10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The 1980s

When hard rock first met MTV, it ended up looking a lot more cartoony than it originally became. While the stars of the time managed to give us legends of their genres like Michael Jackson and Prince, the hard rock world had to settle for people like Billy Idol and Twisted Sister putting their spin on the rock formula. And then we finally got acquainted with a rock record with as much force behind it as any pop album.

From the opening notes of Pyromania, the sound of the record is absolutely gargantuan, courtesy of Mutt Lange. Coupled with Def Leppard's gifted gift for melody, most of these songs seemed to be polished to an absolute sheen, with guitar parts that almost seem to phase with each other because of how precise they are.

Any record can sound pretty though...let's take a look at this track list then. Across just 10 songs, Def Leppard make good on their promise to be your new favorite rock band, with songs that capture the essence of rock and roll at its most pure, from the sound of Rock of Ages to the almost power pop chorus of Stagefright. They were barely out of their teens, but Def Leppard already had the rest of the hair metal movement kneeling at their feet after this album.