Def Leppard weren't always a sure fire hit-making machine, but even in 1992, as Grunge and Alternative music was making its' way to dominating the mainstream, you could have gotten great odds at Bet365 on the Sheffield act retaining their spot as one of rock's best-selling acts.
However, Adrenalize, for all it's chart-bothering success (a number one smash on both sides of the Atlantic), was an album that in places, fell flat musically, and found the band treading water for the first time in their career.
It's easy to see why however. Coming on the back of a mammoth world tour in support of 'Hysteria' - the 1987 set that saw them become "the biggest band in the world for a while", the exhausted act also lost a friend, and a key component of their sound, with guitarist Steve Clarke slipping away from the band and succumbing to alcohol addiction on 8th January 1991.
The arena rockers were under tremendous pressure. Opting to work on the set as a four-piece - founders Joe Elliott (vocals) and Rick Savage (bass), along with guitarist Phil Collen (now having to double up on six-string duties) and Rick Allen (drums), decided to close ranks, producing Adrenalize themselves, with longtime collaborator Robert John 'Mutt' Lang unavailable due to his commitments with Bryan Adams.
The results were mixed. Lead single 'Let's Get Rocked' set the tone, with its' polished sound and unbridled hooks showcasing an even poppier version of the band than had come before. Follow-up 'Make Love Like a Man' cemented this, and with a light-hearted 'party' vibe and an endless procession of ballads, the band seemed to have lost their spark, and their grit, something that the late Steve Clarke was perhaps responsible for bringing.
It wasn't that it was bad, just bland, and it contained some of the most notable filler in the band's career; from the throwaway 'Personal Property' to the 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' copycat 'I Wanna Touch U'.
However the set does contain some unsung gems, such as the dark and brooding 'Tonight', the melancholic 'Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)', and the heartfelt tribute to their fallen band mate 'White Lightning'.
By the beginning of the 1990s, Def Leppard had little left to prove. 'Adrenalize' had followed a run of success that had seen the band shift ten-million copies of 'Hysteria'; which topped the career-shaping diamond-certified 'Pyromania'; which in turn triumphed over the 'Highway To Hell'-aping 'High And Dry'. Not bad for the act that had started out with the moniker Atomic Mass.
As the album that helped Def Leppard navigate the changing musical landscape of the 1990s however, Adrenalize has earned its place in the annals or rock history, with Louder ranking it at a prestigious #4 in the band's best albums list. Now there's a shot in the heart for this mixed up set.
It's easy to see why however. Coming on the back of a mammoth world tour in support of 'Hysteria' - the 1987 set that saw them become "the biggest band in the world for a while", the exhausted act also lost a friend, and a key component of their sound, with guitarist Steve Clarke slipping away from the band and succumbing to alcohol addiction on 8th January 1991.
The arena rockers were under tremendous pressure. Opting to work on the set as a four-piece - founders Joe Elliott (vocals) and Rick Savage (bass), along with guitarist Phil Collen (now having to double up on six-string duties) and Rick Allen (drums), decided to close ranks, producing Adrenalize themselves, with longtime collaborator Robert John 'Mutt' Lang unavailable due to his commitments with Bryan Adams.
The results were mixed. Lead single 'Let's Get Rocked' set the tone, with its' polished sound and unbridled hooks showcasing an even poppier version of the band than had come before. Follow-up 'Make Love Like a Man' cemented this, and with a light-hearted 'party' vibe and an endless procession of ballads, the band seemed to have lost their spark, and their grit, something that the late Steve Clarke was perhaps responsible for bringing.
It wasn't that it was bad, just bland, and it contained some of the most notable filler in the band's career; from the throwaway 'Personal Property' to the 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' copycat 'I Wanna Touch U'.
However the set does contain some unsung gems, such as the dark and brooding 'Tonight', the melancholic 'Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)', and the heartfelt tribute to their fallen band mate 'White Lightning'.
By the beginning of the 1990s, Def Leppard had little left to prove. 'Adrenalize' had followed a run of success that had seen the band shift ten-million copies of 'Hysteria'; which topped the career-shaping diamond-certified 'Pyromania'; which in turn triumphed over the 'Highway To Hell'-aping 'High And Dry'. Not bad for the act that had started out with the moniker Atomic Mass.
As the album that helped Def Leppard navigate the changing musical landscape of the 1990s however, Adrenalize has earned its place in the annals or rock history, with Louder ranking it at a prestigious #4 in the band's best albums list. Now there's a shot in the heart for this mixed up set.
