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Monday, 12th September 1983
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Phoenix/Tempe, AZ - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Compton Terrace By Arizona Republic

It's a safe bet Def Leppard will share with Men At Work the distinction of being the band that has made the most ground in the shortest time.

In different ways, neither of these newly acclaimed bands is an obvious candidate for the superstardom they have achieved.

It frequently has been said that the members of Men At Work are a pretty ordinary bunch of guys, despite the distinctiveness of their sound.

In Def Leppard's case, the sound is fairly ordinary, and one concludes that their phenomenal teenage appeal is due to several factors, of which music is just one.

In total, their sound and image add up to a palatable clean-cut, youthful version of heavy metal - without the self-indulgence or the aura of evil and violence projected by many of the genre's veterans.

Although excited and packed in like sardines, the fans seemed to be in good humour.

On better known numbers like 'Foolin'', Elliott received plenty of support on choruses.

In fact, there was a strong element that prided itself on knowing every song from the first bar.

Guitar solos were quite extensive.

But most of the time, the quintet stuck closely to its winning formula of party-time hard rock, played with a driving beat and a minimum of embellishment.

There are no great originals in Def Leppard - or at least, none revealed so far.

But they are a refreshing infusion of new blood in a tried-and-true genre.

By Arizona Republic 1983.


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