The second collection in a series of four covers Def Leppard’s 90’s material. And there’s really some great gems from that decade from the Sheffield natives. Everything from traditional top tier albums like ‘Adrenalize’ to more experimental albums like the underrated ‘Slang.’ Yes, the second collection has the goods. And it’s delivered in excellent packaging. Complete with hardcover booklet with unseen photos and essays on each album. Plus there’s the three rarities discs added to the set. Really the only direct criticism I can think of is that they didn’t put an audio version of their full 1999 concert in Tokyo. Or a remastered audio of the massive Johannesburg, South Africa show from the ‘Slang’ tour. But I would say that if you’re a fairly big Def Leppard fan, the box set is worth the money. The remasters sound good. Some of the albums in the set haven’t received remasters, so it’s nice to get some higher bit masters.
Adrenalize
Really really good album. Not quite as strong as ‘Pyromania’ or ‘Hysteria.’ But it’s a very strong effort none the less. And as we all know it’s dedicated to the late Steve Clark. Phil Collen handles all the guitar parts seamlessly. And while some tracks travel into self parody (‘Make Love Like A Man’ and ‘I Wanna Touch U.’ Not to mention the music video for the smash hit ‘Let’s Get Rocked’), there’s a consistent strength in the songwriting. The riffs and grooves are top notch. The vocal harmonies are off the charts as usual. Particularly on the introduction to ‘Tonight.’ And, as always, the production is up to the classic Def Leppard standard. The albums centerpiece ‘White Lightning’ may be in Def Lep’s top ten tracks. I sure wish they’d play it more. ‘Personal Property’ and ‘Tear It Down’ keeps the hard rocking side of the band alive and well. While the ballads: ‘Tonight,’ Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) and ‘Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad?’ show that Def Leppard still have the sensitivity to capture the magic of ‘Headed For A Heartbreak.’
Retro-Active
This album serves a few purposes. First, it kept the momentum of ‘Adrenalize’ alive by being released a short year later. Which would prove to be imperative to the bands survival through the 90’s music scenes. Second, it introduced Vivian Cambell to the studio album world of Def Leppard. And third, it’s a compilation of strong b-sides along with unreleased and newly recorded outtakes. There’s certainly enough fresh recordings to call the album ‘new.’ Not just a rehash album. ‘Desert Song’ and ‘Fractured Love’ are one of the strongest one, two punches on any Def Lep album. Their cover of ‘Action’ is loaded with passion. ‘Ride Into The Sun,’ ‘Ring Of Fire’ and ‘She’s Too Tough’ hold the heavier side of the band down. The former being a track from their original Ep. Some of the best rockers of the post classic era. ‘Two Steps Behind’ was a hit ballad and is still a concert staple. ‘From The Inside’ has an interesting classical vibe to it. With excellent use of the mandolin and other classical instruments. ‘Only After Dark’ has a really killer vibe. Think of a heavier David Bowie. Just a great groove. A solid album that kept the band alive for the 90’s.
Slang
This album is without question the most underrated and misunderstood album in all of Def Leppard’s catalog. I honestly freakin’ love this album. It’s a near perfect record from top to bottom. Strong songwriting throughout. My only criticism is that it has one too many ballads. But one of them, ‘All I Want Is Everything’ ranks among one of Def Leppard’s best ballads ever. I think that some people didn’t know how to react to the more organic production of the album. It is the first album that Rick Allen played an acoustic drum set on an album since his accident. There’s a more raw production to the album that serves the band. Particularly in this era. The first five songs: ‘Truth?,’ ‘Turn to Dust,’ ‘Slang,’ ‘All I Want Is Everything,’ and the Vivian Cambell written ‘Work It Out,’ are one of the strongest starts to any Def Leppard album. The grooves, the melodies are all there. The back end of the album isn’t quite a strong. But the grunge like ‘Deliver Me,’ the hard rocking ‘Gift of Flesh’ and the enigmatic ‘Pearl Of Euphoria’ are enough to keeps the album among Lep’s strongest.
Euphoria
1999’s ‘Euphoria’ has the distinction of being what I would call the last great Def Leppard album. Sure, there’s some really good songs after this album on ‘X,’ ‘Songs From The Sparkle Lounge’ and the self titled album. But for the most part those albums, along with their 2006 cover album, just don’t hold up to the first nine records. ‘Demolition Man’ and ‘Promises’ really kick off the album right. A classic Def Leppard one, two punch. A hard rocking opener followed by a ‘Photograph’-esqe ‘Promises.’ The only low point on the album is ‘Back In Your Face.’ It’s just a little too polished. The clap snare is extremely annoying. But the album gets right back on track with the classic ballad ‘Goodbye’ and the Prince like track ‘All Night.’ The latter really sounds like something you might have heard Prince do on his Batman soundtrack. The incredible ‘Paper Sun’ follows. It’s pure gold Def Leppard. From the darker mood of the intro, verses and chorus, to the bad ass breakdown that comes out of nowhere. ‘It’s Only Love’ shows where the band would go on their next album ‘X.’ Then classic, blasting through your speakers, 80’s hard rock Def Lep blows the electricity. It’s one of the most overlooked songs in their entire catalog. Despite the elementary lyrics. ‘To Be Alive’ has a similar vibe to U2. ‘Disintegrate’ is a killer instrumental piece. Really just a great piece of music. ‘Guilty’ brings back the greatness of the ‘Hysteria’ era ballad. ‘Day After Day’ and ‘Kings of Oblivion’ close the album superbly. The bridge on the former is one of the tastiest Def Lep moments. And the latter closes the album with high quality energy. Yes, ‘Euphoria’ is truly Def Leppard’s last great album. And it truly is a great album.
Rarities Vols 2, 3 & 4
These are pretty much the reason to get the box set. The unreleased studio and live material. Like I said before it would have been better if they had attached an audio of their 1996 South Africa show or their 1999 show in Tokyo. But there’s enough live material to make it worth the purchase. Def Leppard have released audios of a plethora of live material in the past few years. And when you combine them in a playlist with the newly released live material consisting of performances from ‘Live…In The Club In Your Face,’ ‘Live in Singapore,’ ‘Live In Montreal’ and a few cuts from the 1999 Tokyo show. When you put them together it’s a pretty legit collection of live tracks. 19 in all, which is great because Def Lep is so good live. And it’s cool to see all the live eras of the band during the decade. The Montreal tracks offer a glimpse into the ‘Slang’ tour. One of the most interesting times for the band. The club tracks create an intimate surrounding without compromising the energy of a big show. Plus, there’s countless unreleased material, demos and other treats hidden in the set.
All in all the new CD/Vinyl collection from Def Leppard is absolutely worth the price of admission. It’s got some the bands strongest material on it. Complete with so much bonus material it’s almost worth the price for just those. What are your favorite Def Leppard albums and songs from the 90’s?
