Adrenalize is the fifth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 30 March 1992 through Mercury Records. It is the first album by the band recorded without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in 1991, although most songs were written and partially demoed before his death, they were re-recorded solo by Phil Collen in 1991–1992. It is the only album recorded by Def Leppard as a four-member band. Spawning six singles, four of them – "Let's Get Rocked", "Make Love Like a Man", "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", and "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)" – were major hits.
"Tear It Down" is a re-recording of a song written during a recording session following the completion of the Hysteria album, and released as B-side for that album's single "Women" in 1987. The song received radio airplay and was performed by the band live at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
"White Lightning" is dedicated to the memory of Clark, who has writing credits on six of the album's ten tracks.
Having done some writing on tour for Hysteria, the band returned to the studio in November 1988 to work on the next album at Wisseloord Studios and later Studio 150 in Amsterdam, both in Holland. Def Leppard had faced long delays previously, including the challenge of drummer Rick Allen losing his arm while making their previous album, Hysteria, and while trying to follow up the success, they also faced the prospect of doing so with a different producer, as Robert John "Mutt" Lange was already working with Bryan Adams. At the same time, guitarist Steve Clark had been suffering from alcohol addiction since 1989, spending six sessions in rehab, so he was in the studio less and less than before. Clark was involved in writing six of the songs on the album, but was given an ultimatum over his alcoholism in September 1990, and put on a six-month leave of absence. Clark died four months later, in January 1991.
The band tried to continue the recording process, going back into the studio the day after Clark's death to cope with the loss, but it took a few months before they were able to work to what they felt was a satisfactory standard. As singer Joe Elliott reported, 90% of the album was recorded between April and December 1991.
Instead of replacing Clark with a new member, the band continued recording the album as a four-piece. "We had recorded demos on multitrack," recalled fellow guitarist Phil Collen. "I was sitting there with him when he played the original parts. I could relay that. But it was like playing along to a ghost." As per Elliott, none of Clark's recorded guitar parts were kept on the record; they kept updating the songs and guitar sounds, Collen re-doing all the guitars on the album at least three times.
This was also the band's first album since 1980's On Through the Night not to be produced by Lange. Instead, the band took matters in their own hands and produced the album themselves along with longtime engineer Mike Shipley; with Lange credited as executive producer.
"We coped without Mutt quite well…" recalled Joe Elliott. "Mutt was in his studio in Guildford with Bryan Adams and we'd be in Dublin, talking every day… But it wasn't as adventurous as Hysteria. It was more of a rock album, less experimental. It's like with Pink Floyd: to me, Adrenalize was our Wish You Were Here and Hysteria was our Dark Side of the Moon."
Tracklist:
- Let's Get Rocked 04:56
- Heaven Is 03:37
- Make Love like a Man 04:13
- Tonight 04:03
- White Lightning 07:37
- Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion) 04:31
- Personal Property 04:20
- Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad 05:25
- I Wanna Touch U 03:16
- Tear It Down 03:38
Time: 45:36
Backing vocals by The Sideway Mob.
Also released by Bludgeon Riffola in a digipak with different cover artwork.
Trivia:
- The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200.
- This is the first Def Leppard album without founding member Steve Clark, who died in 1991. "White Lightning" is dedicated to him. It's also titled after a brand of cheap British cider.
Recording information:
Co-produced by Def Leppard.
Mike "Bat Ears" Shipley – producer, engineer, mixing
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
