Joe returns to Life In The Stocks for Episode 320. This actually marks Joe’s third appearance on the podcast, but there’s never any shortage of fun stuff to talk about. Here, they discuss everything from stadium tours with Motley Crue and the shenanigans that went down on the road to the working class roots of Def Leppard and what’s held the band together over all these years. Plus, take a dive into Pyromania, the 40th anniversary edition to which is out now. Tune in at https://spoti.fi/3xVEDcR
via Udiscover
Def Leppard have shared a deluxe 40th anniversary reissue of their seminal 1983 album Pyromania. The release has arrived with a special merchandise collection.
Shop the best of Def Leppard’s discography on vinyl and more.
The new collection includes tracks like “Photograph – Rough Mix Version (Unfinished Vocal),” an unreleased demo version from the band’s vaults.
The album, which reached No.2 in the US charts and is certified Platinum, was the first to feature Guitarist Phil Collen, who had replaced Pete Willis.
This deluxe edition was prepared with singer Joe Elliott, who acted as executive producer on the set. The mastering was done by the band’s long-serving sound engineers Ronan McHugh and Andy Pearce.
This deluxe set comes with four CDs, consisting of the original album, a whole disc of unheard demos discovered during lockdown by Joe Elliott, an unreleased song called “No You Can’t Do That,” and two live shows from the era.
The Blu Ray accompaniment contains an Atmos mix of the album (overseen by Giles Martin) as well as 5.1 / Stereo and instrumental mixes. Other bonus features include promo videos from the time and a debut on Blu Ray for a live show from Westfalen Halle in Germany (Dortmund).
The accompanying book contains the history of the album written by Mojo and Classic Rock writer Paul Elliott (no relation), who conducted new interviews with band members. The book also includes rare and unseen photos by noted photographer Ross Halfin. The album will also be available as a Half Speed Master for the first time.
Regarding the reissue, Joe Elliott said, “A labor of love and I loved every minute of it!! Rediscovering dusty old cassettes which were brilliantly restored by Ronan and finding the long lost unfinished ‘11th track’ was a journey only few of us are lucky enough to take…what a trip !!”
Phil Collen added, “Pyromania is a really special album for obvious reasons. It was the first time we all worked together with Mutt Lange, and I was able to play with my incredible friend Steve Clark—who was such a gifted and wonderful guitarist. I am incredibly proud of the album and what we collectively achieved.”
Rick Savage concluded, “Right from the very early days we had a specific idea of how we wanted to sound. A massive wall of guitars and drums supporting huge vocals and melodies. That vision came to fruition with the making of Pyromania. Even now it still has that special quality that made it such a ground-breaking record. It’s a testament to the songs that they remain the fans’ favorites and true cornerstones of any Leppard show. 40 years?? It doesn’t even seem like 40 days.”
Buy or stream the Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition of Pyromania and exclusive merch.
Def Leppard’s first two albums vaulted five boys from working-class Sheffield, England to the vanguard of the new wave of British heavy metal. On 1983’s Pyromania, the quintet set their sights even higher. “There’s no point in trying to appeal to half the population,” bassist Rick Savage tells Billboard. “Why not appeal to 100% of the population?”
With ace producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange back in the studio after 1981’s High ‘n’ Dry, Def Leppard crafted a technically sophisticated album of hard chugging yet melodic songs that catapulted them onto radio waves and stages usually reserved for pop stars. Prior to Pyromania, the music industry had been reluctant to invest in metal; an article in the April 14, 1984, Billboard quoted a radio executive who described “a longhaired kid wearing a torn Def Leppard shirt” as “the kind of person you wouldn’t want in your store.”
The album’s blockbuster success — which also eventually included a diamond RIAA certification for over 10 million units shipped — paved the way for the pop-metal crossover of bands like Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses and Poison, and set Def Lep up for a long, fruitful career. In 2022, the still-active band became only the third group to notch a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 in every decade since the ‘80s.
Ahead of the 40th anniversary edition of Pyromania (out April 26), Savage and frontman Joe Elliott hopped on a Zoom call with Billboard to pull back the curtain on the making of the classic — as well as share thoughts on a former CMT Crossroads collaborator who has since become the biggest pop star in the world.
Read the interview at Billboard.com
After Pyromania, radio and record labels couldn’t ignore the growing genre any longer. Pyromania went all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (soaring past their previous peak of No. 38), produced two Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s (“Photograph” for six weeks and “Rock of Ages”) and gave the band three top 30 Billboard Hot 100 hits (the aforementioned singles plus “Foolin’”).
40th anniversary editions of Def Leppard’s iconic album ‘Pyromania’ are out now. Explore the new formats and expanded editions, along with a new line of official merchandise on the official Def Leppard store.
Featuring global hits such as ‘Photograph’, ‘Rock Of Ages’ and ‘Foolin”, Def Leppard’s diamond certified 1983 album has been released as a series of new expanded and limited-edition formats, produced by Joe Elliott and Ronan McHugh with mastering by Andy Pearce. Featuring unheard demos and live material.
Available on black 2LP, coloured 2LP, half-speed Mastered 1LP, 2CD, and a deluxe 4CD package featuring Blu-Ray Atmos Mix of the album and a book of rare photos by Ross Halfin with new quotes from the band. Also available for streaming and download.
To hear Phil Collen tell it, he joined Def Leppard almost by accident. He had loaned the band one of his amps, and when they asked him to play some leads on their upcoming record Pyromania, Collen thought he was just doing his friends a solid. The rest is history.
He and Shifty talk through Collen’s formative years on guitar, where he soaked up the scorching playing of classic guitar heroes: Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Mick Ronson, Michael Schenker, and Gary Moore all played a hand in Collen’s high-flying fretwork.
Collen’s solo on “Photograph” is a perfect example of the sort of “ear candy” that producer Mutt Lange encouraged the band to chase in the studio—and yes, he did record individual notes to build a single guitar chord on Pyromania. But there weren’t many tricks to Collen’s sound on the solo. His Ibanez Destroyer and a 50-watt Marshall were all he needed to get the job done for the slick, Johnny Thunders-inspired solo. Tune in to see how he worked that two-piece setup to record one of the most influential guitar solos of the ’80s.
GREETINGS MUSIC LOVERS – AND WELCOME BACK TO JOE ELLIOTT’S SONGS FROM THE VAULT SHOW ON SIRIUSXM’S DEEP TRACKS CHANNEL.
In the APRIL 2024 hour’s show, Joe highlights and tells stories about some of his favourite songs and artists from his own personal collection.
April’s Show features music and stories from Ian Hunter, Von Hertzen Brothers, Marizane, Heavy Metal Kids and more!
WHO: Def Leppard frontman, musician, and musicologist Joe Elliott
WHAT: Joe Elliott’s Songs from the Vault
WHERE: SiriusXM’s DeepTracks (Ch. 27)
WHEN: Show Schedule HERE
MORE:
In his youth, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott was creatively influenced by the music of the late 60’s and early 70’s. From legendary acts like T. Rex, Mott The Hoople, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and so many others. Each month, listen to Elliott play “Deep Tracks” from his personal music collection. Expect to hear songs from Joe’s vault and some of the stories behind them.