Man, that first Leppard album really jams, and their original guitarist, Pete Willis, was a great player.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I've always loved Def Leppard, ever since I was little.
I thought my Beatles LPs sounded pretty good on a record player, but that was before I had heard a CD.
I think the greatest records we've ever heard, from Zeppelin to Purple to Sabbath to The Who, were all recorded in the studio live.
And, well of course, Count Basie, and I think all of the black bands of the late thirties and early forties, bands with real players. They had an influence on everybody, not just drummers.
Well, we didn't have our original drummer on our last record. And most of that album was not played as a band in the studio. It was mostly the world of computers and overdubs. There was very few things played live or worked out as a band.
Most great records really start with the drums.
There was so much great music around in the '60s, stuff like The Small Faces, but I also love The Jam.
The first record I ever listened to was Elvis Presley, and I remember thinking, 'Man this guy is cool!' The swagger he had really helped my confidence, because he really made me think that a white boy could make music like this.
The first record I bought was a Carl Perkins record, because I saw him at The Festival at Sandpoint, Idaho. I loved Elvis and I found out that he wrote 'Blue Suede Shoes'... so connecting that experience of going to see him play was pretty awesome. That's when I realised I wanted to play guitar.
I don't think drums had ever sounded so big until Led Zeppelin's first album.