Def Leppard Finds a New Guitarist

Mutt Lange catches fire with Pyromania

If you're sensing a theme, you're absolutely right.

I'll give you a hint, it's not the glam/hair metal theme. So while you're thinking on it, let's discuss this album.

Pyromania was the third studio album by Def Leppard and the first featuring Phil Collen who took over for Pete Willis, who was fired from the band.

Willis did most of the guitar work during pre-recording but Collen was responsible for many of the solos.

Another new concept was the band using a Linn LM-1 Drum Machine. These parts were also added last, something that gave the band the opportunity to experiment in the studio.

This album was also a significant change from the first two albums as they shifted from heavy metal to a more radio friendly sound. The change worked as three songs on the album made the top 40. Overall the album reached number 2 on the US Billboard Top 200.

Now that we have talked about the album, what's the common theme?

The answer is the producer, it was one of Mutt Lange's finest works according to Rolling Stone.

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Def Leppard - Pyromania

Mercury, 1983

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