Def Leppard Bio
With more than 65 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, Def Leppard–Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick “Sav” Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums)—continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists. The group’s spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as an institution in both the music and touring industry as they sell out arenas worldwide. Though one might wonder what took them so long, it makes perfect sense then, that the band would release a live album, LIVE AND MORE, featuring all of the classic hits that have made Def Leppard one of the most admired rock bands in the world.
It has been thirty years since the release of Def Leppard’s debut, ON THROUGH THE NIGHT, the album that first caught every one’s attention, including super Producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Convinced that this band had “it,” he agreed to come on board for their second album, the influential HIGH N’ DRY, beginning a creative relationship with the group that would change the architecture of rock production. The single “Bringing On The Heartbreak” became their first hit, and a precursor for the kind of steely craftsmanship that would later mark the epic releases PYROMANIA, released in 1983, (named one of the “500 Greatest Albums” by Rolling Stone magazine) and HYSTERIA (1987), both produced by Lange. The former sold 100,000 copies a week for a better part of a year, the latter spawned 7 hit singles and cemented Def Leppard’s rep as one of the most in-demand touring bands in the history of rock n’ roll. After Steve Clark’s tragic death in 1991, the band persevered, enlisting Vivian Campbell (Dio, Whitesnake) to join them in promotion of 1992’s multi-platinum release ADRENALIZE. RETRO ACTIVE, a b-side collection, came next in 1993, with Campbell making his studio debut with the band on 1996’s SLANG, a darker edged rock album. In-between, Def Leppard released one of the most popular Greatest Hits collections of all time VAULT, met with praise by both longtime fans and critics alike. The highly touted collection has remained in the Top 100 of The Billboard Top 200/Top Catalogue Albums chart since its release more than a decade ago. Their platinum certified second Greatest Hits Collection, ROCK OF AGES, was released in 2005 to equal acclaim Their most recent releases are as diverse as they were unique; 2002’s X, a pop |
experimentation from the usual hard rockers, 2006’s YEAH, a covers album that spawned the hit “Rock On” and 2008’s SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE, which debuted at #5 on The Billboard 200, with first single “Nine Lives,” featuring country superstar Tim McGraw, staying at #1 on the Classic Rock chart for three weeks. Among their accolades: the distinction of playing on three continents in one day (Tangiers, Morocco, London, England and Vancouver, Canada), receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, having VH1 make a movie about their rise to fame, co-headlining a CMT Special with their #1 fan, Taylor Swift and being among an elite few (along with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, U2 and The Eagles) to have received two Diamond awards for sales in excess of a staggering ten million units.
Along the way, the band never stopped taking their amazing collection of hits on the road to play for the faithful – The UK’s Kerrang! magazine chose a Def Lep show as one of their 100 Greatest Gigs of All Time. The dedication of Def Leppard fans run deep, and the band never lost sight of what their concerts meant to their always-enthusiastic audience. It is perhaps almost shocking that the band has never released a live album before now. LIVE AND MORE bottles the best of Def Leppard live and hand delivers it on this astounding set. With the creative juices at full flow, the band have added two new studio tracks, “Undefeated,” “All About Believin’” and “Kings of the World,” that are undeniably Leppard. Bringing live versions of classic Leppard hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Rock of Ages,” “Foolin,” “Hysteria,” “Photograph” and an incredible rendition of “Bringing on the Heartache,” Def Leppard continue to connect their powerful arena rock sound with the full strength of the emotional spirit of their music. From their humble beginnings in Sheffield to becoming a world conquering musical force responsible for two of the best selling albums of all time, Def Leppard continue to be Great Britain’s premiere arena rock band. One listen to LIVE AND MORE and it will be clear as to why they remain one of the most esteemed live rock bands of all time. |