Def Leppard | ||
| Allmusic Biography : In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the 80s. There were bands that rocked harder, but few captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Emerging in the late 70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Def Leppard gained a following outside of that scene by toning down their heavy riffs and emphasizing melody. After a couple of strong albums, they were poised for crossover success by the time of 1983s Pyromania, and skillfully used the fledgling MTV network to their advantage. They reached the pinnacle of their career with 1987s blockbuster Hysteria, then had another big hit, 1992s Adrenalize, that defied the mainstream turn toward grunge. After that the band settled into a pattern of touring exhaustively and releasing an album every few years, maintaining a steady audience and occasionally surprising fans with an album, like 2008s Yeah!, that harked back to the sound of their glory days. Def Leppard had their origins in a Sheffield-based group that teenagers Rick Savage (bass) and Pete Willis (guitar) formed in 1977. Vocalist Joe Elliott, a fanatical follower of Mott the Hoople and T. Rex, joined the band several months later, bringing the name Deaf Leopard with him. After a spelling change, the trio, augmented by a now-forgotten drummer, began playing local Sheffield pubs, and within a year the band had added guitarist Steve Clark to the lineup, as well as a new drummer. Later in 1978, they recorded their debut EP, Getcha Rocks Off, and released it on their own label, Bludgeon Riffola. The EP became a word-of-mouth success, earning airplay on the BBC. Following the release of Getcha Rocks Off, 15-year-old Rick Allen was added as the bands permanent drummer, and Def Leppard quickly became the toast of the British music weeklies. They soon signed with AC/DCs manager, Peter Mensch, who helped them secure a contract with Mercury Records. On Through the Night, the bands full-length debut, was released in 1980 and instantly became a hit in the U.K., also earning significant airplay in the U.S., where it reached number 51 on the charts. Over the course of the year, Def Leppard relentlessly toured Britain and America, playing their own shows while also opening concerts for Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, and Judas Priest. High n Dry followed in 1981 and became the groups first platinum album in the U.S., thanks to MTVs strong rotation of "Bringin on the Heartbreak." As the band recorded the follow-up to High n Dry with producer Mutt Lange, Pete Willis was fired from the band for alcoholism, and Phil Collen, a former guitarist for Girl, was hired to replace him. The resulting album, 1983s Pyromania, became an unexpected blockbuster, due not only to Def Leppards skillful, melodic metal, but also to MTVs repeated airing of "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages." Pyromania went on to sell ten million copies, establishing Def Leppard as one of the most popular bands in the world. Despite their success, they were about to enter a trying time in their career. Following an extensive international tour, the group reentered the studio to record the follow-up, but producer Lange was unavailable, so they began sessions with Jim Steinman, the man responsible for Meat Loafs Bat Out of Hell. The pairing turned out to be ill-advised, so the bandmembers turned to their former engineer, Nigel Green. One month into recording, Allen lost his left arm in a New Years Eve car accident. The arm was reattached, but it had to be amputated once an infection set in. Def Leppards future looked cloudy without a drummer, but by the spring of 1985 -- just a few months after his accident -- Allen began learning to play a custom-made electronic kit assembled for him by Simmons. The band soon resumed recording, and within a few months Lange was back on board; having judged all the existing tapes inferior, he ordered the band to begin work all over again. Recording sessions continued throughout 1986, and that summer, the group returned to the stage for the European Monsters of Rock tour. Def Leppard finally completed their fourth album, now titled Hysteria, early in 1987. The record was released that spring to lukewarm reviews, with many critics claiming that the album compromised Leppards metal roots for sweet pop flourishes. Accordingly, Hysteria was slow out of the starting gates -- "Women," the first single, failed to really take hold -- but the release of "Animal" helped the album gather steam. The song became Def Leppards first Top 40 hit in the U.K., but more importantly, it launched a string of six straight Top 20 hits in the U.S., which also included "Hysteria," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Love Bites," "Armageddon It," and "Rocket," the latter of which arrived in 1989, a full two years after the release of Hysteria. During those two years, Def Leppards presence was unavoidable -- they were the kings of high-school metal, ruling the pop charts and MTV, and teenagers and bands alike replicated their teased hair and ripped jeans, even when the grimy hard rock of Guns N Roses took hold in 1988. Hysteria proved to be the peak of Leppards popularity, yet their follow-up remained eagerly awaited in the early 90s, as the band took a break from the road and set to work on a new record. During the recording process, however, Steve Clark died from an overdose of alcohol and drugs. Clark had historically battled alcohol, and following the Hysteria heyday, his bandmates forced him to take a sabbatical. Although he did enter rehab, Clarks habits continued, and his abuse was so crippling that Collen began recording the majority of the bands guitar leads. Following Clarks death, Def Leppard resolved to finish their forthcoming album as a quartet, releasing Adrenalize in the spring of 1992. Adrenalize was greeted with mixed reviews, and even though the album debuted at number one and contained several successful singles, including the Top 20 hits "Lets Get Rocked" and "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad," the record was a commercial disappointment in the wake of Pyromania and Hysteria. After its release, the group added former Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell to the lineup, thus resuming Def Leppards two-guitar attack. In 1993, Def Leppard released the rarities collection Retro Active, which yielded another Top 20 hit with the acoustic ballad "Two Steps Behind." Two years later, the group released the greatest-hits collection Vault while preparing for its sixth album. Slang arrived in the spring of 1996, and while it proved more adventurous than its predecessor, it was greeted with indifference, indicating that Leppards heyday had indeed passed and they were now simply a very popular cult band. Undaunted, Leppard soldiered on, returning to their patented pop-metal sound for Euphoria, which was released in June of 1999. Despite the success of "Promises," the record failed to produce any additional hits, resulting in a return to adult pop balladry on 2002s X. The two-disc Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection arrived in 2005, followed in 2006 by Yeah!, a strong collection of covers. In 2008, the guys released their ninth studio album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, which debuted at number five and was supported by a lucrative summer tour. Material from that tour helped make up the bulk of 2011s Mirror Ball: Live & More, a three-disc live album containing a full concert, three new studio recordings, and DVD footage. Another live album followed two years later: Viva! Hysteria found Def Leppard running through their 1987 blockbuster in its entirety on the first disc, and a collection of early, rarely played material on the second. In 2014, the band announced the upcoming release of its 11th studio album and first collection of original music since 2008. The resulting Def Leppard was issued via earMUSIC in late 2015. In February of 2017, the group released And There Will Be a Next Time, a live album culled from the Def Leppard supporting tour. Later that year, a Super Deluxe Edition of Hysteria came out in celebration of the records 30th anniversary. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 19 Title: On Through the Night Released: 1980-03-14 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock Brigade (03:09) 2 Hello America (03:28) 3 Sorrow Is a Woman (03:55) 4 It Could Be You (02:33) 5 Satellite (04:28) 6 When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (04:44) 7 Wasted (03:45) 8 Rocks Off (03:44) 9 It Don’t Matter (03:21) 10 Answer to the Master (03:13) 11 Overture (07:44) |
| On Through the Night : Allmusic album Review : On Through the Night, Def Leppards debut album, established the band as one of the leading lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While possessing the tight, controlled attack of comrades Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, Def Leppard was uninterested in the fantastic, menacing, and sometimes gothic themes of those bands; instead, On Through the Night is a collection of working-class hard rock anthems informed by the big, glittering hooks of glam rock. It may lack the detailed production and more pop-oriented songwriting of later efforts, but its also arguably their heaviest album, and some Leppard fans prefer this sound. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 19 Title: High ’n’ Dry Released: 1981-07-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Let It Go (04:43) 2 Another Hit and Run (04:59) 3 High ’n’ Dry (Saturday Night) (03:26) 4 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 5 Switch 625 (03:03) 6 You Got Me Runnin’ (04:22) 7 Lady Strange (04:38) 8 On Through the Night (05:06) 9 Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) (04:07) 10 No No No (03:05) |
| High ’n’ Dry : Allmusic album Review : Def Leppards second album, High N Dry, continues in the vein of the anthemic, working-class hard rock of their debut. While still opting for a controlled musical attack and melodies as big-sounding and stadium-ready as possible, the band opens up its arrangements a bit more on High N Dry, letting the songs breathe and groove while the rhythm section and guitar riffs play off one another. MTV helped break the album in the U.S. with its heavy rotation of the video for the unabashedly dramatic rock ballad "Bringin on the Heartbreak." | ||
 | Album: 3 of 19 Title: Pyromania Released: 1983-01-20 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:54) 2 Photograph (04:07) 3 Stagefright (03:44) 4 Too Late for Love (04:26) 5 Die Hard the Hunter (06:15) 6 Foolin’ (04:33) 7 Rock of Ages (04:08) 8 Comin’ Under Fire (04:14) 9 Action! Not Words (03:48) 10 Billy’s Got a Gun (05:56) |
| Pyromania : Allmusic album Review : While Def Leppard had obviously wanted to write big-sounding anthems on their previous records, Pyromania was where the bands vision coalesced and gelled into something more. More than ever before, the bands songs on Pyromania are driven by catchy, shiny melodic hooks instead of heavy guitar riffs, although the latter do pop up once in a while. But it wasnt just this newly intensified focus on melody and consistent songwriting (and heavy MTV exposure) that made Pyromania a massive success -- and the catalyst for the 80s pop-metal movement. Robert John "Mutt" Langes buffed-to-a-sheen production -- polished drum and guitar sounds, multi-tracked layers of vocal harmonies, a general sanding of any and all musical rough edges, and a perfectionistic attention to detail -- set the style for much of the melodic hard rock that followed. It wasnt a raw or spontaneous sound, but the performances were still energetic and committed. Leppards quest for huge, transcendent hard rock perfection on Pyromania was surprisingly successful; their reach never exceeded their grasp, which makes the album an enduring (and massively influential) classic. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 19 Title: Hysteria Released: 1987-08-03 Tracks: 27 Duration: 2:24:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Women (05:42) 2 Rocket (06:37) 3 Animal (04:04) 4 Love Bites (05:46) 5 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:27) 6 Armageddon It (05:22) 7 Gods of War (06:37) 8 Don’t Shoot Shotgun (04:26) 9 Run Riot (04:39) 10 Hysteria (05:54) 11 Excitable (04:19) 12 Love and Affection (04:37) 1 Stagefright (04:16) 2 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:32) 3 Women (06:14) 4 Too Late for Love (05:51) 5 Hysteria (07:00) 6 Gods of War (06:32) 7 Die Hard the Hunter (06:10) 1 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (06:16) 2 Foolin’ (05:05) 3 Armageddon It (05:31) 4 Animal (04:51) 5 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:52) 6 Phil Solo (03:06) 7 Rock of Ages (07:42) 8 Photograph (05:19) |
| Hysteria : Allmusic album Review : Where Pyromania had set the standard for polished, catchy pop-metal, Hysteria only upped the ante. Pyromanias slick, layered Mutt Lange production turned into a painstaking obsession with dense sonic detail on Hysteria, with the result that some critics dismissed the record as a stiff, mechanized pop sellout (perhaps due in part to Rick Allens new, partially electronic drum kit). But Def Leppards music had always employed big, anthemic hooks, and few of the pop-metal bands who had hit the charts in the wake of Pyromania could compete with Leppards sense of craft; certainly none had the pop songwriting savvy to produce seven chart singles from the same album, as the stunningly consistent Hysteria did. Joe Elliotts lyrics owe an obvious debt to his obsession with T. Rex, particularly on the playfully silly anthem "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and the British glam rock tribute "Rocket," while power ballads like "Love Bites" and the title track lack the histrionics or gooey sentimentality of many similar offerings. The strong pop hooks and "perfect"-sounding production of Hysteria may not appeal to die-hard heavy metal fans, but it isnt heavy metal -- its pop-metal, and arguably the best pop-metal ever recorded. Its blockbuster success helped pave the way for a whole new second wave of hair metal bands, while proving that the late-80s musical climate could also be very friendly to veteran hard rock acts, a lead many would follow in the next few years. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 19 Title: Adrenalize Released: 1992-03-23 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:51:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Let’s Get Rocked (04:55) 2 Heaven Is (03:33) 3 Make Love Like a Man (04:15) 4 Tonight (04:03) 5 White Lightning (07:03) 6 Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) (04:32) 7 Personal Property (04:21) 8 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (05:23) 9 I Wanna Touch U (03:37) 10 Tear It Down (03:37) 1 Hysteria (07:17) 2 Photograph (04:44) 3 Pour Some Sugar on Me (05:11) 4 Let’s Get Rocked (05:48) 5 You Can’t Always Get What You Want (07:43) 6 Little Wing (03:41) 7 Tonight (version 2 - demo version) (04:24) 8 Now I’m Here (live) (06:03) 9 Two Steps Behind (acoustic) (04:11) 10 Tonight (acoustic) (04:18) 11 Too Late for Love (live) (06:00) 12 Women (06:32) |
| Adrenalize : Allmusic album Review : After two straight blockbusters that delivered the goods both musically and commercially, anticipation ran high for Def Leppards follow-up to Hysteria, in spite of the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark. Unfortunately, Adrenalize sounds somewhat tired, formulaic, and bland, qualities absent from the bands best pop-metal work. Perhaps somewhat understandably, Leppard doesnt sound like their heart is really in the party anthems, and their ballads sound more calculated and generic. But most of all, the songs dont really have the effortlessly anthemic feel Leppard achieved so well on their past two albums, even though they try mightily. Adrenalize is competent, workmanlike, and impeccably produced, but not much more. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 19 Title: Retro Active Released: 1993-10-04 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:00:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Desert Song (05:18) 2 Fractured Love (05:08) 3 Action (03:40) 4 Two Steps Behind (acoustic version) (04:16) 5 She’s Too Tough (03:40) 6 Miss You in a Heartbeat (04:04) 7 Only After Dark (03:52) 8 Ride Into the Sun (03:11) 9 From the Inside (04:16) 10 Ring of Fire (04:41) 11 I Wanna Be Your Hero (04:30) 12 Miss You in a Heartbeat (electric version) (04:56) 13 Two Steps Behind (electric version) (04:30) 14 Miss You in a Heartbeat (unplugged) (04:08) |
| Retro Active : Allmusic album Review : Retro Active is a collection of outtakes and leftovers spanning Def Leppards entire career. Kicking off the disc, "Desert Song" and "Fractured Love" are two of its most distinctive tracks, harkening back to the bands early (pre-success) days with their rough power chords. After paying homage to some of their heroes with a set of covers (Sweets "Action" and Mick Ronsons "Only After Dark"), the band tackles a couple of solid, but hardly groundbreaking ballads -- "Two Steps Behind" and "Miss You in a Heartbeat" -- before stretching out (with mixed results) on the folky "From the Inside." Taken from the Hysteria sessions, the classy "I Wanna Be Your Hero" is another pleasant surprise, and the band reaches all the way back to the beginning by re-recording their first demo "Ride into the Sun." Overall, this is an interesting release which marks the end of a long chapter in the bands history, following the death of guitarist and guiding force Steve Clark. While casual fans might find it confusing, Leppard fanatics will revel in its diversity and informative liner notes. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 19 Title: Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980–1995 Released: 1995-10-20 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:53) 2 Photograph (04:07) 3 Love Bites (05:46) 4 Let’s Get Rocked (04:55) 5 Two Steps Behind (acoustic) (04:19) 6 Animal (04:04) 7 Action (03:40) 8 Rocket (Visualize video edit) (04:07) 9 When Love & Hate Collide (04:17) 10 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:54) 11 Armageddon It (05:22) 12 Foolin’ (04:33) 13 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (05:23) 14 Rock of Ages (04:08) 15 Hysteria (05:54) 16 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 17 Can’t Keep Away From the Flame (02:38) |
| Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980–1995 : Allmusic album Review : Def Leppard was untouchable in the 80s. Over the course of four albums, the band established itself as one of the best and most popular hard rock/heavy metal groups of the decade, scoring a long list of hit singles. Vault compiles the biggest of those hits, as well as selections from their first album of the 90s, Adrenalize, and the outtakes collection Retro Active. Essentially, Def Leppards legacy rests on two albums: 1983s Pyromania and 1987s Hysteria. On both records, the group created a sleek, shiny brand of hard rock powered by huge, catchy melodies and guitar hooks that owed more to Mott the Hoople and T. Rex than Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. It was a polished but potent sound, whether the band turned out rockers ("Photograph," "Rocket") or ballads ("Bringin on the Heartbreak," "Love Bites"). Vault has all of the necessary items, from "Pour Some Sugar on Me" to "Rock of Ages." Its not a perfect collection -- its not sequenced chronologically, it includes too much material from Adrenalize, and the new "When Love & Hate Collide" is simply average -- but that doesnt stop Vault from being a great greatest-hits collection. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 19 Title: Slang Released: 1996-05-10 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:11:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Truth? (03:00) 2 Turn to Dust (04:21) 3 Slang (02:38) 4 All I Want Is Everything (05:20) 5 Work It Out (04:49) 6 Breathe a Sigh (04:06) 7 Deliver Me (03:04) 8 Gift of Flesh (03:48) 9 Blood Runs Cold (04:26) 10 Where Does Love Go When It Dies (04:04) 11 Pearl of Euphoria (06:21) 1 Armageddon It (04:42) 2 Two Steps Behind (04:16) 3 From the Inside (03:44) 4 Animal (03:57) 5 When Love and Hate Collide (04:27) 6 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:22) |
| Slang : Allmusic album Review : After the lackluster performance of Adrenalize, Def Leppard realized it was time to abandon their trademark wall-of-guitars sound. Jettisoning producer Mutt Lange -- who, admittedly, was busy producing his wife, country singer Shania Twain -- the group stripped its sound to the basics for Slang. There are very few layers-of-guitar effects on the album, just straight, crunching chords. Most notably, Rick Allen has returned to playing acoustic drums after playing an electronic kit for nearly a decade. The change in approach is apparent and welcome -- Def Leppard hasnt sounded so immediate since Pyromania. Furthermore, they decided to expand their musical vocabulary slightly, working elements of R&B and funk into the rhythms. Not all of the experiments work, but Def Leppard sound revitalized, particularly when they attack a straightforward rocker. Slang would have been even better if they had come up with a set of hooks that sounded as alive as their performance, but the album is a much-needed return to form for the group. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 19 Title: Euphoria Released: 1999-06-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 51:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Demolition Man (03:24) 2 Promises (03:59) 3 Back in Your Face (03:20) 4 Goodbye (03:35) 5 All Night (03:37) 6 Paper Sun (05:27) 7 It’s Only Love (04:06) 8 21st Century Sha La La La Girl (04:06) 9 To Be Alive (03:52) 10 Disintegrate (02:50) 11 Guilty (03:46) 12 Day After Day (04:36) 13 Kings of Oblivion (04:18) |
| Euphoria : Allmusic album Review : Even though Slang successfully revitalized Def Leppard, it didnt become a huge hit, which was a disappointment, considering that the band adjusted their sound to fit the times. Taking that into account, Def Leppard set out to make a classic Def Leppard album with Slangs successor, Euphoria. And, surprisingly, thats exactly what theyve delivered. From the outset, its clear that Euphoria finds the band returning to the glam-inflected, unabashedly catchy, arena-ready pop-metal that made them stars -- and its also clear that theyre not concerned with having a hit, they just want to make a good record. For them, that means returning to the pop-metal formula that made Pyromania and Hysteria blockbusters, even if they must know that this signature sound no longer guarantees a hit at the close of the 90s. It is true that this approach means Euphoria sounds out of time in 1999, but its a tight, attractive album with more than its share of big hooks, strong riffs, and memorable melodies. There are a couple of slow moments here and there, but no more than those on Hysteria, and the best songs (particularly the opening triptych of "Demoltion Man," "Promises," "Back in Your Face," plus the jangly Beatles-esque "21st Century Sha-La-La Girl") are worthy additions to an already strong catalog. But whats best about Euphoria is that its utterly not self-conscious. Def Leppard feels free to try straight pop, appropriate Gary Glitter riffs, or play straight metal, without caring whether its hip or commercial. That doesnt mean Euphoria is a classic, but it does mean that its their most appealing effort in over a decade. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 19 Title: X Released: 2002-07-24 Tracks: 14 Duration: 52:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Now (04:00) 2 Unbelievable (04:01) 3 You’re So Beautiful (03:33) 4 Everyday (03:10) 5 Long Long Way to Go (04:39) 6 Four Letter Word (03:09) 7 Torn to Shreds (02:58) 8 Love Don’t Lie (04:46) 9 Gravity (02:35) 10 Cry (03:20) 11 Girl Like You (02:51) 12 Let Me Be the One (03:31) 13 Scar (05:01) 14 Kiss the Day (04:27) |
| X : Allmusic album Review : No matter how hard Def Leppard pushed 1999s Euphoria, it just didnt take off. No matter how many times they were on VH1 in the years separating that album and its successor, 2002s X, the group failed to stay in popular consciousness as an active band -- after all, a much-repeated Behind the Music and a made-for-TV biopic arent the best way to signal that a band is still vital. X isnt likely to change that reputation, either, since much of it sounds like the band is desperate for a hit again. To their credit, theyre not chasing the new, hip sound -- no stabs at nu-metal or rap-rock here -- but theyve decided to act their age. Unfortunately, that pretty much means theyve left rock behind, turning out a bunch of even-handed adult-pop that is melodic without being tuneful, or memorable for that matter. Even when the tempo is kicked up a bit, there isnt much kick to their rhythms; never before has a song called "Four Letter Word" sounded so clean. There are some exceptions to the rule, where Leppard still shows signs of being a great band -- theres a chorus or a bridge here and there with spark, "Youre So Beautiful" and "Everyday" are the kind of sugar-sweet, heavy-pop songs that make this band so irresistible -- but the slick production and self-conscious maturity make X a leaden affair, unfortunately. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 19 Title: Best Of Released: 2004-10-25 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:21:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:53) 2 Photograph (04:07) 3 Love Bites (05:46) 4 Let’s Get Rocked (04:55) 5 Two Steps Behind (04:20) 6 Animal (04:04) 7 Heaven Is (03:33) 8 Rocket (Visualize video edit) (04:07) 9 When Love & Hate Collide (04:17) 10 Action (03:40) 11 Long Long Way to Go (04:39) 12 Make Love Like a Man (04:15) 13 Armageddon It (05:22) 14 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (05:23) 15 Rock of Ages (04:08) 16 Hysteria (05:54) 17 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 18 Waterloo Sunset (03:38) |
| Best Of : Allmusic album Review : This 2004 Def Leppard collection from Mercury features nearly the same playlist as Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits. A decent mix of radio hits ("Photograph," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Bringin on the Heartbreak") and fan favorites ("Lets Get Rocked," "Armageddon It"), Best Of may pale in comparison to 2005s two-disc Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection, but it serves as a nice anthology for longtime fans and an excellent audio lecture on pop-metal history for the newly converted. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 19 Title: Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection Released: 2005-05-17 Tracks: 35 Duration: 2:34:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:53) 2 Photograph (04:07) 3 Love Bites (05:46) 4 Let’s Get Rocked (04:55) 5 Two Steps Behind (acoustic version) (04:16) 6 Animal (04:04) 7 Heaven Is (03:33) 8 Foolin’ (04:33) 9 Rocket (Visualize video edit) (04:07) 10 When Love & Hate Collide (04:17) 11 Armageddon It (05:22) 12 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (05:23) 13 Rock of Ages (04:08) 14 Hysteria (05:54) 15 Miss You in a Heartbeat (04:04) 16 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 17 Switch 625 (03:03) 1 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:54) 2 Let It Go (04:43) 3 High ’n’ Dry (Saturday Night) (03:26) 4 Too Late for Love (04:26) 5 No Matter What (02:51) 6 Promises (03:59) 7 Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) (04:07) 8 Women (05:42) 9 Another Hit and Run (04:59) 10 Slang (02:38) 11 Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) (04:32) 12 Rock Brigade (03:09) 13 Now (04:00) 14 Paper Sun (05:27) 15 Work It Out (04:49) 16 Die Hard the Hunter (06:15) 17 Wasted (03:45) 18 Billy’s Got a Gun (05:00) |
| Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection : Allmusic album Review : The 2005 double-disc set Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection is the second Def Leppard compilation to be released in the U.S. The first, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits, appeared ten years earlier, and while the band was active in the decade separating the two albums, charting fairly consistently, it didnt have any major hits during that time, so the chief appeal of Rock of Ages versus Vault is that it covers more ground. Vault had 15 songs. Rock of Ages has 35, including all of the songs on Vault. Actually, the first disc of Rock of Ages functions as an expanded version of that earlier comp, adding two cuts. The second disc skips around their career, wisely concentrating on their early-80s albums, which were somewhat under-represented on Vault, and adding a new song for good measure (a cover of Badfingers "No Matter What," which is from their "forthcoming covers album"). While this may be too much Def Leppard for some casual fans -- for those listeners, the 2004 import-only collection Best of Def Leppard is a good choice, since it expands on Vault -- it nevertheless is the best overview of the groups career yet assembled, since it has not only the hits, but the sleek, glammy pop-metal that earned them the reputation as one of the biggest and best bands of the 80s. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 19 Title: Yeah! Released: 2006-05-23 Tracks: 16 Duration: 55:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 20th Century Boy (03:40) 2 Rock On (02:53) 3 Hanging on the Telephone (02:22) 4 Waterloo Sunset (03:38) 5 Hell Raiser (03:19) 6 10538 Overture (04:30) 7 Street Life (03:26) 8 Drive‐In Saturday (04:07) 9 Little Bit of Love (02:33) 10 The Golden Age of Rock ’n’ Roll (03:28) 11 No Matter What (02:51) 12 He’s Gonna Step on You Again (04:04) 13 Don’t Believe a Word (02:19) 14 Stay With Me (04:30) 15 No Matter What (02:58) 16 Winter Song (04:34) |
 | Album: 14 of 19 Title: Songs From the Sparkle Lounge Released: 2008-04-25 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Go (03:20) 2 Nine Lives (03:32) 3 C’mon C’mon (04:09) 4 Love (04:17) 5 Tomorrow (03:35) 6 Cruise Control (03:03) 7 Hallucinate (03:16) 8 Only the Good Die Young (03:33) 9 Bad Actress (03:03) 10 Come Undone (03:33) 11 Gotta Let It Go (03:53) |
| Songs From the Sparkle Lounge : Allmusic album Review : Given that Def Leppard sounded so fun and revitalized on their 2006 covers album Yeah!, it was easy to hope that they would try to channel that same kinetic energy into their next set of original material, 2008s Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. And try they do on this tight set of 11 songs, pushing rhythms to the forefront in an attempt to kick up excitement, dipping into a Gary Glitter stomp on "Cmon Cmon," hitting harder than they have in years on the pummeling "Bad Actress," and revving up the guitars on "Hallucinate" so they mimic "Photograph," which is not the only time they allude to previous peaks, as "Only the Good Die Young" shimmers with harmonies straight out of Hysteria and "Nine Lives," a duet with country superstar Tim McGraw (the partnership isnt all that odd, considering Leppards former producer Mutt Lange went country in the 90s with his wife, Shania Twain), rides a riff that is a kissing cousin to "Pour Some Sugar on Me." All this effort is appreciated, especially when Songs is compared to the dull leaden grind of X, but the album is hampered a bit by having an immediate sound and elusive hooks; its as if Def Leppard have created an exquisitely tailored suit but its oversized, so the clothes hang funny on the model. Its not that Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is devoid of hooks -- "Cmon Cmon" and "Nine Lives" are built around big hooks in the guitars and melodies -- but they dont hit as hard as the overall sound, which makes for a curious listen as the sound grabs hold but the songs dont quite follow through as, at their best, theyre growers. Theyre also a bit of a mixed bag, with the power ballads never managing to take hold, but overall the album is song-for-song stronger than X, and its helped out enormously by that tight, unified production that glosses over any deficiencies in the writing. And so its a partially successful successor to Yeah!, following through on some of the overall feel and punch but lacking enough songs to truly bring it across the goal line. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 19 Title: Mirror Ball: Live & More Released: 2011-05-17 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:59:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:55) 2 Rocket (04:29) 3 Animal (04:02) 4 C’mon C’mon (04:00) 5 Make Love Like a Man (05:56) 6 Too Late for Love (05:17) 7 Foolin’ (05:06) 8 Nine Lives (03:35) 9 Love Bites (07:28) 10 Rock On (05:10) 1 Two Steps Behind (04:29) 2 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (05:08) 3 Switch 625 (04:14) 4 Hysteria (06:20) 5 Armageddon It (05:19) 6 Photograph (04:35) 7 Pour Some Sugar on Me (05:05) 8 Rock of Ages (06:11) 9 Let’s Get Rocked (06:11) 10 Action (04:01) 11 Bad Actress (03:31) 12 Undefeated (04:40) 13 Kings of the World (06:12) 14 It’s All About Believin’ (04:22) 15 Kings of the World (different version) (?) |
| Mirror Ball: Live & More : Allmusic album Review : Of all the ‘80s bands that once ruled the hair metal roost, few soldiered through the following decades with as much tenacity as Def Leppard, who scored hits during the grunge era (“Let’s Get Rocked,” “Two Steps Behind”) and the late-‘90s teen pop revival (“Promises”) before quietly fading from the charts. The group then whipped itself into a touring juggernaut, spending nearly every summer on the road with AOR titans like Journey and REO Speedwagon. On Mirror Ball -- the band’s first live release, unless you count the out of print Live: In the Clubs, In Your Face EP from 1993 -- the guys are all pushing 50, yet the band doesn’t sound all that removed from its Reagan-era heyday. The biggest telltale sign that these songs were recorded during 2008’s Sparkle Lounge tour (as opposed to, say, the Hysteria heyday of 1987) is Joe Elliott’s voice, which has morphed from a metallic screech into a coarse croon. He now flips into this falsetto on the high notes, and his bandmates continue to chime in with their usual harmonies, which sound far more human when divorced of Mutt Lange’s studio production. The set list focuses on the band’s greatest hits -- “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Foolin’,” “Photograph,” “Love Bites,” “Let’s Get Rocked” -- and only reaches into the archives for “Switch 625” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” the latter of which is given the same treatment it received during the band’s 1980s performances: an acoustic beginning, followed by lots of audience baiting and -- finally -- an epic, electric finish. Three new studio recordings are tacked onto the end of disc two, with the Queen-like “Kings of the World” standing out as the best of the bunch. They’re all fine songs, really, but the meat of this album is the live material, which is far better than most fans will expect it to be. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 19 Title: Viva! Hysteria: Live at The Joint, Las Vegas Released: 2013-10-09 Tracks: 30 Duration: 2:30:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Women (06:11) 2 Rocket (06:09) 3 Animal (04:07) 4 Love Bites (06:08) 5 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:32) 6 Armageddon It (05:26) 7 Gods of War (07:14) 8 Don’t Shoot Shotgun (04:33) 9 Run Riot (04:49) 10 Hysteria (05:59) 11 Excitable (04:37) 12 Love and Affection (06:17) 13 Rock of Ages (04:15) 14 Photograph (06:13) 1 Good Morning Freedom (03:36) 2 Wasted (03:44) 3 Stagefright (03:41) 4 Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) (04:56) 5 Action (04:13) 6 Rock Brigade (03:31) 7 Undefeated (05:25) 8 Promises (04:11) 9 On Through the Night (05:11) 10 Slang (02:37) 11 Let It Go (06:08) 12 Another Hit and Run (05:14) 13 High ’n’ Dry (Saturday Night) (03:44) 14 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:43) 15 Switch 625 (05:08) 16 Acoustic Medley (07:41) |
 | Album: 17 of 19 Title: Def Leppard Released: 2015-10-30 Tracks: 15 Duration: 54:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Let’s Go (05:02) 2 Dangerous (03:26) 3 Man Enough (03:54) 4 We Belong (05:07) 5 Invincible (03:46) 6 Sea of Love (04:04) 7 Energized (03:23) 8 All Time High (04:19) 9 Battle of My Own (02:42) 10 Broke ’n’ Brokenhearted (03:17) 11 Forever Young (02:22) 12 Last Dance (03:09) 13 Wings of an Angel (04:23) 14 Blind Faith (05:33) 15 Last Dance (demo) (?) |
| Def Leppard : Allmusic album Review : There are two ways to look at an eponymous album by a band well into its fourth decade of existence: its either a rebirth or a summation. In the case of Def Leppards 2015 album -- their eleventh studio set, arriving a full seven years after Songs from the Sparkle Lounge -- the record is most certainly the latter, a nifty encapsulation of the groups range, obsessions, and ambitions. At 55 minutes, Def Leppard feels nearly as sprawling as the hour-plus Hysteria -- one of the first albums to ever feel specifically designed to fill out the confines of a CD -- but where that 1987 classic pulsates with the arrogance of a band hungering to conquer the world, this 2015 set is distinguished by the casual authority of a band who remain a band solely for the love of it. Unlike many groups with decades of experience under their belts, Def Leppard arent particularly concerned with maturity, at least not in the conventional sense where they turn in fuzz guitars and heavy-booted stomps for sepia-toned reflections. Theyre still pledging allegiance to glam and heavy metal, favoring arena-sized riffs, and slathering their productions with vocal harmonies and guitars. While this self-production lacks some of the finesse Mutt Lange brought to the twin towers of Pyromania and Hysteria -- both are titans of the golden age of big-budget studios, while this is a relatively scrappy 21st century digital production -- this record can still dazzle with its pyramid of overdubs, intricate details that never sound fussy. Most of Def Leppard stays firmly within the bands wheelhouse -- muscular descendants of glitter alternating with power ballads -- and the group is confident enough to flirt with disco ("Man Enough," where Joe Elliott asks his object of affection if shes man enough to be his girl) and electronic beats ("Energized"), which is just enough to give this record an appealingly modern kick. This is a summation of where the band is now: they love the past, both their own and their inspirations, but theyre not looking back, theyre loving the life they live. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 19 Title: The Collection: Volume One Released: 2018-06-01 Tracks: 68 Duration: 5:01:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock Brigade (03:09) 2 Hello America (03:28) 3 Sorrow Is a Woman (03:55) 4 It Could Be You (02:33) 5 Satellite (04:28) 6 When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (04:44) 7 Wasted (03:45) 8 Rocks Off (03:44) 9 It Don’t Matter (03:21) 10 Answer to the Master (03:13) 11 Overture (07:44) 1 Let It Go (04:43) 2 Another Hit and Run (04:59) 3 High ’n’ Dry (Saturday Night) (03:26) 4 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 5 Switch 625 (03:03) 6 You Got Me Runnin’ (04:22) 7 Lady Strange (04:38) 8 On Through the Night (05:06) 9 Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) (04:07) 10 No No No (03:13) 1 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (03:54) 2 Photograph (04:07) 3 Stagefright (03:44) 4 Too Late for Love (04:26) 5 Die Hard the Hunter (06:15) 6 Foolin’ (04:33) 7 Rock of Ages (04:08) 8 Comin’ Under Fire (04:14) 9 Action! Not Words (03:48) 10 Billy’s Got a Gun (05:56) 1 Women (05:42) 2 Rocket (06:37) 3 Animal (04:04) 4 Love Bites (05:46) 5 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:27) 6 Armageddon It (05:22) 7 Gods of War (06:37) 8 Don’t Shoot Shotgun (04:26) 9 Run Riot (04:39) 10 Hysteria (05:54) 11 Excitable (04:19) 12 Love and Affection (04:37) 1 Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) (04:15) 2 Rock Brigade (03:25) 3 High ’n’ Dry (Saturday Night) (03:22) 4 Another Hit and Run (06:13) 5 Billy’s Got a Gun (04:43) 6 Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) (04:24) 7 Foolin’ (04:58) 8 Photograph (04:03) 9 Rock of Ages (04:53) 10 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:05) 11 Switch 625 (03:23) 12 Let It Go (05:55) 13 Wasted (05:55) 14 Stagefright (04:55) 15 Travelin’ Band (06:08) 1 Wasted (03:02) 2 Hello America (03:06) 3 Good Morning Freedom (03:00) 4 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (remix) (04:33) 5 Me & My Wine (remix) (03:40) 6 Tear It Down (03:37) 7 I Wanna Be Your Hero (04:30) 8 Ride Into the Sun (03:07) 9 Ring of Fire (04:41) 10 Release Me (03:31) |
| The Collection: Volume One : Allmusic album Review : There were a lot of heavy metal bands in the 1980s and there were a lot of pop bands too; there werent many who combined the two styles as well as Def Leppard did. This is a statement that the simply titled The CD Collection, Vol. 1 proves over and over during the course of its playing time. Made up of the four albums the band released during the 1980s, a live show recorded in 1983 (which was issued as part of the deluxe edition of Pyromania), a disc of B-sides and rarities, and a mini-disc of the bands self-titled 1979 EP, the set is filled with razor-sharp riffs, hooky choruses, thudding backbeats, inferno-hot guitar soloing, keening vocal harmonies, and the inimitable yelp of singer Joe Elliott as it runs through their early career. Starting with the EP, its plain that Def Leppard had the goods right away, but all they needed was a producer to help them clean it up a little. Released in 1980, On Through the Night is an admirable first step with some fun rockers like "Hello America" and "Rocks Off," a metal anthem ("Wasted"), early attempts at the massed backing vocals they perfected later, and overall strong songs. The next step was a huge one. On 1981s High N Dry the band hooked up with producer Mutt Lange, and both of their futures changed almost immediately. High N Dry had some hits like the title track and "Let It Go," a huge power ballad, and the cleanest sound any of the albums they made together. There were also some tracks like "You Got Me Runnin" that had the band dialing down the metal and hard rock sound in favor of something tighter and poppier. Sort of like a cuddly AC/DC. The next record the team made was their first classic: 1983s Pyromania basically took over the rock world and made major inroads on the pop charts too. Anchored by the brilliant "Photograph" and featuring great songs like "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin," the record was by far their poppiest yet, with added synths (courtesy of Thomas Dolby) and laboratory-clean production by Lange. It was topped by 1987s Hysteria, a record so immense it was almost inescapable to anyone who owned a radio or television. Langes production is almost over-the-top huge and the band plays for the back row, and in the process creates some of the best pop of the late 80s. Its great fun to listen to the records one after the other, charting the progression, rediscovering the deep-cut gems (like High N Drys instrumental "Switch 625" or Pyromanias chiming ballad "Too Late for Love"), and singing along with the hits. The set of rarities is a nice addition, especially the non-LP hit "Me and My Wine," and the whole collection has a nice crisp remastered sound that makes it a vital purchase for anyone who still had the old CDs. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 19 Title: The Story So Far: The Best of Def Leppard Released: 2018-11-30 Tracks: 35 Duration: 2:34:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Animal (04:04) 2 Photograph (04:08) 3 Pour Some Sugar on Me (04:27) 4 Love Bites (05:46) 5 Let’s Get Rocked (04:56) 6 Armageddon It (05:22) 7 Foolin’ (04:33) 8 Two Steps Behind (string / acoustic version) (04:18) 9 Heaven Is (03:33) 10 Rocket (06:37) 11 Hysteria (05:54) 12 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (05:23) 13 Make Love Like a Man (04:15) 14 Action (revised version) (03:40) 15 When Love & Hate Collide (04:17) 16 Rock of Ages (04:08) 17 Personal Jesus (remix) (03:52) 1 Let’s Go (05:02) 2 Promises (03:59) 3 Slang (02:38) 4 Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (04:33) 5 Rock On (radio edit / remixed) (02:36) 6 Nine Lives (03:32) 7 Work It Out (04:49) 8 Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) (04:32) 9 Dangerous (03:26) 10 Now (03:59) 11 Undefeated (04:40) 12 Tonight (04:03) 13 C’mon C’mon (04:09) 14 Man Enough (03:54) 15 No Matter What (02:51) 16 All I Want Is Everything (05:20) 17 It’s All About Believin’ (04:22) 18 Kings of the World (06:12) |