Grunge DESTROYED Glam Metal But It was NO MATCH for This Feel Good 80s Band! | Professor of Rock
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2024
- How do you follow up the biggest album of your career, a legitimate 80s landmark album, when two of your bandmates have gone MIA? That’s the situation today’s band, Def Leppard was grappling with as they gathered to write their 5th studio album, Adrenalize. Tragically, one member, Guitarist Steve Clark was lost to the grips of alcoholism. And the other, the “so-called” 6th member, legendary producer Mutt Lange to an entirely different artist (Bryan Adams). If you didn’t know better, you might guess this record would be their darkest offering. The thought had crossed their mind. Instead, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen composed a relentlessly upbeat collection of life-affirming rock and roll… A pure adrenaline rush starting with their first hit Let’s Get Rocked…Problem is the timing was a little bit off…It came right when their brand of Feel Good Highly produced Rock was nearly extinct. What would happen to this band in the changed musical environment when grunge ruled? I actually ask lead singer Joe Elliot next and he get a little pissed. Find out why next! …on Professor of Rock.
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So what happens when you’ve ruled music for nearly 10 years including 2 straight diamond albums….and then the entire musical landscape changes? Well, that’s the focus of today’s story including me asking that exact question to the lead singer of one of the greatest and most successful bands in rock history. Def Leppard ruled 1983 with Pyromania and then in 1988 with Hysteria. Both albums were the toast of rock. Then GRUNGE hit. and their brand of feel-good high-production rock was wiped away… at least for a time. On today’s episode, we get into Def Leppard’s first record of the 90s Adrenalize, and the single Let’s Get Rocked and its impact along with some insight from Joe Eliont himself in an excerpt from our interview.
So let’s set it up: On August 3, 1987, Def Leppard released their 4th studio album Hysteria. The biggest album of their career, it would sell a colossal 25 million plus copies, and kick out seven iconic singles, including #3 Armageddon It, #2 Pour Some Sugar on Me, and #1 Love Bites. At the time, the band consisted of Joe Elliott on lead vocals, Phil Collen and Steve Clark on guitar, Rick Savage on bass, and Rick Allen on drums… all incredible, legendary musicians in their own right.
However, coming off the Hysteria tour it was becoming blatantly obvious that Steve Clark was struggling. Alcoholism was getting the better of him. Drinking was nothing new for the guitarist, but in the past, he had always bounced back from his low spots. This was no longer the case. Between 1989 and 1990 Clark would spend 6 separate stints in rehab. - Розваги
Poll: Who is your pick for the best rock band of the 90s?
I'm going to go with Stone Temple Pilots.
Suede
Alice in Chains - Layne's vocals are mesmerizing.
REM and the Smashing Pumpkins
I'd nominate REM and Nirvana for that spot
Anyone born in the 60's and 70's can testify of Def Leppard being the songs of their youth. This band had energy, a powerhouse singer, and extremely good musicians. It was rocknroll at it's finest in my personal opinion.
Hell yes. Nobody had as many riffs as Strve Clark. They ticked like a well oiled clock. 😂
Those born in the 70’s yes but those of born in the early 60’s didn’t hear Def Leopard until high school
Hell I was born in 1980 and my parents had all their albums and were constantly playing them on the turntable, in junior high when everybody else was listening to Nirvana, Tupac, Pearl Jam etc. I had Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Slaughter etc. on my Walkman, I was the odd man out music wise all through out junior high and high school.
Definitely Led Zeppelin lite.
Saw them live many times in the 80s and early 90s
Def Leppard is definitely a big part of my youth
30 years later and it really is no longer a fight between grunge and glam it really just all rock and which bands are talented and consistent. Def Leppard is definitely up there.
It was all rock. Music is just music. The only thing that changes is style, but about every 20 years everything recycles. Coincidentally, generations are measured in spans of 20 years. (See, the developmental psychology paid off...hahaha)
*Joe was definitely not "pissed". He just has a strong opinion.* 🤘🏼
Coming from a family of English immigrants, I can say that oftentimes, Americans confuse normal "english" behavior as being pissed, rude, condescending, you name it really.... when to themselves they are just being normal english, and don't understand the confusion. Hahaha.
I’m just glad Nirvana came along and wiped out Def Leppard, who suck badly. 😂
@@joen8529- Who was left standing at the end of the 90s? When is the Nirvana reunion tour?
@@joen8529 Let me guess... you were non-existent in the 80s. lol
Of course not. "Professor" takes an eternity to get to the point in his videos so he has to say something at the outset to keep you from bailing.
I don't miss Glam Metal because I listen to it everyday! Current (last 20 years) music just can't match 80's rock for its lyrics, hooks, riffs, intensity and most importantly how it makes you feel, including the sad songs. They are emotionally draining and we listen to them for comfort, courage, all sorts. Unbeatable. G'day from Australia!
Princess, please! haahahhahahahahahahaha
I totally agree!!
Its true. I live in Southamerica and I can still purchase glam music on CD. My latest finding Native tongue by Poison
May I suggest new 80 style bands out of Northern Europe that you might want to add in. Crazy Lixx, Airborne, wigwam. It's like they stepped out of a time machine specially crazy Lixx. Don't forget hardcore superstar. 80s and early 90s music all the time as well still play it loud and proud driving as well. But these new bands have helped add more
Incredibly valid observations! Alice Cooper still sings "Eighteen", and nobody sits there and says "hey man, you aren't 18 years old!", no, they recognize that he still empathizes and lives through the experience of his younger self! It's rock and roll man, you feel it, the critics analyze it, that's why it doesn't work for them! So glad you feel this music, that's what makes you different!!!
Thanks for your comment!
I have found that most of the albums the critics downplayed or hated were some of my absolute favorites. Adrenalize is one of those.
@waynevanstanley3795 Country was around in the 90s? Didn't notice. The 90s saw rock dwindle but classic rock stations flurrished. Great music survives. Most anybody has heard names like Beethoven or Bach. How long they been gone? Might be old but I'm still a rocker. Not just the Stones, anybody miss Extreme's release last year? IT ROCKS! ☕️☕️🎶🎵🎶
He was well over 18 when the song came out.
Yes! I would sing the song for that reason too.
My kids know my deep love for Def Leppard. Every Christmas I get a t-shirt but this Christmas my kids bought me tickets to their Atlanta show. ❤ Cannot wait to re-live the best time of my life!!!
Awesome! With Journey?
@ProfessorofRock Absolutely! So excited to go!
I am hoping to go to that show too!!
That’s so sweet of them.
@@FreiherrDinkelacker Well, I'm the mom. 😃 But I'm def taking their hot, awesome dad as my date.
Def Leppard will always be tops!
As a child of the 80’s, I was homeschooled. My Mom would use the stereo and MTV as a method to get me to finish my work.
I fell in love with Journey, Van Halen, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi.
I’d do anything to just sit around and watch videos all day.
To me it was pure paradise!
I still think of a lot of these guys as family, grieving the loss of Steve Clark and EVH as if they were my uncles.
Hey, I love these guys and I was raised on radio! ❤️
Def Leppard is getting laid. Bon Jovi is what the girl you just became a man with went home and listened to as she did her hair the next night with her girlfriends. Please don't put those two in the same sentence.
I don't miss glam metal or hard rock at all.
I still listen to it every day.
Def Leppard has always been such a talented band and incredible live. And Joe and the guys always have had a keen perception of rock history and their place in it. They have ignored fads their entire career and did what they wanted. That is true rock 'n' roll.
Def Leppard is kindergarten metal.
Musicians like your interview style cuz you’re all about the music and nothing else. No gotcha bs. I think you help remind these musicians why they love music in the first place. Good job Professor!!
Thanks for watching!
Yup. Prof and beato as well
The release of "Adrenalize" gave me hope that metal wasn't dead because of grunge. Def Leppard came through and still put out timeless material to this day.
Def Leppard is not Metal. They just barely qualify as hard rock. 🤔🙄
Metal? Them? THAT album??? 😂😂😂
Grunge = All dead, by suicide or by drugs, all dead
80's Bands = almost all, still touring, still playing and having fun
Dry your eyes Snowflake, Kurt and Eddie can't hurt Kip Winger or Stryper anymore.
@@travzimmerman1340 😂😂🤣
Grunge was much better than crap like Def Leppard, I’m inclined to think that means tortured artists make better musicians than flamboyant c0qk rockers..
@@travzimmerman1340 yeah... I'm the snowflake! Right! Lol
They’re both great in their own ways. I don’t get the tribalism. It’s pretty stupid imo. Just enjoy what you like and leave people alone with what they enjoy.
My sister was a huge Def Leopard fan! She was totally enamored with Joe Elliot all through the 80's 😊. We shared a room and her choices of music were on the heavier side while I leaned heavily into pop. But that meant that we enjoyed a greater range of music. It was super enriching to our lives and Im forever grateful that was our experience.
That’s awesome that you got to share the precious moment of Def Leppard.
I feel like they were a big chick band like Bon Jovi
@@samanthab1923 they absolutely were!😊
Leppard, you forgot to correctly misspell it.
@@jpvoodoo5522 I mean, they totally suck, so who cares hahahah
saw them June 3rd, 1983. graduated high school next day. awesome weekend
I graduated the same day. Class of '83!
Saw them in college in 1987 in New Orleans... Tesla opened up. I couldnt believe how good Def Leppard was live. Joe sang his ass off..
Wow... I'd say!
My aunt graduated in May 1983.
I graduated the same year same month ...good times! Saw so many great concerts back in the early to mid 80s
Watching a new Professor of Rock video is like watching MTV in the 80s and 90s.
Keep up the good work.
Agree 100%😊
As someone who was 13 years old when Adrenalize came out, I can tell you from my experiences, that album, along with the last GnR singles from the Illusion era, were the last gap of mainstream 80’s rock among my peers. It was dying then and completely dead by the mid 90’s. Not with me, mind you, but I can tell you as a fan of that music at that time and being the age I was, my schoolmates weren’t in sync with me. It was grunge, then post grunge stuff like Creed and Live and the Dave Matthews Band. I remember hearing “Promises” on the radio in 1999 and viewing it as a huge breath of fresh air.
What didn't you have Oasis? They were the biggest and best after Nirvana and guns before them
Post grunge! That was the phrase I was looking for.
Spin Doctors!
I felt very much the same way. Music of my High School years kind of sucked. None of it has stood the test of time or even come close. The Rap Rock era was not something to be proud of. Rock still feels dead or underground.
Joe is definitely on top of things as far as who's in the charts today, yesterday, or whenever. You can tell he's definitely kept up with things.
He knows his stuff. No question.
I’m just like Joe!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I am as well.
"The media darlings and silent majority."😄 Thank you, Sir. That hit the nail right on the head.😆
Growing up prior to the grunge era allowed most of us to enjoy both,but today I still listen to 80s metal and hardly ever listen to grunge.
In 1992, at the height of Grunge, Def Leppard was outselling Pearl Jam. Hard Rock continued to be popular until 1993
TRUTH.
@@ProfessorofRockSoundScan for Billboard year 1992 shows Pearl Jam’s Ten the #3 best selling album of ‘92 and Def Leppard’s Adrenalized #9 for ‘92.
Not trying to be critical, but being the professor necessitates knowing the numbers.
@@micv5149 I gave that Leppard example bcs Mtv/Rolling Stone narrative tells us that "once Nevermind was released in 1991, everything was changed in an overnight and all the 80s bands disappeared" This is simply not true. For months in 1992, Def Leppard was actually overselling Pearl Jam, tho in the end Ten oversold Adrenalize. It was not a diss on PJ btw, I actually like Ten
PJs debut is the best selling debut R&R album of all time. Followed closely by the Black Crowes who held that title for a few years
@@bane1240 I am pretty sure Appetite for Destruction is the best selling debut of all time
"it was only a matter of time before the world got smiley again" perfectly put by Joe Elliott ! Def Leppard is definitely good time have a blast music. Let's Get Rocked would have fit perfectly on any of their albums. I can't wait Def Leppard and Journey are coming to play this summer in my city! I intend to get smiley and get Rocked again LIVE! Fantastic interview professor you are right he lit that question up when you said it. Great stuff
That's exactly right!
I might have to buy tickets this time.
I mean he’s not wrong. How many grunge singers are dead? Kurt, Chris Cornell, Layne, Chester Bennington, etc
@@samanthab1923 yes they are, I miss them because I loved a lot of their music but I also love Def Leppard music too
@@samanthab1923 Although not grunge, Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, and Brad Nowell of Sublime died in the 90's as well. Alternative, I guess.
I vividly remember sitting in my friend Chris's living room and we snuck some beers and eagerly waited for the premier on MTV. We were all gathered around his big screen tv and when it came on, we were ecstatic. As the music/video played we were glued to the screen. I can still feel the raw emotions we were all feeling listening to the song and when it ended, we were on a musical high that lasted for hours. We all went out to a party and had a great time that night. It was a much easier time in life, This interview and video just evoked that place and time in my mind, to where i had to take a step back just to appreciate the memories. Thanks Adam, YOU ROCK!!!!! 3 chords brother, 3 chords and that truth!!!!
The first concert i ever saw was Def Leopard in 1983 on the Pyromania tour in 1983. I was 16 years old at the time.
I'm now 56 years old, but there's still a 16 year old inside of me. I think that's why older artist cal still perform songs from a younger age, because it still reminds listeners about our glory days.
Def Leppard was my first concert experience as well during their High 'n' Dry tour. They opened for Billy Squier and they were both great! I miss the 80's so much!!!
Saw this tour - front row!!!!!!
Don't get me wrong, there were songs I liked from the big grunge bands, but overall, I just didn't get it. Life can often be negative, and it has it's roller coasters, the news itself is already depressing enough, why would someone want to pay money to be "entertained" by "Debbie Downer". For me, I'll choose "cheesy feel-good" glam metal any day, and Def Leppard put out a great album as the followup to Hysteria. Was it as a good, not in my opinion, but it was still great, and there's nothing wrong with that in my book.
Edit - forgot another point I wanted to make. To me, music should be an escape from reality, it should move you, and 80's hair metal provided that outlet for me then, and still does to this day. So for that, thank you Def Leppard, and all the great hair metal bands.
Great show my brother. And hey, let's not forget the mighty VAN HALEN was touring For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, sold out tour (that was my first Van Halen concert!) They won best video for Right Now at the MTV awards and played Poundcake to kick off the ceremony. Grunge didn't hurt them one bit.
I found a lot of us teens in the 90s have come to really appreciate some of these 80s bands we were kind of convinced to hate.
Really started to notice it among friends and a Resurgence in a lot of these bands popularity
That was thing, I was in junior high when grunge broke and I was still listening to hair metal. Grunge was too boring and sad sack for my tastes. What I saw the hipster music press back then do is denigrate these bands and call them "corporate shills" and fall all over themselves to hail Nirvana and Pearl Jam, no offense to people who wear glasses but I wasn't going to choose music based on the tastes of some boring, pencil neck geek with Buddy Holly glasses who worked for Spin Magazine. It was funny because Grunge turned into what the critics accused hair metal bands of, bands that sounded the same, looked the same and were manufactured but the press at Spin, Rolling Stone etc. were so full of themselves they pretended it didn't happen and ignored it.
@@RockLibertyWarrior I was more into the funky and metal industrial 90s...nin ministry white zombie primus faith no more
@@RockLibertyWarrior I was born in the 80s so just too young for that 80s hair metal stuff but my stepbrother did love Metallica and Slayer the only 80s bands I really remember actually listening to as a kid.
And got told that a very young age that the greatest metal song ever written was the electric eye by Judas Priest and as an adult I can't find any reason to argue that. LoL
Even if it is not my first pick I cannot argue it
Def Leppard isn't really my style, but I appreciate their attitude and this was a good interview. I do really appreciate it when a band holds true to "their thing" regardless of prevailing music industry currents. 😎👍
It is acutally unreal. Leppard are a stadium band in 2024. WORLDWIDE! Adrenalize was one fo the first albums i bought and still play it. Class
I felt a big relief when Def Leppard came out. I was glad to see true rock to come back.
Same! Good call Terry!
OH HELL YEAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Def Leppard came out in 1979 when there was a ton of real rock, much of it much harder rocking than Def Leppard.
Def Leppard was always on the lighter side of the hard rock spectrum, even though they were generally regarded as a heavy metal band for the first three albums.
After Pyromania they got way more commercial; definitely not metal and arguably not even hard rock; I would simply call it commercial, radio friendly pop rock.
I like the first 3 albums (have no interest in anything afterwards) but I would never regard Def Leppard as a top tier band.
@@b.g.5869Yeah, people that call bands like DL metal must have delicate ears, or something. Lol
Me too. This song was a relief.
I don’t think Joe was mad.
Fair question and a great answer.
Good episode.
I was in basic training when Let's Get Rocked hit the radio waves and I recognized Def Leppard just by the voice and style of the music. What a surprise that was! Bought the CD as soon possible.
The music industry is not "like" the fashion industry, it is a fashion industry. It creates hype and then pits trends against one another to keep people talking. People's careers are destroyed and others created in the constant effort to be fresh and current. Nirvana was never much of a band but the timing was perfect. When I hear lyrics like "Polly wanna cracker" I groan, remember that Cobain listed "The Shags" as a major influence and then change the station. Grunge was the "bellbottoms" of the music industry. But, but it is a necessary evil . And, and the bands that people will go, "well what about?", those bands were just rock n roll bands rebranded. We were so lucky to see Mr. Grohl step out from behind the kit, and his "Sound City" documentary is very inspiring.
They totally outperformed Motley Crue on this last tour. Great show. 💪🏻💪🏻
Who opened your show?
Well that's not hard lol
Poison also out performed Motley and I’m generally a bigger Motley fan than Poison. Motley has become a joke for me while Sef Leppard is still about the music. I had a good time having a huge beer in me drunkingly singing along to “Love Bites.”
As with any band then some of the music changed in style for radio play.
Like that's tought to do 😂😂😂😂
Love this band. HUGE influence on me as a kid. Still listen to them all the time. I miss those days of youth playing air guitar to their iconic music. Just an amazing group of TRUE MUSICIANS
On through the Night and High and Dry were epic! Hello America was perfect for the 17 year old me at the time. But Switch 625 is my favorite from the time!
Great job Professor!
I remember riding around with my aunt in her sports car listening to Hysteria. I fell in love with Def Leppard at that point. I was in 3rd grade when Pour Some Sugar on Me was playing on the radio all the time. My brother was in 6th grade at this time. The significance of this is that any time that song came on when we were riding the bus, it was like 6th grade vs 3rd grade on who could sing the song the loudest. That was the only time the bus driver put up with us being that loud too. As an adult, I would sing that song whenever there was karaoke at the bar I frequented. I always wanted to see them live and be able to sing along with them. In 2009 I got my chance. They came to Indianapolis with Cheap Trick and Poison. Usually, I'm the driver to all concert events, but not this time. So, I had a giant beer. You can guess what happened next, I had to pee real bad after I finished it. So I rush to the restrooms and as I do, I hear Pour Some Sugar on Me start to play and I'm stuck in the restroom! So my first live experience and I heard 20 drunk chicks singing it in the restroom instead of the band. My dream had not come true that day. I haven't been and to go to another one since, even though they have come back almost every year since. I'm really hoping they come back this summer and that I can afford to go, even if I have to go by myself.
That sucks you missed the song. Drinking at concerts just isn’t as great as it seems like it should be. Maybe pills is a better option, so you don’t have to pee.
I remember being on a field trip in 9th grade, riding on the bus with my best friend (we’re both girls). I had brought my Walkman with “Pour Some Sugar on Me” on a mixed tape. My friend and I each listened to one side of the headphones and would yell out, “from my head, to my feet!” and other lyrics. I was a generally quiet kid, so I’m guessing my classmates were surprised I was being loud, LOL. We adored that song though! It rocked so hard! I was just getting into glam rock and older 70’s rock music in my high school years, but Nirvana showed up during that time 🤮 and started ruining my rock-n-roll energy. I could never understand why people wanted to listen to depressing music when they could be listening to Def Leppard and GnR and even older bands like Boston. Sad music had its place, but it was in love songs, not rock songs!
At some point in late 1999, I was watching an MTV video countdown of the best songs or videos of all time. I couldn’t believe when they got to number one and they had selected “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I was f*cking angry. I could think of 1000 songs and videos that were better than that one. I was one of the few people who wasn’t sad when Kurt Cobain died.
@Neevie-Styx, when I say it was 3rd grade vs 6th grade, it was really just me vs a kid named Jacob. We were the loudest 2 on the bus and it was hilarious every time. I'd never drank at concerts, but was excited to be able to since I wasn't driving. I hate pills, just not my thing. I usually smoke a lot of weed before a concert. Lol
Legend
Adrenalize was absolutely underrated. And "White Lightning" was an ABSOLUTE masterpiece. I saw a video a while back where Phil was describing what it was like trying to imagine how Steve would play the intro, and how he would trade the solos back and forth with him. And just seeing the photo on the inside where the band is posing without Steve really was surreal and heartbreaking. I wasn't a big fan of "Slang" (at first), but (to be fair) the band was adjusting to the changing times, and focusing on where they were in demand at the time. By the way, if you ever get a chance, you need to listen to the unreleased Japanese version of the track "Truth?". It is VERY much ahead of it's time, and was Heavy A.F.
edit: Yeah, I barely noticed the "Grunge movement" when it started. MTV was taken off my local plan and replaced with VH1 and CMT. I really got into Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam, but didn't really see them as being that much different from what I was already listening to.l
I remember when Arrested Development and Snow took over MTV. Those were darker days than grunge
YES! Let's get rocked! Def Leppard is one of my favorite things in the world. Can't believe you got to interview these guys. Awesome....
Joe is not mad. He is passionate and extremely knowledgeable about music history. He loves it as much as you.
Love you work.
I agree. I don't think Joe was mad at all. Speaking facts.
I saw Def Leppard open for Blackfoot for the High N' Dry tour. 1981 in Phoenix.
I love your interview with Joe, Adam. It's great to get his perspective on the events, plus "Let's Get Rocked" is the quintessential party song.
Thanks Trina! I agree. A feel good anthem in a time where music got a little depressing.
I love the adrenalize album.
I think it was their most successful in the uk, commercially. Best chart success.
I'd been a fan of them since 87-88 but I was into them big time in the 90s. Adrenalize came out as I was going up to high school. I first got to see them live on the adrenalize tour. this was at don valley stadium Sheffield.
I grew up only 20 miles up the road from the def leppard guys.
Them in Sheffield, me in the town next door, Doncaster.
They were huge in that era.
Then Def Lep followed up Adrenalize with their most divisive album, Slang. I’ll admit, I absolutely hated Slang upon first listen. Even wanted to reach out to the band through their fan club to complain about it. Yet over the years that album has grown on me and I now love it. I am a diehard fan owning all their albums and have seen them countless times live.
Great video man.
Im so glad I got to see them during the Pyromania tour in 1983. Rick still had both of his arms. What a great Drummer..
Neal Schon has been in so many great bands
Got to see them at some college gymnasium in Boulder. Didn't know who they were, on the bill with Blackfoot. Both kicked ass, weren't a thousand people at the show . Year or so later saw them again at Big Mac, there were thousands and thousands this time.
Where at?
McNichols sports arena, Denver. Many great shows there. 1979 I think.
Saw them in 83. Gary Moore opened! 😊
My memory of Def Leopard during that era is sitting around playing acoustic guitar with my good friend. We spent many an hour playing Two Steps Behind. We used to record ourselves on cassette. Boy what I would give to hear those tapes today. That would be a treat 😅
Did you lose the tapes?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 yeah, a long time ago. I was a bit careless as a 14 year old. About 5 years ago I heard from a girl that used to run around in our circle back then that claimed to have one of them. I asked her several times if she could send it to me but she never did and we eventually lost contact. I wish that I would have taken better care of things like that as a kid, but, unfortunately I didn't.
An interview Yes.. Love it 🤘🤘🤘🤘.. Thanks
P.O.R.. 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Would love to see the rest of it if there is more 🙃
This video was so well done and love you giving some spotlight to Adrenalize!!! I’ve always said if Steve hadn’t passed, this album would have come out a year earlier and sold well over 10 million. Even still, as a 16 year old Lep fan, who loved all the 90s bands as well, there was something fun about having a favorite band that were suddenly the underdog. 1992. What a time for rock music!?! It truly was when the 80s and 90s overlapped for a brief magical time!!!
Joe makes a good point. The rock press would probably overblown the impact of a new type of music but it turns out to be a handful of talented bands that burnout in a couple of albums. I think the bigger change comes from the cynicism that started growing in the 90s and grunge just came with darker lyrics to fit the mood
I do remember the 90s having an angrier, more cynical feel, and not just in entertainment but in the world around me. I miss the 80s much more than the 90s.
The first time I saw Def Leppard was the Pyromania tour 1983 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, what a gig. 🤘
May 27, 1983, Knoxville, TN Civic Coliseum.
With krokus,john butcher axes may 16 1983 munisiple aud.nashville,tn.
@@johnnyeskew4703 I remember Kooks was one of the openers, but I couldn't remember the other. Thanks. I'd forgotten about John Butcher Axis.
I loved Adrenalize and Let’s Get Rocked is such a fun tune, reminding me of growing up. I loved the whole album.
The whole band is chill. Joe sat next to my husband in first class one day and apologized for having on a tshirt that was well worn “I just want to be comfortable.” Husband simply said “it’s ok wife and I are big fans and I wish I was too” looking down at his uniform. (he was a pilot riding to his next flight)
Husband talked to Rick and Phill (whom he embarrassingly called Joe once 😂) and some of the crew and says they were all super down to earth.
i am so happy i found your channel love the content,, the memories flood back everytime i tune in thanks
"Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)" is still one of Def Leppard's best tracks!
I love it👍
If you once accidentally sliced your finger to the bone on a Hunt’s Pudding “Snack Pack” metal cup, you will find this channel to be groovy.
Great one!
Love these guys. Def Leppard and Van Halen were my two favorite bands when I was growing up.
Dear Professor,
NAILED IT!!!
Love,
It's only Rock 'n Roll...❤
Hysteria was the soundtrack of my high school years. Adrenalize was the soundtrack of my undergraduate years. Slang was the kind of artistic shift that, looking back on it now, was necessary. Several songs from Slang live in my head to this day.
I always liked work it out from slang.
Slang is great, much better than anything they made since
Slang is not bad either.
Love Joe Elliot. He’s such a huge music fan - like the rest of us. But there were many 80’s Rock bands not as big of lucky as Def Leppard that Grunge really did affect
Which ones in your opinion?
@@ProfessorofRock Cinderella, Winger, White Lion - all had good 80’s but no so much 90’s. Even Motley Crue
'Wait', 'Gypsy Road', 'Madeline' 'Kickstart my Heart' still get played often in this house. @@thelolguy007
I agree, sadly.
@thelolguy007 with the exception of Crue, the rest of those bands rode the wave of glam metal and weren't very good to begin with.
Fantastic episode. It speaks to something that always affected me greatly - the transition from hair bands (fun, rockers) to grunge (depressing). I've come to appreciate grunge and 90s music a bit more, but I still prefer those hair bands.
Great episode as always. I had a very brief fandom with Def Leppard but it didn't last, I believe I purchased Pyromania but none of the albums following. U2, Counting Crows, and other bands were making music that resonated with me more at the time and still do. I appreciate Def Leppard's music as part of rock history and enjoyed it for what it was at the time, albeit briefly.
Ugh, no offense, can't stand Counting Crows, U2 or any of those other yuppie, Matchbox 20 orchestra bands that came out in the 1990s. Pedal to the metal baby, that is the music that moves me, some guy looking like he hasn't taken a bath for month mumbling about how his girlfriend left him five years ago and he's miserable isn't my bag, if that is yours that is fine. Different strokes for different folks.
Adrenalize is my favorite Def Leppard album!
I love the slick production 😁
And the album cover is easily my favorite as well. Have the LP framed on my wall 😍
High and Dry- but have them all!! I saw them multiple times
@@user-ty2xv6xw8j High and Dry is propably my second favorite. It's a kickass album for sure.
I love Retro Active too.
After that one..
Meh.
Both 'Hysteria' and 'Adrenalize' came along at absolutely crucial times of my life.
'Hysteria' (and 'Love Bites' mainly) were the era of first crushes and stirring feelings towards girls. 'Adrenalize' was the soundtrack to that first cataclysmic heartbreak. In that instance the song that defines it is 'Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad'.
Strangely, another apocalyptic break-up occurred at the time of 'X', which is probably why I rate that album a lot higher than most.
So, yeah, Def Leppard have been the soundtrack to some of the most wonderful and soul-crushing moments of my life.
Thank You Sir🙏 Def Leppard captures many point of one's life
"Hysteria" reminds you of how smitten you can be to a girl💓(plus it's a sooo cool driving song👍) while "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" became anthemsa boy's heartbreak from someone's crush💔 Simply Amazing👍
Love you man! You really make a person appreciate and celebrate all music! God bless brother ❤
Great show! Love Joe and DL, and I also love the Professor! Keep up the good work!
I also have to agree with what Joe said , that grunge is treated like a historical event when it’s not. Personally I’ve never liked grunge
Oh come on. There was a huge cultural shift in the early 90's and alternative or "grunge" definitely had its moment.
You can say it's exaggerated but it did happen. But it was a VERY short-lived thing.
You cant deny the influence of grunge in the 90s. Even to the movie industry. There has been so many good songs produced by these bands. Some were very original with no so common chord progressions and measures. So it felt fresh. And I am saying as a big EVH fan. I also like bands like Ratt but Def lepparf not so much. I think, there is only one good song from them - Bringin' On The Heartbreak. The rest of their stuff is quite predictable and lacking great riffs.
Then bubble gum pop came back and took over in the late nineties.
He wasn't pissed, he was just speaking the facts
Nice click and thumbnail - it worked and hooked me in! But, better yet, another great upload and info. Such a cool channel!!
Hey Adam, it was like 2 years ago when you told your story about your dad and the bucket of rocks under the grass. When you told that story, this very song popped into my head. So, in my eyes you do have a kind of connection to it.
I never got to see them live, and i feel like I missed out. Their energy was so seductive, and I imagine they would totally raise the roof live.
They still tour! I've seen them 3 times in the last 8 years or so.
It’s not too late, they’re going on tour summer 2024😀
I did not get to see them but my wife finally did several years ago. I was so happy for her. My son said he was shocked how good they were live. I wish I had got to be there. It was a t a festival and I watched the grand kids and went the next day and the headliner was Soundgarden. A few weeks later Chris Cornnel was gone. Glad I got to see soundgarden but I would of loved to seen Def Leppard as well.
I heard they are gonna tour with Journey!
They still tour and they are still very good live
the song Tonight on this great recording should have been more of a hit and memorable song by them...
another informative video man...appreciate everything you do sir...
Itotally agree! love Tonight.
Making love with no disguise
My favorite song on Adrenalize and of my favorite DL songs. I remember first hearing it the night the Blizzard of '93 hit here in the southeast US. The video to tonight is also great; I love the film noir look to it.
Still one of my favorite bands of all time. I will keep listening to these guys and going to see them in concert as long as they keep performing. I missed them the last time they were in Tokyo but I hope they come back soon…
YES AGREED!! DEF LEPPARD WAS NOT TOUCHED BY THE GRUNGE MOVEMENT...THEY ARE UNTOUCHABLE 🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶
I don't know why, but I never owned the Adrenalize album but I loved some of the songs from this LP especially Let's Get Rocked. I miss Steve Clark but I'm so glad that they were able to get Vivian Campbell to join. He's been very great for the group. Saw them in 2018 with Journey and they still were able to perform at a high level despite their age, although Joe can't hit the high notes 😂
A great replacement for Mr. Clark.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980Campbell is an awesome guitar player but not a songwriter. Steve Clark was both.
I still love Def Leppards' music!!
Thanks Professor!!
😎👍
Rock on! What your top song by them?
@ProfessorofRock
Probably Bringing on the Heartbreak. With Mirror Mirror a close second.
Bringing on the 💔
+1 for Mirror Mirror. One of my favorite songs of theirs!@@Dave-lq2le
@@shanegrla
😎👍
I remember their first performance without Steve Clark at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. It was a very poignant moment when they opened with Let’s Get Rocked.
I'm from Sumner, Washington about 40 miles from Seattle but only 12 from Tacoma. I'm the class of 86&87. In mid 80s. There was a riot at Gorilla Garden and a Scandal at a dance club called The Monestary. Which pushed the scene out to the suburbs after the Seattle dance ban. I could go on but as I was commenting my wife told me that Susie Tenet passed. She was such a part of scene. Short and sassy and such a positive person. You were someone when Suz gave a hug.
I was talking about Mutt Lang 6 hours ago!
This was a fantastic album. And perfect for those of us who had grown up on 80’s rock and we’re struggling to like grunge.
My band covered 4 songs from Adrenalize in the 90s. Let’s Get Rocked, Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad, Make Love Like A Man, and Heaven is.
Tonight and Stand Up ( Kick Love Into Motion) are my faves from that album. One of the best records produced in the 90s.
First concert was Def Leppard Seven Day Weekend tour. They ROCKED THE FORUM! They were my favorite group and I was eighteen. I was blown away. If only I could go back. Great times.
I love Def Leppard and in all honesty it has been my favorite rock band since I was a kid way back in 1983 when I first saw them live for their pyromania tour. Having said that, being in my 20s in the 90s, all you needed to do was listen to the first 30 seconds of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana to realize the entire hair metal band movement was over.
Thanks for making this video. It's because of this song Def Leppard became my favorite band and still is to this day.
I was a little kid and this song felt like my anthem written specifically for me.
It wasn't easy being a Leppard fan during the 90's but glad they are still around selling out stadiums and making new music!!!!
I think grunge was destined to die out quickly, and only have a weak following after that. I mean think about it, you can only feel suicidally depressed for so long before you either seek help or succumb. Either way the people who used to listen won't want to any more and will seek out songs that make them happy, if only out of a sense of survival. That's why bands like this are eternal, because they make you happy, and kill the seriousness that can drag you down. Even if only for a few minutes, those few minutes can feel like heaven if you are in a dark place. Grunge only makes it worse.
Great analogy.
I love that Joe took the time to mention some other artists as well as Neal's Bad English, he's a true music lover. The first Hardline album with Neal is a masterpiece.
Right on. Child of pure 80s, here. Lep's tune, "Animal" to this day is my all time favorite song. I still get chills everytime I hear it. The 80s had some remarkably dark times for me, and music from groups like Lep, Bon Jovi, Prince & The Revolution (Purple Rain!!) were the elixirs that got me through it.
I was first in line at Camelot Music, on "Adrenalize" release day. Bought the CD, had it memorized within a couple of days. About 2 months later, I got into a battle with cancer. I spent the rest of '92 in and out of the hospital (I was 21). Adrenalize was my constant companion that entire time. I did the occasional palate cleanse with other of my top 80s groups/albums....but Adrenalize got the lion's share of play time.
I prayed, in my hospital bed, that I would get to see Lep in concert just one more time. I had seen them for "Hysteria", with Tesla opening. Im December of '92, I got to see them for the Adrenalize tour. Then again in February '93. And again for "Euphoria" in 1999. Def Leppard rocked down the house at every show.
Thanks for your channel. The 1980s have no equal, nor will they. Ever. What I'd give to go back...
Joe Elliott is right, grunge did not survive while rock did.
My 13 year old son and his friends would disagree. They are all in on grunge and alternative from the 90s. No interest at all in Def Leppard and similar bands. Like most cultural issues, it’s all cyclical. Kids are getting back into grunge. In a few years they will be onto something else. The idea that grunge is dead, or that glam rock was killed off is shortsighted. Taste change and whatever is cool now will always be looked down on by the next group of youths. Eventually it all works out and most people learn to respect rock from different eras.
I did a ton of music industry reading at that time. The reality is that metal was still so popular that MTV was about to launch a 24/7 metal channel when overnight music executives decided to trash metal and promote grunge. It was proof that the masses will buy whatever is spoon-fed to them. Personally, I tuned out of radio almost completely but soon found bands like Dream Theater who ignored the low skilled, miserable trends and created a vibrant metal underground following.
yeah YT'ers make it sound like people forgot all about metal after hearing Nevermind, when in reality stuff like this happened
But the great metal from the early 80s all turned really sparkly and weak by 86 87 which is a big reason why GnR became big. Bands like Judas Priest looking like Cinderella with poppy songs that had gang choruses on the Turbo album is a good example. Everyone was hairspray and glitter crazy like it was the big answer to your bands problems. This ran deep as even bands like Celtic Frost fell victim to it. So called grunge was more metal by far than the supposed established metal of the day. Setting aside Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice n Chains are way closer to Black Sabbath than Warrant, Winger or White lion are. There's a reason all of the great bands get lumped into the silly Hair Metal moniker because it ended up that way. Not all of course but too many of them. I think of what a great album Pyromania was and is and then seeing Joe Elliot in his acid washed jeans and sparkles singing pour some sugar on me and I never wanted to have anything to do with them after. It's ironic that people say that metal was killed by "grunge" because grunge is so much heavier than the bands that faded away. I say they killed themselves off long before the Seattle scene broke.
@@beauzer36 The 80s were peak years for public interest in heavy metal and hard rock much because of its accesibility, even if some if the perceived 'street cred' got lost undeeway. "Grunge" was a top-down artificially invented genre, I laugh inside when I see Nirvana tea shirts on sale, bought by the typical Tiktok-crowd with zero interest in the music
@@YBM2007 The word grunge was only used by the media and out of touch noobs. Nobody ever said that word just like nobody from LA refered to their music as "hair metal". There was nothing artificial or top down about the music unlike LA metal after the mid 80s. It's not a big surprise that regular looking guys that had more time to practice inside because of the weather overshadowed LA "metal". The fact the media made a big deal over flannel shirts and boots doesn't prove it was some contrived movement. It's cold and wet. Guys in bands from the area weren't going to the beach and judging bikini contests at Gazzaris. I don't know what people on tiktok wearing nirvana shirts means or why that's relevant because there are legions of people wearing rock shirts that have no idea who the band is or the first thing about any of their music from Def Leppard to the Misfits and anything in-between.
@@beauzer36 Nirvana: same label and mgmt as GnR and Crue before them
Other interviews with the band regarding this album touched on Steve contributing to early recordings and writing, being a bit haunted hearing his guitarwork on playbacks when they got back to recording, Phil doing his best to play Steve's guitar parts as Steve would have played them. Very touching to have them talk about the making of the album and wanting to make Steve proud by completing it.
❤This!I Still Dont Dig or Get,Grunge Rock!Love Def Leppard!Allways!Ever Since MtV,in 81!Let it Rock!Take care fans!
I can understand why the lead singer was triggered in that interview - Nirvana shut down the glamour hair hard rock era (1983 to 1991) officially in 1992- Def Leppard, Guns N Roses , Aerosmith , and Bon Jovi were the only bands to continue with the genre into the 90s decade
AXL himself didn’t like Kurt Cobain behind the scenes in the early 90s
Almost ALL of those LA bands released subpar albums around that time, and that didn't help...also, everyone seems to forget METALLICA dropped The Black Album, which changed Rock in the long term FAR MORE than anything Grunge produced...blaming Kurdt for these bamds middling albums has become their crutch...
Ya. It was a fun answer though
@@ProfessorofRock although Bon Jovi continued on with the genre well into 1996 , they cut their hair shoulder length short by then and looked like a pop rock band
@@ProfessorofRockthing is the music execs were just taking advantage of the trend at the time to MAKE TONS OF MONEY 💰 (which they did especially from Nirvana and Pearl Jam )
Yes the business side behind music can be the dark side of music and cloud the artistic aspect of the music to make a buck $$$
By 1992 music execs were signing up so many “grunge bands “ with a label deal simply because they were from Seattle ! Not because they were gifted musically necessarily with meaningful songs and lyrics - Crazy !
This trend in music happened again in 1997 with the Teen Bop era of Back Street Boys, N Sync, 98 Degrees , Britney , Christina , Jessica and Mandy which lasted well into 2005 - again music execs made tons of money for 8 years capitalizing on this trend
That’s true. Imagine the poor bands who couldn’t find a way to rise out of the ashes after being crushed by grunge.
My favorite Def Leppard album was always High n Dry but honestly Let's Get Rocked was my favorite song. I never taken this song seriously. It was made to blast the volume up, sing along too and have fun.
I feel the same way!
They are my all time favorite. Partly because of their music and partly because of their brotherhood and commitment to one another through thick and thin.
Thanks for this one. Adrenalize gets forgotten but it definitely held its own in 1992 and still holds up today. “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” is an under appreciated gem. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” is a great power ballad. And the title track is just a fun, catchy rocker.
Someday I’d love to hear Joe and Phil name names on some of the crappy hair bands of 89-91. Definitely a few.
My favorite band. Love Def Leppard. Seen them in concert last year on the tour with Motley Crue and they still rock.
Where did you see them at?
Nirvana didn’t kill the 80s music 80s music killed itself and Nirvana just came along at the right time. It was a perfect storm so to speak setting the table for Nirvana, Metallica changed their sound drastically, two of the biggest 80s bands changed singers - Motley Crue and Judas Priest- and didn't return for at least 4 years, Iron Maiden drastically changed their sound nit to mention Adrian Smith leaving had an impact on songwriting and the 80s music had became a formula and everyone was a carbon copy of each other. When everyone was looking for something other than the over saturated glam or even thrash scene Nirvana dropped Smells Like Teen Spirit at precisely the right time and everyone ate it up!!! Suddenly record labels were signing any band with an angst to their music and dropping all the carbon copy bands that ironically they created. IMO had those things not happened that i spoke of in the beginning then Nirvana and grunge would have been just another genre instead of the juggernauts they became!
I've heard so MANY theories. Yours is as valid as any of them.
Nevermind was released on September 24, 1991 and ...... nothing happened.
In early November of that same year, MTV moved "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into its regular video rotation during the day & afternoon.
For the next few weeks, a group of high school students sat at the cafeteria tables during lunch time, discussing that after school, they were going to buy a tape of a new band called "Nirvana" because it sounded really cool. 3rd, 4th, 5th wheels at these cafeteria tables nodded their heads and agreed (even never hearing of the band, prior), probably not wanting to feel left out of the discussion.
This scenario was copied and repeated at cafeterias all over the United States over the ensuring weeks, and, thus, a trend was born.
And that's how Nirvana "took down the 80's"
@@mysocalledknife07 I was there and I disagree somewhat cause I was in a gigging band the last two years in high school ( I graduated in '92) and I got to see first hand what was happening in the music scene both in the school and in the actual scene itself. I'm sure everyone has their opinion about how it happened but I can assure you that Nirvana didn't single handedly do it themselves, it was a perfect storm of the heavy hitters of the 80s going away in some form and Nirvana being at the right place at the right time and the record labels trying to find the next big thing.
Good points.
Love it! Great vid! 😎🔥👏👏
I still remember it clearly. It was on early evening on a day I was pretty young when I heard a sound I knew would change my life forever: Bringin' on the Heartbreak. Thank you Def Leppard you're the best! I was there on first row when you came once to Puerto Rico and... I got to feel it in my blood and I want, and I need, and I lust, animal. ❤
I love Def Leppard! Their music is for everyone, no matter the generation! Let's Get Rocked speaks to anyone who was ever a teenager no matter what era! Grunge may have been the 'in' music of the 90s, but not everyone was into it. I know I wasn't, which is why I was so happy when Def Leppard dropped Adrenalized! To this day, they are still an amazing and relevant band!
Definitely a nice alternative to grunge.
What do you call an old cougar that needs hearing aids?
A Def Leppard!
HA!
Bro, such an awesome channel, well researched, well presented and produced, always a great watch.
Much appreciated!
My second concert ever was Def Leppard Hysteria! They had the stage in the middle of the arena.