Def Leppard promises 'Euphoria' at Wal-Mart By Hector Saldaņa Express-News Staff Writer Will Def Leppard's new 13-song album, "Euphoria," induce the same delirium produced by the band's '80s multi-platinum pop metal classics, "Hysteria" and "Pyromania"? Def Leppard San Antonians can find out when the English rock band makes its first of several national promotional appearances - at Wal-Mart - tonight. Yes, you read that correctly. Def Leppard, whose hits include "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" - and whose sales over a 20-plus-year career top 43 million - performs a 45-minute, full-blown electric set in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 5555 De Zavala at 7 p.m. The mini-concert is free and open to the public. And no, this version of the band is not the bass player and a bunch of faceless replacements. Def Leppard's lineup includes singer Joe Elliot, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Ri ck Allen (he of only one arm). An autograph-signing session follows tonight's performance. "We're going to set up in the car park and blow people's heads off," Elliot said by phone. If "Euphoria" comes off as something out of an '80s time warp, so be it, says Elliot. "We're a rock band," he emphasizes. The band is not even trying to disguise the fact that its new record is an attempt to recapture vin tage Leppard, known for its walls of guitars, thick vocal harmonies and hummable melodies. "Euphoria" marks Def Leppard's no-apologies, overproduced return. It arrives in stores today. The first single, "Promises," was th e most added record at rock radio last week. "We've always made radio-friendly records, except for the 'Slang' album. 'Slang' was like a bit of freedom; we went on holiday for a while," said Elliot, referring to the English band's raw, Pearl Jam-styled 1996 album. "We're not embarrassed by who we are. We write songs with melodies. That's what music's supposed to be - commercial. Hooks, melodies - the whole thing." Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the man behind the knobs for "Pyromania" and "Hysteria," was reunited with the Leppards for three songs on "Euphoria." Lange added his platinum touch to the first single, "Promises." The successful producer (he's not only Shania Twain's chief collaborator, but husband as well) co-wrote the song, as well as "It's Only Love" and "All Night" from the new record. "We actually did most of the songwriting with Mutt over the phone," Elliot explained. Formed in 1977, Def Leppard epitomized polished '80s rock. "Hysteria's" sales, for instance, sold more than 12 million copies. Then came the '90s, when music got way too serious, according to Elliot. "When it first started and Kurt Cobain did his thing, and Pearl Jam did their thing, I think it was absolutely necessary. There was too much chaff, too much hairspray and too many bands sounded the same. "Since those days there's been a million Nirvana sound-alikes; there's now a million Korn sound-alikes. It's gotten very boring. These bands perform less energetically than we do in sound check. "The goatees and the shorts are going to be as mock-able as the big hair was." By the time of "Slang," says Elliot, Def Leppard was due for a "fall from public grace." "We could've made 'Sgt. Pepper' at the time of 'Slang' and it would've failed," he told Billboard magazine. "There were so many Leppard sound-alike bands that our sound was getting very tired," Elliot reasons. "We weren't exactly responsible for that. As of 1992, we'd only put three albums out in a 10-year period." A recent VH1 "Behind the Music" segment on the band sparked a resurgence in record sales; the band's greatest hits album, "Vault," is in Billboard's catalog albums Top 10. In fact, "Vault" has sold 7,000 to 8,000 copies a week for the past year, according to Billboard magazine And Def Leppard is preparing for a July appearance on VH1's "Storytellers" series. A yearlong world tour is expected to follow. So, the time seems to be ripe for "Euphoria," which was recorded over 10 months at Elliot's Dublin home. The band lived together during the recording - like the Monkees. "We've wasted so much money making records," said Elliot, whose band was known for taking years to complete an album in the past. With the new record, he says, "We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could make a massive sounding production in a home studio." As for the Wal-Mart gig, Elliot offers no apologies: "It'll be the only time I've walked into one and not bought something." Monday, Jun 7,1999