“THEY SOLD 100,000 COPIES A WEEK — AND MICHAEL JACKSON WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD STOP THEM.” January 1983. Def Leppard dropped Pyromania and the very first thing you heard was “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop).” That opening track hit like a freight train. The album climbed to No. 2 on Billboard. The only thing between them and the top spot was Thriller. Six million copies gone in the first year. Eventually over 10 million — Diamond status. Five lads from Sheffield were suddenly the biggest rock act in America. But what most people don’t know is what came next. Drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash, New Year’s Eve 1984. The band refused to replace him. He learned to play again with a custom kit — using his feet where his left hand used to be. And guitarist Steve Clark, the man behind so many of those riffs, never made it to see what came after. He was only 30. That opening track wasn’t just a song. It was a promise. They meant every word.
They Sold 100,000 Copies a Week — And Michael Jackson Was the Only One Who Could Stop Them In January…