On Through the Night | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 14 March 1980 | |||
Recorded | December 1979 | |||
Studio | Startling (Ascot, Berkshire) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:47 | |||
Label | Vertigo | |||
Producer | (Colonel) Tom Allom | |||
Def Leppard chronology | ||||
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Singles from On Through the Night | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Album" playlist on YouTube |
On Through the Night is the debut studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard,released on 14 March 1980. [4] The album was produced by Tom Allom. It charted at No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart [5] and No. 51 on the Billboard 200. [6] The album features re-recorded versions of "Rocks Off" and "Overture",tracks from the band's original independently released EP, The Def Leppard E.P. . Other tracks are re-recorded versions of early demos,some of which later appeared on the 2020 box set The Early Years 79–81 . [7] The album was certified gold by the RIAA on 18 November 1983 and platinum on 9 May 1989. [8]
"Wasted","Hello America" and "Rock Brigade" were released as singles. However,the version of "Wasted" that appears on the single is a different recording from that of the LP,as is its B-side,"Hello America".
The spoken word intro to "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down" was performed by Dave Cousins of Strawbs. Joe Elliott had done the spoken portion in earlier live performances and demo recordings that showed up on some early bootlegs. In his biography,Cousins claims that he did his best Laurence Olivier impersonation for the song's intro.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [10] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.0/5 [12] |
The album received mostly positive reviews. AllMusic's Steve Huey noted that On Through the Night "established the band as one of the leading lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal." Although he stated that "it may lack the detailed production and more pop-oriented songwriting of later efforts,(...) some Leppard fans prefer this sound." [9] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album for being "one of the most polished and savvy of the NWOBHM",evoking the sound of "acts like Thin Lizzy,UFO,even Queen and Mott the Hoople." For him,On Through the Night was "a welcome breath of fresh air" among the dark,"thrashy" and "punky" music coming from the UK at the time. [10] Rolling Stone's David Fricke reviewed the album favourably on the same wavelength,explaining that it "shows they not only respect their elders,they've taken cues from their New Wave peers,too." He also stated that "guitarists Pete Willis and Steve Clark shoot from the hip,packing their licks into tight,three-minute pop arrangements",and that lead singer Joe Elliott "wails wonderfully in a resonating tenor,fortified by backup harmonies and Tom Allom's battering-ram production." He concluded that the band "displays a wisdom beyond their years" in mixing melody and heaviness,coming up with an album that "is awfully impressive for a band making its vinyl debut." [13] Sputnikmusic staff review noted that the "middle-class common-man image" of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" movement "partially played a part in making Def Leppard one of [its] leaders". He also stated that the band's ambition "would never allow [them] to be tunnel-visioned",but he concluded that On Through the Night "can be categorized as a grower of an album since the more superficial elements that would appeal to the mainstream will initially distract some listeners from what is actually an incredibly tight musical and vocal performance." [12]
Record World said that the single "Rock Brigade" has "inventive guitar leads and pulsating dance rhythms." [14]
Most of the songs on the album were dropped from the band's live setlists after 1983,although "Rock Brigade" and "Wasted" would see periodic revivals after 2000. Also,the non-album track from the same era entitled "Good Morning Freedom" would be played live in 2013 during the opening to the "Viva Hysteria" shows.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Solos | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rock Brigade" | Pete Willis | 3:09 | |
2. | "Hello America" |
| Clark | 3:27 |
3. | "Sorrow Is a Woman" |
|
| 3:54 |
4. | "It Could Be You" |
| Willis | 2:33 |
5. | "Satellite" |
|
| 4:28 |
6. | "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down" |
| Clark | 4:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Solos | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "Wasted" |
| Clark | 3:45 |
8. | "Rocks Off" |
| Clark | 3:42 |
9. | "It Don't Matter" |
| Willis | 3:21 |
10. | "Answer to the Master" |
|
| 3:13 |
11. | "Overture" |
|
| 7:44 |
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [15] | 98 |
UK Albums (OCC) [16] | 15 |
US Billboard 200 [17] | 51 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] | 55 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [19] | 4 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [20] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [21] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1976. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and mid–1990s.
Pyromania is the third studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983 through Vertigo Records in UK and Europe and through Mercury Records in the US. The first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen who replaced founding member Pete Willis, Pyromania was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album was a shift away from the band's traditional heavy metal roots toward a more radio-friendly sound, finding massive mainstream success. Pyromania charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on the Canadian RPM Album chart and No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart. Selling over ten million copies in the US, it has been certified diamond by the RIAA.
High 'n' Dry is the second studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on 6 July 1981. High 'n' Dry was Pete Willis' last full-time album with Def Leppard. It charted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200 and No. 26 on the UK Albums Chart. "High 'n' Dry ", ranked No. 33 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. Following the success of Pyromania, the album re-entered in the US chart and reached No. 72 in 1983.
Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987, by Mercury Records. The album is the follow-up to the band's 1983 breakthrough, Pyromania. Hysteria's creation took over three years and was plagued by delays, including the aftermath of drummer Rick Allen's accident that cost him his left arm on 31 December 1984. Subsequent to the album's release, Def Leppard published a book titled Animal Instinct: The Def Leppard Story, written by Rolling Stone magazine senior editor David Fricke, on the three-year recording process of Hysteria and the difficult times the band endured through the mid-1980s. Lasting 62 minutes and 32 seconds, it is the band's longest studio album to date.
Adrenalize is the fifth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 31 March 1992 through Mercury Records. It is the first album by the band recorded without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in 1991, although most songs were written and partially demoed before his death, they were re-recorded solo by Phil Collen in 1991-1992. It is the only album recorded by Def Leppard as a four-member band. Spawning seven singles, four of them – "Let's Get Rocked", "Make Love Like a Man", "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", and "Stand Up " – were major hits.
Slang is the sixth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 14 May 1996. The album marked a musical departure from their signature sound; it was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe and was their first album since 1980 without involvement by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Slang is the first album with new material to feature new guitarist Vivian Campbell. It charted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It is also the only Def Leppard album that does not feature their recognisable font logo on the album cover, though all its singles still bore the classic logo.
Euphoria is the seventh studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 8 June 1999 in the United States and on 14 June 1999 in the United Kingdom by Mercury Records. The album aimed to return to their signature sound made famous by the band in the 1980s. It was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe. The album charted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. It includes the song "Promises", which hit the number one spot on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
Retro Active is a compilation album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions from 1984 to 1993. The album charted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995) is the first greatest hits album and the second compilation album by English hard rock band Def Leppard. The album was originally released in the band's home country on 23 October 1995 by Mercury Records. It was released in North America a week later on 31 October by the same label. Vault went on to be certified gold in four countries, platinum in three and multi-platinum in two. In the US, the album is currently certified 5× platinum by the RIAA, and in June 2011 it topped the five million mark in sales there. It won Metal Edge magazine's 1995 Readers' Choice Award for "Best Hits or Compilation Album."
Yeah! is the ninth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard. It is the first cover album by the band. It was originally intended to be released on 20 September 2005, but it was announced on 31 March 2006 that the album would be released on 23 May 2006. The album charted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and No. 52 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 23 July 1988, behind "Hold On to the Nights" by Richard Marx. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is considered the band's signature song, and was ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" in 2006.
"Rock of Ages" is a song by Def Leppard from their 1983 album Pyromania. When issued as a single in the United States, the song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #19 on the Cash Box Top 100. It also hit #1 on the Top Tracks Rock chart.
"Photograph" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It is the lead single from the band's third studio album, Pyromania (1983). Their lead vocalist Joe Elliott has described the song as generally about "something you can't ever get your hands on". When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks, and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.
"Too Late for Love" is a 1983 power ballad by English band Def Leppard from their Diamond album Pyromania. When released as a single, it reached #9 on the Mainstream Rock charts.
"When Love & Hate Collide" is a song by English rock band Def Leppard from their 1995 greatest hits album Vault, written by Joe Elliott and Rick Savage. The power ballad was originally written and demoed for Adrenalize, but not finalized until 1995 for its inclusion on Vault. The demo version is much more heavily produced in the signature style of Hysteria and Adrenalize, and the final version is more stripped down, supposedly toward the style of the following studio album Slang. The original demo version contains the final recorded guitar solo by late original guitarist Steve Clark.
"Hello America" is a 1980 song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their debut album, On Through the Night. The lyrics and title of the song are about the fantasies the band had about touring in America.
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is the tenth studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard. It was released on 25 April 2008 in Europe and 29 April in North America.
Viva! Hysteria is a double live album by the English rock band Def Leppard released on the 22 October 2013. The album was recorded on 29 and 30 March 2013 during the band's residency of the same name at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Def Leppard is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on 30 October 2015. The band's first studio album since 2008's Songs from the Sparkle Lounge and their first on earMUSIC Records, it became their seventh top ten album on the Billboard 200 after debuting at number 10. The first single "Let's Go" was released 15 September 2015, alongside the artwork and track listing.
The Early Years 79–81 is a five-disc box set by the English rock group Def Leppard, released by UMC on 20 March 2020. The set includes remastered versions of the band's first two studio albums: On Through the Night and High 'n' Dry, plus songs from the band's 1979 EP, a complete live concert recording from 1980, and a variety of B-sides, studio outtakes, and BBC Radio appearances from the band's formative period between 1979 and 1981.