Customer Reviews
Leppard Excellence - By: Brian V. Burford, 07 Nov 2008 
There are a few albums that personify my youth & this is one of them. Pyromania is a classic album, ahead of its time & there isn't one duff track. Many believe that its successor, Hysteria, is superior, but although it is a fantastic album, I found it more quantity than quality.
This album though just rocks, & it really did come to characterize the '80s. Releasedin 1983, it was a massive successin the USA, but, for some reason, UK audiences took time to catch on to its class. Only Michael Jackson's Thriller album sold more copiesin the States.
From the opening Rock, Rock ('Til you drop), through to the haunting Billy's Got a Gun - via the way of live standards Photograph, Die Hard the Hunter & Rock of Ages - Pyromania just oozes style, riffs, & songs. 'Mutt' Lange's production hasn't dated at all, & its lack of '80s quirks that came to epitomise Hysteria, makes this a heavier album though still progressive.
It's high time this album was given a good remaster like they did with Hysteria & include some of the B-sides.
If you only buy one Def Leppard album, buy this one. Better still buy it with Hysteria & have a brace of Leppard excellence.
Better than hysteria - By: K. D. Wilding, 29 May 2008 Just thought I would add to the praise by saying that this is up there with the best rock albums of all time: unlike Hysteria, this has no duff tracks, every song is brilliant. Rock of Ages still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...Billy's got a Gun is one of the Lep's best lyrics...and Photograph is the perfect pop/rock single.
The only downside to this album - like all truly great albums - is that you are foreverin mourning that the band cant recreate the feat (I've just bought sparkle lounge!!). But celebrate one of the finest records ever made.
Caution: May cause you to be a lifelong Leps fan - By: , 03 Feb 2005 Often overlooked by the music press, who seem to prefer Hysteria, I think that Pyromania may be the best thing Def Leppard ever did. Don't get me wrong, Hysteria is amazing but this, for me just steals it by a shade. At this stage Steve Clarke was still alive & Rick Allen still had not had that awful car crash. During the making of this album second guitarist Pete Willis was to leave to be replaced by the dazzling talents of Phil Collen.
This is the album that said "Hello world, we are Def Leppard, take notice!", especiallyin America where "Photograph" made them household names. Produced by Mr. Shania Twain, (Mutt Lange)it features the excellent rockers Comin' Under Fire, Foolin' Rock Rock Til You Drop, Billy's Got A Gun & Stagefright. All these tracks are mint & sadly apart from Foolin' seldom seem to featurein the live sets nowadays. Photograph is up there with Love Bites as one of the only songs to start me blubbing.
Action Not words, Die Hard & of course Rock of Ages (unter glieben glauben globen, what an intro!)add to the rockers making this one of the few albumsin the world to not have any bad tracks. Guitar playing, singing, everything about this album is spot on. If you do not own this & like classic rock you need your head examined! If you want to get into Def Leppard start here, buy everything but Slang & be hooked for life!
The dogs - By: , 08 Mar 2004 What more can be said? This is the canine's nadgers of metal albums. It contains 'Photograph' a record so perfect that it makes me weep to hear it. Lock the door, plugin the air guitar & attain musical nirvana.
The Best Album Ever...? - By: Mr Pee, 19 Oct 2002 The naivety of 'On Through The Night' promised nothing like this, while the excellent 'High 'N' Dry' layed the foundations but...Jeezus, this album was amazing. Probably the one that made stadium (or poodle) rock the monster that it became. Opener Rock rock (till you drop) showed no compromise & kept the Leps true to their metal roots. However, this was a band determined to show that they could leap way beyond the NWOBHM from where they came.
Photograph took the world by storm, & rightly so. A gorgeous, melodic rock homage to one of the century's most beautiful icons.
Stagefright was to start the live set for many years to come, while the stunning Too late for love would leave the audience gagging for more. One of hard rock's greatest tracks, both on vinyl (or disc) & espcially live. Together with Bringin' on the heartbreak (from High 'N' Dry), the Leps would never sound this good again. Die hard the hunter became a classic, while Foolin' was an (almost) over-produced piece of stadium rock genius. It's an orgasmic statement of intent that Leppard have struggled to matchin the years since.
A similar theme continues as the Leps churn out more rock classics until the incredible Billy's got a gun brings the amazing experience to a dramatic close.
Like many of the Leps' earlier & later lyrics, this might sound like a cliche, but they really don't make 'em like this anymore. Which really is a great shame.
