Sometimes, I can get the gist of an album after just one listen.
Sometimes, it takes me a few spins, or even a few days to really
get into what the artist or band was trying to accomplish.
In the case of
On Through The Night, the 1980 full-length debut from Def
Leppard, it’s taken me damn near 20 years — just about the length
of time it takes Joe Elliott and crew to record new albums these
days.
In a sense, it’s hard to objectively view or listen to this
album today, what with the superstardom that Def Leppard
experienced with
Pyromania, the series of tragedies the band has faced, and
the almost mythical proportions surrounding
Hysteria and its recording. If you judge this album from
your experiences with songs like “Photograph” or “Pour Some Sugar
On Me,” you’re going to come away with a bad taste in your
mouth.
But let’s take a look at the big picture. In 1980, Def Leppard
were just five guys unknowingly riding the crest of what became
known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. The band — vocalist
Elliott, guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis, bassist Rick
Savage and drummer Rick Allen — were five young men hungry to make
a name for themselves outside of England, and they were still
searching for a sound they could call their own.
They almost nailed it on the first side alone — even without
the help of a superstar producer like Robert John “Mutt” Lange.
Right from the start, tracks such as “Rock Brigade” and “Hello
America” dare the listener to take a seat and be captivated by the
journey that Def Leppard aims to take you on. Oh, sure, the
production isn’t quite as polished, but the energy, talent and
emotion are all there in spades — and that’s something you can’t
tweak a knob on in post-production.
Even tracks like “Sorrow Is A Woman” — the first suggestion of
ballads courtesy of the verses — cuts through the preconceived
notions of Def Leppard and demand that they be taken on their own
merit. For a while, it honestly feels like Def Leppard can do no
wrong on this album.
But
On Through The Night does eventually hit that pothole
separating the solid songwriting from the chaff of filler material
— starting with the spoken-word intro to “When The Walls Came
Tumbling Down.” Granted, this was indeed a first effort (not
including the band’s independently-released EP), and some slack
does indeed have to be allowed for — but the drop-off in
songwriting quality between tracks like “Sorrow Is A Woman” and
“Satellite” to the level of “When The Walls Came Tumbling Down” and
“It Don’t Matter” (despite that syncopated rhythm track laid down
by Allen) is a tad disheartening. It’s a pretty significant
difference between the levels of songwriting — both from the
lyrical and the musical points of view — and is the one thing
which marks
On Through The Night as one that’s strictly for the die-hard
fans.
All of this being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if, somewhere,
someone in either the music industry or in radio decided to dust
this one off and help try to lead a re-discovery of this first
effort. Despite the passage of time, the occasional dated sound and
the weak effort here and there, there is enough good material to
recommend
On Through The Night to those curious to hear what Def
Leppard sounded like before they were ready for
Behind The Music.
