On This Day in 1988, This Heavy Metal Band Became the First in History To Sell 7 Million Copies of Back-To-Back Albums

On October 14, 1988, hard rock and heavy metal outfit Def Leppard broke a pretty massive (and impressive) Billboard chart record. On this very day, Def Leppard became the first band in modern music history to sell a whopping seven million copies of two back-to-back albums. They achieved this feat with the release of Pyromania in 1983 and Hysteria, their best-selling career work, in 1987. Both albums have since sold millions more.

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Both albums were charting successes upon their release. Pyromania made it to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 18 on the UK Albums chart. Likewise, in 1987, Hysteria made it to No. 1 on both of those very charts. Both records received Certified Diamond status in the United States.

The Legacy of Def Leppard’s Two Greatest Albums

Pyromania dropped in January 1983 and was considered by OG fans to be a notable shift away from the group’s pure heavy metal roots. The album was a clear attempt at producing a more radio-friendly sound. And the band certainly found success in going that route with this glam metal, hard rock feat. Pyromania was a huge international hit, but did particularly well in the US, Canada, and the UK. 

Produced by John “Mutt” Lange, the producer who made most of Def Leppard’s records into hits, Pyromania got quite a bit of exposure during the early years of MTV. Many would say that the band had a hand in kicking off the pop-metal movement of the 1980s because of this very album.

Hysteria, released in 1987, quickly became the band’s most successful career album. The record has sold over 20 million copies across the globe and delivered seven charting singles. And surprisingly enough, it almost didn’t happen.

Def Leppard faced numerous challenges in getting this album out, battling delays related to drummer Rick Allen’s tragic accident that cost him his arm and numerous other production issues. Eventually, Allen pulled through and learned to drum again. And the band was able to convince Mutt Lange to get on the project. It’s an incredibly impressive piece of arena rock and glam metal work. Today, Hysteria is considered one of the best-selling rock albums of all time.

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