On Through the Night

Ah, Def Leppard. Few bands in metal have caused such a split in the metal community. While their later work is subject to debate, there is little dispute about their debut. This is 100% NWOBHM, although on the poppier side of things. With that said, lets get this review started.

The album starts off with the killer "Rock Brigade". It's defiantly a sign of what's to come for the band, with harmonized vocals along with hard rock riffs. Like most NWOBHM, there is very little substance, but you're listening to Def Leppard not Death, so you really shouldn't be expecting much anyway. "Rock Brigade" is followed up with the also good "Hello America". It isn't anything amazing, but a totally serviceable song with a great chorus. Songs with great chorus' can describe almost all the songs here, unfortunately most songs suffer from boring verses. Still, there is one song that is awesome through and through, that song is "Wasted". "Wasted" is an amazing song really, with an awesome riff, great chorus, and great solo. It's a real underrated gem.

As great as many of the songs are, they all are held back by the production and tempo. Every song here is played just a tad bit too slow. Live, these songs are awesome, but most lose their power on the album itself. The production job isn't bad by any means, but it's a touch too bottom heavy, and everything is just a but mushy. It doesn't kill the album, but it does it no favors. Look up "Dortmund 1983 Def Leppard" and just watch. Wasted live just destroys the album version in every way possible, and shows what the production and tempo really do to it as a song.

The point of a review is to show if an album is good or not in the reviewers opinion, and to me, this IS a good album. While it doesn't do anything particularity well, it does stand out from other NWOBHM bands like Angel Witch or Diamond Head due to the fact that the album feels relaxed. This isn't an intense album, it's very much a classic rock version of NWOBHM and it does get the "feeling" of classic rock right. That is the album's biggest strong point, and if that's something that interests you, then I think you'll enjoy what you hear. However, if you're looking for a second Saxon, then this isn't for you, it simply isn't that heavy. I do recommend, if nothing else, to listen to "Wasted". In the end, it shows what is to come for the band rather than truly delivering on that potential.

Side note: who thought that album cover was good? Who thought it was a good IDEA? Seriously, I can't think a worse album cover, at least not from a popular band. Seriously, unless this is a Deep Purple reference, there is no excuse good enough to excuse this... thing...

Unbeknownst to any "80's Hair Metal" fanatic, Def Leppard had come into this world like a hurricane, delivering powerful NWOBHM sounds and creating some very fine metal. Def Leppard denies the fact that they were once a metal band, but they're just ashamed that they had talent in the first place. What do they mean they "never really were a metal band"? Of course they were! Want proof? Well, here it is; "On Through the Night". This is the album that everybody should be looking for, rather than the albums from Def Leppard's muzak days like "Adrenalize" or "Euphoria". It contains talents and hooks that are never really heard on any other Def Leppard album, making it unique. Unfortunately, This is pretty much the only album out of Def Leppard's career that delivers the goods nicely without any influence of selling out.

Despite its cheesy album cover, "On Through the Night" is one of only two Def Leppard albums in which guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis extend their talents to the fullest. Clark's riffing skills are evident in songs like "Wasted", a song which has a riff that actually requires some skill to perform. Let's compare the main riff of "Wasted" to the main riff of one of Def Leppard's "classics", "Armageddon It", off their "Hysteria" album. "Armageddon It" is easier to play, cos you don't even need to move beyond the two strings that make up the power chords used to make the riff. In "Wasted", you have to strike the power chords once while keeping a chugging E-note going between playing each chord, and that means using another string of the guitar. Which one requires more skill? A) the one clearly made to sell records and woo fangirls, or B) the one that takes some time to perfect, and was made for the love of music rather than moneymaking? If you guessed B, than congratulations! You've guessed the right answer! This shows that Def Leppard actually did put effort into some of their music, but got lazy in later years.

Skillful riffing is also present in songs like "Answer to the Master" and "Rocks Off". Their riffs don't rely on chords so much as single notes. That kind of riff never really appears on any Def Leppard album other than this one, and this displays a stark difference between "On Through the Night" and what is considered to be their magnum opus, "Hysteria". Whereas the riffs in "On Through the Night" are more creative, the riffs in "Hysteria" don't really have much in terms of ability. Sure, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" had kind of a skillful riff, but that doesn't add up cos it's almost drowned out by the muzak-like synthesizer drum sound. There's no synthesizer noises here, though. It's all good old-fashioned heavy metal that's pleasing to the ears rather than robotic-sounding junk that isn't. And another thing? The choruses don't sound like robots like they do in "Pyromania" onwards. They sound like real human beings actually singing rather than human beings aided by computers an synthesizers. Because of this, the choruses sound more realistic, believable, and easier for us to relate to.

"Sorrow is a Woman" is a bit of a ballad, but wait! It's not like the usual sappy ballads we hear from Def Leppard! It's actually just acoustic guitars and electric guitars that make up the riffs in this one. No pianos, no violins, no synthesizers, no sugary-sweet puppy-love lyrics, nothing. We don't need all of those to make a ballad sound nice. "Overture" is kind of the same way, too, except the lyrics aren't about love, but the rebuilding of a fantasy world after a period of war and destruction. This is the sort of thing Def Leppard should have written more about, and less about lovesick puppy guys getting dumped. As Def Leppard's career went on, their lyrical creativity diminished, so out of all the albums that the band has made, "On Through the Night" is the most creative and original. There are love songs on "On Through the Night", that's true, but they're not the kind of love songs that would pleas any "hair metal" fan and cause any headbanger to feel the need to rip the cord connecting to the stereo right out of the outlet on the wall. They're love songs with more intelligent lyrics. Here's the lyrics to "It Could Be You", "Who's the one to knock me over, who's the one to take me by surprise? Who's the one who's out to get me, who will share my fantasy tonight?" You will note that the lyrics have a lot more thought put into them than the lyrics found on any song on "Euphoria". It's a sign that Def Leppard used to be a good band.

Ah, yes, this is the album that Def Leppard SHOULD be known for. Not the cliched, dated, 80's-sounding "Hysteria", not the horrific boyband wannabe-sounding "Euphoria", but the magnificent album from the days of the NWOBHM, "On Through the Night". I don't mean to sound snotty, or anything, I'm just pointing out how this album shows that there was more to Def Leppard than just cutesy love songs. They were truly a band that could have been placed on the map as NWOBHM band. They could have been forgotten more, yes, but in my opinion, it would be better to be obscure and sound good, than to be famous and sound appalling. The low number of record sales do not guarantee a bad record, and "On Through the Night" is proof of that. Just cos their other albums sold well doesn't mean that they'd sound terrific. If you want a real NWOBHM experience from Def Leppard, listen to this album. It's just more well done than the others.

Straight off the bat: the band disown/dislike this album so by that virtue alone it’s one of their better albums. But seriously, this is very much a curio in archive history – I suppose it’s still strictly a hard rock album, but Def Leppard never were all too certain about their own actual metalness and I’m not too sure myself. By the time they’d actually realised how to write more than two good songs per a record they’d all but ditched anything that could be considered NWOBHM for the frankly excellent AC/DC-derived hard rock of High N Dry. Then of course, they realised the fastest way out of Sheffield was viva pop music and they actually successful with that for a time being.

Def Leppard was technically one of the biggest bands to emerge from the NWOBHM movement – but the actual NWOBHM pedigree of this album is somewhat doubtful: metallic qualities aren’t really pronounced much outside of ‘Wasted’. Therefore we’d be best to compare this more to Demon than Maiden or Venom… but that in itself would be a little silly (did I mention that Leppard are a massive anomaly in the NWOBHM movement?) So in all actuality – and probably much to Joe Elliot’s delight – this is very difficult to judge as a metal record, as it really isn’t. It’s NWOBHM, yet not heavy metal if that makes any sense.

Interestingly – or is that amusingly? – it’s clear that though born and raised in the same rock ’n’ roll slum as those around them in the NWOBHM movement, Def Leppard had their eyes very much set on pop stardom even in their earliest days. ‘Hello America’ is of course what I’m talking about – it somewhat infamously alienated them to the British music press, and though this in itself is something I wholehearted endorse (has anyone actually read Kerrang! magazine lately, sheesh!) I can’t say the same for the song. Unadulterated shite. In as blunt terms as I can possibly describe. Why is it that British bands so often fall into the trap of figuring the only way to crack the American market is to sing about the nation itself? I think the ‘Dumb American’ idea has been greatly overstressed. Let’s just spell this out to end a problem that was fairly rife about 20-30 years ago (I know, I’m really helping matters, right?): Americans (nor peoples of any other nation, for that matter) aren’t inherently thick – you don’t sell records over there simply by singing about their nation. “Hey, they’re singing about us! I’m going to buy four copies of On Through the Night!” Def Leppard, having never left their native Sheffield, obviously were misguided enough to believe this was the case and as such inflicted us with this downright awful pop-rock song. Leppard’s signature vocal harmonies rear their ugly head here adding to the overwhelming cheese factor, as do some skittering synthesisers that make me cringe like a parent who’s just dropped their precious infant into a scolding bath. Ouch, the NSPCC is going to hear about that one! As I’m still at the crossroads between adulthood and being legally classified as a child I’d like to do the same – but unfortunately, I paid for this record out of my own pocket and therefore I don’t think this would stand up in court. Surprisingly enough, Def Leppard got a foot in the door with the American market with ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’, a predictable yet successful ballad. So, from that alone one could devise that improved song writing was the key to Leppard’s success (again it’s amusing that they soon forgot how to do that… and they say the only joke about Def Leppard is “what’s got 9 arms and sucks?”).

As for the rest well it’s generally a sort of UFO/Scorpions/Lizzy derived hard rock with some frankly unwelcome quasi-progressive touches (see: the intro to ‘When the Walls Come Tumbling Down’). Song-craft is somewhat unsure but rather diverse as this Wounded Cougar really isn’t too sure at what they want to be yet. It would seem the rock world is all to keen to single out a band’s debut as their best; one only has to look at the world spate of unfocused, bumbling debuts to see that often this simply isn’t the case. The band wear their influences on their sleeves: the aforementioned three 70s hard rock bands rub shoulders with touches of AC/DC, T-Rex and even a bit of Killing Machine era Priest (or should that be Hell Bent For Leather? I mean I should be going for a bit of that ol’ ‘Hello America’ appeal myself, right?). Clichés are the order of the day. This is also true of the High N Dry record, but frankly though that was something of a clichéd hard rock record that wore its influences on its sleeve – it still has an undeniable charm to it and quite easily ranks as the band’s finest hour for me.

That said there are a couple of worthwhile moments present on this indecisive debut record. ‘Wasted’ is the band’s best claim to ever playing anything remotely metallic, and it’s not just that gives it its place as On Through the Night’s stellar track: it’s the only really track here that doesn’t leave something to be desired from. I love its lyrical ambiguity, too. Is the bottle of pills actually a bottle of pills? Or is it indeed a bottle of Pils (as in Holsten)? Something would reason me to believe that it could well be simple pilsner rather than any medication as the NHS had all but abandoned its hold on the South Yorkshire region given the ritual burning of those in the medical profession in and around 1978 due to a misunderstanding about the application of suppositories. Ahem, yes, but it’s one of Steve Clark’s best riffs and a hymn to getting hammered because there’s nothing better to do (which in this part of the world may well be the case, it's probably all these rolling hills and sheep). It’s a very weird song for Def Leppard and I suppose as good a reason as any to actually own this album. In contrast to a lot of the NWOBHM movements excitable, youthful vibrancy in, say, Diamond Head’s debut this is a NWOBHM anthem just a downtrodden one. It’s perhaps the most apt song the band’s early incarnation have ever written considering they lost both their guitarists to alcohol abuse (Pete Willis being fired for taking the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle a little too seriously and Steve Clark dying after years of excess). Opener ‘Rock Brigade’, too, proves its worth with a solidly stomping ode to, well, a rock brigade. That said, Joe Elliot doesn’t seems all too enthused by this song, and seems to have put more effort into his backing vocals than the lead. Point in case: “Oh no, it’s the rock brigade… ROCK BRIGADE! Oh no, it’s the rock brigade”. Could he be any more excited at the prospect of singing in a rock band? He makes Kevin Heybourne sound like Bruce Dickinson!

Overall, I’d say this is nothing truly of note considering the wealth of better NWOBHM or for that matter, just hard rock in the early 80s. Nothing truly of note here – barring one song – and certainly not a mandatory purchase for NWOBHM fans. I suppose if anything, it’s a tribute to how artistic integrity was never really Def Leppard’s forte.

Potential Spinal Tap album title: On Through the Shite

On through the Night is the portrait of a band young and eager to launch themselves onto the masses with this fun set of NWOBHM. One can see the group’s eyes gazing at a distant city called success, but the look is a hunger that drives riffs and twin leads down a vanguard of British invasion party anthems to drink along with and nod your head to. Metal was in a fairly sorry state in 1980, thus the much trumpeted revival crashing upon the scene in NWOBHM, and that was the secret of these infectious bunch of tracks – They made you believe in the future of metal; five guys jamming out with zeal, their innocent enthusiasm delivering a riff filled infusion to teenage ears, all eager for the next generation of metal hero’s to resuscitate the long haired masses and give them something to believe in.

Nothing fancy or necessarily superlative about this set of tunes, just solid guitar work and good times all around; the guys bent on playing for the sake of playing, writing catchy hooks and galloping rhythms. This isn’t an opus of musical might, only a soundtrack for a party at your buds house; this album blasting through your dated 48 inch wooden Pioneer speakers (still got them!), the evenings set to cruise as a bunch of jean jackets jumped and rocked away their teenage woes, our air guitars chasing the beers while later we chased the girls. Everyone laughing and drinking to tunes, none the wiser the sound is not the most technical display of writing, but damn the torpedoes the guys could play! All good with driving leads, great solos, and a passionate touch - It’s too honest to be corporate and too sincere to be from anyone but a bunch of guys who were most likely having their own party at the same time.

“Rock Brigade” is a simple enough opener, a ripping classic set to the time of party, while “Hello America” is almost too polished with its tracked in keyboards come chorus time, but infectious fun carries it through. “It Could Be You” rocks mighty for being under 3 minutes, containing depth lost from the bands sound in later years. In fact these and the rest of the songs clock in around 3 to 4 minutes, save the stately “Overture”; each a quick shot, for too many songs fail because they ride a good thing for too long, and these work because they get the job done and move on, not attempting to be more than what they are. “Wasted” gallops wonderfully and “Rocks Off” has those cheesy crowd noises piped in (thank you bad analog mixing!) but still pushes along nicely, the leads ripping through riffs and great solo work, encouraging someone to run out for another case of the good stuff. Speaking of solo work, check out the solo on “It Don’t Matter to Me”, the guitar work is wonderful and its criminal the band ran from this sound in latter years. Finally, “Overture” gets special mention, not only is it a great song, but probably the only real serious work towards an epic (that actually, you know… rocks) the group has put onto vinyl. The music rises and recedes to the tale and the lyrics realize the bands vision. While not noted anywhere I have read, it seems to be a companion peace to “When the Walls Came Tumbling Down”; it’s an optimistic closure that signals all will be well after the former songs apocalyptic vision, a sort of rebirth of man, well timed (though probably unintentional) with the rebirth of metal on the doorstep of the 80’s.

This is not an opus of the ages or a historical proto-type look at metal. It is also not a full on atypical NWOBHM album, smuggling in some polish and shine with the riffs and rolls. It’s not grim, brutal, conceptual, or even overtly technical. You get nothing more than the soundtrack to a great party circa 1980. And sometimes, that’s all you need.