Def Leppard Vinyl Records
In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were groups that rocked harder, but few captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Emerging in the late '70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Def Leppard gained a following outside of that scene by toning down their heavy riffs and emphasizing melody. After a couple of strong albums, they were poised for crossover success by the time of 1983's Pyromania, and skilfully used the fledgling MTV network to their advantage.