On Through the Night

Tom Allom, who had worked on releases by Judas Priest among others, produced the first album. He had seen the band open for AC/DC and later recalled them as captivating, youthful and vibrant, with solid playing. Dave Cousins of the Strawbs speaks the intro to When the Walls Came Tumblin' Down, and Chris M. Hughes plays synthesiser on Hello America. The album reached 15 on the UK chart and 51 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold in the United States in 1983 and platinum in 1989.

Rolling Stone's David Fricke wrote that it showed the band respected their elders but had taken cues from their New Wave peers too, and AllMusic's Steve Huey said it established them as one of the leading lights of the new wave of British heavy metal. In August 1980 the band played the Reading Festival, where some of the audience threw beer cans and bottles at them.