Def Leppard
 Def Leppard formed in Sheffield, England in 1977 as Atomic
Mass with original members Rick Savage, Pete Willis and Tony Kenning.
Frontman Joe
Elliot came into the picture not long after and the band adopted
the name Deaf Leopard, soon altering the spelling to be "more
rock 'n' roll".
Additional guitarist Steve Clark (the 17-year-old son of a Sheffield
taxi driver) joined just in time for their
first gigs in July 1978 and Frank Noon replaced Kenning prior to
recording their first single.
With finance provided by Joe's
father, the band released a debut EP entitled Getcha Rocks Off
in 1979 on their own Bludgeon Riffola label.
The EP sold more than 15,000 copies and established Def Leppard
as the flagship group of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal
(NWOBHM) - a new generation of UK metal bands.
Later that year, with Rick Allen taking up permanent residence
on the drum stool, and following tours supporting AC/DC and
others, the band were signed to Vertigo which prompted a move to
London, and in 1980 their debut album On Through The Night
broke into the UK Top 20.
The band were certainly metal (albeit metal of the most easy
listening variety) and while the critics hated them, their growing
army of fans lapped up every release.
Although High 'N' Dry (1981) marked the beginning of
their association with Mutt Lange, Def Leppard's big break came
with 1983's Pyromania. Legendary for it's use of all
manners of studio special effects and state-of-the-art technology,
the record revolutionised heavy metal and became the benchmark by
which subsequent 80s albums were measured.
It would, however, be America that
eventually embraced the band. Highly melodic and extremely hook-laden, the Americans loved Pyromania
and it's attendant singles Photograph and Rock
Of Ages, with the album selling over seven million copies.
Tragedy struck when Rick Allen crashed his Corvette Stingray
during an ill-timed high-speed argument with another driver outside Manchester on New Years Eve 1984.
Trying to pass the other car, Allen slammed his Corvette into
overdrive, hit a sudden curve too fast and crashed into a brick
wall.
His left arm was torn
off by the impact, and although surgeons re-attached the limb they
had to amputate it three days later when infection set in. A true
metal warrior, Allen soldiered bravely on using a customised drum
kit with programmable drum pads and foot pedals.
Bearing in mind his accident and the band's perfectionist
nature, four years wasn't too long to wait for a new album . . .
and for the majority of fans, the delay was well worth it.
A melodic rock tour de force, the Hysteria album
finally broke the band in their home country with three of its
singles reaching the UK Top 10; Love Bites giving the
band their very first Number One.
Similarly successful across the Atlantic and worldwide, the
album sold a staggering amount with Def Leppard staking their
claim as the biggest heavy metal act on the planet.
Ironically, just as the group were entering the big league,
tragedy struck again as Steve Clark was found dead in his Chelsea
apartment on 8 January 1991 after a prolonged drink and drugs
binge.
The official cause of death was recorded as 'compression of the
brain stem as a result of mixing alcohol with prescription
anti-depressants and painkilers'. He was only 30.
The band recruited Belfast-born elder statesman of rock, Vivian Campbell, as
a replacement and began work on the Adrenalize (1992)
album. While the single Get Rocked bordered on
cringeworthy, the album's glossy pop metal once again pulled in
the punters in their millions.
The next few years saw the release of a B-sides/rarities affair
called Retro Active (1993) and a greatest hits
collection, Vault (1995). A new studio album, Slang,
eventually hit the shops in 1996, showcasing a more modern sound -
and some updated hairstyles.
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