10 Musicians That Got Fired From Huge Bands

When you're out on the road touring with your band, alcohol could practically be a cure to everything. Even if you're not up to playing a show, many bands have had stories about drinking their troubles away, fumbling onstage hammered and trying to make it through as much of the set as they can before passing out. You can have as much fun as you like onstage, but Def Leppard were in for a rude awakening when they got into the studio to record Pyromania.

Working with producer Mutt Lange, the band were forced to play in lock step with each other to get the tracks right, which didn't suit Pete Willis' style of playing. Although High N Dry may have gone well with Pete playing, his drunken behavior was not sitting well with Mutt or the rest of the band, including one instance where Mutt laughed at Pete's meagre attempt to record a guitar solo for the song Stagefright.

While the initial plan was to give Pete a few weeks to go back home and get his act together, the group were never going to waste time like that, bringing in Phil Collen from the band Girl to record guitar parts and nailing the solos to songs like Photograph in only a few takes. Though Pete would not step on a stage with Leppard again for decades, the band were at least sympathetic to his situation, giving him credit on Pyromania's back sleeve for his contribution to the group.