| Join Def Leppard for a celebration 40 years in the making. The High ‘n’ Dry 40th Anniversary Retrospective is a worldwide broadcast premiere event, featuring brand new interviews with Def Leppard and more. |
| Watch Joe, Rick, and Sav reveal behind-the-scenes stories from their legendary 1981 release, while Phil and Viv discuss the album’s impact on their own musical trajectory and the world of rock and roll. |
| Complete with High ’n’ Dry influences from fellow colleagues with answers to fan questions sourced directly from the Vault and Leppard socials, this hour+ filmed event premieres only inside the Def Leppard Vault. |
| Have a question about High ‘n’ Dry? Send your questions (written or as a video) to [email protected] for a chance to contribute to this incredible broadcast, |
| Broadcast date: August 28th Broadcast time: 9pm BST – 4pm EDT – 1pm PDT |
| Admission grants entry to the live-streamed event, a 24-hour replay pass, and access to exclusive merch bundles. |
| Digital Event Tickets and Limited Edition Event Bundles on sale now, plus new Def Leppard Vault merchandise on sale during the event. Want more info? Check out the event FAQ |
18 Responses
This album to me is def leppard at their very best –
But online events like this….I’m yawning
Complete snooze fest ~
Great album, 1 of my faves from a great year – 1981. Tons of great albums from 1981, too many to list.
I agree, this album, and Pyromania, are practically twins in my book. However, Pyromania edges it out ever so slightly.
Me & My Wine would agree with that, ever so slightly 😉
Clever…
I can’t even hardly listen to Pyromania anymore with the fake electric drums and background vocals. Pete Willis did play on almost half the album though. Stagefright and Die Hard The Hunter I love with the occasional spin of Comin Under Fire…
High and Dry however has stood the test of time and remains one of my top 10 hard rock albums ever and doesn’t sound dated like Pyromania. Another Hit n Run and Lady Strange rock but I love all the others too.
Jeff,
It is all a matter of personal taste, preference and opinion.
I just happen to think that the songs on Pyromania are overall, a little bit stronger than on High N’ Dry. and I mean very little. As I wrote, these albums could practically be twins, in my eyes.
At the time when I initially bought Pyromania, it was the first Leppard record I ever got, and at the time, the most current. I actually bought the album many months before any of the songs were even played on the radio, because I saw the band on American Bandstand. Prior to their television appearance, I had never heard of them.
What you interpret as sounding “fake,” at the time it was released in ’83, I thought sounded innovative. I had never heard five voices, sound like thirty, and as a result, I was really taken with how full the background vocals sounded. To this day, I still like, and respect that attribute, because it was unique for its time, and so many other bands copied that formula.
Does High N’ Dry have a slightly rawer sound? Yes. However, Lange was still the producer and you can hear those Pyromania-esque background vocals on Saturday Night (High N’ Dry), Bringing On The Heartbreak and even the aforementioned Lady Strange.
I ended up purchasing High N’ Dry a week, or two, after Pyromania, and I wonder had I purchased that one first, would my opinion be different?
Cheers,
D 🙂
Lange is a great producer, the drumming was not fake at all, and so what if Pyromania sounds “dated,” besides being an overall great album, I love the fact that it has that 1983 vibe, taking you back to and making you feel like it’s 1983 again, that’s just a bonus! Great songs, and a great feeling when listening to those great songs, I WISH it was 1983 again!
For me personally , I hate over production in hard rock, less is more, buts that’s my taste- Dana is right about the songs on pyromania being a little better ..just a little , mutts job was to bring leppard to the masses and sell more albums , so he layered ond over dubbed everything to death and put out a product that radio couldn’t ignore – radio and MTV embraced it , and so did millions of fans – I saw leppard on that tour and there was no way in hell they could ever sound like that album live it wasn’t close …too me high and dry was their best sounding album and will always be my favorite ~
Great thoughts Dana…Pyromania kinda brought a more polished sound …….but the first 2 albums are classics….saw them on their first US tour opening for the Scorpions who opened for Ted Nugent……
Thank you so much, Brad. 🙂 🙂 🙂