Is Highway to Hell (Stylistically) the first "Hair" or Pop Metal album?

We got Hanoi Rocks out of Pyromania and Mutt Lange? How do you figure that?

 

By changing dates in my head like an idiot. It's been a while since I've looked at the band's chronology! Whoops.

 

LOL, they are the definition of hair metal. Still, Pyromania is a fantastic rock album.

Hysteria and Adrenalize is what happens with too much money in their accounts and too much coke up their nostrils.

 

I didn't say the Def wasn't hair-metal. But, make no mistake: Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced both albums, and no0 doubt used lots of technology on the AC/DC album. Probably not as much, but he did. It's the way he works. People hired him because he is such a perfectionist, and has an ear for hits.

 

No. In fact, the Def kicked out a couple of members because of their excessive drug use or drinking before they made "Hysteria". "Hysteria" was a very ambitious album, and was a product of its time, the late 80s. If you recall, most artists of all genres were using a lot more technology as the decade rolled on. And, they were no doubt further influenced by the technology used by the drummer who lost his arm in a car accident, and, of course, their technology-lovin' producer "Mutt" Lange. And, don't forget: "Hysteria" was a humongous hit album with several hit singles on it.

"Adrenalize" was also a hit album. It's only fault was being released in the 90s in the age of grunge.

 

Nobody was kicked out of Def Leppard before Hysteria. Phil Collen joined the band during the recording of Pyromania.

 

Nope. Pete Willis was kicked out during the recording of "Pyromania" because of his excessive drinking.

 

According to Wikipedia, he was fired from Def Leppard in 1982.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Willis

Also, Adrenalize was a terrible album universally panned by critics. And it sold less than 1/10th of Hysteria.

 

I do. If you think Rock Of Ages with its big overblown choral qualities has anything to do with anything on Highway To Hell...well I cant hear it.

 

You miss the point. Australian culture was a hard no ******** world when ACDC developed their sound and lyrics. Australian pub rock was drenched in the Blues Rock sounds of Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, Lobby Lloyd And The Colored Balls. Check out his song G.O.D. There is no connection between early ACDC and anything from the US music scene of the time. The only precedents might be Mountain's Mississipi Queen etc..or Free and Paul Kossoff. ACDC started out on the Glam bandwagon...but ditched that pretty fast. Van Halen is a perfect reflection of Hollywood and LA values. Bon Scott ACDC was a perfect reflection of the Aussie working class values of their time. Aussies know a lot about American music and culture etc etc...you guys know sweet F.A. about us.....especially that era. Sweet William and Ice Cream Man are toungue in cheek parodies from a bloated song and dance man. ACDC's Baby Please Dont Go is genuine and songs like Jailbreak stick it to 'the man'. Van Halen are as Blues Rock as Queen.

 

Agreed.

I believe Alice Cooper, Kiss, and Sweet are the correct answers to the question. And the producer that should be credited is Bob Ezrin. Not Mutt Lange.

'Fox On The Run' which made the Top 10 singles chart in the UK & US in 1975 is the sugar pop prototype, IMHO.

 

I have several AC/DC albums and only one Van Halen album if thats says anything. Blues influence wasn't limited to US acts of course. You are right that folks down under are probably a lot more aware of US music than vice versa.

 

How about Angel's 'Twentieth Century Foxes' from 1979 as a hair metal prototype? The wardrobe choices, the posturing, big hair, they are the total package.

 

i wasn't even aware AC/DC were metal. If we're going to lump in hard blues as Metal, I guess we need to go as far back as Blue Cheer and MC5

 

Ah, didn't catch the exact date, but, you were still in error about no one being fired before "Hysteria". Wev were both wrong about something. Stalemate.

It was not a terrible album, and I do not listen to professional critics.

 

But, good pop!

 

Nah, that song has more in common with disco. There is nothing remotely pop metal about it. I would suggest listening to their White Hot album for a possible hair metal prototype.

 

"Is Highway to Hell (Stylistically) the first "Hair" or Pop Metal album?"

Coming back to the OP, I get what you are driving at: BIG sound, BIG shouty, multi-tracked vocals, rich in melody,...
I mentioned Alice Cooper as a "hair metal" pioneer, but the band's musical delivery wasn't as full-on, not as loud.
No, as said earlier, I think Slade, Sweet and Queen initiated that approach in the early 70s. Slade's "Mama, We're All Crazy Now" being the perfect example (ACDC built a career on that one!).

 

My point was never about who was fired when, I really don't care. Sorry, but I have to absolutely disagree about Adrenalize, a beached whale of an album.

 

If Sabbath was all about the radio singles they weren't any good at it. They had very little single chart success.

 

Agree. And you can even roll it back a few albums to 1975/76 when they were already a full on hair band.

 

Very good pop. I took the 'Fox On The Run' 45rpm single to show and tell at school when I was 8 years old. Still love it.

 

That came later. Have a listen to this:

IMO, there is a clear progression in Lange's production from Highway To Hell->High N Dry->Pyromania

 

Yes, he was fired during the recording of Pyromania. He co-wrote some of it, and appears on the album, although Collen and Clark finished everything. Hysteria was released in 1987. 4 Years after Pyromania.

 

Stalemate.