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The British Def Leppard, as is well known, were one of the most representative (and sometimes underrated) Hard Rock bands of the '80s, a true musical icon of that era, consecrated by albums that became true cult classics like "Pyromania" or "Hysteria" and plagued by tragic events such as the 1984 accident that befell drummer Rick Allen (which cost him an arm) or the death of guitarist Steve Clark in 1991, due to alcohol and drug abuse.
It is surprising, given the excellence demonstrated in over thirty years of career, how a debut as significant as "On Through The Night" has always been somewhat overlooked, a sparkling heavy Rock platter produced in England in 1980 yet filled with typical elements of American sound, from guitar riffs to choruses that sometimes echo the Kiss, in an impressive and highly original sound blend that was eventually incorporated into the emerging and heterogeneous musical melting pot that was then known as NWOBHM.
The album, although partly contaminated by the melodies of overseas Hard Rock, is in all respects one of the cornerstones of the second wave of British Heavy Metal, thanks to its extremely solid and high-level compositions, as well as a production that, under the legendary Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Krokus), fully captures the energy and power of the five wild men from Sheffield. It's impossible not to feel a thrill when listening to the bold grit of "Rock Brigade", a Hall Of Fame-worthy opener performed by a Joe Elliott in top form, forming, along with the fantastic "Satellite" (perhaps the most successful track from every perspective, with a Rick Allen openly and magnificently acknowledging his artistic debts to Mr. Peter Kriss), the ground-shaking "Wasted", driven by a massive and unstoppable riff from the anthology, the beautiful "Answer To The Master", and the long and stunning closure of "Overture", the heavy heart and core excellence of the record, the compositional peak of the album. An honorable mention also goes to the bluesy and anguished "Sorrow Is A Woman", which through its alternating delicate acoustic parts and raging electric outbursts allows us to empathize with astonishing realism in the burning frustration of a broken heart, as well as the more mournful and intense "When The Walls Came Tumbling Down", which envisions the apocalyptic scenarios of a nuclear holocaust caused by human folly and madness.
In contrast to this excellence are songs like "Hello America", "It Could Be You", and "It Don't Matter", more melodic in their choruses and decidedly more oriented towards AOR and American-sounding tones, yet still matching the high overall level of the album, while the more classic "Rocks Off" seems to anticipate by a few years the unmistakable style of the Italian band Vanadium (and indeed strongly smells of Deep Purple and Rainbow).
An album that should not be missing, therefore, this "On Through The Night", in the discography of all Hard Rock lovers and admirers of the Deaf Leopard, a true classic that laid the foundations for an extraordinary artistic career, an epoch-making record that in 1980 positioned itself among the milestones, among the foundational blocks of the emerging NWOBHM edifice and that still remains among the somewhat underrated masterpieces of the Rock of those years.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Hello America (03:28)
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
Well I'm takin' me a trip I'm going down to California
Yeah, I'm gonna try Hollywood and San Pedro Bay
I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna give my love to you
I'm gonna take you where the lights are bright
I'm gonna give you my love tonight
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
I'm gonna get me a greyhound bus down the motorway
I'm gonna spend a little time in Frisco and L.A.
But when it gets to twelve o'clock
And you feel that you gotta rock
You'd better let your hair hang down
So we can boogie all over town
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
Takin' me a trip I'm going down to California
Yeah, I'm gonna try Hollywood and San Pedro Bay
I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna give my love to you
So won't ya take me where the lights are bright
Won't you give me your love tonight
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
Hello America, hello America
05 Satellite (04:28)
Midnight, bright light, shining from the sky
Circulating round the earth, trying to catch your eye
Lowdown, showdown, trying to break away
Stay on course, feel the force, careful what you say
Whoah
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah can't you feel that it's real?
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah set your sights on the satellite
Me and you, rendezvous, we've got to take the chance
I'm paralyzed, I'm hypnotized, I'm in some kinda trance
Hazy, crazy, this things lost control
It's got the power, it's got the strength to steal away your soul
It's burning up the sky
It's burning up the sky
Yes it's burning, yes it's burning
Can't you see that it's burning?
Can't you see that it's burning?
It's burning up the sky
Can't you see that it's burning?
Midnight, bright light, shining from the sky
Circulating round the earth, trying to catch your eye
Lowdown, showdown, trying to break away
Stay on course feel the force, careful what you say
07 Wasted (03:45)
Well I've been lying awake all night just thinking of you
But a bottle of whiskey lies heavy obstructing my view
I've got a bottle of pills to give me my thrills
And I know that I'm leading a life that kills
Wasted - I've wasted my time
Wasted - I'm shooting a line
Wasted - I'm stuck in a hole
Wasted - I'm losing control
And I've been meaning to call, I've been wanting to phone
You see I don't like the thought of leaving you here alone
Well I've seen things down here that are fit for a queen
I've seen things down here that should never be seen
Wasted - I've wasted my money
Wasted - I've wasted you honey
Wasted - I'm out of my brain
Wasted - I'm going insane
I'm running in thin air
There's nothingness everywhere
I've gotta get out, oh won't you help me?
I've gotta get out, oh won't you help me?
I've gotta get out, oh won't you help me get out?
I thought I saw you just the other day
But it couldn't be you 'cos you had nothing to say
'He's going away', they told all my friends
Well now I'll be stuck in here til the misery ends
Wasted - I've wasted my time
Wasted - I'm shooting a line
Wasted - I'm out of my head
Wasted - I wish I was dead
10 Answer to the Master (03:13)
When the night time unfolds
And the memories that you hold
Bring a light to your eyes
Though you know it's disguise
When the night turns to day
You turn around and say
Magic mirror please tell
Is this heaven or hell?
Answer to the master
Can you look to the sky?
Can you live through your lie?
Of the thoughts you can't trace
Which time can't erase
To a face on the wall
Do you often recall
What you said on the night
When the new full moon was rising?
Answer to the master
Oh yeah
When the night time unfolds
And the memories that you hold
Bring a light to your eyes
Though you know it's disguise
When the night turns to day
And you turn around and say
Magic mirror please tell
Is this heaven or hell?
Answer to the master
Answer to the master
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