Rock Hard Forever: Def Leppard

One of the most successful rock bands ever, Def Leppard has managed to juggle massive commercial success with devastating tragedies. They have always been able to regroup from these setbacks to come back stronger then ever. The music of Def Leppard is a mixture of hard rock, album-oriented rock (AOR), and heavy metal elements, and has been associated more with the glam metal movement of the 1980s than with the NWOBHM of the late 1970s, in large part due to their mainstream success and production. However, Def Leppard have expressed dislike of the "pop metal" label.

Formed in Sheffield, England by Pete Willis (guitar) and Rick Savage (bass), they rounded out the band with Joe Elliot (vocals), Steve Clark (guitar) and Tony Kenning (drums). They would record a demo known as Getcha Rocks Off with Frank Noon on drums, but it wouldn't be long until Rick Allen was named the permanent stickman. High 'N' Dry would make inroads on the American market, but by the time recording started for the next album, Willis' drinking had become too much and he was ousted in favor of Phil Collen. Pyromania would be the album that broke Def Leppard in a huge way, spawning four hit singles on its way to selling a remarkable nine million copies!

The follow-up album would take a long five years to record, due in part to a car accident involving drummer Rick Allen and resulting in the loss of one of his arms. A revolutionary new pedal-operated electronic drum kit was devised and Allen was able to continue recording with the band. Hysteria was slow to catch on with the record buying public, but once it did there was no stopping it. Containing no less than seven charting singles (three in the top five), the album worked its way up to the top place on Billboard's Top 200 while selling over twelve million copies, making it one of the most successful releases in music history.

During the recording for what would become Adrenalize, Steve Clark's battle with alcoholism would finally come to end when he was found dead in his home on January 8, 1991 due to an overdose. The album would be completed with ex-Dio and Riverdogs axe slinger Vivian Campbell, who was announced as the newest member of Def Leppard. The new album failed to sell in the massive quantities of its predecessors and the band found themselves at a crossroads. Slang was an attempt to move in a new direction and away from their New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Roots and received mixed reviews and a dwindling fan base.

Euphoria, and to a lesser extent X, were a return to the sound of their glory days and thrust the band back into the spotlight, but neither album was able to regain the massive popularity the group had in the late 80s. During some down time Campbell released a solo album called Two Sides Of If and Collen recorded with a band called Man-Raze, but by 2006 they had returned with an album of cover songs. Def Leppard continues to record and tour to this very day and retains a hardcore fan base. Something of an English version of Bon Jovi, this band will forever be popular despite changing tastes in the music scene.

The band's new album, entitled Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, was released worldwide on April 28, 2008 and on April 30, 2008 in Japan. The album debuted at #5 on The Billboard 200 in America. The first single is entitled "Nine Lives" and features country singer Tim McGraw, who co-wrote the song with Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, and Rick Savage.

A tour in support of the album began on March 27, 2008 in Greensboro, NC, with Styx and REO Speedwagon joining the band on US dates. The band will also play several European rock festivals. An arena tour of the UK takes place in June in which the band will co-headline with Whitesnake and be supported by US southern rockers Black Stone Cherry. The band then returns to Europe before coming back for a second leg of the UK tour in July.

Again they will be joined by Whitesnake; however Thunder will support at these shows. The band has announced that due to an upper respiratory tract infection affecting lead singer, Joe Elliott, they will be postponing Canadian dates. Recently, two more shows have been cancelled due to a viral infection affecting Phil Collen.

Current members

Joe Elliott - lead vocals, additional guitars, keyboards (1977–present)
Phil Collen - guitars, backing vocals (1982–present)
Vivian Campbell - guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
Rick Savage - bass, keyboards, additional guitars, backing vocals (1977–present)
Rick Allen - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1978–present)

Former members

Steve Clark (R.I.P) - guitars, backing vocals (1978–1991)
Pete Willis - guitars, backing vocals (1977–1982)
Tony Kenning - drums, percussion (1977–1978)
Frank Noon - drums, percussion (1978)

Discography

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge 2008
Interview 2006
Yeah! 2006
Hang It High, Hang It Low 2006
Introducing The Simian Sounds Of The Orangu-tones 2006
Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection 2005
X 2002
Farmdamentals 2001
Euphoria 1999
Laisse-La Vivre 1999
Symphonique 1999
L' Ami 1999
Les Annees Sombres 1999
Olympia 89 1999
Live 1999
Palais des Sports 1999 Listen! 1998
Slang 1996
Vault: Greatest Hits 1980-1995 1995
Retro Active 1993
Adrenalize 1992
Hysteria 1987
Pyromania 1983
Defective Breakdown 1982
High 'N' Dry 1981
On Through The Night 1980
Drag Beat 1964

Official Website: http://www.defleppard.com

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