Def Leppard - Pyromania

When Def Leppard released their first album 'On Through The Night' in 1980, the members of the band must have dreamed that one day they'd be among the biggest-selling bands of all time. But in 1983 the then largely unknown band outside their native England and Europe broke into the big time with this album. Whereas their first two previous releases centred around a sound more akin to Thin Lizzy and 70's Aerosmith, 'Pyromania' had more of a cross-over appeal. It is widely regarded as one of, if not the first album to combine pop sensibilities with hard rock. With Robert 'Mutt' Lange in the producers chair, 'Pyromania' brought together the elements that became the much imitated Def Leppard formula [see Winger, Warrant, White Lion etc.].

The band borrowed liberally from the length of hard rock's spectrum, using the aggressive guitar sounds and riffs of AC/DC and the Euro-metal striding of UFO and the Scorpions, as well as the gloss harmonies and studio prowess of Boston. A year in the making, 'Pyromania' was painstakingly recorded one note and instrument at a time, and was only interrupted by the replacement of guitarist Pete Willis with Phil Collen. The care and precision demanded by Lange produced overwhelming results - nine million copies sold and counting. The bands combination of hard chords, harmonic choruses, radio riffs and arena rock, Collen and the late Steve Clark's layers of guitars and cutting leads pushed the right buttons for music fans the world over. The net result being a classic album that is still as fresh today as when it was released.

1.] ROCK ROCK [TILL YOU DROP] - [3.52] Thundering power chords blast through the speakers before hitting the main riff, Joe Elliot belts out the lyrics about life on the road and being in a rock band in general 'Riding into danger, laughing all the way. Fast, free and easy, livin' for today'. This track has a great groove and solo that recalls the best of Angus Young. A very powerful track that gets the album off to a very energetic start.
2.] PHOTOGRAPH [4.12] The first track to mix the pop with the rock. The opening riff just screams 'radio play' and has a simple yet captivating sound. The pre-chorus has a killer hook before the chorus washes over you with its almost heavenly melody that is backed up by those trademark lush Leppard voices. The lyrics tell of falling in love with a photograph of a model, but knowing that you'll never get to met her 'You're the only one I wanna touch. I see your face everytime I dream, On every page, every magazine. So wild so free so far from me. You're all I want my fantasy'. The solo is one of those melodic pieces that has become Phil Collen's trademark. A song that perfectly captures the Leppard sound and has become a classic.
3.] STAGEFRIGHT [3.46] Opening with a frenzied crowd chanting before Joe Elliot becomes the master of ceremonies. A up-tempo rocker with another superb hook and melodic chorus that again just begs for radio play. The solo is one of the first to feature 'shred guitar' and is like a mix of Eddie Van Halen and Gary Moore. Joe belts out the verse to great effect 'You're holding out on me while I'm on fire. If you can't stand the heat then you should try. Victim of my vices you know you are. You skate on ice to paradise, stairway to the stars'. This track would be a great live number and is one of the lesser known tracks on the album which is a shame as it contains great playing all round.
4.] TOO LATE [4.30] A great melodic metal number that is a forebearer to material that bands like Tesla wrote to great effect. The start of the track gives you the feeling of being in a deserted town with a strong wind sending shivers down your spine, very atmospheric, Joe's lone voice with a simple guitar motif back up this feeling 'Somewhere in the distance I hear the bells ring. Darkness settles on the town the children start to sing'. After the first chorus the rest of the band kick in creating a big open sound that is near perfection. The tempo is relatively slow before a great mid section raises things a notch and those great vocal harmonies come into play again. A brief melodic solo is exactly what is called for before things settle down again for the verse. Their is some great arranging contained in this song making it musically very strong begging further listens.
5.] DIE HARD THE HUNTER [6.17] War sound effects before a simple guitar hook enters, in a way Metallica's 'One' is similar to this start. The lyrics are about how someone comes back to his home after a war and finds it hard to adjust to his new surroundings. This track is quite heavy with a great grooving main riff that is Zeppelin-esque with some keyboards adding to the excitement. 'You got no enemy, no front line, the only battles in the back of your mind, You don't know how to change from bad to good, You brought the war to your neighbourhood'. There is a great instrumental section halfway through that brings to mind Thin Lizzy with it great harmony guitar parts. The trademark Leppard sound is present again on the chorus which again makes the sound very big. A highlight of the album.
6.] FOOLIN' [4.32] This track is similar to some of the stuff on their previous album 'High & Dry', it has a verse where Joe's voice is full of emotion 'Lady luck never smiles, So send you're love to me awhile. Do with me what you will, Break the spell take your fill'. The bridge and pre-chorus are as good as anything anyone has ever written only to be let down by a pretty nasty chorus that doesn't really fit well in the track. If this had been substituted with something else this would of been a contender for best track. The extended chorus for the outro also doesn't really help but these small niggles can't hide the quality of the rest of the track.
7.] ROCK OF AGES Another radio friendly pop guitar hook which sees Joe almost rapping the verse, it is quite similar to 'Lets Get Rocked' off 'Adrenalize' before the chorus blows any comparisons out of the water. The chorus is superb with some great backup vocals that really help. The second verse is another almost rap like chant this time accented with guitar fills from Collen and Clark. My main complaint for this track is a pretty nasty synth bass sound that probably sounded good in 1983 but now sounds a bit dated. Still a good solid track however.
8.] COMIN UNDER FIRE [4.20] Ahh yes, my favourite track on the album. A trademark Leppard riff starts the track before breaking down into a simple bass drum and bass guitar figure for the verse 'Your kind of woman got a heart of stone, But watch it break when I get you alone, Take a chance come lay down with me, Oh I wanna make it'. The main reason I love this track is the superb chorus that manages to sound catchy and upbeat but still emotive and thought provoking at the same time - 'Is it any wonder, You got me cumin' under fire. Cumin' like thunder, you know you make me walk the wire'. Joe's voice is superb and really captures you, sucking you in to listen to this gloriously swirling chorus again and again. A real treat of a track.
9.] ACTION! NOT WORDS [3.52] A sleazy slide guitar part opens the track before the AC/DC-esque verse hits in. The lyrics tell of being a director for your own personal film, and that film being of the adult variety! 'I'll be your hero, you be the star. With your wine and your caviar. No audition a starring roll, I'll be your Bogart n you be Monroe'. This track is a little throwaway and could be seen as paving the way for such bands as Motley Crue and Warrant. A catchy solo redeems things a little. Not a terrible track but probably the weakest on the album.
10.] BILLY'S GOT A GUN [5.27] The strong pounding riff is a powerful opening section before breaking down to a restraint verse which sees just vocals, a plodding bass and drums. This is quite similar to the Iron Maiden track 'Stranger In A Strange Land'. The chorus is quite original and yet again has those Leppard harmonies before a great mid-section. The first solo is reminiscent of Blackmore's work on tracks like 'Lady Of The Lake'- that haunting slide guitar stuff, while the second [which is in a great instrumental section] is quite emotional in a bluesy kind of way. The harmony voices build up for the grand finale which see's another Blackmore type pattern. A solid end to the album.