Pyromania - Def Leppard (CD 1987)

I have been a Def Leppard fan for a very long time. I grew up listening to them on the radio in the 80's. Def Leppard is probably one of the best rock bands to live through the 80's and now into the 90's.

1983's Pyromania was Def Leppard's third album, and boy it was a great one. Three songs on this album made it on their greatest hits album. Several others should of too!

Def Leppard is:

Joe Elliot- Lead Vocals

Steve Clark- Guitars

Phil Collen- Guitars

Rick Allen- Drums

Rick Savage- Bass Guitar

Pete Willis- "Invisible" Guitarist

The album is only 10 tracks long, but it is still one of the best ones I have listened to....that's my opinion.

Track #1
ROCK! ROCK! TILL YOU DROP
This is one of the hardest sounding songs on the album. This song sounds like a AC/DC song more than the "traditional" Def Leppard sound we all know and love. Great guitar(s) "duet" towards the end of the song. The song is about just what the title means "Rock! Rock! Till you drop!!"
"Anything Goes....!!"

Track #2
PHOTOGRAPH
This is one of the songs that made it on the charts and became a greatest hit. It is also one of my favorite songs too. This is one song that has the best backing vocals on it. This song is not too heavy, but it is also not too slow. This song is about a women in a picture, and the guy can't get over her. The women is every mens fantasy.

Track #3
STAGEFRIGHT
This is one song that should of made it to greatest hit...maybe on the groups second greatest hits release...!?!? The track starts out with a crowd cheering, and the song sounds like it was recorded live, but the group sounds too good to be live. This is another song that has great backing vocals.

Track #4
TOO LATE FOR LOVE
This is another "love ballad" from the group. The song is my favorite one on the album, and it is one of the most played songs on the rock station, they even play it on some of the slow rock stations late at night. I wonder why this one didn't make it on Def Leppard greatest hits album...maybe next time!?! Again great background vocals.

Track #5
DIE HARD the HUNTER
This song has a pretty cool intro. The track starts out with synthesized helicopter, gun, and laser sounds. A pretty cool voice effect too. The song is about a soldier who is shuned away from society and stuff like that.

Track #6
FOOLIN'
This is one of my favorite songs and it is also a greatest hit. This song has some of the best background vocals and the album. Def Leppard has the best background vocals out of any of the hard rock bands of the 80's. Powerful lyrics, great guitar playing.

Track #7
ROCK OF AGES
This is another greatest hit. Not my favorite but it is still a good one. The opening lyrics are very familiar if you have heard The Offspring's PRETTY FLY, FOR A WHITE GUY
"It's better to burn out, than fade away!!!" And they are far from burning out. They are still going strong!!

Track #8
COMIN' UNDER FIRE
This track is another great song, but it is never heard on the rock stations. They don't even play it that much during the Def Leppard marathons on the radio.

Track #9
ACTION! NOT WORDS
This is an ok song, not my favorite, but it is one I can listen to more than most songs today. It is about a guy who is tired of watching TV, so he decides to go and make his own "home" movies. This is a rock song.......guess what kind of "home" movies he is going to make?..I'm not going to tell...Figure it out for yourself. Groups today should take lessons from Def Leppard. They can sing about love, sex, and stuff like that without using vulagar & obscene language, and they can do it without giving away to much "information"

Track #10
BILLY's GOT A GUN
This is one of my favorites again, one of the reason's a bought this CD the other day. It has some of the best background vocals, and powerful lyrics. If you were to compare this to anyone elses songs, I would compare it to Skid Row's 18 AND LIFE except ten times better. This is another song I don't know why they do not play. At the end of the song there are some weird synthesized sound effects. Very hypnotic! I don't know why they are there, maybe there are some hidden meaning in the songs lyrics..ok, most likely no, but it doesn't hurt to throw the idea out there!

Overall-

Overall this is a great album, you can pick it up in most music stores' bargain bins. I got this CD at Sam Goody for about $10.99 This is a must have for all Def Leppard fans, hard rock fans, or those who enjoy music with meaning. Def Leppard has proven that you don't have to be vulgar to make a hit song. They are still around, and still going strong.

They are performing September 6, 2000 about 17 miles from were I live. They will be at the C'DA Greyhound Park in Idaho, and I hope to be there.