Page 22 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

playing exactly what we were playing, and
It’s electric: princes
among men, doing fantastic business.
Diamond Head.

Def Leppard’s Pyromania and Judas Priest’s
Screaming For Vengeance were huge hits in
America, but at home the New Wave Of
British Heavy Metal scene was rapidly
deflating. By the end of that year it was all
over bar the shouting.
Nearly four decades on, the legacy of the
British bands of the late 70s and early 80s
remains as strong as ever. The more obvious
success stories of that golden era – Maiden,
Leppard, Saxon, Motörhead – speak for
themselves. But the ambition, independence
and energy of the period mark it out as the
last time British rock and metal truly punched
above its weight on the world stage.

Biff Byford: It was a hugely important era.
Massively important.

Jess Cox: People look back and see the wonderful
naivety and innocence of it.

Andy Dawson: I don’t think any of us realised we
were part of something new. We were emulating
something that we loved that was already there.
But because we were young and innocent and a bit
stupid, it brought something new to it.
come out here and give everything we’d got, and happening across the Atlantic. And it wanted
they’d either like it or they wouldn’t. Fortunately a piece of the action. Fast Eddie Clarke: Maybe we did change things.
for us they liked it. In fact they bloody loved it. We certainly changed things from the way they
But it was always a challenge. We didn’t do things Andy Dawson: By 1983, when Savage finally were in the early seventies.
the normal way. released our first album, it seemed like the British
scene was beginning to peter out. Ashley Goodall: Heavy rock music had been
Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest): If we hadn’t gone out of favour for about five years, and bands like
to America we would probably only have lasted Brian Tatler: A lot of the New Wave Of British Maiden gave it a kick. It made it cool to be into it
for another three or four years. Heavy Metal bands had given up, split up, been again. It was okay to be a heavy rocker again.
dropped – including Diamond Head. The attention
Rob Halford: We were definitely aware of what had gone onto the American bands. It was a tough Brian Tatler: I really think it was an important
was going on with MTV [which launched in period for a lot of British bands. time for British music. It helped keep rock
August 1981]. It was a game changer. going. Just look at how amazingly Iron Maiden
Rob Halford: Once the have done over the last forty years. Everything
Joe Elliott: The fledging Americans got hold of this would sound different without the New Wave
MTV, having nothing to thing coming from Britain Of British Heavy Metal.
play, liked the idea of this “IT HELPED KEEP ROCK and took it into their own
young UK rock band, so GOING. EVERYTHING WOULD kind of style and approach, Bruce Dickinson: Years ago, someone asked:
they picked up on Bringin’ everything went global. “What’s the secret of Maiden’s success?”
On The Heartbreak [from SOUND DIFFERENT I said:“I wish it was complicated, but it’s just: don’t
Leppard’s second album, WITHOUT THE NEW WAVE OF Fast Eddie Clarke: let people down.” Don’t let people down. I can live
1981’s High ’n’ Dry]. So six BRITISH HEAVY METAL.” I remember going to LA with that on my headstone.
months, maybe a year after with the first Fastway
High ’n’ Dry came out, we Brian Tatler album and hearing Steve Harris: We always stuck at what we
started getting these telexes about Mötley Crüe. believed in. I’m proud of that.
saying: “Your album is selling six thousand copies They were calling them ‘the LA Motörhead’.
a week. Then it was ten, fifteen, twenty thousand Biff Byford: We were singing songs for that
copies a week. It was heading toward platinum by Biff Byford: We supported Mötley Crüe. They generation about motorcycles and women and
the time we had Pyromania in the bag. loved us so much they invited us out on their first having a great time. People just loved it, really.
tour. It was a great tour.
Andy Dawson: People have kept a real love of
Andy Dawson: When we did our first Kerrang! that time, and are looking for more of it. I’m sure
Throughout 1982 and into 1983, the stream interview, the journalist, Xavier Russell, was they’d love to see younger bands. It would be great
of bands releasing singles and albums didn’t banging on about how much this band called to see a bunch of eighteen- or nineteen-year-olds
abate. To the casual observer, the British rock Metallica loved Savage. And we were like: “Who?” coming out, doing something like that, with that
and metal scene looked in rude health. But in kind of energy. It would be a fresh kick up the arse.
reality it was starting to run on fumes. Thanks Fast Eddie Clarke: Motörhead were two years
to Def Leppard and Iron Maiden’s Stateside too early. I was fucking surprised when it all Biff Byford: It was very British, but it shot
success, America was waking up to what was kicked in with Metallica and that lot. They were round the fucking world. It changed music.

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