Didn’t see this one coming did you? I am more than willing to toss aside any “cool cred” I might have in order to feature my first favorite band. I was 7-years-old when Pyromania came out and it owned me from Day 1. The copy in our house belonged to my sister but it might as well have been mine. I would drop that record (yes, record) onto my Fisher Price record layer and rock out in my bedroom. Eventually I ordered High & Dry and On Through The Night through one of those mail-order services and I scrawled my name on my notebooks using the Lep’s font . Then tragedy struck. On December 31st, 1984 drummer Rick Allen was in a car accident and lost his left arm. This was devastating to 8-year-old me. This was my Buddy Holly, my before-it-happened Kurt Cobain. The next 3 years of my life were filled with the need to have new Def Leppard. How were they going to continue with a one-armed drummer?! Thankfully technology had advanced enough that Allen was able to stay with the band due to a custom drum set. Once the band was whole rumors were swirling that a new record was imminent. Needless to say I was a little excited. So excited in fact, that when they dropped “Pour Some Sugar On Me” I may or may not have exclaimed that they recorded it for me. I was 11 and it had been a long wait for new material!
Sadly, my love affair with the ‘Lep ended after the release of Adrenalize in 1992. As much as I loved “Let’s Get Rocked” we had grown apart and I was finding alternative bands. Like a first love Def Leppard will always hold a special place in my heart.
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak – Probably best known for being covered, in terrible fashion, by Mariah Carey. I still love this song as it is a perfect example of the band’s strong suit, big-ass power ballads. Back in the day I am sure this was a guaranteed panty-dropper.
Rock of Ages – The first song I heard from the ‘Lep thanks to MTV. Much like Duran Duran the ‘Lep owe much of their success to MTV as their videos were in heavy rotation. You know you remember this video… Joe Elliot stalking some fake hallway with a giant sword, monks and that German spoken-word at the beginning (“Gunter glieben glauchen globen”). Ring a bell?
Rocket – I bet you thought it was going to be “Pour Some Sugar On me” didn’t you? Well, as time has gone on this song has become my fav on this record. Could be the drums, the weird f/x at the beginning or just Ooohs. Or the combination of all 3.
What “Cool Cred”?
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