Def Leppard’s Pyromania album was released on January 20, 1983.
Def Leppard: Pyromania
On Through The Night and High ‘n’ Dry could be considered the appetizers to Def Leppard’s Pyromania, the main course of finely crafted songs that would propel the band toward superstardom. (It wouldn’t be until 4 years later when a heaping second helping — the Hysteria album — would lift them to even greater heights.)
Fans are passionate about which Def Leppard era or album best represents the band, but, regardless of choice, it’s undeniable that Pyromania was groundbreaking.
So rise up, gather round — better yet, sit back and get comfortable — and let’s rock this deep dive to the ground by taking a fond look back at Def Leppard’s iconic Pyromania album.
Pete Willis: F-F-F-Fired
Though it may sound cliché, the Pyromania period was indeed a time of transition for Def Leppard. (In the ’80s and ’90s, this seemed to be more the norm than the exception for the band.)
Founding member Pete Willis was fired during the recording of the album. And while his rhythm guitar work remained on the record, Pyromania ended up being the first Def Leppard album to feature Phil Collen, Willis’ replacement.
Pete Willis was a key part in co-writing numerous songs during the band’s early era, including the Pyromania album: “Photograph,” “Too Late For Love,” “Comin’ Under Fire,” and “Billy’s Got a Gun” were all co-written by him.
It’s important to note that Steve Clark‘s songwriting contributions were also all over the album. Aside from “Stagefright,” Steve co-wrote every song on Pyromania. (Phil Collen joined the band near the end of the album’s recording; he was not involved in co-writing any of the tracks.)
Together, Steve Clark and Pete Willis played a crucial part in making the band’s first three studio albums, well, what they were. And Pyromania marked the end of that creative force. (Read more about Steve and Pete’s immeasurable contributions to the High ‘n’ Dry album here).
Teaming up Steve and Phil — aka “The Terror Twins” — introduced a whole new dynamic. And while Phil did not take part in the songwriting process, he delivered unmistakable guitar solos on five of Pyromania’s songs — “Photograph” being one of them — while Steve handled solos on the album’s five other tracks.
Mutt Lange’s Return & Influence
Producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange took on a much greater role in crafting Pyromania, and, ultimately, the type of band Def Leppard would become.
Mutt’s involvement in the album went far beyond producer duties; for instance, aside from Joe Elliott, Mutt is the only other person to have a songwriting credit on every Pyromania track.
It was during this time Def Leppard’s rough-around-the-edges, hard rock sound began to transform. With Mutt’s influential direction, the band that had put out On Through The Night and High ‘n’ Dry was now evolving into a more polished, arena-rocking, radio-friendly, rock supergroup.
Joe Elliott addressed why Def Leppard’s sound drastically changed after High ‘n’ Dry in an interview with Rolling Stone, mentioning:
“We never wanted to be the band that set up and played, which is what we were for High ‘n’ Dry – and that’s what we wanted to be for High ‘n’ Dry because there was no technology then.”
In hindsight, Pyromania bridged the gap between the band’s first two “rawer” studio albums and subsequent, multi-layered productions like Hysteria, Adrenalize, and beyond (such as Euphoria).
And while some fans may have been disappointed by Def Leppard’s more refined “commercial” sound during the Pyromania (and Hysteria) era, it’s that particular sound that ultimately became the band’s trademark and an essential ingredient to its success and enduring popularity.
No Serenade, No Fire Brigade, Just Pyromania
Pyromania packs a wallop, from the opening jolt of “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” to the seemingly endless drum loops that follow final track “Billy’s Got a Gun.”
The album ventures into different directions — many tracks even feature distinct sound effects to announce (and identify) them before any music actually begins — all of which contribute to Pyromania’s unique listening experience.
When a young, talented band works with a mastermind producer, magical results are sure to ensue, and the differences on Pyromania are stark when compared to previous Def Leppard albums: Joe Elliott’s vocals are much more controlled and powerful; Steve Clark and Phil Collen’s (and Pete Willis’) guitars are crisp and impactful; Rick Savage’s bass guitar is prominent and ever-present as it leads the way; the layered backing vocals (which also include Mutt Lange’s voice) are thunderous.
And then there were the drums, an essential component in what made Pyromania’s songs — and the album’s almighty sound — so distinct.
What may be surprising to some is that the majority of the drums heard on Pyromania (aside from cymbals and other fills throughout) were reportedly created by drum machines — a trade-off, in order to accomplish the sound Mutt Lange envisioned for the album, and the result of his recording approach (i.e., adding drum tracks last for more flexibility when arranging and rearranging songs).
Mutt Lange’s right-hand man and engineer-extraordinaire, the late Mike Shipley confirmed this recording process in interviews:
“Take ‘Photograph,’ for example. Like all the other songs on the record, the song’s drums were all samples from the Fairlight [CMI (computer musical instrument) sampler]. There are no real drums. The cymbals are played, but the bass drum, snare, and toms are all machine.”
Ironically, this all occurred before Rick Allen’s tragic car accident, which resulted in him completely changing his approach to drumming, and, subsequently, further transforming Def Leppard’s sound.
As for Pyromania, it was Mutt Lange’s overall approach and attention to detail that ended up creating such a tremendous-sounding outcome. (Read an in-depth look at Mutt Lange’s body of work here.)
You may have read a previous article on this site that spotlighted “Photograph” and featured Joe Elliott’s vocal track. Let’s take things a step further.
For your amusement, here’s an excellent video that will give you an idea of Pyromania’s multi-layer recording process, showcasing its multitude of tracks and the technical wizardry behind the scenes that crafted “Photograph’s” arrangement.
It’s literally a view from behind a studio console that showcases everything that’s occurring simultaneously during “Photograph.” (Watching the first 2-3 minutes will give you a good idea of the endeavor, but if you have the time, make sure to reach the 4:48 mark where it really kicks into gear, after ongoing, continuous tweaks to the mix have been made. It’ll practically give you goosebumps. Turn it up!)
As you can see and hear, all the audio subtleties — including those things you may not have even noticed before — come together to form one incredible song result. (Keep in mind, this mixing exercise only utilized finished layered tracks!)
The video does a wonderful job of encapsulating the grand scale of Pyromania and the production quality behind it.
Def Leppard Pyromania: The Singles and Beyond
Pyromania’s official singles lit up the charts, yet none of them came close to topping Billboard‘s Hot 100 singles chart; surprisingly, they didn’t even reach the Top 10. That’s not to say they didn’t make an impact; they certainly did, leaving a lasting impression to this day.
“Photograph,” which many consider the album’s best track, was the first official single — talk about an excellent way to introduce Pyromania to a radio audience! The song peaked at #12 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 singles chart (it reached #1 on the more niche Mainstream Rock chart).
Surprisingly, and indicative of Def Leppard’s long uphill climb to win over audiences in their homeland, “Photograph” peaked at only #66 on the U.K.’s singles chart.
“Rock of Ages” followed it up as the album’s second single in May 1983, nearly matching the chart performance of “Photograph.” It reached #16 on the Hot 100 singles chart (and also made it to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart).
“Foolin'” was released (in North America only) as single number three in November 1983, and didn’t quite keep up with its predecessors, peaking at #28 on the Hot 100 singles chart (and #9 on the Mainstream Rock chart).
And then…that was it.
You may be wondering, what about “Too Late for Love”?
The song was never officially released as a single in North America. (It was a single in the U.K., peaking at #86.)
The point in all of this is not to provide a Def Leppard chart lesson, but to show that Pyromania succeeded in spite of not having many singles, let alone ones that conquered the charts.
In the span of 7 months, all of the album’s singles had come and gone. There was no second wave of radio-friendly releases, no additional singles timed with another leg of the Pyromania tour, etc. Fini!
Quite a few of Pyromania’s powerhouse deep tracks (such as “Too Late for Love,” “Comin’ Under Fire,” and “Billy’s Got a Gun”) still made it onto the Mainstream Rock chart, though, to help keep the album’s momentum going. In the process, these classic “non-singles” also made a name for themselves.
Overall, this was a more successful, tactical approach than, say, the single release strategies for Def Leppard’s X and Adrenalize albums.
The band also made great use of the album’s deep cuts on tour, well beyond the Pyromania era: “Stagefright” and “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” were effectively utilized as opening numbers during the Hysteria tour. “Too Late For Love,” “Die Hard the Hunter,” and “Billy’s Got a Gun” remain concert highlights and were even performed during 2019’s “Hits Vegas” residency. (It goes to show the caliber of Pyromania’s songs; any of the tracks mentioned above, though not technically singles or hits, could easily fit into a Def Leppard setlist even now.)
As for the album’s official singles, one major reason their popularity soared initially was due to the support of up-and-coming cable network MTV. Back then, viewers rarely made it through a day without seeing Def Leppard appear on the channel. Be it an interview…
Or the heavy rotation of “Photograph“…
“Rock of Ages”…
and “Foolin'”…
You can view all of Def Leppard’s official music videos here.
The album’s marketing strategy was straightforward yet significant and also helped enhance Def Leppard’s brand: By the end of Pyromania‘s promotional run, people undoubtedly knew who Def Leppard was, and they were well aware of the band’s sound and image (including the often-seen, emblematic Union Jack flag). Furthermore, the band was successfully positioned as a rock music force to be reckoned with.
Pyromania provided Def Leppard with the opportunity to finally hit it big — really big — in North America, and the band took full advantage of it. Merely two years prior to the album’s release, Def Leppard was opening for music acts such as Rainbow, Judas Priest, and Ozzy Osbourne; as a result of Pyromania’s success, the band was able to headline their very own tour, which they did for nearly 200 dates.
By the way, if you really want to indulge in Def Leppard, check out this must-read book!
Pyromania’s Sizzling Sales
Pyromania was a huge seller for Def Leppard, even though Michael Jackson’s Thriller (and the Flashdance soundtrack) prevented it from reaching #1 on Billboard‘s top albums chart.
Regardless, the album achieved its goal of helping Def Leppard cross over and conquer American music audiences. (It would take years for the band to accomplish the same feat in the U.K., where Pyromania didn’t even reach the Top 10, peaking at #18.) The album ultimately reached diamond certification status (over 10 million copies sold) in the U.S. alone.
Since its original release, a limited-edition gold Ultradisc version of Pyromania came out (now rare and out of print, but you can still find copies here), and the band has put out a deluxe remastered edition, which includes a bonus disc featuring them live in concert at the L.A. Forum in 1983.
Various Pyromania tracks are also included on the band’s greatest hits releases, though to truly experience the album, it should be heard from start to finish.
Def Leppard: Pyromania — Final Thoughts
Pyromania may have only been Def Leppard’s third studio album, but four decades after its release, it’s still considered one of the band’s greatest accomplishments. (On a related note, read about Pyromania’s 40th anniversary box set release here.)
The album’s classic tracks remain iconic and evergreen; it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say a song like “Photograph” could still be a hit today.
This is all due to the strength and unwavering quality of Pyromania. It emphatically set its own standard, a big reason why it remains incredibly resilient.
The same can be said of Def Leppard.
Still rollin’, rock ‘n’ rollin’…
