Def Leppard Engineer Talks 1983 Pyromania Album, Pete Willis, Steve Clark, Mutt Lange, Interview
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2021
- This is a full in bloom interview w/ engineer/producer Craig Thomson.
INSIDE THE ALBUM:
Def Leppard
Pyromania
Craig talks about his experience recording Def Leppard's 1983 breakout album, Pyromania.
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Song by FOOL OF FATE
#DefLeppard #JoeElliott #MuttLange #Pyromania - เพลง
Pyromania is one of those records that the more you listen it, the more you discover elements you've never heard before or didn't realize you were hearing. For instance, in Foolin' the guitars and vocals are at A440 hz in the verses but then in the choruses they go about 1/4 step sharp and the tempo pushes about 1 bpm faster, pushing up the intensity just the slightest bit. It's unnoticeable if you're just enjoying the song, but it's there if you dissect it. Also the bass guitar rests (doesn't play) on the chunky D chords in the choruses. Stuff like that took me a long time to discover but wow, the most subtle things can be huge.
Sure, forty vocal tracks per song also help lol
Also, the longer you listen to it the more you realize Pete Willis didn't get to finish it, so it completely sucks! Pete would have made that album so much better and so much heavier. Instead we got Phil. lol 😆 High and Dry compared to Pyromania is all you have to listen to and you'll see what's truly missing.... A great guitar player!
That’s interesting Matt. I’ve performed def leppard songs through the years. The recorded bass is sometimes much different than the live bass. Frustrating when you’re learning some songs.
@@richardcurtis2693how so? He was barely able to come up with anything as it was. Steve had to do a lot of the work.
Dang - I just found this channel a month or so ago. These interviews are FANTASTIC. Well-researched, great questions. Keep up the great work!
pete willis rules he's the best all the best def leppard material is from when pete willis was in the band.
I strongly agree to be honest with you. Pete willis and Steve created some unique riffs.
Agree totaly. The band was best when founder Pete Willis was in the band.
For sure, unfortunately you could have the most talented MFer to ever play but if he’s drunk or stoned all the time it’s not gonna work. Ultimately you can’t have it in a functioning band
It wasn't the best it was just to the heaviest, there's a difference
these interviews are absolute gold.
recording one string at a time and making up chords ..... brilliant.
marshall valvestates were shit..... hahahaha ... dammit thats what ive got.... lol.
love these insights into our favourite albums.
sir, your interview skills are unrivalled. 🤘
Unbelievable interview. It’s like Hit Parader and Circus Magazine from early 80s but only better.
Those Magazines rocked! Being a Guitar Player I used to love reading the Guitar Clinic section in Circus Magazine.
@@ligamentpull1 Hey Liga, how much have you made playing guitar? I bet I have made as much as you playing with my noodle.
@@kevinb3307 Quit a bit, You might need to work on your noodle!
@@ligamentpull1 lol
Circus magazine was the shizz back in the day.
Love this interview. You're a great interviewer and seem to know all the people that we want to hear from!
🤔Keyboards Booker T. Boffin
(aka; Thomas Dolby!)
Back in 83 I had this on cassette and believe it or not the very next year CD's came out and almost immediately I started replacing my cassettes. I went into the military in Aug 83 and one morning around 4AM I had to stand watch in the drill sergeant's office and on the wall there was a small tv tuned to MTV and I got to watch "Foolin" music video for the first time.
Damn, this channel is so good, I can barely believe that it exists 🔥🔥🔥🤘. The stories behind these absolutely legendary works of art are just drifting away from us all in time, and FIB delivers the in depth story. Epic.
Edit: Thanks to Craig Thomson, great job on Pyromania; you guys shook up the world 👊
Thanks for listening, Steven.
Jajajaja. He was surprised at we already know. You are the best prepared and knowledgeable interviewer in the game. Tremendous content.
6 thousand subscribers so far for this channel, it ought to be 60,000 or 600,000.
Awesome interview--as usual!!! Thank you.
My new favorite rock interview channel with all these legends I grew up listening to their music!!
Def Lep was my number one from the High n Dry days, awesome interview❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
For SHIZZLE. Thank you! More Def Leppard coming soon.
@@fullinbloom Ooooh I’m lov’in what your say’in!!! Can’t wait for more Def Lep!
So happy I found your channel I’m going back listening to all your interviews, their stellar!! ❤️🔥
Another fine episode! Thank you kindly for the share, Sir!😎
You do great work for the headbanger community and it is most appreciated!🤘
RIP Mike Shipley. 🙏
If I was a pilot and this guy was the air traffic controller, I don’t think I’d make it
This was excellent content !
Learned from a new friend that Mutt used "white noise" to get that Langer Vocal Sound. Makes absolute sense.
Wow. Really cool interview. One of the all-time great rock and roll albums. One for the ages, and the one that vaulted Def Leppard into another Universe. Always fun to hear info and interviews from People who were there, and who know how it all went down. This is a fun vid.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment.
@@fullinbloom You're welcome. Thx for the gracious reply. Just subbed you!
Agreed. These interviews became priceless during the post Covid times. Better times for sure.
Brilliant interview/interviewer thanks
Thanks for listening.
I’m becoming a better hard rock historian because of your channel. Love it thank you!
Great Interview as always and insightful comments from Craig.
Great album and I always thought that Hysteria after that was crap and sounded so processed. Yes, it was a huge hit with the ladies but to me, it was a dud.
What a find! I thought Mike Shipley (RIP) was the only engineer on Pyromania.
In my humble opinion Pyromania was Def Leppard s masterpiece I mean it should be in the top 10 of all time right with Thriller and Van Halen s 1984 Rock was flying high at that time before You Tube nowadays a million views is like your record turning gold . Sadly without Steve Clark they just were never the same imop. They conquered for a few years and still active today Rock !🤘🇨🇱
I LIKE VAN HALEN'S 1984 BUT I WOULDN'T CALL IT VAN HALEN'S MASTERPIECE. JUST MY OPINION
@@jamesbain4062 I like it too I really don't know what Van Halens masterpiece would be for me I would go with #1 Van Halen or the first album with Sammy but for me too Def Leppard s would be a close call between Pyromania or High and Dry
Sheeze, I would love to hear these mixes he’s talking about. Does it get any better than Pyromania?
agreed...but, yes, yes it does.... Its called High N' Dry
The drums on the song Photograph are a drum machine. The timing is perfect and it sounds like a drum machine
I thought the kick and snare were from the drum machine, but the rest were real?
@@themobseat mutt will take full control of everything if you let him, unless you're the type of band that will put him in his place like AC/DC or Foreigner.. yes drums on pyromania are a drum machine except for the cymbols. I think it was because of Rick being young and stupid and not wanting to work to the point where he gets mad and throws sticks across the studio or whatever, which I don't understand because mutt let Rick play real drums on high n dry, unless Def Leppard allowed mutt to have more control on pyromania
@@no_stick_drummer2735 pyro and hystera sound like shit as a result of mutt in my opinion but I'm a metal head
Right on
Eddie Trunk take notice
I just noticed. You are at 6.66 K subs. 🤘
It makes doing an Abigail interview yesterday a bizarre coincidence.
Pete Willis was key to early Def Leppard, they wrote all their best music with him. Steve Clark was class, the complete opposite to Phil Collen. RIP
I saw Pete with DL opening for the Scorpions during their Animal Magnetism tour. Very underrated as a guitarist!
@@matthewpaluch777 Pete has to be one of the best riff writers of all time. I have a trouble thinking of people who could compare, maybe George Lynch. What a loss for Def Lep.
@@jimshomestudio4669you got Pete mixed up with Steve.
Damn, the audio is so hard to follow
In regards to the the "drum machine", if you search on youtube.....there is actually an isolated drum track of Photograph......I'm pretty darn sure all the drums are Simmons drums and Rick Allen just overdubbed the cymbals. I'm pretty sure that's how they did that record.
A Fairlight drum machine was used for the snare, toms and bass drums.
Then prob same on hysteria too. For example, listen to the outro drum fill on Armageddon it……not possible with 1 arm.
@@acepaul407 so Rick allen did not sit behind a kit and generate those drum parts, correct?
@@rickpalmer3128 I believe they tracked everything to the drum machine and recorded the live drums last. Apparently, a lot of producers of the era worked that way so everything was super tight.
Clinical precision on details,...Why dont you ask him...oh, you just did.
Could anyone else understand him?
I feel like I missed out on a great interview! 🤣
(Yes, I'm American. Sorry.)
EVEN THOUGH, PETE WILLIS IS seen as being the dude in Def Leppard who had not made it big because of the fact that he had been too friendly with BOOZE. I know that Pete HAD been in a band after DEF LEPPARD, it had been a band called "Roadhouse". Pete had been a REALLY talented GUY. BUT, it seems like Pete had NOT been making sure that the bands that he had been in would be going on tour beyond Britain or Europe. And, I am REALLY thinking that HE had been actually preferring to stay in the UK or in Europe. I say that because Pete Willis MAY HAVE BEEN happy to just play music in his hometown of Sheffield England. The band Def Leppard is from Sheffield England too.
When I had gone to the UK in 2001, I had been able to see the town "Sheffield" briefly. It was brief because we had to just go on and then through the main town. I would just LOVE to go to the UK again, and to see just how much that the real attractions are thrilling and full of intrigue.
Drum machine. I dont really know how to feel about that. Ive always known the leppard discs had them... Mutt's decision. Idk. Love the tracks tho. The thing i love is recording drums. Its the best thing in the world. I wonder if Mutt ever would have tried using loops?
in 83 this was the only way, no loops back then. The drums always sounded weird to me but at the time was considered futuristic
The cymbals were done live.
@@Slingudwig True indeed
All rhythm guitars were finished by the time Pete was sacked....even solos were everywhere by him. The solos were rerecord by Phil
Pete was too hammered to do solos, and that was the reason why I phil was called in the first place. He did stage fright in one take.
Pete did no solos whatsoever
High 'N Dry and Pyromania are my favorite Def Leppard albums by far. I lost interest in them when Hysteria came out as they became to "pop" for my taste.
absolutely -- how they could go from great rock to total pop so quickly was crazy. They could have been legends if they stuck to rock and roll.
Am I first 🤔 ?
Time stamp on video was 2 min ago.
Time stamp on first comment was 10 min. Ago
Doesn't anything mean anything, anymore?
Old school High and Dry and back, didn’t care for the radio pop albums after that
Pete Willis was completely screwed over. They sent Steve Clarke away because he was drinking too much. So Pete had to do big Steve's and his own guitar parts. Then they fire him for drinking to much. So hypocritical
There may be more that leads to these decisions that we aren’t aware of. Personalities, band dynamics, work ethics, etc. By all accounts Steve was a kind, gracious soul. Perhaps Pete was a complete dick and/or a nasty drunk? Or perhaps one was a songwriting asset, the other wasn’t? It’s not always cut and dry.
Pete was an asshole when he was drunk.
If he was so screwed over then why did he get inducted into the Hall of Fame and still gets his royalties. Same old story for 40 years, just let it go. If you need to cream your pants to Pete Willis that badly, go listen to Roadhouse. It's annoying reading the same thing over and over again.
@@no_stick_drummer2735 no choice on the Royalties. And....rolling stone put Pete in RRHOF
@@daveg4236 for the millionth time, Def Leppard doesn't hate Pete Willis, stop trying to start drama because your butt hurt that Def Leppard kicked him out, Jesus Christ it's like I'm arguing with children on this app, most likely this person is older than me. Stop the childish crap, it's annoying
I think Clark went into depression because the band he helped form turned into glam like what elliot and collen liked think marc bolan or sweet not at all what steve was into zeppelin and thin lizzy willis was into those heavier bands also the firing of willis he went into creative free fall and drank himself to death my opinion band creative differences really led to his demise my opinion on it anyway
So he says "I was doing all of the engineering work so I don't know why I only got a assistant engineer credit". But then he says "Well I was only there for about a month". What?? There's a pretty good sized bunch of months and months where an engineer would have been needed to record with during that time. So I would think an assistant credit would be appropriate. But hey I wasn't there. Then later he's talking about how there are "months and months needed for the vocal work and everything". But doesn't really say that HE was the engineer during those months. I don't get it. What's the hitch here?
The high and dry album blows away pyromania!
i think when pete wills and steve clark did some shots of whiskey etc and plug in to some marshalls they were able to create majic. if they hadnt of been drinking and partying they wouldnt have played what they played. also i much prefer the real drums used to high n dry vs the simluted drums of pyro. the pyro drums dont sound natural to me
Difficult to understand with his accent. Remember getting this album in 1983 when I was 12
Me too!
Idk how much was Pete and Steve but none of Def Leps albums have the fire High N Dry has, it should have been called Pyromania then High N Dry. They got it backward
They lost their song writing mojo when Willis left, and even more when Steve died.
Imagine that. The alleged best mic on the planet didn't make the cut
Is this guy been speaking English?
Phil Collins is okay, he was and is no where near Pete Willis' s level.
Not Irish enough
That guy is Scottish.
Scottish. A great accent - Grrrrreat! ❤️
@@StevenBrown-me My Jesus & Mary Chain radar was off but it's still TECHNICALLY "not Irish enough".....equally entertaining though
Compared to the first two albums this one and all after were crap just awful. Mutt made them millionaires but ruined the band for what it was.
If Mutt ruined them then why did he produce high n dry? It was the band's decision, hysteria and pyromania was what they were working towards the entire time. And they achieved it. They weren't just going to sit there and be comfortable making standard hard rock albums that sold 500 copies each or whatever. They wanted to be bigger.
Anybody understand a God damn thing this kid is saying?
I was a super big huge big fan of there 1st 2 albums . Then they got rid of Peter. Put out this album with Phil. They became SOFT. Soft rock. Really. The roots of the band was gone when Peter was kick out. They waited 3 orv4 years for Rick and his arm. Couldn't wait for Peter. Weather Peter is good with it today or not . He says he understands. When he looks back on it . But I don't know. I think we'd all be a little pissey . If you're high school mates. Waiting for one mate. Not the other. I never bought another album after this one. This album is the last one I listen to . Billy got a gun. Is the only song that's good enough. But the rest is soft. I call the classic rock station. The def leppard station. All day long. Never play anything from the 1st 2 albums.
@Justincase008 Peter said . He was kick out cuz of his drinking. He own up to it like a man . On tv.. Trust me and you . You think that you want to kick out of big band like that . I do believe mutt lang knew it in the studio on the pyromania album. Nobody really wants to kick out of a band. Especially when it your high school mates. Peter was being professional.
Dude they had to become soft, everyone did.
Aerosmith, Heart, Yes, Starship, fuck even Motley and Van Halen!
MTV ruled the 80s, music changed to pop. It brought in the girls. And the girls brought the boys.
@@doctordetroit4339 you watch to much MTV.
I agree Scott.
well said Scott