Album dossier / 1983

Pyromania

Def Leppard · Glam Metal

Recorded over most of 1982 with producer Mutt Lange, Pyromania pioneered a radical drum-programming approach: bass and guitars were tracked first to a Linn LM-1 click track, with drums sampled into a Fairlight and added last, a process engineer Mike Shipley called 'unnatural, but that was kind of the point.' Original guitarist Pete Willis was fired for alcohol abuse mid-sessions and replaced by Phil Collen, who overdubbed solos onto tracks Willis had already laid down. The album sold over 10 million copies in the US (RIAA diamond-certified) and hit #2 on the Billboard 200, powered by the Top 40 hits 'Photograph,' 'Rock of Ages,' and 'Foolin' - marking the pivot from Def Leppard's early metal roots to a radio-ready arena-rock sound Mutt Lange would perfect on Hysteria.