Tracks:
1. Rock! Rock! ('Til You Drop)
2. Photograph
3. Stage Fright
4. Too Late For Love
5. Die Hard the Hunter
6. Foolin'
7. Rock of Ages
8. Comin' Under Fire
9. Action! Not Words
10. Billy's Got a Gun
If Hysteria was the powder keg blowing them into rock history, then Pyromania was the match that lit the fuse. The album was a goliath in America, unfortunately reaching minimal popularity in the band's home country of Britain. It debuted in a time where hard rock music and glam metal had not yet peaked, or barely reached the front of mainstream music, a rock and roll dead zone essentially. On loop on the radios were seventies hard rock hits by famed and decaying bands such as Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and numerous others who were soon to bend to the tide of rockers influenced by Pyromania's success.
Much like Hysteria, the creation of the album was done through much strife and frustration. Leppard's previous albums had reached minimal success. The most recent album: High 'n Dry, wouldn't receive huge recognition until MTV got a hold of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", which gave the band a much needed push. On Through the Night, and High 'n Dry were albums were quickly thrown together. What they lacked was a true direction, even though the course was determined by the metal and harck rock influences.
When the band got together to start recording for their third studio album, they were hardly prepared. Progress was sluggish and the members were suffering from anger and varying degrees of alcoholism. One good product of their minds did come from their lacking work, "Rock of Ages" which was even then revised and edited. Finally they decided to inquire help from a music producer who was attributed in the successes of prior bands. The man was John "Mutt" Lange. The band put their confidence in the man and set out to record Pyromania.
To the band's dismay they soon found out that Mutt did things quite differently. He required for them to get it together and put some temperance on the alcohol, which guitarist Pete Willis seemed unable to do. They finally decided to remove him from the lineup and they called in Phil Collen, a previous member of the band called Girl. Another stressful aspect of Mutt was that during recording he strived for absolute hits, not just good songs on a good album. He made the band play over and over again until the song sounded absolutely perfect. This caused the members exhaustion and anger. The drummer, who was ultimately kept from the studio so that the electronic drums could create the perfect beats, Rick Allen became distraught one day and threw his drumsticks so hard that one buried itself into the wall. Joe Elliot's voice would grow raspy from the wear and tear of the extended singing.
The stress drove Steve Clark into a deeper alcholism which he was luckily able to suppress. But as time wore on they finally completed a good album. It was crunch time and they had to see how good it was going to do. With the previous help of MTV's airing of Bringin on the Heartbreak they already had some fame. Tagging along with Billy Squier's tour, they would open for him each concert. Many concerts opened with an instant concert favorite "Stage Fright" which set the tone for the rest of the opening which Billy Squier felt he had to compete with. The energy they emitted and the pitch perfect playing only increased their popularity. Singles such as "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", and "Foolin" broke the logjam in the radio community and the loops were spiced up with the album's hits.
When Billy Squier's tour ended, and later his rapport with his male audience when he released "Rock me Tonite", Def Leppard entered a megatour of their own across the US, filling stadiums and arenas to the brim with fans and turned rock lovers. The album had a new style that was never before heard, which was a generally cleaner mix of the rougher metal and pop elements that quote "you could let your grandparents listen to". It isn't surprising that a youth deprived of new rock music instantly took to the band, sporting the Union Jack tank top that was made famous by Joe Elliot's to their concerts and declaring their loyalty.
The album's success was attributed to the success of their concerts. As one excecutive of a famous record company put it, "they were a band that didn't play concerts to promote albums, they made albums to promote concerts".
Pyromania even was recognized in Rolling Stone's Great Rock Albums of All Time list. Just as Rolling Stone magazine put it, the album will go down as one of the greatest albums ever created.
Ultimate Albums Pyromania:
1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d98UWiQi-Nw&feature=share&list=UUsUT7TJjxN7Pq_bC3vGGzyw
2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYvkoIStSGw&feature=share&list=UUsUT7TJjxN7Pq_bC3vGGzyw
3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0oI5BPx31A&feature=share&list=UUsUT7TJjxN7Pq_bC3vGGzyw
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Def Leppard- Music, Lyrics, Videos, Biographies, and More!
Non-FictionOne of the most famous bands in rock history is brought to you. Inside there is a basic history of their incredible and bittersweet beginnings. Following it are there best songs' lyrics and a video so you can listen to them and enjoy the rock. Wi...
