CELEBRATING ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY, DEF LEPPARD’S JOE ELLIOTT REMINISCES ABOUT THE BAND’S SECOND ALBUM, “HIGH N’ DRY”
Def Leppard’s second album, High N’ Dry, was released in 1981, and celebrated its 35th anniversary, this week.
Def Leppard frontman, Joe Elliott, says it was the album that helped forge their path to the top – and credits longtime producer Mutt Lange for his guidance through the studio sessions.
Elliott says, “35 years since the album was released – it doesn’t seem that long because our career is constantly evolving. It’s not like we split up for 10 years and then got back together. It’s one part of our story – it’s a building block in the whole process of what Def Leppard has become in 2016.
When you look back at it now, there are bits of it that hit and bits of it that missed. But generally speaking, as the second album, it was the start of where we were going to go.
We were open-minded and so happy to be working with a producer like Mutt Lange. He was like a teacher and we wanted to learn from him. He was this rock guru and we were prepared to get in the pit with him and wrestle it out.”
Elliott states that recording the album was “an enormous learning curve” and adds, “By the time we started doing Pyromania a year later, what we’d gone through recording High N’ Dry, it had sunk in and we’d realized it was worth all the effort.”
Def Leppard tour 2016
Jul 13: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Jul 15: Detroit DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Jul 16: Toronto Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, ON
Aug 06: MadisonAlliant Energy Center, WI
Aug 08: Evansille Ford Center, IN
Aug 10: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Aug 12: Atlanta Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, GA
Aug 13: Raleigh Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, NC
Aug 17: Birmingham Oak Mountain Amphitheater, AL
Aug 19: Austin 360 Amphitheatre, TX
Aug 22: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 24: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 26: Kansas City Sprint Center, MO
Aug 27: ST Louis Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 29: Cleveland Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 31: Darien Center PAC, NY
Sep 14: Billings Metrapark Arena, MT
Sep 16: Salk Lake City USANA Ampitheater, UT:
Sep 17: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Sep 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Sep 20: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Sep 22: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, CA
Sep 24: Sacramento Toyota Amphitheatre, CA (no Tesla)
Sep 25: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA
Sep 28: Boise Taco Bell Arena, ID
Sep 30: Eugene Matthew Knight Arena, OR
Oct 01: Tacoma Tacoma Dome, WA
Oct 04: Omaha CenturyLink, NE
Oct 05: Minneapolis Xcel Center, MN
Oct 07: La Crosse La Crosse Center Arena, WI
Oct 08: Toledo Huntington Center, OH
Oct 10: Cedar Rapids US Cellular Center, IA
additional source: Classic Rock via teasrock.com
My favorite Leppard album, followed by On Through the Night. Everything else, afterwards, too pop sounding for my tastes. I’ve really never understood Joe’s position about not wanting to be considered a NWOBHM band, cuz they were right there when it all started for them. Their original Get Your Rocks Off private release on their private Riffola label is classic sounding NWOBHM of that time period, in my opinion.
Not even close, “Let it Go” is my all time favorite Leppard song.
Great album!! 🙂
Fantastic album!!!
Easily my favorite Def Leppard album. One of those albums that never gets old no matter how many times I’ve listened to it.