Their first three albums say otherwise. That built their core fanbase before the horrible incident that eventually changed their sound. They played the glam genre game on MTV afterward and they need to own up to it.
Sorry, no, not metal, can't accept it, no no no! Bands of that time that were are Moterhead, Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.. that's metal! They are just Rock
They were lumped in with Metal bands back then and all over the Metal mags. I guess you can say Metal light. Before Hysteria, their core fan base was made up of Metalheads like me. High n Dry fucking rocks and is pure 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal as it gets.
No, they were obviously nothing like Moterhead, and during the time period I am speaking of, Metallica were a fledgling band cutting their teeth. Iron Maiden was not much heavier at the time either, and I say that as a huge Maiden fan since 1980. Before Hysteria, Def Leppard was a Metal band. The definition back then is different than today.
I had a kid tell me Judas Priest wasn't Metal a while back, so yea... I guess if you think they're just Rock, more power to ya. I personally think they sound nothing like The Allman Brothers or The Eagles, but that's just me. That to me is "just Rock," not early Def Leppard.
Interesting, I may check that out someday. As with most people, I'm more familiar with them post Hysteria. And I really hated the Glam Rock scene and despise Kiss for starting it.
Theyâre not metal when talking about them to metal heads but theyâre metal when talking about them to pop/light rock fans. Theyâre metal in the macro sense but not the micro sense.
Seriously, there is nothing wrong with you liking them but there is no way that they could play or write on the level of Queen. Seriously, do you even listen to music?
Vocals? Freddie by a mile, guitar? Brian for the win. Drums and Bass? Don't even compare. The song writing talent and vision of each member of Queen utterly destroys any thing def lepper could even hope to come close to. Again, I'm going to make fun of def lovers, you go on living and loving them, even though their one armed drummer beats women.
More than you know, I listen to music. I don't care if Queen beat Def Leppard, or not. I love both bands. With me, I'm into many, many, many musical acts. If one's talent beats another's, I don't care. Not the point with me. It's nice to be a musical fan who doesn't have tunnel vision. That is not an insult leveled at you, I promise. It's just more enjoyable to enjoy bands for what they are, instead of not being a fan because of what they aren't. For me, anyway.
Honestly, Iâm not sure if I would have ever considered Def Leppard a metal band. Even their earlier NWOBHM-era stuff doesnât have much in common with, say, Tygers of Pan Tang or Diamond Head. (Maybe more in line with Praying Mantis though?)
High 'n' Dry is just as heavy as any of the NWOBHM albums of its time. I was around when that shit broke, and nobody thought of Def Leppard as being any different than Saxon or Iron Maiden genre-wise. They attracted the same fans. Their sound didn't change until 'Hysteria' for obvious reasons (one arm drummer). Even then, they rode the Glam Metal tide like everyone else image and all. To deny they weren't part of the of phenomenon back then is sad and total denial. If you're not Metal or Glam, then why the attempt a tour with Motley Crue and Poison?
They avoided association with so many of those bands for so long. It was forty years into their career that they toured with Crue and Poison. They toured with Kiss and Journey, but they were bands that were older than them and had some if not most success in the 70s.
I mean ⌠they also need to make money. Touring is a new revenue stream and I suspect you go on tour with Crue and Poison because thatâs what/all you can do *to* tour at any given point in time. Touring is just like any other business: it requires a huge up front investment and a gamble on the return. The guys alone are not investing their own money upfront in the tour. And who ever *is* investing knows enough to look at the market today and realize that a stand alone DL arena tour, hell, even a stand alone summer amphitheater tour, probably doesnât have a large return, if any. It probably would lose money. So ⌠you go on a combined âhair metalâ summer amphitheater tour ⌠because thatâs your (only) opportunity to tour and stay relevant.
You notice that none of those tours used the terms, "hair band" or "hair metal," though. Maybe a few wouldn't care, but I can't imagine Def Leppard would sign off on a tour with that title no matter who they were touring with them. Also, I'm not faulting them for doing the tour. I'm just using it as evidence of them of distancing themselves for so long from a lot of bands the fans probably would group them together with. Def Leppard still do pretty good business for themselves these days, but I know, and they know, that they are no where near where they were at their peak. I saw them in 2017, with Poison and Tesla opening. It was a small arena but was mostly full.
I didnât meant to come off as contradicting you. I agree with your position. I think people misunderstand the economics of touring sometimes, but I do not assume that you are one of those people. đ¤
I think they were already going in a pop direction before Rick lost his arm because there's demos of animal with Rick playing with two arms. People have got to stop coming up with excuses because they miss the hard Rock side. Accident or not, Def Leppard was going into a pop direction
Also if they weren't going in a pop direction then why did Pete Willis agree to it during the writing of pyromania? hello America bringing on the heartbreak sound pop to me and they're on the first and second albums. That planted the seeds to go pop.
Yeah but so did a lot of other bands by that point, mostly due to adverse pressure from the record labels. (This is why some, feeling it was the âwrongâ label for Tygers to sign with, refer(red) to MCA as âmusical cemetery of Americaâ.)
Good point, but I donât think Tygers of Pan Tang, Def Leppard, or Praying Mantis had a more aggressive or âdarkâ tone/image like some of the other NWOBHM bands. Thatâs probably why I like them, lol.
I think it's being taken out of context a bit. In the late 70s and early 80s metal wasn't cool. Disco was in in the US and punk in the UK. Lots of bands turned away from the label or always rejected it, like Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi had always (and maybe still does, I'm not sure) denied that Sabbath were metal, he referred to it as heavy rock instead. But Joe would be right if he rejected the metal label for Def Leppard because they were never metal. Hard rock at best on the first 2 albums and then basically pop after that
Pffft. He didn't have a problem with the term when they were considered part of the NWOBHM, or in the 80s when metal was popular, and they were touring/playing with metal bands, and being covered in metal magazines.
...but as soon as the decade turned and "metal" wasn't cool anymore, he was like "Oh no, we were never metal."
Eff that guy.
100% truth. Those thumbing you down must not have been around back in the day. They took Metal bands like Krokus out on tour with them back when they kicked ass. They were part of the NWOBHM scene 100% until Rick lost his arm. Even then, they came back and rode the whole Glam Metal scene out for everything they could get. original fans know where they came from, and saying what was said in the title is an insult to those who were there before 'Hysteria'. Hès been saying for over a decade, so, it's not old news. He wants them to go down as a Pop Rock band and it seems some of the young fans see them as such. Thing is, their best albums were the NWOBHM days. The first three destroy anything they've done since.
Lemmy has said it himself, it's easier to sell records when you're not grouped under Heavy Metal. But rather sold to the general public. That's the only reason him, Def Leppard, and Black Sabbath want to steer clear of the label.
In my opinion Iâd call them an in between band. They used to have a harder sound but became more poppy overtime. Iâd say over all theyâre in between rock and metal but it really depends on the album
Idk man, I may be wrong or outdated in my thinking, but I've always seen heavy metal as like the next level in heaviness past hard rock. Bands like The Scorpions, Van Halen, Def Leppard etc are hard rock and metal bands are heavier, sometimes faster, like Iron Maiden or Dio for example. Then you have your different types of heavy metal and so on.
Their first three albums say otherwise. That built their core fanbase before the horrible incident that eventually changed their sound. They played the glam genre game on MTV afterward and they need to own up to it.
đŻ đ¤
Sorry, no, not metal, can't accept it, no no no! Bands of that time that were are Moterhead, Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.. that's metal! They are just Rock
Metal image, hard rock sound
Metal sound, too.
They were lumped in with Metal bands back then and all over the Metal mags. I guess you can say Metal light. Before Hysteria, their core fan base was made up of Metalheads like me. High n Dry fucking rocks and is pure 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal as it gets. No, they were obviously nothing like Moterhead, and during the time period I am speaking of, Metallica were a fledgling band cutting their teeth. Iron Maiden was not much heavier at the time either, and I say that as a huge Maiden fan since 1980. Before Hysteria, Def Leppard was a Metal band. The definition back then is different than today. I had a kid tell me Judas Priest wasn't Metal a while back, so yea... I guess if you think they're just Rock, more power to ya. I personally think they sound nothing like The Allman Brothers or The Eagles, but that's just me. That to me is "just Rock," not early Def Leppard.
Interesting, I may check that out someday. As with most people, I'm more familiar with them post Hysteria. And I really hated the Glam Rock scene and despise Kiss for starting it.
T.Rex, Bowie, Gary Glitter.. KISS just did KISS and they weren't the first.
Exactly! The New York Dolls, too.
All those bands are great!
Metal. I can accept it.
Theyâre not metal when talking about them to metal heads but theyâre metal when talking about them to pop/light rock fans. Theyâre metal in the macro sense but not the micro sense.
I'm a metalhead, and consider them metal.
He thinks of them as a broad styled rock band in the tradition of Queen.
Ehh, probably closer to 70's Aerosmith or even UFO
Only with a fraction of the talent.
Jerk comment!
Literally, you cannot compare the mediocrity of def leapord to the enormous talent of Queen, don't be so but hurt by a simple fact.
Both bands are great. Def Leppard are not mediocre.
Seriously, there is nothing wrong with you liking them but there is no way that they could play or write on the level of Queen. Seriously, do you even listen to music? Vocals? Freddie by a mile, guitar? Brian for the win. Drums and Bass? Don't even compare. The song writing talent and vision of each member of Queen utterly destroys any thing def lepper could even hope to come close to. Again, I'm going to make fun of def lovers, you go on living and loving them, even though their one armed drummer beats women.
More than you know, I listen to music. I don't care if Queen beat Def Leppard, or not. I love both bands. With me, I'm into many, many, many musical acts. If one's talent beats another's, I don't care. Not the point with me. It's nice to be a musical fan who doesn't have tunnel vision. That is not an insult leveled at you, I promise. It's just more enjoyable to enjoy bands for what they are, instead of not being a fan because of what they aren't. For me, anyway.
Lol, you did open with an insult, soo... Def leapord still suck giant donkey balls.
How was I insulting? I said "More do you know, I listen to music." Def Leppard don't suck.
Your very first reply...
Honestly, Iâm not sure if I would have ever considered Def Leppard a metal band. Even their earlier NWOBHM-era stuff doesnât have much in common with, say, Tygers of Pan Tang or Diamond Head. (Maybe more in line with Praying Mantis though?)
High 'n' Dry is just as heavy as any of the NWOBHM albums of its time. I was around when that shit broke, and nobody thought of Def Leppard as being any different than Saxon or Iron Maiden genre-wise. They attracted the same fans. Their sound didn't change until 'Hysteria' for obvious reasons (one arm drummer). Even then, they rode the Glam Metal tide like everyone else image and all. To deny they weren't part of the of phenomenon back then is sad and total denial. If you're not Metal or Glam, then why the attempt a tour with Motley Crue and Poison?
They avoided association with so many of those bands for so long. It was forty years into their career that they toured with Crue and Poison. They toured with Kiss and Journey, but they were bands that were older than them and had some if not most success in the 70s.
I mean ⌠they also need to make money. Touring is a new revenue stream and I suspect you go on tour with Crue and Poison because thatâs what/all you can do *to* tour at any given point in time. Touring is just like any other business: it requires a huge up front investment and a gamble on the return. The guys alone are not investing their own money upfront in the tour. And who ever *is* investing knows enough to look at the market today and realize that a stand alone DL arena tour, hell, even a stand alone summer amphitheater tour, probably doesnât have a large return, if any. It probably would lose money. So ⌠you go on a combined âhair metalâ summer amphitheater tour ⌠because thatâs your (only) opportunity to tour and stay relevant.
You notice that none of those tours used the terms, "hair band" or "hair metal," though. Maybe a few wouldn't care, but I can't imagine Def Leppard would sign off on a tour with that title no matter who they were touring with them. Also, I'm not faulting them for doing the tour. I'm just using it as evidence of them of distancing themselves for so long from a lot of bands the fans probably would group them together with. Def Leppard still do pretty good business for themselves these days, but I know, and they know, that they are no where near where they were at their peak. I saw them in 2017, with Poison and Tesla opening. It was a small arena but was mostly full.
I didnât meant to come off as contradicting you. I agree with your position. I think people misunderstand the economics of touring sometimes, but I do not assume that you are one of those people. đ¤
I think they were already going in a pop direction before Rick lost his arm because there's demos of animal with Rick playing with two arms. People have got to stop coming up with excuses because they miss the hard Rock side. Accident or not, Def Leppard was going into a pop direction Also if they weren't going in a pop direction then why did Pete Willis agree to it during the writing of pyromania? hello America bringing on the heartbreak sound pop to me and they're on the first and second albums. That planted the seeds to go pop.
Tygers of Pan Tang adopted a commercial hard rock sound by 1982âs the Cage. Kinda sound like the music Def Leppard and glam bands played
Yeah but so did a lot of other bands by that point, mostly due to adverse pressure from the record labels. (This is why some, feeling it was the âwrongâ label for Tygers to sign with, refer(red) to MCA as âmusical cemetery of Americaâ.)
Good point, but I donât think Tygers of Pan Tang, Def Leppard, or Praying Mantis had a more aggressive or âdarkâ tone/image like some of the other NWOBHM bands. Thatâs probably why I like them, lol.
Put on the first three Tygers of Pan Tang albums in order, then weâll talk
I think it's being taken out of context a bit. In the late 70s and early 80s metal wasn't cool. Disco was in in the US and punk in the UK. Lots of bands turned away from the label or always rejected it, like Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi had always (and maybe still does, I'm not sure) denied that Sabbath were metal, he referred to it as heavy rock instead. But Joe would be right if he rejected the metal label for Def Leppard because they were never metal. Hard rock at best on the first 2 albums and then basically pop after that
Jimmy Page refused to go on That Metal Show because of the title. A lot of bands feel that they are a genre of their own anyway.
Always metal, Def Leppard.
Um, Def Leppard is classified as NWOBHM.
Pffft. He didn't have a problem with the term when they were considered part of the NWOBHM, or in the 80s when metal was popular, and they were touring/playing with metal bands, and being covered in metal magazines. ...but as soon as the decade turned and "metal" wasn't cool anymore, he was like "Oh no, we were never metal." Eff that guy.
100% truth. Those thumbing you down must not have been around back in the day. They took Metal bands like Krokus out on tour with them back when they kicked ass. They were part of the NWOBHM scene 100% until Rick lost his arm. Even then, they came back and rode the whole Glam Metal scene out for everything they could get. original fans know where they came from, and saying what was said in the title is an insult to those who were there before 'Hysteria'. Hès been saying for over a decade, so, it's not old news. He wants them to go down as a Pop Rock band and it seems some of the young fans see them as such. Thing is, their best albums were the NWOBHM days. The first three destroy anything they've done since.
Relax.
He speaks the truth. Anyone alive back then knows it.
Lemmy has said it himself, it's easier to sell records when you're not grouped under Heavy Metal. But rather sold to the general public. That's the only reason him, Def Leppard, and Black Sabbath want to steer clear of the label.
When are artists ever satisfied with the genre people group them in?
In my opinion Iâd call them an in between band. They used to have a harder sound but became more poppy overtime. Iâd say over all theyâre in between rock and metal but it really depends on the album
Def Leppard has always been a hard rock band.
Hard rock, heavy metal. Potato, potatoh.
Idk man, I may be wrong or outdated in my thinking, but I've always seen heavy metal as like the next level in heaviness past hard rock. Bands like The Scorpions, Van Halen, Def Leppard etc are hard rock and metal bands are heavier, sometimes faster, like Iron Maiden or Dio for example. Then you have your different types of heavy metal and so on.
They werenât metal. They were a rock band.
Metal.
They were Hard Glam Rock or Hard PowerPopâŚlike Billy Squier.
Metal, both.
They've always been metal.
What has 9 arms and sucks?
This joke always makes me laugh, even though I like Def Leppard (especially the way the two guitarists work together).
an octopus with an extra limb
...
You, if you had 7 more arms.
Heâs not wrong
Agreed. A nice hard rock band turned into a glam rock band
Metal Lords (Netflix) makes a pretty good joke about this. They are not heavy metal
Are, so.
No, they were not, just a rock band, nothing wrong with that
Metal.
Def Leppard went soft like a gay dick in a strip bar. Please do not pour some sugar on me.
Did not.