Pyromania - Def Leppard

...far the guys came between Pyromania and High'n'Dry in terms of song writing. It's fairly speedy stuff, with plenty of harmonic vocals and a guitar duel a la "Hotel California" (albeit not as accomplished). This is certainly my favourite song in the album.

Song rating: 10/10


Song 6 - Foolin'
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One of the weaker songs in the album but still a pleasant song to listen to. Starts ...
.../> Conclusion
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Pyromania exudes quality from start to finish and it's little wonder that some people still feel this is even better than Hysteria. I'm not entirely decided as to that point. Certainly lyrically it is better with Songs 5 and 10 being real belters in that department. In terms of mass appeal to today's newer Leppard fans brought up on ballads and sweet-sounding soft rock sounds, this is perhaps not what they ... more

The third album in the Def Leppard library is so different from the first two ... it's an absolute stonker of an album (yes, I said stonker - not stinker). It's pretty much the album that 'made' them and no wonder.

Song 1 - Rock Rock Till You Drop
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This is about as hard as Def Leppard have ever got in their long careers. Joe Elliot blasts his lungs out in a song not too dissimilar to some AC/DC stuff. This is a "fun" song and pretty good although some people used to the current 'softer' Lappard stuff may not want to listen to it more than once.

Song rating: 8/10

Song 2 - Photograph
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This was their first hit single and it's a good 'easy listening' kind of song. You can immediately spot Mutt Lange's influence all over this song. The lyrics fit in nicely with the theme of the song (it's written about Marilyn Monroe) and this is where you first come across the harmonic vocals that have become Def Leppard's hallmark ever since. The song is nicely weighted throughout and isn't overly long or laborious in any part. It is one of the stars of the album.

Song rating: 9/10

Song 3 - Stagefright
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Another AC/DC-ish type of track along the lines of song 1. Lyrically not as strong as some others on the album, it's a heavy rocker that the Leps started their "In the Round" gigs with so dramatically. It has a nice fast solo that fits in nicely with the rest of the song (another Leppard hallmark). Again, it may not be a song that later Leppard fans may appreciate but one that the true rockers amongst their fan base will enjoy.

Song rating: 8/10

Song 4 - Too Late for Love
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A musically interesting track. Starts off as a ballad with some "wind" noise and a single guitar, before adding some harmonic vocals and then building up to the inclusion of the rest of the instruments. One of the slower tracks, it may be, but it's not quite a ballad and not quite a rocker ... until you get to the pre-solos, where a bit of additional rock sound is added with a bit of palm muting and a slightly faster rhythm. The second 'solo' changes the tempo of the thing again before moving back to its steady tempo again for the outro. This song has a lot to keep you coming back for more.

Song rating: 8/10

Song 5 - Diehard the Hunter
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Again, this starts off with some fake sound effects before starting off slowly. After a minute or so the true tempo of the song comes into play and it's wonderful stuff! The lyrics in this song show just how far the guys came between Pyromania and High'n'Dry in terms of song writing. It's fairly speedy stuff, with plenty of harmonic vocals and a guitar duel a la "Hotel California" (albeit not as accomplished). This is certainly my favourite song in the album.

Song rating: 10/10

Song 6 - Foolin'
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One of the weaker songs in the album but still a pleasant song to listen to. Starts off slowly. This is the closest the album has to a ballad but while the verses are quiet affairs, the chorus is somewhat louder although not particularly quick. The solo is also fairly weak as are the lyrics. However, still a fairly decent song in its own right that doesn't let the album down.

Song rating: 7/10

Song 7 - Rock of Ages
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"Gunter Gliben Glauten Globen". Four little words that mean so much ... or would if they actually meant anything. But that's how this song starts. A fun little start for a fun rocky song. It has Def Leppard stamped all over it and is a renowned crowd pleaser and 'involver' at their gigs. It's just pure rock that allows them to play to the crowd.

Song rating: 8/10

Song 8 - Comin' Under Fire
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Probably the weakest song on the album. Another famous Leppard format ... slow and quiet verses and louder, slightly faster, chorus. This one still seems to be a throwback to High'n'Dry, their previous album. Still good enough for you to listen to the album without skipping tracks, though.

Song rating: 6/10

Song 9 - Action Not Words
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Another AC/DC rocker. Again, a relatively weak song considering the quality on offer elsewhere on this album. An out and out rock song with plenty of power chords and some clever sounding string bending. Still, it's not a bad tune.

Song rating: 7/10

Song 10 - Billy's Got a Gun
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Relatively slow song, but not one I'd call a ballad, and lyrically haunting. Thematically similar to Diehard the Hunter, this is another epic along similar lines to the earlier song. Again, the lyrics are excellent. It's a shame that Def Leppard abandoned these powerful songs for more in the way of 'fun' titles in later years if this is the quality of the stuff they could produce.

Song rating: 9/10

Conclusion
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Pyromania exudes quality from start to finish and it's little wonder that some people still feel this is even better than Hysteria. I'm not entirely decided as to that point. Certainly lyrically it is better with Songs 5 and 10 being real belters in that department. In terms of mass appeal to today's newer Leppard fans brought up on ballads and sweet-sounding soft rock sounds, this is perhaps not what they might expect from their heroes. It is certainly what I wish they'd done more of ... 

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