Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Def Leppard ended the Pyromania tour as one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They had sold millions of albums, conquered America and seemed destined to rule the rest of the decade.
Then everything started going off the rails.
In this episode, we revisit a revealing Def Leppard interview conducted as the band began work on what would eventually become Hysteria. At the time, they were filled with confidence, ambition and excitement about their future—but they had no idea that producer problems, enormous expenses and Rick Allen’s devastating accident would delay their next album for four and a half years.
We look at Mutt Lange’s initial departure, the disastrous sessions with Jim Steinman, Nigel Green’s attempt to recreate Mutt’s methods and why the pressure of following Pyromania became very different from the pressure Def Leppard experienced before becoming famous.
We also discuss the hunger that fuels young bands, Mutt Lange’s ability to recognize Def Leppard’s potential, the group’s complicated relationship with British audiences and what their parents thought when their sons suddenly became international rock stars.
Plus, test your knowledge in today’s Audiomover Rock Trivia Challenge!
CHAPTERS
00:00 Def Leppard Had No Idea What Was Coming
00:32 A Revealing Interview From 1984
00:50 Audiomover Rock Trivia Challenge
02:06 The End of the Pyromania Tour
03:02 Work Begins on Hysteria
03:43 The Pressure of Following Pyromania
04:22 Mutt Lange Steps Away
05:17 Enter Jim Steinman
06:15 A Complete Producer Mismatch
07:01 Steinman’s Unusual Recording Approach
07:22 The Food Budget From Another Planet
07:42 Def Leppard Fires Jim Steinman
07:57 Nigel Green Takes Over
08:28 The Project Falls Apart
08:56 What Real Pressure Looks Like
09:27 Hunger, Desperation and Great Art
11:29 Rick Savage’s Remarkably Confident Prediction
12:02 The Irony Behind His Words
12:55 Becoming as Famous as Their Heroes
14:10 Was Success Becoming a Liability?
14:36 What Mutt Lange Heard in Def Leppard
16:13 The Danger of Complacency
17:25 How Their Parents Reacted to Their Success
18:31 Did Def Leppard Abandon Britain?
20:22 Rock Trivia Answers
21:36 Thanks to DigiTech
22:08 Join the Audiomover Thailand Adventure
Def Leppard ended the Pyromania tour as one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They had sold millions of albums, conquered America and seemed destined to rule the rest of the decade.
Then everything started going off the rails.
In this episode, we revisit a revealing Def Leppard interview conducted as the band began work on what would eventually become Hysteria. At the time, they were filled with confidence, ambition and excitement about their future—but they had no idea that producer problems, enormous expenses and Rick Allen’s devastating accident would delay their next album for four and a half years.
We look at Mutt Lange’s initial departure, the disastrous sessions with Jim Steinman, Nigel Green’s attempt to recreate Mutt’s methods and why the pressure of following Pyromania became very different from the pressure Def Leppard experienced before becoming famous.
We also discuss the hunger that fuels young bands, Mutt Lange’s ability to recognize Def Leppard’s potential, the group’s complicated relationship with British audiences and what their parents thought when their sons suddenly became international rock stars.
Plus, test your knowledge in today’s Audiomover Rock Trivia Challenge!
CHAPTERS
00:00 Def Leppard Had No Idea What Was Coming
00:32 A Revealing Interview From 1984
00:50 Audiomover Rock Trivia Challenge
02:06 The End of the Pyromania Tour
03:02 Work Begins on Hysteria
03:43 The Pressure of Following Pyromania
04:22 Mutt Lange Steps Away
05:17 Enter Jim Steinman
06:15 A Complete Producer Mismatch
07:01 Steinman’s Unusual Recording Approach
07:22 The Food Budget From Another Planet
07:42 Def Leppard Fires Jim Steinman
07:57 Nigel Green Takes Over
08:28 The Project Falls Apart
08:56 What Real Pressure Looks Like
09:27 Hunger, Desperation and Great Art
11:29 Rick Savage’s Remarkably Confident Prediction
12:02 The Irony Behind His Words
12:55 Becoming as Famous as Their Heroes
14:10 Was Success Becoming a Liability?
14:36 What Mutt Lange Heard in Def Leppard
16:13 The Danger of Complacency
17:25 How Their Parents Reacted to Their Success
18:31 Did Def Leppard Abandon Britain?
20:22 Rock Trivia Answers
21:36 Thanks to DigiTech
22:08 Join the Audiomover Thailand Adventure
