Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
The December 1983 issue of Guitar Magazine featuring Phil Collen and Steve Clark of Def Leppard is a primary document of one of the most commercially and artistically consequential moments in the history of hard rock and heavy metal guitar — and understanding its full significance requires knowing exactly where Def Leppard stood in December 1983. Pyromania had been released in January 1983 and had become one of the most commercially extraordinary albums in the history of hard rock, eventually selling more than ten million copies in the United States alone and producing the MTV-driven breakthrough that would make Def Leppard the defining band of the decade's arena rock landscape. The specific guitar work on Pyromania — the interlocking rhythm parts developed by Collen and Clark with producer Mutt Lange, the harmonized lead lines, the specific combination of technical precision and melodic intelligence that gave the album its distinctive sound — had been discussed as a significant development in rock guitar production from the time of the album's release. Phil Collen had joined the band in 1982, replacing Pete Willis, and his first full album contribution on Pyromania established him as one of the most precise and technically accomplished rhythm guitarists in rock. Steve Clark's specific melodic sensibility and his partnership with Collen in developing Def Leppard's harmonized twin-guitar approach were the sonic foundation of the band's most commercially successful phase. A December 1983 Guitar Magazine cover story on both guitarists arrives at the peak of Pyromania's commercial run — the album was still charting nearly a year after its release — and is a primary document of how the specialist guitar press was engaging with the technical and creative dimensions of one of the year's most discussed guitar achievements. Collectors building a focused archive of Guitar Magazine's coverage of hard rock and heavy metal will find the Guitar magazine collection the most comprehensive resource for the publication's engagement with this period.
The December 1983 date carries a specific historical weight within the broader arc of the early-1980s hard rock landscape. The year 1983 had been one of the most commercially significant in the history of hard rock and heavy metal — alongside Pyromania, it had seen the release of albums from Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, and others that collectively established the genre's commercial dominance of American rock radio and MTV. The specific twin-guitar approach that Collen and Clark had developed on Pyromania — the harmonized lead lines, the layered rhythm tracks, the technically precise but melodically accessible playing style that Mutt Lange's production had showcased — was being discussed by guitar publications throughout 1983 as one of the most commercially successful and technically interesting guitar sounds of the year. A December 1983 Guitar Magazine feature on both guitarists is a year-end primary document of the genre's most successful guitar partnership of the year, produced at the specific moment when the full commercial impact of Pyromania was being recognized. Collectors focused on 1983 as one of the most historically significant years in hard rock history will find that 1983 magazine issues document this extraordinary year with primary source authority across music and guitar publications.
Steve Clark's subsequent history adds a specific layer of retrospective significance to any December 1983 primary source documentation of his guitar work. Clark died in January 1991, and the body of work he left behind — anchored by his contributions to Pyromania and Hysteria — represents a specific and completed chapter in hard rock guitar history. A December 1983 Guitar Magazine feature with Clark at the absolute peak of his commercial success and creative contribution is a primary document of a guitarist at his most fully realized moment, and it carries the specific archival weight that primary sources for artists whose subsequent careers were cut short inevitably carry for serious collectors and researchers.
About the Publication
Guitar Magazine was a British music publication that established itself as one of the most authoritative specialist guitar publications in the United Kingdom, addressing a readership of serious guitarists and music enthusiasts who sought the kind of technically informed, musician-focused journalism that general music publications could not provide. Its editorial format combined artist interviews with technical analysis, equipment coverage, and the cultural journalism of the rock guitar world that gave it its specific authority with practitioners and serious fans. By December 1983, it was covering the hard rock and heavy metal guitar scene at the peak of its commercial and creative authority with the technical seriousness and musician-to-musician credibility that its specialist format enabled.
Key Highlights Inside
- Phil Collen and Steve Clark cover feature — documenting Def Leppard's twin-guitar partnership in December 1983 at the absolute commercial peak of Pyromania's run, providing primary documentation of the specific harmonized twin-guitar approach and production methodology that had made the album one of the most commercially successful and technically discussed guitar achievements of the year.
- December 1983 publication date — a year-end primary document of the hard rock guitar scene's most commercially significant year, capturing the Collen-Clark partnership at the precise moment when Pyromania's impact on hard rock guitar production was being most actively discussed and analyzed in the specialist guitar press.
- Pyromania-era guitar methodology documentation — coverage of the specific technical approach — interlocking rhythm parts, harmonized lead lines, Mutt Lange's production framework — that defined Def Leppard's sound on their breakthrough album and established Collen and Clark as one of the most commercially successful twin-guitar partnerships in rock history.
- Steve Clark primary source documentation — a December 1983 feature on a guitarist who would die in January 1991, making contemporaneous primary source documentation from his commercial peak an irreplaceable archival artifact for researchers and collectors working to document his specific contribution to the history of hard rock guitar.
- Newsstand origin confirmed by the absence of a mailing label — a meaningful collector attribute for a specialist guitar publication from this period, preserving the full cover integrity without adhesive damage.
Condition & Rarity
Excellent condition with light wear typical for age is a strong and meaningful grade for a Guitar Magazine from December 1983 now more than forty years old. Excellent condition indicates a copy showing only the most minimal surface aging consistent with careful storage — light wear as the primary condition note, with overall presentation quality reflecting deliberate preservation rather than active reading and consulting use. Specialist guitar magazines from this era were typically read actively and consulted frequently by their practitioner-focused readership, making well-preserved examples in genuine excellent condition a meaningful minority within the surviving population of any given issue. The absence of a mailing label confirms newsstand origin, preserving the full visual integrity of the Collen-Clark cover without adhesive damage. A protective plastic covering applied to a copy in excellent condition indicates ongoing deliberate preservation intent consistent with the overall grade.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Excellent-condition Guitar Magazine issues from December 1983 featuring Phil Collen and Steve Clark at the commercial peak of Pyromania — primary documents of the most commercially successful twin-guitar partnership of the hard rock year, from the specialist publication that engaged most seriously with the technical dimensions of their guitar work — are among the more specifically historically significant finds in the early-1980s hard rock guitar magazine collector market. The broader Guitar magazine collection is the most reliable starting point for finding other significant issues from across the publication's history, including other early-1980s issues that document the hard rock guitar scene at the peak of its commercial and creative authority. Collectors building a comprehensive picture of 1983 as one of the most historically significant years in hard rock guitar history will find the complete 1983 magazine collection a valuable resource for locating other primary documents from this extraordinary year.