20 things you should know about Def Leppard

They lost band members to Demon Alcohol. And the ones that survived went through hair-raising automobile experiences. But Def Leppard survived, and as an integral part of the rock hall of fame

May, 2008

1) Their singer flubbed the auditions
Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott auditioned for the band with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven, but ruined the climactic octave change that comes with, “and as we wind down on the road”, but was still hired because of his enthusiasm and his willingness to be, er... brave.

2) Their guitar player had a tendency to play in bands with girlie names
Before he became a part of Def Leppard, guitarist Phil Collen had played in the bands, Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes and Girl. None of these bands actually had a woman amongst their midst. Go figure.

3) MTV loved them
The promotional video of Bringing On The Heartbreak, from their second album High And Dry, became one of the first metal videos to be played on the newly launched MTV. It made Def Leppard a household name in the US.

4) ...and Mariah Carey covered them too
Two decades after it was released, Bringing On The Heartbreak was covered by Mariah Carey for her 2002 album Charmbracelet. Ironically, Carey’s cover broke into the Top Ten on the American singles charts as opposed to the original, which had managed only a Top Forty status.

5) They misspelt their name to distance themselves from other punk rock brigade
In their earliest incarnation, Def Leppard were spelt very much the traditional way – Deaf Leopard. The name was later changed to separate the outfit from the punks like The Electric Eels and Radio Birdman.

6) Their facination with America pissed people off
Def Leppard were formed in Sheffield, England, but they wrote songs like, Hello America and spent an inordinate amount of time touring the States. When UK fans got pissed at this attitude, they pelted the quintet with garbage at the Reading Festival in 1980.

7) They've been through some adverse times
Def Leppard’s Hysteria, one of the best selling albums of all time was fraught with impossible odds. Drummer Rick Allen had an accident that cost him his left arm, while producer Robert John "Mutt” Lange was injured in a car crash and Joe Elliott contracted mumps – for the second time in his life.

8) ...but they turned it into their biggest triumphs
Rick Allen worked with British electronic percussion manufacturer Simmons to develop a drumkit that allowed him to play left hand parts with his foot. The rest of Def Leppard were staunch in their support of their drummer and when Hysteria was released, on August 3, 1987, it created history by spawning seven chart singles out of which, three completed a record hattrick – Love Bite(#1), Pour Some Sugar On Me(#2) and Armageddon It (#3).

9) They loved Marilyn Monroe
Midway through Photograph, a track from their third album, Pyromania, Joe Elliott sighs, “I’d be your lover, if you were there.” The object of his adoration is Marilyn Monroe. Singer-composer Sir Elton John too, has become rather known for his penchant for penning odes to Hollywood’s screen siren of the Fifties.

10) It took a thriller to stop their march to the top
In 1983, it was a neck-and-neck battle between Pyromania and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Fuelled by Photograph and Rock Of Ages, Def Leppard’s album gave Jackson’s opus a very serious run for its money and Thriller made it to the top spot by a narrow margin.

11) Their singer wears his country on his chest
Throughout the Nineties, Joe Elliott made some kind of a fashion statement by forever wearing a Union Jack T-shirt at all Def Leppard concerts. This was his way to express love for his homeland.

12) They're in the Guinness Book Of World Records
On October 23, 1995, Def Leppard proved that they were road warriors when they played three concerts in three different continents in a single day. They made their presence felt in Morocco,
England and Canada. Their pilot presumably, was fuming.

13) They've been through their share of lineup changes
The founding Leppard drummer, Tony Kenning, left the band one day for no apparent reason. He was replaced by Frank Noon who, in turn, was replaced by current sticksman Rick Allen. Founding guitar player Pete Willis was fired in 1982 for excessive alcohol consumption.

14) Their palm prints are on the Rock Walk Of Fame
September 5, 2000 found the Leppards earning their stripes on Hollywood’s Rock Walk Of Fame, which includes big shots like Chuck Berry, Aerosmith and Iron Maiden.

15) They've sold albums by truckloads
The Lepps are one of the five acts in rock history who have had two original albums selling in excess of ten million copies each in the US. Only The Beatles, Led Zep, Pink Floyd and Van Halen have been so lucky.

16) They were in India ten years ago
The Leppards winged their way to India in 1998 to receive the Channel [V] Lifetime Achievement Award. They also played a three-song set and ten years after from that day on, we’re all going to witness a full-frontal Leppard aural attack.

17) They've always been in great company
Def Leppard along with Queen, Kiss and Judas Priest became inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honours in May 2006.

18) They did a song for Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Lep song, Two Steps Behind was included on the soundtrack of the movie Last Action Hero and went on to become a Top Ten hit for the band. Strangely, the band were not beseiged by offers from Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox et al.

19) Their albums out now
The lead off single, Nine Lives from their latest offering Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, features country music superstar Tim McGraw who has also shouldered the task of co-writing the track. Watch out for this one!

20) Def Leppard are
. Joe Elliott Vocals
. Phil Collen Guitars
. Vivian Campbell Guitars
. Rick Savage Bass
. Rick Allen Drums