Page 61 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

Def Leppard in 1983 and
(inset) Jim Steinman: a
marriage made in hell.

he first time Jim Steinman met Def “Jim was a funny guy, very eccentric,” Elliott says.
Leppard, in the summer of 1984, he “But you could sit down with Charles Manson for
delivered an emphatic mission 20 minutes and probably come away saying: ‘Hey,
statement: “I think we can make he’s not that bad.’ And in that first meeting, we
Tbeautiful music together.” realised that Jim was in a completely different orbit
Steinman had just signed up to be the producer of to us. I got this uncomfortable feeling.”
Leppard’s fourth album, the follow-up to their six- It was too late. The deal had been done:
million-selling Pyromania. The band had already Steinman was their man. And what resulted was
begun work on the album, and had recorded several one of the most expensive mistakes in the history
demos on a rudimentary four- track machine. of rock’n’roll.
A self-confident New Yorker, Steinman carried a Jim Steinman was Def Leppard’s producer for just
big reputation as the creator of one of the biggest eight weeks before they cancelled his contract. None
rock albums of all time: Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell. of the recordings that the band made with him were
And when he arrived in Dublin to meet the five American bullshit.” ever released. And it was only after Steinman was
members of Def Leppard at the house they shared at Guitarist Phil Collen was impressed by some of replaced by ‘Mutt’ Lange, the producer of Pyromania,
1 St Helens Road, in the Booterstown area, he gave what Steinman said. “He talked about recreating that Leppard were able to complete the album they
them the full charm offensive. Phil Spector’s ‘Wall Of Sound’ while staying true to named Hysteria. For Def Leppard, working with Jim
“We all sat in the living room drinking tea,” recalls Def Leppard. It sounded like it could be cool.” Steinman was a disaster.
Leppard singer Joe Elliott. “And Jim says: ‘I’ve heard But as Steinman laid it on with a trowel, alarm “We thought we’d got the Ferrari,” says Collen.
your demos. I really dig ’em, man!’ It was that very bells started ringing in Joe Elliott’s head. “In reality, we’d got a second-hand Cortina.” É

CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 59