Page 81 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

For A Girl Like You, selling over seven million copies in the Crate expectations:
US alone. It was a massive win for Mutt and Foreigner,
underscoring the former’s Midas touch.
For Mutt, the world was his oyster, but instead of
capitalising on his success with superstar projects he
turned his attention next to an up-and-coming UK rock
band from Sheffield: Def Leppard. Their 1981 album High
‘n’ Dry trod familiar territory with its AC/DC-esque
swagger, but the seeds of future greatness were plain for
all to see and Mutt decided to continue working with
them on 1983’s Pyromania, a record that upped the ante
considerably. It signalled a shift in values from rough-
hewn riffs to a more sophisticated sound, helping to focus
the band’s songwriting and also their performances. It
was an immediate success, going on to sell over 10 million
copies and provided four hit singles with Photograph, Rock
Of Ages, Foolin’ and Too Late For Love.
Amazingly, instead of resting on his laurels, Mutt
thought he could still improve Leppard’s sound and songs.
However, the only fly in the ointment was his lack of
‘Pyromania signalled a
shift in values from rough-
hewn riffs to a more
sophisticated sound.’
Mr Bassman:
Rick Savage,
plugged in
and wired.
ROSS HALFIN
Viv Campbell in
repose, backstage.
ROSS HALFIN
availability and by the time the band were ready to
embark on the recording of their Hysteria album, he
wasn’t readily available, being embroiled in the
production of The Cars’ Heartbreak City record. Instead,
Leppard turned to Meat Loaf songwriter and producer
Jim Steinman, a move they quickly regretted, with
sessions coming to resounding halt when the band duly
fired him.
The correct decision, to wait until Mutt became
available again, was made, resuming work some eighteen
months later, but not before a tragic setback, when
drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in an automobile
accident. For Leppard the notion of sidelining Rick was
never entertained, and so work resumed with the band
and Mutt devising a method for him to play his left-hand
parts using his foot on electronic drums. It was a brilliant
solution and one that lent the band a signature sound,
with the drums recorded through a combination of
Fairlight computers and synclaviers.
Of course there’s a fair amount of mythology
surrounding the recording of Hysteria, such as Mutt multi-
tracking guitar chords one string at a time, compiling
hundreds of hours of backing vocals and tearing apart
songs near completion just because he thought that they
could benefit from a better arrangement. Animal, for
example, took a full three years to finally finish. Some of
the stories are true but most are pure hokum. At the end
Bearing the mark of Mutt: of the day, it was rumoured to have been the most
The Cars’ Heartbeat City,
AC/DC’s Highway To Hell, expensive record to have been made up to that point in
Muse’s Drones, City Boy’s time. Some wag suggested that they’d have to sell five
Dinner At The Ritz and
Foreigner’s 4. million copies just to break even. As it’s now passed the
20 million mark, everyone eventually rested easy.
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