Def Leppard Essentials

Propelled by infectious guitar riffs and the hotshot wail of vocalist Joe Elliott, Def Leppard burst out of the late 1970s' New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement with an arena-rock sensibility and a knack for huge pop hooks. They owned the '80s with the twin guitar harmonies of electrifying torch songs “Bringin' on the Heartbreak” and “Photograph”. And they rode a Queen-esque chorus of backing vocals and the unstoppable beats of heroic one-armed drummer Rick Allen into MTV ubiquity with torrid come-ons “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rocket”. They wrote top-notch power ballads as well: check out the soaring “Love Bites” and the soulful “Hysteria”.