Def Leppard's decline

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Well, if "Heavy Metal" is defined as bands like SAXON and IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST, then neither HOLY SOLDIER nor DEF LEPPARD were ever "Heavy Metal".

Agreed.

I think Def Lep was influenced a lot more by Sweet/Slade/etc. and other rock 'n roll/hard rock bands than BLACK SABBATH or JUDAS PRIEST.

ultmetal wrote:

However, what I didn't like was their denial of their past. Heavy Metal was a dirty word in the 1990's and many of these bands were trying their hand at alternative rock and making comments like, "we were never really a heavy metal band, blah, blah blah!" Yeah right!

It's not a dirty word anymore and Def Lep still deny it, right?

ultmetal wrote:

He didn't deny it when Headbangers Ball was playing his videos.

Headbanger's Ball played a lot of hard rock stuff, like Tesla, Winger, Cinderella, etc.

ultmetal wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I didn't say metal didn't exist in the 70's... I know Sabbath invented metal. I just think certain bands blur the line between metal and hard rock like AC/DC. The band themselves do not call themselves metal, they say they're rock. Take it up with them! Some people get a little nutty on this subject...

The sarcasm wasn't really directed at you. We've had this discussion before and it was directed at the argument I got into last time with someone claiming that heavy metal didn't exist until the 80's. I'll bet that old thread still exists around here somewhere. I'll have to see if I can find it. It's pretty amusing.

I found the old thread.

https://heartofmetal.niceboard.com/heart-of-metal-f1/1970-s-american-heavy-metal-t4656.htm

Smindas wrote:

Is it sacrilege that my favourite Def Leppard album is Hysteria? I also enjoy a fair amount of their post-Hysteria stuff, as ridiculously cheesy and poppy as it is. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (which, admittedly, is the worst album name ever) has some really great cuts on it.

Hysteria is clearly not my favorite of Def Leppard's catalog, BUT... there is that nostalgia factor. I remember hearing this album everyday on the way too and from school, and on the way to lunch (we had an open campus at my high school). Even if I didn't want to listen to it, there was no way getting around it, since my friend Craig Leider was a HUGE Leppard fan. He never took that cassette out of his car. That being said, he seemed to have a deeper appreciation for songs like "Gods of War", "Women", "Run Riot", "Don't Shoot Shotgun", and "Rocket", "Love & Affection", which I felt were the better tunes on the album. I remember hating "Pour Some Sugar On Me", & "Love Bites", not caring for "Animal", and tolerating "Armageddon It". About the only top 40 song that I liked was the title track. Recently, I picked up the deluxe edition of "Hysteria", in anticipation of "Pyromania" on June 23rd (here in the states). Def Leppard is one of those bands that I have a big time love/hate relationship with. Much of that has to do with Joe Elliott and his ramblings on how the Leps were never a "Metal" band. Whatever Joe...

In terms of other albums post "Hysteria", it's definitely a hit or miss thing. Even if I don't like their albums overall, I seem to always pull out a couple of tunes that remind me of their better days.

Adrenalize: Tear It Down, Tonight, White Lightning...
Retroactive: Desert Song, Fractured Love, Ring of Fire, I Wanna Be Your Hero...(these were all songs that were supposed to be on Hysteria & they should've been).
Slang: Pearl of Euphoria, Turn To Dust, Deliver Me...
Euphoria: Paper Sun, Day After Day, Kings of Oblivion...
X:Scar...
Songs From the Sparkle Lounge: Go, Gotta Let It Go...

Smindas, what was the first Def Leppard album you listened to?

Smindas wrote:

As an aside, I saw Def Leppard live for the first time on Sunday. At Donington's Download festival, right at the front of the crowd, after having been in the same position for ZZ Top and Whitesnake. Best day ever!

It sounds like you had an awesome time. Did you do a write up on the concert yet?

So what are you saying ToB? Are you denying that the first two DL albums were a part of the New Wave of Heavy Metal?

Temple of Blood wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Well, if "Heavy Metal" is defined as bands like SAXON and IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST, then neither HOLY SOLDIER nor DEF LEPPARD were ever "Heavy Metal".

Agreed.

I
think Def Lep was influenced a lot more by Sweet/Slade/etc. and other
rock 'n roll/hard rock bands than BLACK SABBATH or JUDAS PRIEST.

What does that have to do with whether they were a heavy metal band or
not? Lots of heavy metal bands were influenced by Sweet and Slade,
besides UFO, Thin Lizzy, Montrose and a ton of other bands that Def
Leppard covered back in the day. Some might even have considered those band heavy metal back in the day. I know that Martin Poppoff does. He lists Sweet, Slade and Def Leppard in the Heavy Metal Collector's Guides.

I don't remember even one metal fan saying "Def Leppard aren't a heavy
metal band" back in 1980 or 81. I quite frankly remember hearing
"Wasted" on the Friday Night Metal Shop, along with Iron Maiden, Judas
Priest, etc.

Sure, there is a different between 1970's heavy metal and what people call heavy metal know, just like modern country sounds very little like classic country, modern jazz sounds very different from 50's jazz. So what? It's all still jazz. It's all still country. It's all still heavy metal.

The first two Def Lep's were definately metal/heavy rock or whatever...

Def Leppard were definitley considered a metal band back in the 80's, and even when they went the more commerical route, they were classified as a pop metal band.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Well, if "Heavy Metal" is defined as bands like SAXON and IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST, then neither HOLY SOLDIER nor DEF LEPPARD were ever "Heavy Metal".

Then what do you call the awesome "On Through the Night"? I can agree that they probably weren't but pop-metal on "High 'n Dry", if you want to call it that, but their debut full-length was still a heavy metal album by a country mile.

metalinmyveins wrote:

Smindas, what was the first Def Leppard album you listened to?

I think I originally heard Pyromania once but didn't really take to it. Then I heard Hysteria in full and was hooked. Not sure why I didn't like Pyromania initially though, now I think it's a great album.

metalinmyveins wrote:

Smindas wrote:

As an aside, I saw Def Leppard live for the first time on Sunday. At Donington's Download festival, right at the front of the crowd, after having been in the same position for ZZ Top and Whitesnake. Best day ever!

It sounds like you had an awesome time. Did you do a write up on the concert yet?

It was an amazing 3 days! Haven't done a write up yet, may try and start one soon. There'd be an awful lot to write, I must've watched about 20 bands' full sets.

Quote :

"Gods of War", "Women", "Run Riot", "Don't Shoot Shotgun", and "Rocket",

Well, your friend has good taste, those are the best songs.

ultmetal wrote:

I wrote "Never" because of comments from guys like Joe Elliot, and also the guys from Holy Soldier when they released "Promise Man". These bands can do whatever they want musically. That's their choice as an artist. However, what I didn't like was their denial of their past. Heavy Metal was a dirty word in the 1990's and many of these bands were trying their hand at alternative rock and making comments like, "we were never really a heavy metal band, blah, blah blah!" Yeah right! Whatever. I would have respected them more if they just would have been honest and said, "we were tired of playing heavy metal and decided to get with the times and try our hand at the current trends in music." At least Guardian admitted as much with their post-Miracle Mile releases.

ah yes.. I remember now like sure Def Leppard now would be considered rock by today's standards but if you listen to songs like "Lady Strange" and Running in the Night" it definitely has shades of metal even by today's standards

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I haven't liked any of their stuff since Steve Clark died. The band seemed to only rock when Pete Willis and Steve Clark were in charge.

And METALLICA would still be Thrash if Cliff was still alive...

I disagree with you there completely sure Metallica were a thrash metal band in the 80s BUT in interviews they got offended by the label "thrash" and said songs like "Call of Ktulu" were deeper than thrash. My theory is if Cliff was alive they would of gone the same way as Savatage by becoming more melodic and writing songs that sound reminescent to "Gutter ballet", "Edge of Thorns" and "When the Crowds are gone" since Cliff was only guy in the band who listened to all styles of music while the other guys were only listening to METAL which on the contary would of been than Metallica did in the post Cliff era

I think I'll have to agree with Monty on this topic. No matter the decline, they didn't have far to fall.

I remember in an interview on TV, they were asked why they don't play songs off of On Through the Night or the non-singles off of High N' Dry anymore.

Strangely, I can vaguely recall hearing something about a song or two off of On Through the Night being performed live a few years ago. I could be wrong on that, though.

The first time I ever heard Def Leppard was in 1981 and it was "High N Dry". Man, I thought that album was awesome, and not even a hint of pop in my opinion. It was and still is heavy metal.
When "Pyromania" came out we had a stoner party the night we bought the LP and we all thought it was pretty cool, the guitars rocked, but I could tell that a few of the tunes were radio friendly but I still thought it was a great album. Over time I sort of resented that album because everybody and their little sister was listening to it but looking back, it's not the band's fault that everyone liked it and every radio station played the heck out of it.
When "Hysteria" came out I f***ing HATED it!! But by then I was full fledged thrash metal maniac(just ask fishingd, heck I made him into a thrash/death metal maniac). I know Ult's story about his buddy's boat and having to hear it 50,000 times a day and I was basically in the same boat(sorry bout the intended pun). I hated it so much, when Def Lep came to Alaska, I was like the only dude that didnt go to the show. But over 20 years later, the album has grown a bit on me, especially since it isnt alt-rock or grunge rock, just way-overly-cheezy 80's rock. Still, I think it has held up over time for what it is, and I'm ok with that.

I've never given any Def Leppard album since "Hysteria" any chance at all, in fact I've only heard "Let's Get Rocked" and one or two ballads that I dont even know the titles of.

I like DL up until Adrenalize after that......

Other then Eyesore, I was one of few Def Leppard fans on this board who liked alot of their post Hysteria albums.

I thought 'Adrenalized' and 'X' were broader line crap, but I actually like the 'Slang' CD and 'Europhia' had few good tunes on it.

'Sprakle Lounge' was not a bad CD, not exactly a return to 'High N Dry' days but had very well written pop metal tunes and their covers album 'Yeah!' was a fun listen.

Required Fields wrote:

I remember in an interview on TV, they were asked why they don't play songs off of On Through the Night or the non-singles off of High N' Dry anymore.

Strangely, I can vaguely recall hearing something about a song or two off of On Through the Night being performed live a few years ago. I could be wrong on that, though.

The last time I saw DL live was when they were promoting the "X" album (2002?). They hit the stage playing "Hello America" from On Through The Night which I was pleasantly surprised. I want to say they played something else from that album, but I can't remember. But I know they played 'Hello America'.

Quote :

'Sprakle Lounge' was not a bad CD, not exactly a return to 'High N Dry' days but had very well written pop metal tunes and their covers album 'Yeah!' was a fun listen.

Yeah. No way they could even do High N Dry again, they're not the same band.

Def Leppard put an album out after Pyromania


Saw them 5 times with Peter Willis and only once afterwards with that other dude. Clark and Willis were a great counter to one another. They played off the other. The next duo didn't have that effect. At least to my ears.