High 'N' Dry - Def Leppard (CD 1992)

Def Leppard's first album, On Through The Night, was released in 1979, and while a decent debut album, really didn't show near the promise that the band had. There was really only one good song on the album (Rock Brigade which is a great tune!) and the rest of the album fell a little flat.

High 'n' Dry was the follow up album and boy what a difference two years makes. Most people know Def Leppard for their mid to late 80s hits Hysteria and Pyromania. Those albums are slices of pure 80s rock that perfectly sum up the band. They were two of the biggest 80s albums and are universally acclaimed as some of the best music that decade had to offer. However, I like High 'n' Dry more.

Why is that you ask? I'm not really sure but I feel it's a more "real" album. The music is just rawer and edgier than some of their other work. Mutt Lange is one heck of a producer and has the ability to take just about any group and make them into superstars. High 'n' Dry was his first work with Def Leppard and he had just come off producing AC/DC which may account for the rawer sound.

The whole album is just up front and in your face. More often than not, the album is mean and edgy, a sound not normally taken by Def Leppard. This is rock without pretension, just five kids from the street who came into the studio and rocked out. I guess the reason I like it so much is that on this album Def Leppard sounds the most like a band and not the phenomenon they would become. On later releases there was so much production and the whole "wall of guitars" sound going on that it took away from the direct feel of the songs. (Don't get me wrong though, I love Pyromania and Hysteria and consider them classic albums as well)

High 'n' Dry starts off with a huge bang with Let It Go. This is just a great hard rockin' tune that really conveys the whole vibe of the album. Phil Collen sounds angry and the guitar duo of Pete Willis and Steve Clark just groove throughout this one. Definitely one of the better opening tracks on a Def Leppard album.

Another Hit And Run follows up Let It Go and the feel of the song is exactly the same. In fact the music is somewhat similar and it feels almost like a continuation of the previous track. As a producer I might have spaced the two tracks a little apart, but who am I to argue with Mutt Lange? Another great track.

The title track High 'n' Dry is next and is a little bit of a letdown in my eyes. This is not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, however. Personally I think this is song is more indicitive of the direction Def Leppard was heading. It's got a more glam feel than probably anything else on this album. It's a simple song about drinking (on Saturday night). Doesn't really carry the same weight that some of the other material here does, but obviously the Lep boys liked it enough to name the album after it.

Now we come to the real reason this is my favorite Leppard album, Bringin' On The Heartbreak. This is easily my favorite Def Leppard song and one of the three best power ballads of all time. The lyrics here are amazingly emotional and deep. Joe Elliot belts out the vocals and makes it evident that he has the perfect voice for this kind of material. The guitar solo is great and really showed off the abilities of Pete Willis. He wasn't that flashy a guitarist, but he could definitely play. This was the Lep's first real hit and it's easy to see why. Unfortunately, I don't think the guys play this one very much in concert anymore as they seem to focus on the Phil Collen era more, now that Steve Clark is gone. A terrible shame as this song should be played nightly. I recommend listening to this one after a fight with the girlfriend.

Bringin' On The Heartbreak leads immediately into an instrumental piece Switch 625. This is one of the coolest instrumentals on a rock record and perfectly flows from Heartbreak. Clark and Willis just do the dual guitar thing to perfection here.

Just about anything following those two tracks is gonna be a bit of a let down, but You Got Me Runnin' shows a great effort. This song is more of a fluff piece, but it never really feels like filler. Credit the production of Mutt Lange.

Lady Strange is a different piece. Once again were back to a little more serious song and once again, it works a little better. The best part of this song is the cool verse lyrics by Joe Elliot. His way of singing just really sells the track and the multi-voice chorus that Def Leppard is famous for is really cool. The double-time solo is great too.

You would think that the track On Through The Night would have been on their first album (titled On Through The Night) and it probably should have been. It starts off nicely with a cool verse over a pretty decent riff, but then bogs down in the chorus. The song isn't really a happy sounding one, but the chorus gives that impression and is just a jarring change from the verse. Def Leppard probably forgot to stick this one on their first album after naming it after the tune, and the probably should have forgotten it here as well. It's not that it's so bad, it's just not up to par and so sounds like filler.

Mirror, Mirror is a really cool track that gets back to the feel of this album. Great sound and great vocals = great song. It doesn't hurt that the chorus is just so darn cool:

Take a look into my eyes
Tell me what You see
Take a look into my eyes
Tell me is it true
Take a look into my eyes
Oh, when I look at you
Take a look into my eyes
Tell me is it me?
Mirror, Mirror

I know this isn't their best song on the album, but it's always great when you find a gem near the end of an album.

Well No, No, No closes out the album and the title is appropriate for two reasons. When I hear this song, I think to myself, "No, No, No. why is this album over?" and at the same time "No, No, No. Why did they include this song on the album?" This is the weakest track here and hurts the album more than helps it. There is a good song lurking under hear somewhere, but it was lost. The guitar is good, but the vocals and lyrics just can't keep up. It's a fast song with dumb lyrics which have a hard time keeping up unfortunately.


Overall High 'n' Dry is a great album all around. It does have a couple weaker tracks, but for the most part it's pretty strong from start to finish. The production is top-notch without being overbearing. Rick Savage and Rick Allen are both great hear providing a consistent low end that always keeps up and never gets in the way. Allen was a great drummer (and still is) and I love him on this album. Losing his arm caused him to go to a more processed sound on an electronic drum kit though which did slightly change the feel of subsequent Def Leppard albums.

High 'n' Dry also marks Pete Willis' last album with Def Leppard due to the stress of touring and stagefright. He was replaced by Phil Collen who brought out the best in the boy's glam side. I love Collen's work but I have to admit that Willis was great too although he had a much different style.

This is an album to own and can easily be found in just about any bargain bin in used CD shops. Def Leppard were a really good band live and in the studio, but I think this is more of a "live" album than their later ones. If all you've heard is Hysteria, Pyromania and Adrenalize you owe it too yourself to check out High 'n' Dry. You won't be disappointed.