Adrenalize

Adrenalize is the fifth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released in 1992 through Mercury Records. The album was the first by the band following the 1991 death of guitarist Steve Clark. It was produced by Mike Shipley and Def Leppard, with Robert John "Mutt" Lange as executive producer. The album charted at #1 on The Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Albums Chart. It is also notable for being the last album released by a band at the time classified as glam metal to garner significant multi-platinum sales, for the album was released in the midst of the grunge explosion of the early 1990s which shifted virtually all bands of the pop-metal genre and the 1980s in general out of the mainstream.

History
At the end of the Hysteria World Tour in October 1988, Def Leppard vowed to the press that their next album would not take another four years to be released, and quickly reconvened weeks later to start work. However, Steve Clark's alcoholism was taking a turn for the worse. Whereas touring had kept him sober onstage, offstage his condition was beginning to affect his work in the studio. In addition, Mutt Lange was unavailable to return as producer as he was working with Canadian rocker Bryan Adams on Waking Up the Neighbours.

The band chose to produce the album themselves. Steve's problems did not help to advance progress and in fact, was starting to set them back. In late 1989, Clark was found unconscious in a gutter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was immediately sent to rehab, and band members (along with Lange) started attending confrontational therapy to attempt to shame him into defeating his addictions. In a desperate move to help their friend, guitar tech and tour manager Malvin Mortimer was assigned to keep a 24-hour watch on Clark; according to Joe Elliott, it was a difficult task.

None of this proved to be fruitful, and in August 1990 the band granted Clark a six-month leave of absence. While it was hoped that this break would free him of any stresses, the band seemed resigned to the fact that they could no longer do anything for Clark.

On 8 January 1991, Steve Clark was found dead in his London home by his girlfriend Janie Dean. The coroner's report revealed that Clark had died of an accidental mix of alcohol with painkillers and anti-depressants that led to compression of the brain stem.

After a short period of uncertainty about the band's future, the remaining members decided to resume work on the album. Former Lange engineer Mike Shipley was hired as co-producer, while Lange maintained a minor role via phone calls and demos sent to him.

A search for Clark's replacement was held off until after the completion of the album, and recording sessions progressed quickly in the year that followed. On 31 March 1992, Adrenalize was released worldwide. While some reviews were favorable (Rolling Stone magazine awarded it 4 out of 5 stars), many critics attacked the album for being formulaic and too similar to Hysteria. Although Clark had died prior to the release of the album and did not participate in the recording process, nearly every song on the album was at least co-written by him. The album's success, commercially and critically, came at an important time in the band's history. Adrenalize was released during the time when grunge and alternative rock bands were killing off "glam/pop metal" bands. Nonetheless, Adrenalize debuted at the number one position in both the UK and the US (quickly going triple platinum there). Its success ensured Def Leppard's continued commercial viability in wake of the changing landscape of music. The album has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. The album was dedicated to the memory of Steve Clark.

Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, a longtime friend of the band, was brought in as the newest member in April 1992. He appears in all promotional videos for the album's singles (except "Let's Get Rocked"), despite not playing on the album.

A Deluxe Edition of Adrenalize, which was released in 2009, includes a digitally remastered version of the album, plus a Bonus CD containing b-sides from the album's singles.

Deluxe Edition (Bonus CD)

 * Tracks 1-4 are taken from the band's Live: In The Clubs, in Your Face EP, recorded at Bonn, Germany, on 29 May 1992
 * Tracks 5 & 6 taken from "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" single.
 * Tracks 7 & 8 taken from "Tonight" single.
 * Track 9 taken from "Make Love Like a Man" U.K. single and "Two Steps Behind" U.S. single.
 * Track 10 taken from "Two Steps Behind" single.
 * Tracks 11 & 12 taken from "Let's Get Rocked" single.

Personnel

 * Joe Elliott – lead vocals
 * Phil Collen – all guitars except acoustic guitar on "Tonight", Cockney rhyming rap on "Make Love Like a Man"
 * Rick Savage – bass guitar, acoustic guitar on "Tonight"
 * Rick Allen – drums

Additional personnel

 * The Sideways Mob – backing vocals
 * Robert John "Mutt" Lange, John Sykes - backing vocals
 * Phil "Crash" Nicholas – keyboard on "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)"

Production

 * Mike "Bat Ears" Shipley – producer, engineer, mixing
 * Def Leppard – producer
 * Pete Woodroffe – engineer, programming, sequencing
 * Robert John "Mutt" Lange – executive producer
 * Robert Scovill – assistant engineer
 * Bob Ludwig – mastering
 * Andie Airfix – art direction
 * Pamela Springsteen – photography

Other Albums By Def Leppard

 * The Def Leppard E.P.
 * On Through The Night
 * High 'n' Dry
 * Pyromania
 * Hysteria
 * Live: In The Clubs, In Your Face
 * Retro Active
 * Slang
 * Euphoria
 * X
 * Best Of
 * Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
 * Yeah!
 * Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
 * Mirrorball: Live & More
 * Viva! Hysteria
 * TBA (2015)