DEF LEPPARD - High 'N Dry

Artist:  Def Leppard
Album:  High 'N Dry
Year:  1981
Genre:  Hard Rock

Why put Def Leppard on here?  Not as if they need the exposure or the money, right?  My theory is if something is good, then it deserves recognition.  Def Leppard used to be the wolf in AOR clothing.  Under that radio-friendly, era-pandering, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” exterior lies the flesh, bone and heart of a long lost, powerful, hard rock band.  Ages ago this band was setting MTV on fire with their breakout hit record Pyromania.  That record spawned two #1 hits and two #9 hits on the Billboard Rock Chart, dominated rock and pop radio and sold over 10,000,000 copies to date.  Daaaaamn.  And that wasn’t even their big album.  Yet, before the fame, Def Leppard had two less than top 10 selling releases.  High And Dry is their second full-length release and it is a monster!  High And Dry sees the band in what I think is its most raw and hungry sounding stage.  The songs truly rally around the guitars and vocals; just like a great hard rock record should.   The riffs are big, catchy and would make Angus Young extremely proud.  Joe Elliot’s vocals, sound as if they are on the verge of derailing at any second, provide the melodic grit that pounds these songs right in your head.  Although, there is absolutely zero wrong with Pyromania, this album has an agressive side they never really captured again.  That's a shame because they were very good at it.   The Def Leppard of 1981 would have thrown empty Jack Daniels bottles at the Def Leppard of 1987 and beyond.  High 'N Dry is almost 42 years old and it still can compete with any heavy rock out there.  Don't be scared to be a Def Leppard fan!

Listen to "No No No" here.