Page 18 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

Joe Elliott: “We were
such young kids.”

Rob Halford and then-
Sounds journalist
Geoff Barton.

Thanks to the business Ashley Goodall: Iron Maiden stood out because Joe Elliott: We had the time of our lives making
acumen of their they’d taken on some of the punk ethos, which On Through The Night. We were such young kids
new manager, Rod was to do your own thing, put your own record – Rick Allen was fifteen, I was nineteen – and
Smallwood, Iron out, make your own life. Maybe they borrowed we were recording our first album at Tittenhurst
Maiden were jostling some of that from the punk bands. Park, where John Lennon lived before he sold
with Def Leppard for it to Ringo. And I drew the long straw – I got
the position of the Steve Harris: We decided to release The Lennon’s old bedroom. The view was amazing.
NWOBHM’s top dogs. Soundhouse Tapes (in November 1979) because
we’d do really well at gigs, then afterwards there’d Biff Byford: 1980 was a big year for us and for the
Ashley Goodall: I think you have to differentiate be all these fans asking where they could buy one heavy metal genre in general. Everything was just
between Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. Def of our records. When we told them there wasn’t right. There was a massive groundswell and a lot
Leppard had a more American angle; Maiden any yet they couldn’t believe it. They’d seen the of young fans were getting into metal.
had a punk ethos about them, though the were charts in Sounds and assumed we must already
definitely a rock band. They had that street-y, have a record deal of some kind, but we didn’t. Joe Elliott: On Through The Night did pretty well
London attitude. And I think that’s when we really got the idea for us. We sold out Sheffield City Hall, it went
of putting the demo out as an actual record. Top 20 in the UK. But we were a work in progress.
Paul Di’Anno (Iron Maiden, speaking in 1980): Compared to the first Boston album, the first
We still want to stay as close Zeppelin album, the first Van Halen album, it’s
as possible to the kids who got Wycombe Wanderers to their Chelsea.
us up here in the first place. By the end of 1979 and
I don’t want people to start “EVERYBODY WANTED into 1980, the NWOBHM Ashley Goodall: There was a studio in EMI that
muttering: “Oh look, there’s THEIR NEW WAVE OF gathered pace. Every week, wasn’t too expensive, so I thought why don’t we
so-and-so from Iron Maiden a new single appeared from get everybody in there and do a good, rough-
there. Shall we talk to him, BRITISH HEAVY METAL some hitherto unknown and-ready compilation of what’s going on at the
or shan’t we?” Bollocks. They BAND. ALL OF A SUDDEN, band, released on an moment? Basically, aggregate what’s going on
should be able to come over THESE MAJOR LABELS independent label such and make a statement. That was Metal For Muthas.
and say: “Hello mate, how is it? as Heavy Metal Records,
I thought you played like a c**t STARTED TO APPEAR.” Bronze or Newcastle’s Neat Andy Dawson: I remember seeing Iron Maiden
the other night.” Jess Cox Records. The scene’s big at our local theatre on the Metal For Muthas tour. It
guns weren’t resting on was the first time I remember seeing an unknown
Ashley Goodall: I first saw Maiden at the Swan their laurels, either – Def Leppard and Iron band, and they nailed it. They came on stage
in Hammersmith. It was like a football crowd. Maiden both released their looking and acting like they were
They had a hard-core following with the T-shirts. debut albums, On Through The already successful. I’d never seen
I thought: “This is a great gig. There’s something Night and Iron Maiden, in 1980, that level of confidence before.
here that’s really good.” while Saxon released two
stone-cold classics in the shape
Bruce Dickinson: It was blindingly obvious that of Wheels Of Steel and Strong
Maiden were going to be massive. This hyper- Arm Of The Law. And then Inevitably, the Top 20
kinetic band, it was really a force of nature. Paul there was Metal For Muthas, success of Def Leppard and
Di’Anno, he was okay, but I thought: “I could a compilation-cum-lightning Iron Maiden spurred the
really do something with that band!” rod of this new wave of bands. interest of the other big

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