On the 18th of May, Def Leppard released their first ever official biography “Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard” with Genesis Publications.
In this biography, you will witness the story of how Def Leppard first began, all the way through to the present day. The book starts with a foreword by the bands long-term friend; Brian May of Queen, who praises the bands musicianship as well as how they met. A foreword from journalist and senior editor of “Rolling Stone”, David Fricke also features at the beginning of the book. David is also a life-long friend and delivered the speech for Def Leppard’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. It only seemed fitting to have him write their foreword as he has been writing about the group from their very early days.
The biography officially begins right back to the very beginning in when the members were just young boys. The first few chapters make an interesting read as they each tell you how they met, their influences, where they first rehearsed, and of course, first record deal, gigs, song etc. What was most heartwarming was how they spoke of their families. Of course, it is a daunting thought for parent when their child wishes to pursue a career in music however, their support allowed them to chase any dream they wanted.
The book moves onto to talk about the music they released and what they were most known for. There is a couple of chapters titled “On Through The Night” and “High N Dry” where they talk us through the first major song that they released as well as the album that followed. From here, they explain how they then took their music around the world. They also talk about some famous faces that they met on the way. There is an interesting section that talks about the time they performed with Taylor Swift who’s parents happened to be huge fans of them.
What is interesting about reading about artists that have been in the industry a long time, is seeing the contrast to today’s music. Now, we have streaming services where anybody and anyone can release a song. Back then, Def Leppard explain how they had to create physical tapes and records to then send out to record labels.
What makes this biography so unique however, is the scrapbook style they chose as a format. Yes, we are reading the story straight out of the members mouths, but the fact that they paired that with pictures, setlists, handwritten lyrics, collages, tour posters and so much more, makes it such a vivid read that the reader feels like they were right there with them.
It’s the perfect book for all music fans. Fans of the band will love it , but even if you are not a fan of Def Leppard themselves, we still suggest you pick it up if you’re interested in the nitty gritty music industry. The book is now out here.
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