10 Perfect 1980s Hard Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
8. High 'N' Dry - Def Leppard
As the '80s went on, it felt like we were stretching the definition of hard rock every time we decided to bring up Def Leppard. After becoming the darlings of MTV back in the day, the more pop friendly songs like Love Bites and Animal felt like they were light years away from the likes of Motley Crue and Scorpions. Before they really got their pop chops down, their first outing with Mutt Lange had a lot more teeth behind it.
You have to remember that this was the Def Leppard that everyone knew prior to something like Photograph kicking into gear, and the songs on High 'N' Dry pull a lot more from the likes of AC/DC and Thin Lizzy than your average pop affair. While we do get the first major power ballad of their career with Bringin' on the Heartbreak, the real strengths behind this record are the guitar riffs and killer hooks on songs like Let It Go and Mirror Mirror.
The true pop version of Def Leppard is still in here somewhere though just waiting to be tapped, if the killer singalong chorus of You Got Me Runnin' is any indication. Not too long after this, Mutt Lange managed to steer them towards pop sentiments and cooling it down with the guitar work. A rough trade, but it was worth it to have this little bit of magic.