THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their iconic album Pyromania, Def Leppard have assembled the new deluxe expanded version — fittingly dubbed Pyromania 40 — which features the original remastered album joined by a host of vintage studio outtakes and live performances.
Originally released in 1983, Pyromania launched Def Leppard into rock legend status. The album featured global hit singles Photograph, Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) and Rock of Ages, and the went on to achieve platinum status across the globe (including a No. 2 chart entry in the U.S.). Pyromania has since become one of the biggest-selling rock albums of all time and alongside it’s followup Hysteria, has made Def Leppard one of only five rock bands in history to have two albums with a coveted RIAA Diamond Certification (over 10 million sales in the U.S. alone) — a massive feat within the music industry still to this day.
The album also saw Phil Collen replace guitarist Pete Willis, as the first of the classic Def Leppard lineups was born. Collen says, “Pyromania is a really special album for obvious reasons. It was the first time we all worked together with Mutt Lange, and I was able to play with my incredible friend Steve Clark — who was such a gifted and wonderful guitarist. I am incredibly proud of the album and what we collectively achieved.”
In tribute to this milestone, this deluxe edition has been executive produced by lead singer Joe Elliott and Ronan McHugh, with mastering by Andy Pearce. Rick Savage says, “Right from the very early days we had a specific idea of how we wanted to sound. A massive wall of guitars and drums supporting huge vocals and melodies. That vision came to fruition with the making of Pyromania. Even now it still has that special quality that made it such a ground-breaking record. It’s a testament to the songs that they remain the fans’ favourites and true cornerstones of any Leppard show. 40 years?? It doesn’t even seem like 40 days.”
This deluxe set comes with four CDs containing the original album, a disc of unheard demos including the unreleased No You Can’t Do That — recently rediscovered by Elliott while combing through the vaults — and two defining live shows from the era, recorded at the the L.A. Forum and Westfalen Halle in Dortmund, Germany.
The Blu Ray contains an Atmos mix of the album (overseen by Giles Martin) as well as 5.1 / Stereo and instrumental mixes. Also included are five promo videos from the time. The album also appears as a Half Speed Master for the first time. The book contains the history of the album as well as rare and unseen photos. Elliott calls it “a labour of love — and I loved every minute of it !!… Rediscovering dusty old cassettes which were brilliantly restored by Ronan and finding the long lost unfinished “11th track” was a journey only few of us are lucky enough to take… what a trip !!”
With more than 110 million albums sold, 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Def Leppard – Elliott (vocals), Collen (guitar), Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike.”
