Def Leppard made a powerful statement with this arena
rock classic release. It also marked the end of the band’s sound as
a guitar-driven band in the vein of AC/DC. History tells us that
drummer Rick Allen would lose his arm during the recording sessions
for the follow-up Hysteria and that the band would go on to
reinvent itself into a group that uses technology to drive their
message home. In 1983, Pyromania was the biggest album of
the band’s career todate. It is Pyromania that has
“Photograph” and “Rock of Ages,” which are the songs that cover
bands learn when they decide to cover a Def Leppard tune. It’s the
straight-ahead guitar rock of Pyromania that made the band
immensely popular.
Starting with the perfect “Rock! Rock! (Till You
Drop)” anthem, the first track showcases vocalist Joe Elliott’s
range and attitude. Rick Allen supplies a solid backbeat, providing
mechanical and precise defiance with each snare hit. Within this
song, you get a wide range of style. The hit single/video
“Photograph” recalls the MTV glory days when they actually showed
videos. This song starts with the classic opening chord that cues
volume knobs to be cranked when heard.
The non-singles on this release are the real
classics, though. My favorite Def Leppard song of all time is
“Stagefright.” I like the stereotypical “Welcome to the show!”
vocal intro and the up-tempo drums and vocal delivery. The guitar
solo captures the essence of arena rock.
On the other hand, the tag team of “Too Late For
Love” and “Die Hard The Hunter” really drag this release down.
“Late” is a power ballad that doesn’t work while “Hunter” suffers
from a weak arrangement. It would have been easy to dismiss the
record after these two songs, but I don’t. That’s because the final
four songs progressively get better.
The singles “Foolin'” and “Rock Of Ages” capture
arena rock to its fullest. The way Joe Elliott hangs onto the “f”
in “foolin'” has been imitated, but rarely done as perfectly as
Elliott while drummer Rick Allen’s trademark cowbell intro has been
a requirement for drummers learning the instrument.
“Comin’ Under Fire” is what “Die Hard The Hunter” is
not — well-arranged and crafted. Following that is the pre-writing
for Hysteria material with “Comin’ Under Fire” and “Action!
Not Words.” Both tracks seem to be ahead of the other material on
this release. Finally, “Billy’s Got A Gun” could have been a
cliché piece of garbage. Luckily, Def Leppard makes it the
moodiest piece on this release and a real gem.
