The answer to the joke “What has nine arms and sucks”
Are you ready to start the second quarter of 2019? What, you had no idea the first three months of the year had already whizzed by? Don’t worry, we’ll bring a smile back to your face because it’s Monday! That’s the day The Nest pulls one of its best tricks by digging for another lost classic out of that musical whoopie cushion we like to call the Dusty Vinyl Archive! DJ Scratchy would like to shake hooves with you… and no, she’s not actually palming a joy buzzer. While the Sponkies are busy calling random people to ask if their refrigerator is running. It’s time to stop fooling around and get on with the show…
It’s been somewhat of a DVA tradition the past couple years for me to feature a lost classic from one of the headline bands of each new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class. Those ceremonies were held this past Friday, and the biggest name of the bunch was the 80’s quintet that was part metal, part hair band, and all MTV darlings… Def Leppard. They may not have been able to pass a spelling test, but they were one of the most successful acts of the decade with about a dozen Top 40 hits…
Yeah, including this one.
Their 1987 album Hysteria, the band’s first since going on hiatus after drummer Rick Allen’s 1984 car wreck that caused the amputation of an arm, is one of the most successful albums of all time. It alone spawned six Top 40 hits, including their only #1 (Love Bites) and arguably their most popular song (Pour Some Sugar On Me). While Def Leppard built its legacy on that late 80’s resurgence… their first taste of international fame came in 1983 with the release of Pyromania…
Burn, baby, burn.
This edition of Def Leppard which contained all of its original members (literally!) had a far superior sound to the more popular Hysteria era group… and their songs were a mainstay on both MTV and Friday Night Videos at the time. Fittingly, perhaps their most “lost” hit from that album is the perfect song to play on this April 1st. Here is the #28 hit from 1983, “Foolin'”
The rock station that first got me into music as an 8 year old in 1983 had a huge crush on Def Leppard… putting “Photograph” at #2 and “Rock of Ages” at #5 on its ’83 year end countdown this budding music nerd recorded on my Dad’s old school boombox. “Foolin'” was further down…. somewhere in the 30’s… buried beneath the other two more popular hits, just like it was on the national charts. But it’s still a great song. And no matter what so-called music critics say, Def Leppard is an awesome group who more than deserve their spot in the HoF. No matter how many times “Pour Some Sugar On Me” gets overplayed these days…
I’m not sure if the same can be said for Rick Allen’s Union Jack short shorts…
I’ll be back with another great DVA classic next Monday, and that’s no April fool…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
I confess, Sugar was my go to party anthem of the 80’s. And hey, I still have the hair!
I still have most of the hair…. not that that’s saying much. I didn’t even have a mullet in the 80’s…
love it… maybe my affection to roller coasters is because the roller coaster owner of our local funfair was a def leppard fan… nevertheless I never saw them on stage and my stingy parents refused to buy my own roller coaster…sigh… whatever armageddon it LOL
Maybe you should try building your own roller coaster. I smell the next DIY disaster!
One of my favorite songs of the 80’s. Which were my high school years. Seriously The Eighties were filled with some great rocking music!
😀
I absolutely agree, the 80’s had the best hard rock.
I liked this one too back in the day…………….hadn’t seen the video though – other than the short shorts and maybe the too tight white pants, it’s great!!! Lots of memories…………..
Pam
I think the drummer wore that skimpy outfit in all of their Pyromania era videos. At least he was mostly hidden behind that drum set in case of a wardrobe malfunction…
What better way to start out the week than with some metal? Heavy haired metal!
My hair is no longer heavy… and that’s even taking into account any dandruff.
Turn up the radio! I love this band. I love that song. No Foolin. One of the best concerts I ever went to, and of course the best one armed drummer anywhere. This made me happy. Thank you Evil Squirrel.
Rock on!
I love Def Leppard! Retro Active and Adrenalize were among the first CDs I’d ever owned. 😁
I never would’ve imagined that Pyromania referred to helpless critters being ablaze in the most literal of senses, though… Yikes!
There’s no rules about what one might have a mania to set fire to. Of course, Buster brings out the homicidal maniac in anyone…
Buster is highly flammable, and I’m sure he just had a run in with static electricity or ball lightning. Nobody in my gang would ever intentionally set him ablaze, of course…
Cool song!
Wearing those shorts in this country is probably treason or disrespect to the Royal Family or something…
I believe the rear of those shorts is called the Brexit…