1347 - Def Leppard Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) 1981

While still opting for a controlled musical attack and melodies as big-sounding and stadium-ready as possible, the band opens up its arrangements a bit more on "High 'N' Dry", letting the songs breathe and groove while the rhythm section and guitar riffs play off one another. Joe Elliott energetic on vocals, and the duo of Steve Clark and Pete Willis have great fun driving the songs with effective and honest riffs and solos. "Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)" is another solid track with great vocals and guitar work.

848 - Def Leppard Getcha Rocks Off 1979

Desperate to escape a life sentence in the steel mills of their native Sheffield, England, the members of Def Leppard quite literally willed their band into existence toward the end of the 1970s. Though they'd only recently begun performing live in local pubs, the precocious teenagers felt they were ready for vinyl immortality and had no illusions that they could just sit around waiting for a record company to discover them. So they took matters into their own hands, launching their own Bludgeon Riffola label and borrowing money from singer Joe Elliott's father to pay for some studio time. Recorded in late 1978 and issued in January of the following year, the Def Leppard EP became an underground, word-of-mouth smash, quickly selling out and requiring a reprint the very next month. It also landed the group on the crest of the fast-rising New Wave of British Heavy Metal, alongside other upstarts such as Iron Maiden and Saxon.

561 - Def Leppard Women 1987

After the huge success of "Pyromania", Def Leppard ran into problems, Rick Allen, the drummer for the band was involved in a car accident and lost his arm due to the accident. But that didn't stop him from playing the drums and Def Leppard continued on. In 1987, they released their second biggest album "Hysteria", which achieved a lot of success and carried the bands reputation on from the previous albums. But "Hysteria" is a little different from "High 'N' Dry" and "Pyromania". The strong pop hooks and "perfect"-sounding production of Hysteria may not appeal to die-hard heavy metal fans, but it isn't heavy metal, it's pop-metal, and arguably the best pop-metal ever recorded. Its blockbuster success helped pave the way for a whole new second wave of hair metal bands, while proving that the late-'80s musical climate could also be very friendly to veteran hard rock acts, a lead many would follow in the next few years. "Women" is a great song to kick off the album with heavy riffin' guitars and great vocals. The lyrics are actually some of the better ones from Def Leppard.

524 - Def Leppard Foolin´ 1983

The third album from Def Leppard after the big success of the previous album "High 'N' Dry", comes "Pyromania". After showing that they could rock like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, it was time to polish up thier sound a little and make some hits. And in 1983, that's exactly what they did. "Foolin´" starts out with some nice acoustic guitar playing and good vocals. The lyrics are quite catchy and some of the best on the album along with "Photograph".

250 - Def Leppard Bringing on the Heartbreak 1981

Although it's difficult to remember through the smoke of "Pyromania", the 1981 "High & Dry" hoisted Def Leppard to the apex of the new Wave of British Heavy Metal. Building on raw metal anthems, the band adds subtle melodic touches, catchy guitar riffs, and simpler lyrical themes. Producer Mutt Lange, a longtime associate of AC/DC, absorbs these pop-oriented changes without severely blunting the metal edge. While the album foreshadows Leppard's multiplatinum success, it also retains the aggressive power and rough-edged distortion of heavy metal. The power ballad "Bringing on the Heartbreak" ushered in a style that would come to define 1980s metal. Although later albums showcase well-crafted songwriting and glossy production, this one catches Leppard at the peak of their true metal years.

142 - Def Leppard High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) 1981

As the band recorded their second album "High 'n' Dry" with producer Mutt Lange, Pete Willis was fired from the band for alcoholism, and Phil Collen, a former guitarist for Girl, was hired to replace him. "High 'N' Dry" continues in the vein of the anthemic, working-class hard rock of their debut. While still opting for a controlled musical attack and melodies as big-sounding and stadium-ready as possible, the band opens up its arrangements a bit more on High 'N' Dry, letting the songs breathe and groove while the rhythm section and guitar riffs play off one another. These are deep lyrics.... Yeah, i'm not a loner, i'm not a fool Don't need a reason, reason to be cool I got my whiskey, i got my wine I got my woman, and this time the lights are going out.

15 - Def Leppard Rock of Ages 1983

Def Leppard´s Pyromania is one of the true touchstones of popular metal in the 80's. Lep became arguably the first metal band to enjoy a sexually integrated audience, inventing a template that so many lesser bands spent the Eighties trying to imitate. Lep had it both ways -- the boys wanted to be them and the girls wanted to rock them. "Rock of Ages" is probably the biggest hit on the album, it's a hard rocker with some fun lyrics. Though, the lyrics do get repetitive, everything else makes up for it, especially the drums. Also, some good guitar playin' as usual and over the top vocals from Joe Elliott.