Def Leppard, just like most of their fans, can’t believe Pyromania turns 40 today (January 20.)
The album was the band’s third studio album and featured the massive hits “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages” and “Foolin’.” Since its release in 1984, Pyromania has sold over 10 million copies in the United States alone earning it “Diamond” status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.)
The members of Def Leppard shared their thoughts on the album in the video below. Joe Elliott said of the LP, “It was a breakthrough album for us in the U.S. and Canada … It was a hugely important record for our career. In America, it broke us wide open. It became one of the biggest records of the year, only behind Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in sales.”
Rick Savage added, “Forty year of ‘Pyromania’! I can hardly believe it! So many great memories in the making of that record. Fantastic experiences working with [producer] Mutt Lange, [who was] a genius of a producer. Even back then, we kind of knew we were really trying hard to make a groundbreaking metal album. I honestly think we succeeded. It still sounds great to my ears, even 40 years later.”
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Phil Collen said of the album’s landmark anniversary, “It flew by. It’s my first album with the band. I started just coming down and hanging with the guys and actually play some solos and do stuff. As we went on, Mutt Lange got me singing and playing more guitar … When it came out, the first gig was a small club. We played the Marquee Club in London. The Beatles, The Stones, Zeppelin, everyone’s played there … But the album exploded. It had a very different thing and was really influential. It kept the rock power, but it was really melodic and almost like pop at the time … MTV was just coming into their own, so it was the perfect storm, really.”
Vivian Campbell wasn’t a member of Def Leppard until 1992, but he still has fond memories of the LP. He said, “‘Pyromania’ songs are a lot of fun to play live. A lot of really deep guitar-y riffy songs. They’re always fun for me, because hey! I’m a guitar player. When we did our last Vegas residency, we got to play some more [album tracks] than we would normally get to play, aside from the normal hits, which are also fun to play. It’s a great album. I was a fan. I bought it way before I was in the band, and now I get to play it on stage. That is terrific.”
Finally, Rick Allen said, “My favorite part of making that album was that I think I learned more about playing drums doing the record and working with Mutt Lange. One of my favorite things, of course, was ‘Gunter glieben glauchen globen.'”