Def Leppard - High & Dry
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Free Music Notes for High & Dry
Free Music Review: At their metal best
Hit: 5 Stars
I would never trash Pyromania or Hysteria, as they too are '80s hard rock classics that I will forever love. Nonetheless, it kills me how many people who claim to be Def Leppard fans overlook this album. My review of "Vault" (their greatest hits collection) gives that album of amazing all-time classic hits only 4 stars--mainly because all but the ballad "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" are ignored from this album. This to me is the defining Def Leppard album in many ways."Let It Go" is an aggressive hard rocker with a metal edge--a great lead off to the album. "Another Hit And Run" is also a fantastic hard rocker, and then comes the amazing title track. To this day, I can't help but bang my head to that classic song.
"Switch 625" is a hard rocking instrumental. Songs like "You Got Me Runnin'" and "On Through The Night" continue the metal edge with the over the top melodic vocals and crunching guitar riffs. "Lady Strange" is one kicking song as well--listen to that guitar solo! Man...all these tracks are rocking and amazing!!
As others have mentioned, this album is Def Leppard before their polished sound truly came to be. While that is true, these guys always had a melodic sensibility about them--even on this early, relatively non-mainstream album. All I can say is trust me--if you haven't heard this you have been missing out on one of the classic hard rock albums of the past 25 years. Def Leppard may have become a pop-based band later on (including on their soon-to-be released "X", as I have heard it). To me, there is nothing wrong with that as long as the quality musicianship is there, which it has been with these guys for the most part. They have a right to change with the times. However, it will never get better than the early efforts from this band. This album is a true highlight in this legendary band's amazing career. Don't miss it!
Free Music Review: Leppard's best..it should have been their last...
Hit: 5 Stars
Isn't it sad when you have to say that a band's 2nd major release is their best. Unfortunately this is the case with Def Leppard. From the opening riff on 'Let it Go' to the 'Am I stoned or what No NO NO echo' on the aptly titled last song, this album is just awesome.
Be careful though, in their zeal to make as much money as they can, Def Leppard re-released this album with an extra song entitled 'Me and my Wine' and while the song is OK, as payment for the song you have to listen to a synthetically altered Bringin' on the Heartbreak' which absolutely blows...
If you didn't see Def Leppard either before or during their Pyromania tour you missed a special treat. Raw, inspired, ram it down your throat rock.. If you saw them in later years you were probably more impressed with the sites in the crowd then you were with the music.
Is this album as 'refined' as later Lepard albums.. No.. But what would you rather jam to, an unrefined Let It Go or a polished 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'?..what a freaking joke)
Def leppard released two great albums, this one and On through the night, then Mutt Lange AKA Mr Shania Twain (after producing High and Dry) started tinkering with them, leading to Pyromania, which was the beginning of the end. Joe Elliot decided that it was more fun singing silly love songs to teen age girls, and the party ended for the head bangers. Yeah it was great to go to Def Leppard concerts, not for the music but for the women, but after awhile it was almost an embarrassment to say that you were seeing them live...
So do yourself a favor, Buy this, buy On through the night, and then if you want to waste some money on watered down Def Leppard buy their greatest hits. At least with the greatest hits you get the best of their worst.
Free Music Review: 80's pop-metal from before the formula was established.
Hit: 5 Stars
I actually 'rediscovered' this album; Def Leppard's Pyromania was the first cassette I ever bought, shortly after its release (and shortly after my 13th birthday), and while I loved it, my tastes soon turned to things heavier. Years later, a friend was playing his beat-up cassette copy of High'n'Dry and I was absolutely floored. This is, from start to finish, a brilliant album, and like their debut On Through the Night, shows a very young and unpretentious band wanting to do nothing more than emulate and build on what bands like UFO, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC had done before them. That said, I think the AC/DC comparisons are a bit overblown; obviously, they were an influence and they did share a producer, but AC/DC, as much as I love them, could never match Def Leppard's subtlety or sense of melody. Anyway, the production on this album is very full and clean, yet manages to retain the young band's rawness and energy - note the guitar feedback during the intro to 'Let It Go', and the shouted 3-count between the bridge and last chorus of 'Another Hit and Run'. High'n'Dry is unique in that it was written and recorded before the 80's hard rock/pop-metal formula had been firmly established, and in fact helped define it. As such, while this album contains all the recognizable elements that came to define the genre, it also covers a lot more ground musically than what was to follow in its footsteps. Not being a fan of Def Leppard's post-Pyromania releases, I don't know that I can really recommend it to fans of their later work, but to any fans of late-70's/early-80's hard rock who somehow have managed to not yet hear this in the 26 years since its release, do yourself a favor and get this now!
Free Music Review: I'm rock steady, but still shakin'...
Hit: 5 Stars
`High `n' Dry' is where it really ended for me with Def Leppard though I did enjoy `Pyromania' and `Hysteria'. The band's second album and their first to be produced by Mutt Lange was for all intents and purposes their goodbye to NWOBHM and hello to the pop music mega stardom of the latter part of the `80's. `High `n' Dry' was one of the key records of my adolescence; sealing the deal for all time that I was never going to be a new wave guy but a hard rock/metal guy. This LP is the best of Def Leppard as a true metal band, which may be hard for metal fans to digest as the band veered from that path long ago. "Let It Go", "Another Hit and Run", the title track and "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" were just a roller coaster of sheer commercial metal glory! The second half, though not as key as the first included "Lady Strange", "Mirror, Mirror" and "On Through the Night" (curiously not from the debut, although the genesis of this song may have come during the 1st LP); all classic songs that you sure won't hear today. Supposedly the band disowns this record too except for "Heartbreak"??? What?????!!! That's pathetic though I did see them in '87 and they did play, "Hit and Run" (obviously the highlite for me!). Pete Willis would soon be axed for his boozing and Phil Collen would help lead the band to multiplatinum paradise but at what cost?? I will never accept the fact that Lepp was a better band from `Pyromania' on and the Willis/Clark partnership was the band's best as a true AC/DC-Lizzy clone then the Collen/Clark or Collen/Campbell one. True fans of 80's rock will love `OTTN' and `High n' Dry' and will mark `Pyromania' as the beginning of the end...don' t need a reason, reason to be cool!Free Music Review: Def Leppards best album
Hit: 5 Stars
this album totally rocks from start to finish. this is when def leppard were at their best and most original. even though i heard some people say it sounds like ac\dc it is true in some ways, but after listening to this album they have their own unique sound and don't sound like anybody else. great band back then, you can also tell when bands are hungry and young and want to get sucessful at their job. just like a lot of other rock this is three chord rock and that is what ac/dc is most famous for doing. this starts out with let it go. great song, i love the intro to hit and run, great way to start the next song, just cool. high n dry is a cool tune and pete willis puts a nice solo on this one. bringin on the heartache is kinda sappy although it is well written. switch 625 just rocks, crank it up loud and enjoy, good riff. you got me runnin is also a good tune. lady strange is one of the best they ever wrote in my mind. great song. on through the night rocks too. i also thought this is probably leftover from the first album, who knows. mirror mirror is cool. no no no is a great song. overall this album was the last this band was ever that good. i think they should have kept pete willis or they should have got somebody better than phil collen at least. just doesn't seem to do nothing for them like pete and steve clark did. after this album they went down and the better songs on piromania pete willis wrote. after that they were finished. but this album still sounds fresh when you put it on and crank it up. hope you enjoyed my review.