Half written with Clark and Half not! So props to that. I guess you just have to push forward!
Up til recently I have not listened to this album in a real long time. It’s like when you bump into someone you haven’t seen in a long time and you get caught up and then move on. That’s what Adrenalize is to me!
Summer of 1981 and my pal Muc buys Leppards debut album On Through The Night and I counter at the same time with my very first Iron Maiden purchase with Killers!
I was totally blown away by Maiden and I’ll have to review it at some point but man when I seen what Muc had purchased the music junkie in me said “holy shit Muc give me a hit of that vinyl there will you fella!”
Just like that I’m aboard the Lep Xpress and how could you not?! Leppard 1980 are young guys and there rocking out by the photo on the back of the album and with a bad ass rock guitar truck as a cover Yee haw!
Its crazy to think that this album is 35 years old!! I mean where does time fly? The great thing is this is Leppard sounding raw,going for the throat and Kickin mine and Mucs ass circa 1981! Job well done Steve Clark(RIP)/Pete Willis/Rick Savage/Rick Allan and Joe Elliot!
Don’t Be Pouring No Sugar On Me ….
ROCK BRIGADE- Willis and Clark open up with a real cool riff and before you hear AH here comes Ricky’s Drums Rollin all over and boom what a great ear catching opening! You know the deal here it’s Leppard 1980 there young,they got the looks,hooks and Yep they got the Rock Brigade with them so Ya better watch your Ass! The lyrics even though are kinda silly who cares this is fun Leppard and whoever throws down that solo(Willis I think) I salute you! It cooks man…love how the song just ends…the battle is over …whoosh this is only song 1 !
HELLO AMERICA- big poppy acapella Vocals welcome Leppard to America and I think back in time of its release it was not well received in England as the locals thought Leppard were selling there rock souls to the big American Market! Can Ya blame Lep? Na I don’t so that’s where the $$$ are, I like the tune during the chorus they have swirly Synthy sounds that enhance the song. Did I just say that? Ha but you know 2 songs in and me and Muc are aboard so Hello Thunder Bay!
SORROW IS A WOMAN- Tom Allom who produced a ton of Judas Priest albums in the 80s produced this one as well and man he makes the album sound raw in a real cool way and then beginning of this song proves it! Drums,bass and guitars mash up at the beginning and when Joes vocal comes in everything goes chill with clean sounding guitars,chill drums and than it ramps back up at the chrous and the guitar solo in this track is awesome as its locked in tighter than Tbones Scotch Cabinet and than it keeps ramping up back in the chorus! Great track….
IT COULD BE YOU-this is a great rocker! It could be U….it could be anyonnnne! The verse is raw ruff Lep! No studio polish found anywhere near this record and that’s Allright! Clark and Willis make a great team guitar wise and its too bad that Willis unravelled but give the cat his credit he was a big clog in Lepps sound and in a kinda way they were never the same after they punted Willis and totally never the same after Clark died in 1991.
SATALLITE-Allen destroys his snare at the beginning of Satallite and were off toss in some ‘oh yeahs ‘ and some great guitaring by those young fellas and i was always intrigued by the sound that they may have have forged with songs like this one,Overture and When The Walls….before Mutt Lange showed up with his musical blender and squeezed eventually all the great Rock rawness out of Lep!
WHEN THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN- if memory serves me correct I think this was Mucs fav tune off of this album! It’s Leppy going proggy mixed with hard rock! Spoken word intro and chill vibe of Joes voice gives way to a walloping galloping surge into rocksphere with Willis and Clark and man I dig the the twin riffing and boom in to then solo and Rick Allen drives the cymbal and smashes thrashes his kit and whoah Muc you may be right (I may be crazy! Ha) but you might be onto SUMTHIN here!
WASTED- big power riffs start Wasted and boom lets snort some lines and get …Wasted! That’s Lep talking not me the only lines I was doing back in 1981 was writing ” I will do my homework” over an over on a chalkboard at school! Still though this song to this day rocks and what a great Clark solo! The dude was the king of Lep riffs! Gone but not forgotten!
ROCKS OFF-Willis and Clark peel rubber right off the hop at the start of the track and hey these boys may be Wasted but man there rocking tighter than the spandex Olivia Newton John wore in the movie Grease! Elliot tells us all to get our Rocks Off and boom before you know it were into the real cool part where Allen smashes and thrashes on his drums along with Willis and Clark and man this song is slick! Great riff,great song and what there’s a audience dubbed in at the end and Elliot tosses a “Goodnight!!!” Those funny young Leppard chaps fuckin with me marbles! Well done!
IT DONT MATTER- easy said friends! I love this song and man insert cool cowbell smacking to keep the pace of the tune going and hey man It Don’t Matter! Awesome verses,prechorus ,chlrus, great lead vocal by Elliot,great guitars,bass an drums it’s all here rolled into one gigantic Def Lep Fatty! This song is easily an end of the album Gem here at Arena Rock!
ANSWER TO THE MASTER- big power riffs,big power rock and Joe and the boys lay it down no Love Bites here at this train station ladies!
OVERTURE- you know listening to Overture would have Lepp kept this style of Rock going If good Ol Mutt Lange had not waltzed in to there sound? Who knows but I would think Yep! It’s Lep going a little proggy at the end of there debut and why not! They aced this debut and they can do what they want! Well in my book anyways!
IN CONCLUSION- We got a winner Muc! 35 years young is On Through The Night and 35 years older is Muc! Hahahaha! Seriously what a great start for Leppard and it always kinda pissed me that in interviews Lepp would ignore the debut? Like really? You Guys were like 20 years old here figuring it out don’t ignore it,accept it this thing slays a lot of stuff in there catalogue that came later(in my book!) Tom Allom who produced this kept it real and for that ..great job. Also of note Leppard 2015 ignore this album and it’s a shame at least I have seen on this tour they are playing a few, just a few from High N Dry (see review of High N Dry here)…..https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/sonic-waves-def-leppardhigh-n-dry/
1981 like I said in a earlier post was the year I discovered Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. The day I went to buy one record it came down to a new band choice. One record I had to decide on and well I went with Maiden that day and purchased Killers. Shortly after I left home and came back with Def Leppards High N Dry release!
I’m gonna focus on Leppard and man what a cooker of a album High N Dry was and still is! I remember reading Kerrang and Creem Metal magazine back than and they were into this New Wave Of Heavy Metal scene that was happening over in England so I guess I was somewhat part of that new metal scene over here in Canada. Leppard by album number two had enlisted Mutt Lange the one for twiddling the dials on the last three ACDC albums (Highway To Hell,Back In Black,For Those About To Rock) so here he is as producer only working with the young upstarts in Leppard. 33 years later and this record sounds like it could have came out last week. The sonics, songwriting and overall delivery of HIGH N DRY is a must have in any hard rock collection…..
Let me tell ya what all the fuss was about…..
LET IT GO- no punches pulled, here’s Leppard in 1981 ready to do battle and the guitars courtesy of Pete Willis and Steve Clark (RIP) set the tone. Joe Elliot’s vocals are almost like a clean version of Brian Johnson from ACDC. Actually this song could have been ACDC it’s a slick piece of well put together hard rock and man it’s only track one!
ANOTHER HIT AND RUN-just continues the pace set by Let It Go this song just flat out rocks and man Leppard is a band to contend with. Leppard will hit ya and they will run right over you! The two solos in this song are wickedly good and the Clark/Willis combo are right up there with Smith/Murray from Maiden at this point !
HIGH N DRY-the title track and Joes stumbling around being wasted all day! Dude pulls the vocals off convincingly on this whole album. This is hard rock 101 at its finest! Love the drum sound courtesy of Rick Allen.
BRINGING ON THE HEARTBREAK-I don’t think Leppard knew at the time they were composing the first big heavy rock power ballad in 1981 but they were. This is no sap from the tap! The drums move it along during the pre Chrous into the Chrous and the guitars take over! For me after all these years i can hear the Infleunce of Mutt Lange that would come after on there recorded works. But back than all that mattered to me was that this song wasn’t Journey like!
SWITCH 625-ends side one with Willis and Clark soloing and jamming out and Joe takes a breather during this musical diversion! Whew side one ends with a loud boot up the rear!
YOU GOT ME RUNNIN- this is my fav tune off High N Dry. I have no idea if they ever played it live but man what a great tune. Well written the guitar work just shines on this tune! If You Got Me Runnin does make you wanna rock out Nuthin will!
LADY STRANGE- just keeps the party going. I just really glad they never made a video for this back than cause it would have been beyond cheeseball! Why? I have no idea but I’m just glad they didn’t! This song is number 7 and it’s full out balls to the walls so far!
ON THROUGH THE NIGHT- wow the debut album was called this and now the followup has the title track to the debut! Cool all out rocker. The solo by Clark is deadly and you know what after his passing(1991) this band was never the same again. Even Willis leaving you could make a case for! Look at the cowrites on this album and Pyromania and Willis is a pretty big damn contributer that always gets left out of Leppard talk! Shame really!
MIRROR MIRROR(LOOK INTO MY EYES)- cool they brought this tune back last year to play live. It was a good rock track with some excellent musicianship in it as well!
NO NO NO – stomps the album to a close and makes you wanting more and more and well the answer for right now is No No No. This song just boot s the door wide open once more before slamming shut! Holy hell I love High N Dry! Of course the song ends and Elliot says No I think 48 times is it? Who knows I probably got confused and lost count ! Math and counting was never my forte in high school but ROCK was!
IN CONCLUSION- This is a all time classic which for me I would have to say next to Pyromania is there best work! They hit one out of the ball park here and made us believers until Pyromania kicked it universally everywhere for them! They were never the same after High N Dry and of course they gave Pete Willis the boot and out went a big clog of talent. Of course Mutt Lange really took the reins over after High N Dry but I kinda wish he would just chilled back a bit kinda like the role he had on this one and the ACDC albums. BUT I think Leppard 2014 would not agree with me.
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