I don’t care what anyone says about them being an MTV/studio band.
Anyone says that they don’t have clue about Rock history.
Def Leppard were playing gigs in London clubs at age 14-15. Parents had to attend most. The First album (Through the Long Night) came out when most of them were 17-18. “Bringing on the Heartbreak” was a hit in England before MTV debuted.
I wish I has a dollar for every time I have seen some ‘metal fan’ post somewhere or have hear myself, how they couldn’t play and thats why Hysteria took so long and on and on.
Yea Hysteria itself was a studio creation practically a note at a time. But like you said, they were in the trenches for years before without the wizardry.
And when they did it live it was damn near studio perfect since they’d played it a thousand times making the record. Easily one of the top shows I saw.