Page 52 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019
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RICHARD SAVAGE
somebody coming in and seeing a Brothers in arms: The other hugely significant addition you create the sounds that you’re hearing
Rick (right) with
financial opportunity. He wanted to be to Team Leppard, by the time you get in your head, but knowing how to bring
the late Steve Clark
part of the journey. And it was like, not in Germany, 1981. to your second album High ’n’ Dry, them to life. Again, he was amazingly
only has this guy already proved himself is someone Peter introduces to the passionate about making rock sound
to a point with AC/DC, he’s sharing our band: producer extraordinaire Robert mainstream, without losing credibility.
vision and our passion. He’s not even John Mutt Lange. How did that So that somebody that would buy a Dire
necessarily advising us, he just wants to relationship begin? Straits album would also buy a [Leppard]
be along for part of the ride. It was, It began with his relationship with album, while somebody that would
Fuck! We’ve found a true ally here! Peter Mensch, which probably developed buy Michael Jackson could also buy
Somebody that’s got the clout to help us through AC/DC [Lange had recently [a Leppard] album, or somebody that
get to where we believe we can be. I can produced their albums Highway To Hell and would buy a Maiden album…
see how he would be intimidating to some Back In Black]. Through Peter, Mutt heard We knew there was a sound waiting
people but we embraced it. To us it was a our first album and was really, really to be made that nobody had made before.
no-brainer. We absolutely loved our time impressed with what we were trying to And Mutt shared that idea and helped
with him. do. He could see the potential. He could show us how to achieve it. I thought
see where we wanted to go. More we came very close at the time with
Was it also attractive that Peter and his importantly, he showed us where we Pyromania. But we knew that it was still
partner Cliff Burnstein in management could go. We had ideas and we knew how essentially a heavy metal album that
company Q-Prime were American? Did we wanted the band to be and it soon was coated in melodies and harmonies
you feel they might be a shortcut to became obvious that here was a guy who that were typical to Def Leppard. Then
American success? sits in the control room and actually really everything we had tried and envisaged
No, it wasn’t the fact they were American. contributes. Not just helping when we were 16 came to fruition with
Mensch could have come from Russia,
as far as we were concerned. We had THERE’S NOTHING MYSTERIOUS
a passion but we didn’t have an intellect
like that. We weren’t clever enough to put ABOUT ME. I’M NOT HOWARD
the two-and-two together. Fortunately, it
did turn out that way. Specifically, Cliff
really got us moving in the States. It HUGHES. WITH SOMEONE LIKE MR
obviously was a huge help. But it wasn’t
that calculated. It was more youthful ELLIOTT IT’S HARD TO GET A WORD
passion and exuberance than calculated
next-move strategy. IN EDGEWAYS ANYWAY.
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