Music Magazine Classic Rock Special: Def Leppard Third Edition Edizione posteriore

In 2001, long before Mötley Crüe movie The Dirt hit our screens in all its bodily fluid-splattered glory, Def Leppard had their own biopic. Sadly, Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story was a dismal failure on every front, from the wigs on the hapless actors’ bonces downward. This truly was Hysterical, and not in a good way… If any band deserve the proper Hollywood treatment, it’s Leppard. Their incredible success - from the highs of the 80s to their current status as arena and stadium fillers the world over - is matched only by their astounding story.

If you’re reading this, you’ll know it by now: that rocket ride that took them from the backstreets of Sheffield to US superstardom and the backlash that followed; the monstrous success of Pyromania and the car crash that cost drummer Rick Allen his arm; the even more monstrous success of Hysteria and the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark; the commercial troubles of the mid-90s and their astounding mid-00s bounce-back.

Put it down to Sheffield steel, northern grit or whatever other cliché you want to trot out, but Def Leppard are survivors. Yet there’s way more to them than just a good movie waiting to be made. None of what they’ve achieved would have happened without the music. Stone cold classics such as Photograph, Animal, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Let’s Get Rocked are the latterday equivalent of the songs that Joe Elliott grew up listening to, as much a part of the fabric of rock’n’roll as Bowie or Queen or Slade or even the Sex Pistols. Other bands might have the kudos, but Def Leppard have the people’s vote.

We’ve brought all of this together in this special collection of exclusive interviews and features taken from the pages of Classic Rock magazine. Inside, you’ll find the stories behind the landmark albums and the greatest songs, as well as exclusive interviews with Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell. As the man himself says, let’s get rocked…