On Through the Night

On Through the Night
Studio album by Def Leppard
Released	14 March 1980 (1980-03-14)
Recorded	December 1979 at Startling Studios in Ascot, Berkshire
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	43:47
Label	Mercury (US/Canada) Vertigo
Producer	(Colonel) Tom Allom
Def Leppard chronology
On Through the Night (1980) High 'n' Dry (1981)

On Through the Night is the debut album by British rock band Def Leppard, released in 1980. The album charted at #51 on The Billboard 200^[1] and #15 on the UK Albums Chart.^[2] It features rerecorded versions of "Rocks Off" and "Overture", tracks from the band's original independently released EP, The Def Leppard E.P. Other tracks are rerecorded versions of early demos, some of which appeared on the First Strike and Warchild bootlegs. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA on May 9, 1989. The band have stated on many occasions that they do not like this album (which is rawer in sound and more in line with NWOBHM bands like Saxon) and consider High 'n' Dry their first proper album. Aside from a select few extremely rare performances of "Wasted" and "Rock Brigade" over the years, the album has been completely ignored in their live sets since the mid-1980s.

"Wasted," "Rock Brigade" (b/w "When The Walls Came Tumbling Down") and "Hello America" were released as singles. However, the version of "Wasted" that appears on the single is a different recording from that of the LP, as is its b-side, "Hello America". The album was produced by Tom Allom, perhaps best known for his work with Judas Priest, and is one of the only Def Leppard albums that receive little or no radio airplay, as compared to their later albums like Pyromania or Hysteria.

Album cover

The truck on the album's cover was modeled after a 1970s-era Kenworth W900 tractor-trailer, with the "K.W." initials in the truck's grille logo replaced with "D.L.", standing for Def Leppard. The band has also stated that they did not like how the cover turned out, which prompted them to hire professional album cover designers Hipgnosis to design the cover for their next album, "High 'n' Dry".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Sputnik Music	3.0/5.0[4]
Rolling Stone	(favourable)[5]

Allmusic's Steve Huey rated On Through the Night three-and-a-half out of five stars. He noted that it "established the band as one of the leading lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal." He also called it "a collection of working-class hard rock anthems informed by the big, glittering hooks of glam rock." Although he stated that "it may lack the detailed production and more pop-oriented songwriting of later efforts," but concluded that "some Leppard fans prefer this sound."^[3] A staff member at Sputnik Music rated the album three out of five points. He noted that the "middle-class common-man image" of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" movement "partially played a part in making Def Leppard one of [its] leaders". He also stated that the band's ambition "would never allow [them] to be tunnel-visioned", but he concluded that the album "can be categorized as a grower of an album since the more superficial elements that would appeal to the mainstream will initially distract some listeners from what is actually an incredibly tight musical and vocal performance."^[4] Rolling Stone's David Fricke found the album favourable, explaining that it "shows they not only respect their elders, they've taken cues from their New Wave peers, too." He also stated that "guitarists Pete Willis and Steve Clark shoot from the hip, packing their licks into tight, three-minute pop arrangements", and that lead singer Joe Elliot "wails wonderfully in a resonating tenor, fortified by backup harmonies and Tom Allom's battering-ram production." He concluded that the album "is awfully impressive for a band making its vinyl debut."^[5]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rock Brigade"	Rick Savage, Steve Clark, Joe Elliott	3:09
2.	"Hello America"	Savage, Clark, Elliott	3:27
3.	"Sorrow Is a Woman"	Savage, Clark, Pete Willis, Elliott	3:54
4.	"It Could Be You"	Willis, Elliott	2:33
5.	"Satellite"	Willis, Elliott	4:28
6.	"When the Walls Came Tumbling Down"	Clark, Elliott, Andrew Smith	4:44

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wasted"	Clark, Elliott	3:45
2.	"Rocks Off"	Willis, Savage, Clark, Elliott	3:42
3.	"It Don't Matter"	Willis, Elliott, Clark	3:21
4.	"Answer to the Master"	Willis, Elliott, Clark	3:13
5.	"Overture"	Savage, Clark, Willis, Elliott	7:44

Personnel

• Steve Clark – guitar
• Rick Savage – bass
• Pete Willis – guitar
• Rick Allen – drums
• Joe Elliott – throat

Additional personnel

• Chris M. Hughes – synthesizer on "Hello America"
• Dave Cousins – voice on "When the Walls Came Tumblin' Down"

Production

• (Colonel) Tom Allom – producer
• Louis "Snook" Austin – engineer
• Dick Plant – engineer

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Peak position
1980	U.S. Billboard Pop Albums	51
1983	U.S. Billboard 200	131

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1979	"Wasted"	UK	61
1980	"Rock Brigade"[6]	US	–
1980	"Hello America"	UK	45

Certifications

Country	Provider	Certification (sales thresholds)
United States	RIAA	Platinum
Canada	CRIA	Platinum

Notes

1. ^ "Allmusic (Def Leppard charts and awards) Billboard albums". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4062. 
2. ^ "Def Leppard chart stats". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=398. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Huey, Steve. On Through the Night - Def Leppard at Allmusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Def Leppard - On Through the Night (staff review)". Sputnikmusic.com. December 22, 2008. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/28451/Def-Leppard-On-Through-the-Night/. Retrieved August 04, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Fricke, David (June 26, 1980). "On Through the Night by Def Leppard". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/on-through-the-night-19800626/. Retrieved August 04, 2011. 
6. ^ DEF LEPPARD | Discography | Rockdetector

References

• (1980) Album notes for On Through the Night by Def Leppard [Vinyl back cover]. Chicago, IL: Mercury (SRM 1-3828).