Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers

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Our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list will look at a legendary rock band who have been together since the 70s. Their biggest hit came between the 80s and 90s. Def Leppard is one of the best selling bands of all time. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Two of their albums have sold over 10 million copies. They are one of the few rock bands to achieve that feat. They have won some awards throughout their career. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band has gone through a lot throughout their career, but they managed to stay together.

Def Leppard didn’t have normal album covers. They wanted their album covers to be different from other rock bands. They didn’t want to have women on motorcycles or monsters on their covers. The band wanted more modern pictures. They wanted to redefine heavy metal music. Def Leppard doesn’t appear on most of their album covers. The designs used on the album covers could be used as tattoos. This is an indicator of how unique their album covers are. You wouldn’t confuse their album covers with anyone else’s. One of their album covers was supposed to go to Pink Floyd. You can find out on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list which album cover was originally meant for Pink Floyd. You will also see how their album covers evolved over the years.

# 10 – Yeah

The first pick on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list is Yeah. Yeah is Def Leppard’s ninth studio album. This is Def Leppard’s first cover album. The critics felt like they sounded alive on this album. The album cover features the band on stage. They look as if they are performing in concert. The name of the album is behind them in big yellow letters. Their name appears above the album title. Every band member is doing something different. Vivian Campbell is on the left holding a guitar. His shot is taken from the right side. Rick Savage is holding his guitar while kneeling. Joe Elliott is in the middle. He is standing behind a microphone with his arms in the air. Rick Allen has his arm in the air. Phil Collen is holding a guitar with his head back.

The album cover is supposed to be an homage to their inspirations. Vivian Campbell is paying homage to Marc Bolen from T. Rex. Rick Savage is paying homage to Freddie Mercury from Queen. Joe Elliott is paying homage to David Bowie. Rick Allen is paying homage to Lou Reed. Phil Collen is paying homage to The Stooges. Vartan Kurjian created the cover art so the band could pay homage to the people who came before them. Vartan Kurjian took the shot from a distance. The album cover is mostly dark. The album title and light on the stage add brightness to the picture. He didn’t use design or imagery for the album cover, but it is a great shot of the band.

Vartan Kurijan is an art director and designer. He has worked with Def Leppard, Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Four Tops, Brass Fever, Cosmos Factory, Alice Coltrane, REO Speedwagon, Lesley Gore, Count Basie, B.B. King, Frankie Valli, Duke Ellington, as well as others. Yeah was released in May 2006. The album peaked at number 16 on Billboard 200. Yeah features the singles “No Matter What,” “Rock On,” “20th Century Boy” and “Hanging on the Telephone.”

# 9 – X

The next pick on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list is X. X is Def Leppard’s eighth studio album. This album celebrates the band’s tenth year in the music business. The album is a departure from their other albums. This album is a pop album. The album cover features a white X on it. The X is in front of a black background. The band’s name is on the right side of the album written in yellow letters. The X represents their 10th studio album. If you are a fan of Def Leppard, you know they only had eight studio albums at this point. They included two B-side albums as part of their catalog.

Photographer Clive Arrowsmith created a simple album cover for the band. He didn’t overwhelm the album with a lot of pictures. He kept it simple by using three colors. The minimalist artwork is a conversation piece. It will make you wonder what the X stands for in the picture. The color X will draw your attention to the album cover. It is a great contrast with the black background. Clive Arrowsmith is a photographer who has worked on fashion magazines. He has worked with Def Leppard, David Bowie, Wings, as well as other artists. X was released in July 2002. The album peaked at number 11 on Billboard 200. X features the singles “Now,” “Four Letter Word” and “Long, Long Way to Go.”

# 8 – Euphoria

The eighth pick on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list is Euphoria. Euphoria is Def Leppard’s seventh studio album. The band wanted to go back to the basis with this album. They wanted to return to their signature sound. The album cover features their signature logo. The band’s name is featured in the middle of the album. There are several rings around their name. The album title is written in white letters. The background features two colors. There are purple circles around the band’s name. The rest of the background is cobalt blue. The album cover is mostly dark except for the lettering.

Andie Airfix wanted to focus on the band’s logo for the album cover. He was helping Def Leppard announce to the world that they were back. He wanted their name to be in the spotlight so he put their name front and center. There are no pictures or images to take the focus off their name. There are circles and lights around their name so your attention will automatically be focused on their name. This is the type of picture you can’t take your eyes off of because of the beautiful color he chose for it. Andie Airfix managed to make the album cover look different from the other album covers he did for the band.

Andie Airfix is a graphic artist who has worked with Def Leppard, New Edition, Robin George, Thompson Twins, Phil Lynott, Academy, Dead or Alive, Black Sabbath, The Moody Blues, Pete Wylie, Praying Mantis, Metallica, The Wildhearts, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, as well as others. Euphoria was released in June 1999. The album peaked at number 11 on Billboard 200. Euphoria features the singles “Promises,” “Paper Sun,” “Goodbye” and “Day After Day.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.

# 7- Slang

The seventh pick on our list is Slang. Slang is Def Leppard’s sixth studio album. This album is another departure from their signature sound. The album covers features a watermark of a woman looking down at something. The album cover has a red background. The band’s name isn’t written in their signature logo. They used a different front for their name. Their blue star logo is featured on the woman’s head. The woman in the picture gives off gypsy vibes. There are designs embedded in the picture. This is different from their other album covers. This is an experimental album so it made sense that they wanted to experiment with the album cover.

Photographers Cynthia Levine and Jeff Rooney did a wonderful job helping the band do something different. They picked a nice color for the album cover. They found a way to make the album title stand out by putting it in big letters. They didn’t use Def Leppard’s signature logo for their name, but they managed to use the blue star logo so there is no mistaking who the band is. Cynthia Levine has worked with Def Leppard, Mark Curry, Jon Strider, Bon Jovi, Shawn Colvin, Phil Driscoll, Sarah Jahn, as well as others. Jeff Rooney is best known for working with Def Leppard. Slang was released in May 1996. The album peaked at number 14 on Billboard 200. Slang features the singles “Slang,” “Work It Out,” “All I Want Is Everything” and “Breathe a Sigh.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.

# 6 – Adrenalize

Adrenalize is Def Leppard’s fifth studio album. The band went through personal loss with this album. They lost their guitarist Steve Clark who wrote most of their songs. Steve Clark was dealing with personal problems which led to his death. The album cover features a unique picture of an eye. It is a close shot of someone’s eye. It appears as if there is white lightning in the middle of the eye. The eye is blue with black in the middle. The background is black. The band uses their logo for their name which appears on the top of the album cover. The album title appears at the bottom of the cover in red letters.

Photographer Pamela Springsteen took a picture of model Miles Kendrick’s eye. His eye was enhanced using computer imagery. Miles Kendrick’s eyelid had to be taped to get the shot. The image fits for the album because the band has a song called “White Lightning” on it. There is white lightning in the middle of the eye. The album cover is dark except for the lightning. The lightning gives the picture the brightness it needs to keep it from being too dark. Pamela Springsteen has worked with Def Leppard, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Ice Cube, Rosanne Cash, as well as others. Adrenalize was released in March 1992. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200. Adrenalize features the singles “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Make Love Like a Man,” “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad,” “Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion),” “Heaven Is” and “Tonight.” The album sold over three million copies.

# 5 – On Through the Night

The next pick on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list is On Through the Night. On Through the Night is Def Leppard’s first studio album. This is the band’s debut album. It helped the world get to know the band. The album cover features a guitar truck hybrid coming from the moon. The band’s logo is featured on the top left of the album cover. The logo is in a pyramid. You can see a picture of the midnight sky in the background. There are stars in the sky. The album is out of this world so it is fitting that the truck would be leaving the earth.

The album cover creates a spacey look. The album cover uses a beautiful shade of blue. Designer Alan Schmidt used symbolism to create the illusion that the truck driver needed rock and roll to stay awake in his truck. He created a very original cover because you don’t see covers with a truck with a guitar on top. He created a spacey and futuristic look. It looks as if the truck is coming right at you. It has a 3-D effect. This picture would make a great tattoo because it is unique. Alan Schmidt is an art director and designer. He has worked with Def Leppard, Martin Simpson, Status Quo, Alex Atterson, Steeleye Span, Magna Carta, Sarah Vaughn, Rod Stewart, City Boy, The Stylistics, Dire Straits, Boss Brothers, Harry Nilsson, Matthew Fisher, Black Slate, as well as others. On Through the Night was released in March 1980. The album peaked at number 51 on Billboard 200. On Through the Night features the singles “Wasted,” “Hello America” and “Rock Brigade.” The album sold over one million copies.

# 4 – Diamond Star Halos

Diamond Star Halos is Def Leppard’s 12th studio album. The band wanted to go back to their signature sound with this album. They realized that they shouldn’t mess with perfection. The album cover was inspired by their past albums. The album cover is black and white. It features a tattoo of a human eye inside of a diamond. The band wanted everything about their past on the album cover. You can see different images on the cover. The top left features a picture of a hand holding a snake. There is a face in between the fingers. There are dark clouds on the side of the eye. There is a jug with smoke coming out of it on the bottom right. The smoke has a crescent moon in the shape of a face. There is a book at the bottom with the name of the album stamped on it. There is a lot going on in the picture.

Def Leppard wanted something that would represent their lives together. Photographer Anton Corbijn wanted to pay tribute to the band’s memorable albums and songs. He did an excellent job capturing Def Leppard’s memories. He gives you a lot to look at while you are admiring the album cover. The cover is mostly black and white except for the band’s name. The color used for their name adds color to the picture. The images on the album cover look like something you would see in a comic book. The album cover is very creative. Anton Corbijn has worked with Def Leppard, U2 and Depeche Mode. Diamond Star Halos was released in May 2022. The album peaked at number 10 on Billboard 200 and number two on the rock charts. Diamond Star Halos features the singles “Kick,” “Take What You Want” and “Fire It Up.”

# 3 – High ‘n’ Dry

Coming in at number three on our list is High ‘n’ Dry. High ‘n’ Dry is Def Leppard’s second studio album. The pressure was on the band to make another album as successful as their debut album. The album cover features a man diving in a swimming pool in the middle of the album cover. There are people looking up around the album cover. The pool looks like it is in the backyard of an apartment complex or a motel. The people look as if they are watching the diver go in the pool. The diver in the pool is in color while the people watching are in black and white. The band’s name is above the diver in orange lettering while the album title is at the bottom of the cover in red lettering.

This is the album cover that we mentioned was originally given to Pink Floyd. The band turned down the album cover because they didn’t like it. Pink Floyd turning down the album cover became Def Leppard’s gain. Art designers Hipgnosis combined black and white with color for the album cover. They balanced both out so one didn’t dominate the other. They created this picture in a way that made it look like two pictures in one. This cover is different from the rest of Def Leppard’s album covers, but it somehow fits their style. You have two different pictures to look at while you listen to the music.

Hipgnosis is an art design group. Their names are Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and Peter Christopherson. They worked with Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, Black Sabbath, The Pretty Things, UFO, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Paul McCartney & Wings, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Electric Light Orchestra, Rainbow, Styx, as well as others. High ‘n’ Dry was released in July 1981. The album peaked at number 38 on Billboard 200. High ‘n’ Dry features the singles “Let It Go,” “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” “Lady Strange” and “On Through the Night.” The album sold over two million copies.

# 2 – Pyromania

Pyromania is Def Leppard’s third studio album. They changed their musical style to create more radio-friendly songs. The change worked for them because the album was a massive hit. The album cover features a picture of a skyscraper getting attacked. A target is on the skyscraper which magnifies the flames. The skyscraper was the target of the attack. The building is on fire. You can see dark smoke right by the flames. The picture was taken on a sunny day because the sky is blue. The band’s signature logo is featured at the top of the cover. The album title is written at the bottom in yellow lettering. The border of the cover is black.

Andie Airfix created a thought-provoking album cover. He wanted to stretch the concept of pyromania. He thought about what it would be like to plan an attack on our materialistic world. He knew an attack like this would be unacceptable. Andie Airfix thought about a skyscraper getting attacked. The point of the cover was for it to look like the attack was planned. He did a good job with that because the target makes it look like a planned attack. He originally wanted the border to be white, but he thought the black would be more powerful. He was right because it gives the cover a darker look. Pyromania was released in January 1983. The album peaked at number two on Billboard 200. Pyromania features the singles “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages,” “Foolin’,” “Too Late for Love,” “Comin’ Under Fire,” “Billy’s Got a Gun” and “Action! Not Words.” The album sold over 10 million copies.

# 1 – Hysteria

The number one pick on our Top 10 Def Leppard Album Covers list is Hysteria. Hysteria is Def Leppard’s fourth studio album. This is Def Leppard’s most successful album. The band was dealing with personal problems because drummer Rick Allen was in a car accident. It took three years to complete the album. This is also the last album to feature Steve Clark before he passed away. The album cover features a triangle with three images. The images are distorted. The band wanted to have something scary on the album cover. The triangle has designs in the background. The designs look like something that would be in horror movie. The band’s name is on top while the album title is on the bottom.

Andie Airfix wasn’t sure what to do with the album cover. He was told the album was going to be called Animal Instinct. He was creating ideas based on that title. He kept the concept of the triangle he had for Animal Instinct and used it on Hysteria. He created a complex background for the album cover. He wanted a frightening cover, so he wanted to do the distorted images. Andie Airfix wanted to have an animal theme which was what he used for the original album title. He wanted the side view to look as if it was turning to face you. He thought that would have been a scary picture. Andie Airfix and Def Leppard got what they wanted because the album cover is creepy. It is arguably one of their most recognizable album covers. Hysteria was released in August 1987. The album peaked at number one on Billboard 200. Hysteria features the singles “Animal,” “Women,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Hysteria,” “Armageddon It,” “Love Bites” and “Rocket.” The album sold over 12 million copies.