Do you wanna get rocked? Time for a new series! When we looked at the deluxe edition of Def Leppard’s Adrenalize, it was noted that many B-sides from that era were missing. Songs such as “Only After Dark”, “Miss You In A Heartbeat”, “Action”, “From The Inside” and “She’s Too Tough” were not included on that disappointing deluxe. Fortunately, LeBrain HQ has a stack of Def Leppard CD singles right here, to help inform readers where you can get the original versions of these tracks. Let’s get rocked!
DEF LEPPARD – “Let’s Get Rocked” (1992 Phonogram CD single)
Hell and back — those words are as good as any to describe Def Leppard. This, the first Def Leppard single in what seemed like ages, was also their first single without “Steamin'” Steve Clark. That left a monster riff-sized gap in Leppard’s arsenal. Rather than seek out a replacement immediately, Phil Collen stepped up to the plate and recorded all the guitars on Adrenalize himself (with a little acoustic help from Rick Savage).
“Let’s Get Rocked” hit the airwaves in early 1992, and immediately shot up the charts, such was the value of Def Leppard. Even though the band maintained their disciplined studio techniques, layering guitar shimmer and vocals galore, “Let’s Get Rocked” sounds sparse compared to the Mutt Langue produced Hysteria. Though Collen did his best in difficult circumstances, Steve Clarke is missed, as are his riffs. “Let’s Get Rocked” was one of a few songs on Adrenalize without his name in the writing credits.
Def Leppard have a knack of picking interesting but obscure covers, which is one reason collecting their singles is so much fun. The Mick Ronson (R.I.P.) solo song “Only After Dark” has that glammy vibe that Leppard love so much. The liner notes state that “Mick’s been ill, and this track is out acknowledgement of his importance.” Indeed, Mick passed away at the terribly young age of 46, from cancer. This is a fun little cover, more lively than many of the album tracks. It certainly sounds like the band were having fun doing it.
This version of “Only After Dark” is the original studio version. The version released on the Retro-Active album features newly overdubbed guitars by Phil Collen and new guy Vivian Campbell, added in 1993. You can also hear additional vocals on that mix. Therefore the original B-side version is still exclusive to the single.
Unfortunately, “Let’s Get Rocked” only has two B-sides, one being “Only After Dark” and the second being a live take of “Women”, this one lifted from their live home video, Live – In The Round In Your Face (Denver 1988) Strangely though, this track was previously released as a B-side on the previous Def Leppard single, 1989’s “Rocket”. It’s also on the Hysteria deluxe…and the Adrenalize deluxe! Talk about oversaturation.
“Let’s Get Rocked” was an acceptable first single. The track itself was good enough, though it certainly broke no new ground at all musically. “Only After Dark” was different than typical Def Leppard and another welcome B-side to the collection. “Women” was just another re-release. It could have been better.
3/5 stars
Coming next: “Make Love Like a Man”!
mikeladano.com 
Interesting stuff about Only After Dark but LGR marked the beginning of the end for Leppard and me – I remember thinking ‘is that it?’
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I let the “is that it?” go. Because of the amount of tragedy I said, “We’ll let Def Lep coast this time.” And sure enough when they did Slang, they got back into the experimentation and pushing new ground.
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Yeah I lapped up the single at the time but Geez after a while it’s like Steamin left the earth with all the big riffs as well…..
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Yeah I think they still really miss him. I don’t think anyone in the band writes riffs the way he did.
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Funny thing was MiKey I have started babbling down some words on this record a week ago…..
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I was like Joe when this came out. I thought it was a bit of a let-down. But it has grown on me over the years. I’m quite fond of LTG now. I especially love the riff at the bridge and then the guitar solo. That’s a great moment.
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But it’s not like they’re oan a bus going doon the toon.
Phil really stepped up to the plate, filling some big shoes on this album. Must have been tough for the guy. I think I read him describing it as “fun”, doing all the guitars, but I think emotions must have been heavy for him.
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SERIES! Hooray for series!
Of course, I know this tune. All I had to do was read the title and it sprang, fully-formed, into my head. I think, at this point, it would have been pretty hard to ignore these guys completely when they were at their peak. Fun for parties. Cool reading about the b-sides, too. With so many re-ssues, it’s possible that DL are just like the rest uof us, we love Women! :)
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They like them so much they released that track four times on four releases! My goodness.
It is a good tune though.
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Wow – 1992? I actually enjoyed that tune a whole lot. In fact, I may have had the ol’ cassette single. This was before ‘grunge’ got it’s hooks in me, of course.
Seems that song Women (or that version of it) was very popular among those involved in arranging the Def Leppard releases!
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Actually J, I think that version is great for just the intro:
“We got everything we need! We got the band, we got the crowd, the lights, the camera, the action! There’s only one thing that we ain’t got…”
And then right into the riff for “Women”. It’s a great memorable moment for Lep fans who had that video back in the day.
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I remember enjoying the video to this – seemed cutting edge at the time!
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I know! All that 3D computer animation, so new and…not able to stand up two decades later :)
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