Rocktober Album #12: Def Leppard – High 'n' Dry (1981)

You know I'm a big Def Leppard fan (see Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, and Exhibit 3). Everyone's always asking me, "Oh, hey GMYH, so either Hysteria or Pyromania must be your favorite Def Leppard album, right?" And I'm all, "Get the fuck off my lawn." And they're all, "We're in a bar, and you don't even have a lawn." And I'm all, "Whatever." But it gets me thinking, for sure.

High 'n' Dry is the band's second album, and it just may be my favorite Def Leppard album, or at least in a dead heat with Hysteria. It is the first of three Def Leppard albums produced by the now-legendary producer Mutt Lange. If you think about that, it's pretty crazy. Def Leppard's first album wasn't a huge hit by any means, but Lange – who had already produced AC/DC's Highway to Hell, Back in Black, and For Those About to Rock We Solute You – must have seen something special in Def Leppard. Of course, under Lange's tutelage, Def Leppard would go on to become the only artist to have two certified diamond (10x platinum) studio albums in the 1980s (1983's Pyromania and 1987's Hysteria). You read that correctly. It's Def Leppard, not Michael Jackson, not Madonna, not Van Halen, not Prince, not GNR, not Springsteen (although he did have one studio and one live album from the '80s to be certified diamond), and certainly not Spandau Ballet.

Before that, though, he was busy transitioning Def Leppard from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal to what would become '80s hard rock and hair metal. Some bands have a sophomore slump. Some bands do not. Def Leppard most certainly did not. This album has ten gritty hard rock songs. From beginning to end, it has energy and power. Joe Elliott's vocals really begin to shine on this album, and the guitar work of Steve Clark and Pete Willis (who would be kicked out of the band a year later for alcohol abuse, of all things, and replaced by Phil Collen) is phenomenal, and Rick Allen's drumming is right where it should be. (Incidentally, for those of you who are under the belief that Rick Allen always had only one arm, he did not lose his left arm until a car accident on New Years Eve 1984, so he was fully armed until Hysteria.) All in all, High 'n' Dry is a really good hard rock album.

My only knock on this album is that the band hasn't released a version with the much-sought-after-B-Side "Me & My Wine."

1. Let It Go
The opening riff gives you a glimpse into what Def Leppard would become, as it could have very well fit in on Pyromania. Off the bat, they come out swinging. Elliott's vocals start out kind of low in the verse, but crescendo into the choruses. I've always liked the line, "Stop your stallin' and your bitchin'."
2. Another Hit and Run
Are those dual lead guitars I hear at the beginning? Indeed. After a short tip of the cap to Thin Lizzy, the song kicks into gear. As with much of the album, it's a bit of a brooding song, with great guitars and great vocals.
3. High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)
From the now-distinctive opening riff to the last gasp of "you gotta do it tonight!," this song kicks ass. That's all there is to it. It's about getting hammered on a Saturday night. It's gritty. It has great guitars. It's no wonder VH1 named it the #33 metal song of all-time.
4. Bringin' on the Heartbreak
This is Def Leppard's first ballad, if you can classify this as a ballad. It's dark and brooding, and it's now a classic.
5. Switch 625
Whenever I hear this song, it's impossible not to think of the late Steve Clark. (For those who don't know, Clark died in 1991 of a drug and alcohol overdose.) This is an instrumental that Clark wrote and played lead on. I also can't hear "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" without wanting to hear this played right after it.
6. You Got Me Runnin'
This has become my favorite song on High 'n' Dry, and is probably in my top 3 Def Leppard songs. There is something about it that draws me to it – perhaps because it's awesome.
7. Lady Strange
For a long time, even though I had the album, I thought they were saying "latest rage" when, in fact, they were saying "lady strange." That makes more sense, given the title of the song. Anyway, this is another great song.
8. On Through the Night
You would think that this song would have been on their debut album, On Through the Night. But it's not.
9. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
This is another brooding screamer with sweet guitars and hooks you don't even know about.
10. No No No
This is a frenetic, in-your-face end to a great album, leaning much more towards the NWOBH than '80s hard rock. Unfortunately, Playlist.com did not have this one.