Def Leppard - Vault +Album Reviews

Open the VAULT...

S. J. West | Eads, TN United States | 07/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Def Leppard was one of the most successful bands out of the '80s and one of my very favorite from the decade. They scored 15 top 40 singles from 1983-1993 and had quite a few radio and MTV favorites that missed the top 40; most of them are represented here. There has been some complaints about certain songs not being hits, but I've found the chart stats and will show how high they charted.

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" (video edit)--the most popular Lep song leads off this collection. A great singalong, heart-pounding rocker This is also an alternate version to the one on HYSTERIA: it is the video edit which is longer and, IMHO, superior. (peaked at #2)

"Photograph"--one of their breakthrough PYROMANIA hits: another great rocker with an unforgettable riff written "all about Marilyn Monroe" as Joe would say. (peaked at #12)

"Love Bites"--the collection's first ballad is a great one from HYSTERIA. (the band's only #1 single)

"Let's Get Rocked"--first of two ADRENALIZE tracks is a fun little rocker inspired by THE SIMPSONS (or so Joe says). (peaked at #15)

"Two Steps Behind"--a standout ballad from THE LAST ACTION HERO soundtrack is an acoustic based track that originally appeared on a B-side! (peaked at #12)

"Animal"--mid-tempo HYSTERIA rocker that is a rock radio staple even today. (peaked at #19)

"Foolin'"--second PYROMANIA track is a mysterious ballad/rocker with lots of atmosphere and a great guitar solo (peaked at #28)

"Rocket" (video edit)--tounge-in-cheek rocker from HYSTERIA which basically lists off titles of great classic rock songs. Unfortunately it is presented in a shorter edit than the album version. (peaked at #12)

"When Love and Hate Collide"--new song for the album is a pretty good ballad that could've used an electric solo, but it's fine as it is. (sadly, peaked only at #58)

"Armageddon It"--rip-roaring rocker from HYSTERIA and a good one at that. (peaked at #3)

"Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad"--the other ADRENALIZE track, this one an average ballad. (peaked at #12)

"Rock of Ages"--last PYROMANIA track is a memorable bombastic rocker which actually steals it's chorus from the Bible! (peaked at #16)

"Hysteria"--last song from the album of the same name. A sort-of ballad performed well. (peaked at #10)

"Miss You In a Heartbeat"--an okay ballad from RETROACTIVE was a bigger hit in Canada (#4) than America (#39) and that is why it is included.

"Bringing on the Heartbreak"--only track from HIGH 'N' DRY surprising only peaked at #61, but became a classic rock radio staple due to heavy exposure on early MTV. There is no "Switch 625" because it's not played on the radio with it. Great song anyway.

Well that's it, all the hits. There are problems: HYSTERIA is over-emphasized (though all were chart hits and it still misses one of those!), nothing from ON THROUGH THE NIGHT (though no songs were chart hits), and misses the other two top 40 tracks from ADRENALIZE ("Make Love Like a Man," #36; "Stand Up," #34). But overall, this is a great collection for newcomers and casual fans (and the only place to get the PSSOM video edit on CD)."

A must have for Def Leppard fans

S. J. West | 11/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Because I was young and did not listen to music when Def Leppard was popular, I did not know how good they were. When I bought this CD, I had no idea how many great songs were on there. I now consider this CD my favorite, and am always in the mood to listen to all 70+ minutes of the CD."

Best of the Best

Randy Given | Manchester, CT USA | 11/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, this album rocks. I had some of the Def Leppard albums in college, but they wore out. I got this album as a replacement and it is great. All my favorite Def Leppard hits on one album. The recording quality is great. I might have arranged the songs in a different order, but there is not one that I disagree with being on this album. Cranked loud, it shows the greatness of the band (my favorite band is still Pink Floyd, but this band knows how to rock)."

Wonderful overview of a great band

glv-jazz | PA | 05/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Def Leppard, without a doubt, was one of the biggest bands in the eighties. With their albums "Hysteria" and "Pyromania" topping the charts, they were virtually unstoppable. And they still aren't. I think this band has survived almost any tragedy that has come their way. But not only has the band survived (with the exception of Steve Clark), their music has too. All their old hits get a good amount of airplay and this CD contains all of those. From "Brining on the Heartbreak", to "Photograph", to their all time high, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" this CD has all the essential songs from Def Leppard's catalogue. It really serves as a wonderful CD for anyone who grew up when these songs were popular. With the release of "Euphoria", this band sounds like they have no intention of calling it quits anytime soon which is a good thing because this band has a lot more in them."

Oh, what COULD have been a GREAT collection of hits...

Jeff Edwards | Twin Falls, Idaho | 10/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am NOT alone in my recognition of many notable 'omissions' this particular 'Greatest Hits' package left out. Is this a great CD to own, especially if you love Def Leppard? Absolutely. Does it truly cover their entire career? NO WAY. Let me explain:

Absolutely NO songs from their 1st album. WHY?? Just because they had no charted single from 'On Through The Night' does NOT mean it had nothing worth including. 'Wasted' and 'Hello America' are the two obvious choices that were left out. A true waste.

'High 'N' Dry' is arguably Leppard's best album, and my personal favorite. It was this cassette I borrowed from a friend which got me hooked long before 'Pyromania' ever hit the record stores. Despite all this, only ONE song was included?? And an edited version at that? For ALL true Leppard fans, when you hear 'Bringin' On The Heartache' you EXPECT to hear 'Switch 625', just like we ALWAYS expect to hear 'We Are The Champions' immediately following 'We Will Rock You' by Queen. This particular axe was simply a MAJOR screw-up on the part of whoever produced this collection (most likely the record label, and NOT Def Leppard). Other songs from this album that were left out: 'Let It Go', 'Mirror, Mirror' and of course the title track -- but easily they could have added 5 or 6 tracks and made this CD 100% better...but NOOOO.

'Pyromania' and 'Hysteria' were Leppard's most successful records released during the 80's, a Decade where ONLY Michael Jackson sold more records (check it out, it's true). Consequently, these albums receive the most attention on this collection, but SIX songs from 'Hysteria'? Even though it was a phenomenally GREAT album, they could have left off a couple of these songs to make room for more from the 1st & 2nd records. I am absolutely stumped why so MANY of the best songs were simply ignored? I have worked almost my entire adult life in radio and I am at a loss to explain this incredibly obvious mistake.

One thing we Leppard fans CAN look forward to, and I feel I can say this with a certain degree of confidence, is that eventually the band will get together and spear-head a TRUE Def Leppard Collection, similar to the vast number of Anthology CD's that have been dumped on the market over the past decade or so. It will most certainly be at least a two CD set, possibly three, and will include the songs us major fans have been wanting. It just may take a little longer than we want, but it WILL come, mark my words. Until then, my advice is to simply BUY the full albums and make do."

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