This page will contain blogs about Def Leppard, as they become available.Def LeppardDef Leppard are a band from Sheffield, England, that emerged in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Rick Savage (bass), Pete Willis (guitars) and Tony Kenning (drums) formed the band in 1977 in Sheffield (see 1977 in music). Joe Elliott joined as the vocalist, and brought the name of the band with him, originally they were called Atomic Mass. Elliott had thought of the name Deaf Leopard in school and the band changed the name to Def Leppard based on the way Led Zeppelin spelled their name. They began playing locally and soon added Steve Clark before recording the underground hit "Getcha Rocks Off" for Bludgeon Riffola, their own label. Rick Allen was added as the permanent drummer, to replace Kenning. They signed to Mercury Records. Their major label debut was On through the Night (1980 in music). High 'N' Dry (1981 in music) was their first album to be produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. From it, "Bringin' on the Heartbreak"'s video was one of the first "metal" videos played on MTV video. Phil Collen, former guitarist from the band Girl, replaced Pete Willis who was fired on July 11, 1982 due to alcoholism. Pete Willis later recorded with the bands Gogmagog and Roadhouse. This personnel change took place during the recording of their next release, Pyromania (January 20, 1983). Lange was again the producer. Aided by the singles "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", and "Foolin'", Pyromania sold six million copies in 1983 & 84. The period after the album's success, however, was difficult: on December 31, 1984, Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash in which his Corvette veered off the road into a concrete wall. While recovering in the hospital from his accident, Rick was committed to continuing his role as Def Leppard's drummer. He practiced drumming with pillows, and realized that he could use his legs to do some of the percussive work previously done with his arms. He then worked with Simmons to design a custom electronic drum kit. Leppard's next album, Hysteria, (yet again produced by Lange), was released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). The first released single, Women, was not very successful. Album sales were slow until the fourth single, "Pour Some Sugar On Me", became a hit. The album included a total of six Top 20 singles. The seventh and last single to be released from this album was Rocket in early 1989 (see 1989 in music). Much of Leppard's success in the 1980s is credited to their producer, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, who was considered by the band to be its sixth member. After Hysteria 's release, internal problems (including the death of guitarist Steve Clark from a drug and alcohol overdose on January 8, 1991) resulted in a long delay before the follow-up. Adrenalize was finally released in 1992, the only album recorded by Leppard as a four-piece (Elliott, Collen, Savage, and Allen). The album entered the US charts at number 1. It remained there for five weeks, selling six million copies, and the first single, "Let's Get Rocked," was on MTV's video countdown for a long time. It was also nominated for Best Video of the Year at the 1992 9th MTV Video Music Awards. However, it did not have the longevity of their previous albums, and in retrospect many fans consider it one of their weakest albums. Retroactive was released in 1993 and is a collection of songs which, although not new, were either rare or never previously released. Some of this album's songs were written as B-sides for Hysteria singles. Retroactive was followed by the release of Vault 1995, Def Leppard's Greatest Hits, which sold 3.5 million copies. In 1992, guitarist Vivian Campbell joined Def Leppard. Vivian Campbell had previously been in Sweet Savage, Dio, Whitesnake, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King. He collaborated in the songwriting for Slang, which was released in 1996. Next came the album Euphoria in 1999. X, Def Leppard's tenth album, was released in 2002. The band has stated that they are very satisfied with this album, and that in many ways they wish it had been the follow-up to Hysteria. Discography
Hit singlesfrom Pyromania
from Hysteria
from Adrenalize
from Retro Active
from Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits 1980-1995
from Slang
from Euphoria
from X
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The band has stated that they are very satisfied with this album, and that in many ways they wish it had been the follow-up to Hysteria. Jonathan Edwards (born in 1946, in Minnesota, USA) is an artist, musician, folk singer, songwriter and performer. X, Def Leppard's tenth album, was released in 2002. 1998 - Man in the Moon. Next came the album Euphoria in 1999. 1990 - Natural Thing. He collaborated in the songwriting for Slang, which was released in 1996. 1977 - The Sailboat Album. Vivian Campbell had previously been in Sweet Savage, Dio, Whitesnake, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King. 1976 - Rocking Chair. In 1992, guitarist Vivian Campbell joined Def Leppard. 1971 - Jonathan Edwards. Retroactive was followed by the release of Vault 1995, Def Leppard's Greatest Hits, which sold 3.5 million copies. Some of this album's songs were written as B-sides for Hysteria singles. Retroactive was released in 1993 and is a collection of songs which, although not new, were either rare or never previously released. It was also nominated for Best Video of the Year at the 1992 9th MTV Video Music Awards. However, it did not have the longevity of their previous albums, and in retrospect many fans consider it one of their weakest albums. It remained there for five weeks, selling six million copies, and the first single, "Let's Get Rocked," was on MTV's video countdown for a long time. The album entered the US charts at number 1. Adrenalize was finally released in 1992, the only album recorded by Leppard as a four-piece (Elliott, Collen, Savage, and Allen). After Hysteria 's release, internal problems (including the death of guitarist Steve Clark from a drug and alcohol overdose on January 8, 1991) resulted in a long delay before the follow-up. Much of Leppard's success in the 1980s is credited to their producer, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, who was considered by the band to be its sixth member. The seventh and last single to be released from this album was Rocket in early 1989 (see 1989 in music). The album included a total of six Top 20 singles. Album sales were slow until the fourth single, "Pour Some Sugar On Me", became a hit. The first released single, Women, was not very successful. Leppard's next album, Hysteria, (yet again produced by Lange), was released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). He then worked with Simmons to design a custom electronic drum kit. He practiced drumming with pillows, and realized that he could use his legs to do some of the percussive work previously done with his arms. While recovering in the hospital from his accident, Rick was committed to continuing his role as Def Leppard's drummer. The period after the album's success, however, was difficult: on December 31, 1984, Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash in which his Corvette veered off the road into a concrete wall. Aided by the singles "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", and "Foolin'", Pyromania sold six million copies in 1983 & 84. Lange was again the producer. This personnel change took place during the recording of their next release, Pyromania (January 20, 1983). Pete Willis later recorded with the bands Gogmagog and Roadhouse. Phil Collen, former guitarist from the band Girl, replaced Pete Willis who was fired on July 11, 1982 due to alcoholism. From it, "Bringin' on the Heartbreak"'s video was one of the first "metal" videos played on MTV video. High 'N' Dry (1981 in music) was their first album to be produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Their major label debut was On through the Night (1980 in music). They signed to Mercury Records. Rick Allen was added as the permanent drummer, to replace Kenning. They began playing locally and soon added Steve Clark before recording the underground hit "Getcha Rocks Off" for Bludgeon Riffola, their own label. Elliott had thought of the name Deaf Leopard in school and the band changed the name to Def Leppard based on the way Led Zeppelin spelled their name. Rick Savage (bass), Pete Willis (guitars) and Tony Kenning (drums) formed the band in 1977 in Sheffield (see 1977 in music). Joe Elliott joined as the vocalist, and brought the name of the band with him, originally they were called Atomic Mass. Def Leppard are a band from Sheffield, England, that emerged in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. 2003 "Long Long Way to Go" #40 UK. 2002 "Now" #23 UK. 1999 "Promises" #38 US. 1996 "All I Want Is Everything" #38 UK. 1996 "Work It Out" #22 UK. 1996 "Slang" #17 UK. 1995 "When Love and Hate Collide" #2 UK. 1994 "Action" #14 UK. 1993 "Miss You in a Heartbeat" #39 US. 1993 "Two Steps Behind" #32 UK, #12 US. 1993 "Tonight" #34 UK. 1993 "Heaven Is" #13 UK. 1992 "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)" #34 US. 1992 "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" #16 UK, #12 US. 1992 "Make Love Like a Man" #12 UK, #36 US. 1992 "Let's Get Rocked" #2 UK, #15 US. 1989 "Rocket" #15 UK, #12 US. 1988 "Love Bites" #11 UK, #1 US. 1988 "Armageddon It" #20 UK, #3 US. 1987 "Hysteria" #26 UK, #10 US. 1987 "Pour Some Sugar on Me" #18 UK, #2 US. 1987 "Animal" #6 UK, #19 US. 1987 "Women" #80 US. 1983 "Rock of Ages" #16 US. 1983 "Photograph" #12 US. 1983 "Foolin'" #28 US. Rock Of Ages - The Definitive Collection (2005). The Best of Def Leppard (2004). X (2002) #14 UK, #11 US. Euphoria (1999)#11 UK, #11 US. Slang (1996) #5 UK, #14 US. Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits 1980-1995 (1995) #3 UK, #15 US. Retro Active (1993) #6 UK, #9 US. Adrenalize (1992) #1 UK, #1 US. Hysteria (1987) #1 UK, #1 US. Pyromania (1983) #18 UK, #2 US. High 'N' Dry (1981) #26 UK, #38 US. On through the Night (1980) #15 UK, #51 US. |