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Def Leppard: High'n'dry

03/09/10 || InquisitorGeneralis

You’re not leaving, c’mon stay
So get down on your knees
And let me know you’re eager to please

Is this what I said to your mother last night after our monthly Jack Daniel’s-soaked crack-bake? I wish! (truth is, I don’t need to tell her anything anymore chump, she’s well fucking trained) No, it is just one of the many awesome, misogynistic lyrics that pepper “High’n‘dry”, the only record Def Leppard have ever made that I give a shit about. The sweet verse mentioned above is from the record’s killer opener “Let it go” which also features these golden lines…

And I’m ready for the taking
So make your move, yeah make me
And get a-ready for the big “C”, yeah

Seriously, I am going to start calling my little Inquisitor the Big “C”. And, in case you are still in shock, I did refer to a Def Leppard song as killer. Honestly, I am still shocked sometimes at how much I like “Let it go” considering 90% of Def Leppard’s material from other records makes me vomit blood. It has a catchy chorus, rockin’ riffs, and just plain kicks ass. I freely admit that I almost always rock out and sing along like a drunken Japanese businessman during the song’s middle section when Joe screams…

I need a woman, a woman to love. One good woman, and you got what I want, what I want…

This is Def Leppard while they were still a bar band much more like AC/DC than the bloated, arena-rock monster they would become by the mid-80’s. On “High’n‘dry” Joe Elliot could still sing, even sing well, and Rick Allen was still working with two drumsticks. Even if you hate Def Leppard and everything they stand for, you have to respect a guy who is still drumming with one fucking arm and the band for sticking by him. Honestly, Allen’s drumming on here is pretty good: no double bass or anything fancy but lots of groove and rhythm.

Def Leppard’s second record would be the last for guitarist and founding member Pete Willis who along with Steve Clark (RIP) lays down entertaining, bluesy, dirty guitar parts all over this filthy whore of an album. Just listen to the title track to see what I am talking about. Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were not the only British bands that could pump out decent two-guitar lines and harmonies. The fact that the song is all about getting drunk and looking for a doped-up slut to lay pipe in is also is a plus. There is so much young male testosterone injected into this record it will cause your face to break out in pimples, your dick to get hard, and immediately make you fight with your parents. “High’n‘dry” is definitely a record to drink lots of shitty beer to and have a group vomiting sessions with your best mates.

That’s not too say that it is free off all shit. “Bringing on the heartache” is a awful song that I skip every time. I admit, I enjoy me some cheesy 80’s hair metal and arena rock…but like Rambo I have my limits and shit like “Banging till his ass aches” pushes me damn close to it. Sadly, this is probably the most well-known tune from “High’n‘dry” and it is a wimpy shitfest through and through.

“Lady strange” and “No no no” hold up the ass-end of “Hign’n‘dry” and both are solid tracks that feature more strong dual-guitar work. “No no no” (words your mother does NOT understand, haha) is pretty fast considering this is Def Leppard. “Switch 625” is one of Def Leppard’s few instrumentals and is not bad either. It’s no “Fall of Eden” or “Voice of the soul” but it is a lot better than what you would expect. Trust me.

Holy Shit though the cover is gay is hell. It makes me think of the classic Schmitt’s Gay from Saturday Night Live. But, if you forget about it and “Bringing on the heartache” you will find that “High’n‘dry” is a surprisingly enjoyable good-time rock/metal record. Except for few tunes on “Pyromania” everything Teh Leppard has done after this is shit and avoid it like the plague unless rocking out to “Pour some sugar on me” will help you get laid. I won’t lie; I’ve rocked out to that pillar of 80’s cheesy decadence in order to get my dick some action. There are acceptable casualties in war.

Information
Released: 1981
Label: Vertigo
Website: www.defleppard.com
Band
Joe Elliott: vocals
Pete Willis: guitar
Steve Clark: guitar
Rick Savage: bass
Rick Allen: drums

Tracklist
01. Let It Go
02. Another Hit and Run
03. High ‘n’ Dry
04. Bringin’ on the Heartbreak
05. Switch 625
06. You Got Me Runnin’
07. Lady Strange
08. On Through the Night
09. Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
10. No No No

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