Over their astounding 45-year career, Def Leppard have rocked as powerfully and memorably—both live and on their phenomenally successful albums—as any band. While igniting the music world with hits such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Animal," and many more, they have also succeeded as a band of brothers. Led by soulful-voiced front man Joe Elliott, they have stayed together and continued to thrive through tragedy—including the accident that cost drummer Rick Allen an arm but not his place driving the band from behind his kit. From their roots in Sheffield, England, in the late 1970s to their stadium tours of today, Def Leppard's songwriting, style, and electric performances have elevated audiences. This one-of-kind special edition tells the band's remarkable story through extraordinary photographs and sharp storytelling by superb rock music writer Alan Light. Plus: Inside the making of signature albums Pyromania and Hysteria.
DEF LEPPARD
WELCOME TO THEIR SHOW
FINDING THEIR SOUND • ONE OF THE LEADING LIGHTS OF POP METAL BEGAN ITS JOURNEY IN THE DOWN-ON-ITS-LUCK STEEL TOWN OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.
THE NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL • THE SHORT-LIVED MOVEMENT HAD TRANSATLANTIC INFLUENCE.
ENGINEER, PRODUCER, TASKMASTER, GENIUS • MUTT LANGE HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH TAKING THE BAND TO THE TOP.
FIRE, SUGAR, AND DIAMONDS • DEF LEPPARD SOARED ON THE WINGS OF TWO BLOCKBUSTER ALBUMS EVEN AS RICK ALLEN FOUGHT BACK FROM A HORRIYING INJURY.
THE BEST-SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME • TWO DIAMOND-LEVEL RECORDS PUTS DEF LEPPARD ON ELITE GROUND.
ON AND ON THEY RIDE THE STORM • THE BAND WAS ROCKED BY THE DEATH OF STEVE CLARK BUT SOLDIERED AHEAD WITH A NEW GUITAR HERO AND ANOTHER SMASH RECORD.
HOW TO KEEP A BAND TOGETHER
ALIVE AND PEAKING • IN ITS SIXTH DECADE, THE BAND TURNED ITS ATTENTION TO DELIVERING SOME OF THE MOST SOARING LIVE PERFORMANCES IN MUSIC.
LIFE Def Leppard
STEEL CITY TO SAN ANTON’ • When Def Leppard’s High ’n’ Dry U.S. tour wrapped up in South Texas in the autumn of 1981, the band was far from their Sheffield home—and well on their way.
DO YOU TAKE SUGAR? • From their early heyday to their sellout stadium shows, Def Leppard has produced some of the most remarkable songs and performances of their time. The story of what the band survived en route to success is one for the ages. The music, the shows, the brotherhood: It’s all here.
