Def Leppard led the wave of British heavy metal bands migrating to the U.S. in the 1980s. Founded by lead vocalist Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage in 1977 in Sheffield, U.K., the quintet began playing local gigs and quickly graduated to larger arenas as their indie-produced EP, 1978’s Getcha Rocks Off, earned increasing airplay on BBC Radio 1. Adding 16-year-old drummer Rick Allen, the band signed with Mercury Records and released their debut full-length album, On Through the Night, in 1980. Innovative videos and a shift from hard riffs to more melodic compositions launched the band into mainstream superstardom. Their follow-up, 1981’s High N’ Dry, went platinum in the U.S. on the strength of the hit single "Bringin’ on the Heartbreak." In 1983 Def Leppard released the multiplatinum Pyromania, which included the No. 1 hits "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages." Two years later, in 1985, Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident, which delayed recording of Def Leppard’s next album. Allen learned to use a custom-made partially electronic drum kit, and in 1986 the band set out on European Monsters of Rock tour. The following year they released their most commercially successful album, Hysteria. With six Top 20 hits, including "Love Bites" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me," the album eventually went to No. 1 in the U.S.

Reviews

• Hysteria—Deluxe Edition

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