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Def Leppard on the ‘Melodic Mayhem’ of ‘Pyromania’ & Why Taylor Swift Is ‘Bigger Than the Beatles and the Stones Combined’


Def Leppard talks crafting the blockbuster 'Pyromania' album and how previous collaborator Taylor Swift has become the biggest artist ever.

With ace producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange back in the studio after 1981’s High ‘n’ Dry, Def Leppard crafted a technically sophisticated album of hard chugging yet melodic songs that catapulted them onto radio waves and stages usually reserved for pop stars. The album’s blockbuster success — which also eventually included a diamond RIAA certification for over 10 million units shipped — paved the way for the pop-metal crossover of bands like Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses and Poison, and set Def Lep up for a long, fruitful career. Ahead of the 40th anniversary edition of Pyromania(out April 26), Savage and frontman Joe Elliott hopped on a Zoom call with Billboard to pull back the curtain on the making of the classic — as well as share thoughts on a former CMT Crossroads collaborator who has since become the biggest pop star in the world.

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‘pyromania’ & why

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Def Leppard

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