Introduction to the Def Leppard Review Series

First of all, to call this strictly a “review series” is a misnomer.  Much like the previous Kiss series, the story of Def Leppard will be enhanced by Record Store Tales and reviews alike.  We’ll also stray off the Leppard track ever so slightly to look at a side project or two.  But here it comes, like hell in the night, the all-new Mike Ladano Reviews Def Leppard Series!  I can already tell you, it’s going to be good.

The trick for me was this.  I’ve already reviewed a number of Def Leppard releases, particularly singles.  Many of them are quite old and easily improved upon.  Others are already comprehensively detailed and don’t need to be changed.  In the interests of being complete, every Def Leppard album will be looked at in depth, including re-reviews.  In cases where previous reviews are already sufficiently detailed, we’ll look at the album in a different slant.  Previously reviewed singles will be folded into reviews of box sets.  We’ll always link back to the older reviews so you get the complete picture no matter what.

It may look like we’ve already reviewed a lot, but there are plenty of albums we never touched before.  Numerous live albums, singles, EPs, box sets, compilations, and studio records like Euphoria, Yeah! and Def Leppard 2018.

Beginning with The Early Years box set, the plan is to give you a serving of Leppard every week until we’re at the present day.  That would be the 2021 set The Collection: Volume Three at present.  The emphasis will be on audio releases, to the backdrop of the incredible story of Def Leppard.  It’s a monumental project and we get started Monday November 29 at MikeLadano.com!

List of Previous Def Leppard Content

  1. Def Leppard E.P. (1979)
  2. “Wasted” / “Hello America” (1979 single)
  3. On Through the Night (1980)
  4. “Hello America” / “Good Morning Freedom” (1980 single)
  5. High ‘N’ Dry (1981)
  6. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” (1981 single)
  7. Pyromania (1983)
  8. Hysteria (1987)
  9. Hysteria (30th Anniversary edition) – will not be re-reviewed
  10. Classic Albums – Hysteria (DVD) – will not be re-reviewed
  11. Historia (1988 VHS) – will not be re-reviewed
  12. Pour Some Sugar On ’88 – Record Store Tales #930
  13. Adrenalize (1992)
  14. “Let’s Get Rocked” (1992 single)
  15. “Make Love Like a Man” (1992 single)
  16. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” (1992 single)
  17. Los Angeles 1992 (Bootleg)
  18. “Heaven Is” (1993 single)
  19. “Tonight” (1993 single)
  20. “Two Steps Behind” (1993 single)
  21. Slang (1996 2 CD with Acoustic In Singapore)
  22. Slang (Deluxe edition)
  23. “Slang” (1996 single)
  24. “Work It Out” (1996 single)
  25. “All I Want Is Everything” (1996 single)
  26. “Breathe A Sigh” (1996 single)
  27. Official live mp3 collection (2001)
  28. X (2002 Japanese import)
  29. Songs From the Sparkle Lounge (2008 Japanese import)
  30. “C’mon C’mon” (2008 single)
  31. CMT Crossroads – with Taylor Swift (2009 DVD) – will not be re-reviewed
  32. Mirrorball (2011 Japanese import)
  33. Dreamin’ With Def Leppard (Lullabies, 2011) – will not be re-reviewed
  34. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” / “Rock of Ages” (2012 re-recordings)
  35. “Acoustic Medley” (2012 re-recording)
  36. “Hysteria” (2013 re-recording)
  37. The Lost Session (2018)

 

19 comments

  1. YESSSSS!!!! I was so excited when you brought up doing a Def Leppard review series and I can’t believe it’s coming up this Monday. This is going to be good! Also, I would kill for a bootleg of the Adrenalize tour. The boys should really release bootlegs from their past tours.

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        2. You mean the bonus tracks from the ‘Pyromania’ tour? I meant like an official live release. I don’t think that half live album for Adrenalize has “White Lightning,” though. Does it?

          Also does the download only live album have tracks like “All I Want is Everything” and “Long, Long Way to Go”?

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        4. One of the best songs they ever wrote (“White Lightning”) and they only played it for the Adrenalize tour. How can there not be an official live recording yet? That’s just wrong.

          We definitely need more live Def Leppard I agree, but I’d say they don’t need a live album after ‘X’ because their setlists got pretty predictable by then. I think it was already predictable even before ‘X,’ but I love that album, so I’d still want recordings from that tour too.

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  2. There’s gonna be a re-review of X? Looking forward to that…
    Was really surprised with the comeback they made with st one. Just checked that it was released in 2015. How time flies.

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    1. Absolutely man there will be a review of X. Probably the worst of the original reviews!

      I can’t bring myself to watch the Taylor concert again, the last time was supposed to be the last time, but I may make an effort to make better screenshots and update it.

      Just dug this up from my VHS Archives for an instalment called “The Wait for Adrenalize”.

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