Time for another entry in our New Wave of British Heavy Metal and Funk genres Essential Project! This week we dive into two classic albums from 80s rockers Def Leppard and funk master supreme Bootsy Collins and his backing group the Rubberband.

In the early 80s Def Leppard was young and looking for a sound to set them apart of from their NWOBHM contemporaries. Their second full length record, High ‘N’ Dry finds them taking the early steps from heavy metal to the pop metal sound that would propel them to stardom. Tracks like ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’ hint at the polished, stadium-ready sound they would soon make popular. The solid songwriting and improved production on this record set them up perfectly for the future success of records like Pyromania and Hysteria.

Bootys Collins was already an influential part of the 70s funk scene  ...