Fourteen years after becoming eligible, Def Leppard are finally members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The band was inducted last night in a big ceremony in New York City. Queen's Brian May introduced and inducted the band. Joe Elliott gave a great speech and did mention Pete Willis and, of course, Steve Clark. You can see the entire induction ceremony on HBO April 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
Watching the live Leps clip below makes me want to do their Las Vegas residency again. Alas, I'm going to Vegas in two weeks for Aerosmith and that's enough Sin City in 2019 for me I'm afraid.
It's finally here! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony happens tonight. Def Leppard is finally getting in and the band has been celebrating all week. Be sure to watch online tonight to see the band get their due!
We're continuing our countdown to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night. Def Leppard will finally get their rightful place in the hall of fame and the band is celebrating all week.
I can't be in New York City for the induction and I can't watch the simulcast from the actual hall in Cleveland either. But I'll be following right along via the power of the Internet!
Can't make it to the ceremony? Watch the action live in Cleveland from the Rock Hall at our Simulcast Watch Party this Friday - For tickets and more info: https://t.co/HqfJjC5wj6pic.twitter.com/oHAtXkJkXX
I didn't get to watch the Good Morning America performance live because I had to go to work and be in a meeting but I was able to catch some of it later. Here's a clip:
I looked at the musical progression of Def Leppard on September 2, 2007. This was before the band released Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, which is a pretty terrible album. I had high hopes for it back when I originally wrote the post below. Sparkle Lounge be damned, Def Leppard is still one of my favorite bands of all time.
As Def Leppard continue to work on their next album, tentatively called Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, I thought it might be appropriate to take a look at the Leps career through the ages. When you mention Def Leppard to someone on the street, they usually get really animated and say "The band that sang that 'Sugar' song!" Indeed, Def Leppard recorded "Pour Some Sugar on Me" for Hysteria, but there are so many other songs - better songs - that provide a true representation of the band's career.
Way back in 1979, the young lads recorded the Def Leppard EP, including the three songs "Ride Into the Sun," "Gethca Rocks Off" and "The Overture." Studio musician Frank Noon played drums on this release, and Pete Willis played guitar (Phil Collen would replace him during the Pyromania sessions. Willis was fired from the band for alcohol abuse).
A record deal with Polygram came fast, and in 1980, the band released On Through the Night. That album included straight-up rock songs, including "Hello America." It's groovy in a late 70s, decade crossover sort of way.
Back in the day, rock bands had to record and tour constantly to gain a following. Just over a year later, Def Leppard released High and Dry. Like it's predecessor, High and Dry included hard rock anthems, like the masterful "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," "Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)" and the album's title track. Here's the video for "High n' Dry (Saturday Night)."
A producer switch and massive commercial success came with Pyromania. Thanks to good looks, catchy riffs and MTV, the Brits were suddenly a household name. Most American households own a copy of Pyromania in some form. The album includes the overplayed "Photograph," "Rock of Ages" and "Stagefright." Here's the video for "Too Late for Love," my favorite Def Leppard song (other than, of course, "White Lightning").
After four years, raging alcohol abuse and drummer Rick Allen's horrific car accident that left him with only one arm, the band finally got together to release Hysteria. Just about everyone knows at least one song from Hysteria, and for good reason: the album is RIAA certified diamond, and that's a lot of units sold. The massive commercial success of Hysteria is thanks to singles like "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Love Bites," and "Armageddon It." Here's the video for the album's title track.
After the seemingly never-ending "In the Round, In Your Face" world tour supporting Hysteria, the band went on a hiatus. During this hiatus, wonderfully talented guitarist Steve Clark drank himself to death (former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell took his place in the band). Many critics say that when Clark died, so did the band. I think this is an unfair comparison. Yes, the height of the Leps commercial appeal came during Hysteria, but the music scene was changing as well. By the time Adrenalize was released in the early 1990s, grunge was gripping the music world. Adrenalize included "White Lightning," (a tribute to Clark), plus "Let's Get Rocked," and "Make Love Like a Man." Here's the video for "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad."
Despite grunge and the loss of Clark, Adrenalize was a hit album, clutching the number one position on both U.S. and U.K. album charts (and sold around seven million units immediately after release). To follow-up on their success Def Leppard released a B-sides collection, called Retro Active. This unique collection included "Two Steps Behind," from the film Last Action Hero, as well as "Ride into the Sun," and "Only After Dark." Here's the video for "Miss You In A Heartbeat," one of the Leps best ballads.
After Retro Active, came the greatest hits package Vault. By this time, the band was ready to experiment with a new sound to combat the grunge wave. In 1996, Def Leppard released Slang, a grittier version of pop metal. I remember that Eric bought me Slang the day it was released. He was a senior in high school then, and we hadn't been dating very long. I just made it pretty clear the first time he came over to my house that I was fanatical over Aerosmith and other bands, namely Def Leppard. So he produces Slang and I pop it in my stereo. I was impressed, even if critics didn't like it. The guitars were louder and crunchier and Joe Elliott's voice was raspier than I remembered. Slang includes the songs "All I Want Is Everything," "Breathe a Sigh" and “Gift of Flesh." Here's the video for the album's title track.
While fans today complain that Def Leppard takes too long to record albums, I think the band is just enjoying a slower pace thanks to success. In 1999 Def Leppard released Euphoria. That album only spawned one hit single to speak of, "Promises."
After the semi- disappointing sales of Euphoria, the band tried again with X. I recently picked up X at a used record store for about five bucks. It's not bad, and I really like the postmodern concepts used in the video for "Now." The album also includes the songs "You're So Beautiful," "Cry" and "Girl Like You." Here's the aforementioned video for "Now."
The bands most recent release is Yeah! - an album of cover tunes. Critics and fans seem to really like Yeah!, but diehards are still clamoring for an album of all-new material. The boys covered "20th Century Boy," "Street Life" and "Waterloo Sunset." Here's the video for "Rock On" -- my favorite Def Leppard video in nearly a decade.
So what do you think of the band's musical progression? We've got decades worth of music to enjoy. For that I am so thankful.
Looks like Def Leppard are doing a countdown of their own with videos on their social media accounts. Yesterday, the guys picked out clothes for the big Rock Hall induction ceremony.
On Friday, Def Leppard will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Brian May of Queen will do the honors. All week long, we'll celebrate everything Def Leppard. The band has been gearing up on social media. It's a big deal.
Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 09:56AM 
Fourteen years after becoming eligible, Def Leppard are finally members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
