High ‘n’ Dry – Wikipedia

Posted on by

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1981 studio album by Def Leppard

High ‘n’ Dry is the second studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on 6 July 1981. High ‘n’ Dry was Pete Willis’ last full-time album with Def Leppard. It charted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200[7] and No. 26 on the UK Albums Chart.[8] “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)”, ranked No. 33 on VH1’s 40 Greatest Metal Songs.[9] Following the success of Pyromania, the album re-entered in the US chart and reached No. 72 in 1983.[7]

The album’s music has been described as heavy metal[10] and hard rock.[11]

Reissue[edit]

High ‘n’ Dry was reissued on 31 May 1984 with two bonus tracks:

  1. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” (Remix), a similar recording to the 1981 original but with synthesiser and piano overdubs added by Mutt Lange in February 1984. This remix was released later in the year as a single, peaking at No. 61 in the US charts.[12]
  2. “Me & My Wine” (Remix), a remixed version of a 1981 B-side, with the remixed version included as the B-side to the remix of Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.

The intention of these remixes was to make the two songs sound more in the style of Def Leppard’s 1983 album Pyromania.[13]

Videos for both of the remixed songs were made, featuring Phil Collen (who was not in the band at the time of the album’s recording). Both bonus tracks were omitted from the US mid-1990s re-releases of the album, although other countries’ releases did include them, but returned when Def Leppard and Mercury came to terms in 2018 and the album was put on digital streaming and downloading platforms.

Reception[edit]

Rating the album 4 out of 5, Steve Huey of AllMusic notes how Def Leppard “continues in the vein of the anthemic, working-class hard rock of their debut. While still opting for a controlled musical attack and melodies as big-sounding and stadium-ready as possible, the band opens up its arrangements a bit more on High ‘n’ Dry, letting the songs breathe and groove while the rhythm section and guitar riffs play off one another.”[14]

In a 3.5 out of 5 review, Sputnikmusic writes that “while High ‘n’ Dry cannot claim to be a resounding success as an individual album, it is indeed one from a progression standpoint. Def Leppard is clearly a more confident outfit here and with help from new producer “Mutt” Lange, they allow their compositions to include greater scope in order for the band to find their sound. While this does result in some misses, they are never too far off target and are more than made up for by the album’s highlights which have aged extremely well.”[15]

Track listing[edit]

Side two
Title Writer(s) Solos
6. “You Got Me Runnin‘“ Willis 4:23
7. “Lady Strange” Clark 4:39
8. “On Through the Night” Clark 5:06
9. “Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)” Clark 4:08
10. “No No No” Willis 3:13
1984 & 2018 reissue bonus tracks
Title Writer(s) Solos
11. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” (remix) Clark 4:33[16]
12. “Me & My Wine” (remix) Clark 3:40
  • On vinyl and cassette releases, “Me & My Wine” (Remix) is added to the end of side one, while “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” (Remix) leads off side two. On CD releases, “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” (Remix) and “Me & My Wine” (Remix) follow “No No No”.
  • The last lyric, ‘no’, in “No No No” repeats infinitely on the original vinyl album release. The original cassette features “no” being screamed 46 times and then ending abruptly when the cassette finished. On later releases the “no”s simply fade out.

Personnel[edit]

Def Leppard[edit]

Production[edit]

Certifications[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “DEF LEPPARD, HIGH ‘N’ DRY UK ALBUM RELEASE”. DEF LEPPARD TOUR HISTORY. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. ^ “Def Leppard Biography”. Def Leppard Official Website. Archived from the original on 9 April 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  3. ^ “Def Leppard singles”.
  4. ^ Huey, Steve. High ‘n’ Dry at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  5. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector’s Guide Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  6. ^ Davey Boy (3 January 2009). “Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry (staff review)”. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  7. ^ a b “Hig ‘N’ Dry Billboard Albums”. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  8. ^ “Def Leppard Official Charts”. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  9. ^ High ‘n’ Dry DefLeppard.com. Retrieved 17 November 2011
  10. ^ V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, All Music Guide to Rock: the Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2002), ISBN 0-87930-653-Xand pp. 293–4.
  11. ^ Kielty, Martin (13 January 2019). “The Best Song From Every Def Leppard Album”. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. ^ “Hig ‘N’ Dry Billboard Singles”. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  13. ^ “Def Leppard High ‘n’ Dry Reissue Album 1984”. www.deflepparduk.com.
  14. ^ “Def Leppard High ‘n’ Dry Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic”. AllMusic.
  15. ^ “Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic”.
  16. ^ “Def Leppard Tour History – Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”. www.deflepparduk.com.
  17. ^ “Swedishcharts.com – Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry”. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  18. ^ “Def Leppard | Artist | Official Charts”. UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  19. ^ “Def Leppard Chart History (Billboard 200)”. Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  20. ^ “Def Leppard Chart History (Mainstream Rock)”. Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  21. ^ “Def Leppard Chart History (Hot 100)”. Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  22. ^ “Canadian album certifications – Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry”. Music Canada.
  23. ^ “American album certifications – Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry”. Recording Industry Association of America.