Steve Clark

RE-REVIEW: Def Leppard – Mirror Ball: Live & More (2011 Japan bonus track)

Part Forty of the Def Leppard Review Series

Original review: Mirror Ball (2011)

DEF LEPPARD – Mirror Ball: Live & More (2011 Marquee Japanese import with bonus track)

It took Def Leppard until 2011 to release finally their first standalone live album that you could go out and buy on a CD. Chronologically speaking, we have already reviewed seven Leppard live “albums” from earlier sources. Mirror Ball is still technically considered their “first” live album. And they really leaned into doing live albums since then, as you’ll see going forward. Most of the content of this series will be live in nature post-Mirror Ball.

One cool thing about Mirror Ball is that there is no long lead-in. It starts immediately with the opening to “Rock! Rock!” with no fade-in. Cut to the chase, get on with the rock. It’s Screamin’ Joe Elliott in fine form right from the start. Brilliant, hard version going top speed. Leppard shift gears into “Rocket” from there, certainly a sudden change in direction. This is a short 4 1/2 minute version compared to the longer jam on the “C’Mon C’Mon” single. As second track on a live album, it’s probably a good thing it’s not a 10 minute workout.

Just as on Hysteria, “Animal” follows “Rocket”. Joe’s voice is more gentle here, and the song offers some different guitar touches that are fresh and interesting. Next, it’s the aforementioned “C’Mon C’Mon”, the first new track presented from Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. You’d think it would be a live highlight, but it’s just a tune. Onto the next. Unfortunately the next is “Make Love Like a Man” which really…how is this still in the set?” Not a good version either. Fortunately, the trajectory is reversed with the Pyromania classic “Too Late For Love”. Always underappreciated, this apocalyptic burner has it all. Cool, atmospheric slow opening, wicked guitar parts, and Screamin’ Joe! Not screaming as much, but just enough. Keeping with the Pyromania, a decent version of “Foolin'” follows. Decent but not quiet incendiary.

The much maligned “Nine Lives” from Sparkle Lounge clicks live only when we get past that silly twangy intro. With that out of the way, it’s just rock and roll. Better than the album counterpart. At this point, we’ve come a long way without a ballad. “Love Bites” is the first, and it’s a good version, even if it feels a touch understated. Unfortunately, the cover tune “Rock On” from the Yeah! album closes this disc, and I wish Def Leppard never played it again.

Disc two opens with the acoustic ballad “Two Steps Behind” which the audience goes nuts for. There are a lot of versions of this song out there in the Leppard oeuvre, so here’s another one! From there, it’s a surprising acoustic version of “Bringing on the Heartbreak”, an unexpected variant. It would be nice if there weren’t choruses where the audience sings, but it’s live. Whatcha gonna do. That’s part of the experience that doesn’t translate well to album. Eventually it goes electric, and right into “Switch 625” which is automatically an album highlight.

A brilliant “Hysteria” is another album highlight. It’s a hard song for this band to mess up. They never do. Always powerful, as ballads go. A guitar-packed “Armageddon It” follows, and it’s a solid string of nothing but hits. “Photograph”, “Sugar”, “Rock of Ages”, and “Let’s Get Rocked” continue the golden oldies. Even “Let’s Get Rocked” cooks, which it doesn’t always. Really cool guitar stuff happening here.

That’s the end of the main set, as there is a fade and an audio change. It’s weird to get the Sweet cover “Action” at this stage of the game, but it does rock. And that goes into “Bad Actress”, a really fast smoker from Sparkle Lounge that was a true return to form for the band. These songs sound like an opening from another concert, but that’s it for the live stuff. Onto the new!

This album features three new studio cuts, with one bonus track in Japan. The first of these is the tepid “Undefeated”. Yes it rocks, and yes it has some groove…but that “Cha!” vocal hook? I dunno. I just don’t know. The Rick Savage ballad “Kings of the World” has a Queen-like sound. We know Sav likes Queen. This piano ballad is quite nice if a bit long. The Queen-like qualities and bombast are its strengths. In Japan, you also get the “different version” which is shorter and stripped down. Not as impactful though. The final new song, “It’s All About Believin'” has an upbeat staccato opening but then turns into a stock rocker. Nothing special or particularly memorable.

Mirror Ball is somewhat disappointing as the “first” Def Leppard live album. A few tracks sputter, and several could have been axed. Worth buying, as there’s enough good here, but it might not get frequent spins in your deck.

3/5 stars

The Early Years Disc One – On Through the Night
The Early Years Disc Two – High N’ Dry
The Early Years Disc Three – When The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Live at the New Theater Oxford – 1980
The Early Years Disc Four – Too Many Jitterbugs – EP, singles & unreleased
The Early Years Disc 5 – Raw – Early BBC Recordings
The Early Years 79-81 (Summary)
Pyromania
Pyromania Live – L.A. Forum, 11 September 1983
Hysteria
Soundtrack From the Video Historia – Record Store Tales
In The Round In Your Face DVD
“Let’s Get Rocked” – The Wait for Adrenalize – Record Store Tales
Adrenalize
Live at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
Retro-Active
Visualize
Vault: Def Leppard’s Greatest Hits / Limited Edition Live CD
Video Archive
“Slang” CD single
Slang
I Got A Bad Feeling About This: Euphoria – Record Store Tales
Euphoria
Rarities 2
Rarities 3
Rarities 4
Cybernauts – Live
Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (bonus disc)
X
Best Of (UK)
Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection
Yeah!
Yeah! Bonus CD With Backstage Interviews
Yeah…Nah! (Record Store Tales)
Songs From the Sparkle Lounge
“C’Mon C’Mon” (picture disc)
Taylor Swift & Def Leppard – CMT Crossroads (DVD)
B.Sides
Yeah! II
Yeah! Live

41. iTunes re-recordings
42. Viva Hysteria

REVIEW: Def Leppard – Yeah! Live (CD Collection Volume 3)

Part Thirty-Nine of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – Yeah! Live (CD Collection Volume 3 Disc 6) (2021)

On the very last disc of the third volume of Def Leppard’s CD Collection box set series, we finally take some previously missing B-sides off the table and into your collection. This is the shortest of the discs in this set, with only eight tracks. However the rarity firepower is high. They call it Yeah! Live, making it the third album in the ret-conned Yeah! covers series.

1. It’s almost inexcusable that “Elected” hasn’t popped on these box sets yet, being a 1987 live version with Steve Clark, released in 1992 on the “Heaven Is” CD single. Its most logical release point was the fine 2006 deluxe edition of Hysteria, chronologically speaking, but it was not included on the otherwise comprehensive 7 disc 2017 Hysteria box set either. For a while it seemed this B-side had slipped through the cracks, but here it is opening Yeah! Live. It is the second time an Alice Cooper song has appeared in this box set, though this is obviously the earliest recording of them all. Screamin’ Joe is in prime-time form and Steve Clark has been missed on this box set.

2. “Action”. Completing the Target bonus tracks from the Yeah! release, its “Action” live. Recorded somewhere on the 2005 tour, here it is, and it’s a stunningly good version. Leppard at their heaviest, covering Sweet. No problem. Thanks for checking this box in the collection.

3. “No Matter What”. The last of the Best Buy bonus tracks from the Yeah! album. Same as above, recorded live somewhere unspecified on the 2005 tour. The Leppard studio original was included on the main Yeah! track listing, but this is its first and only live release to date. Nice solid pop rock, and a good version to boot.

4. “Rock On”. Recorded live in 2006. Not a bad version in fact, of a song that’s pretty “meh” usually. They take it to a really Zeppelin-y “Levy Breaks” kind of place at the end. It does not say “previously unreleased” on this track, but it also does not state where it was released before. You can get different live versions on the Leppard releases The Lost Sessions, And There Will Be A Next Time…, and Mirrorball Live.

5. “Travelling Band” with Brian May, live in 1983. I’ll quote myself from my review of Pyromania Live from the deluxe edition of that album: “The long friendship between Leppard and Queen began right here. A cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Travelling Band’ is the earliest recording of Joe and May together, but certainly not the last! This is not only a piece of history, but it’s a brilliant track! Joe’s screaming voice is strangely well suited to an overblown CCR cover. But hearing the guitar trio solo together, each with their own style, is the real icing on the cake. May is so creamy!”

6. “Now I’m Here” with Brian May, live in 1992. From the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, and previously released on the Adrenalize deluxe and the 1993 “Tonight” CD single. A brilliant version of one of Queen’s hard rockers, and the Brian May solo is as thrilling as you’d expect. One of the highlight performances at the Freddie Mercury concert.

7. “20th Century Boy” with Brian May, live in 2006 from the VH1 Rock Honors show. Previously unreleased! Automatically superior to Leppard’s studio version due to the wall of guitars caused by the presence of Dr. Brian May. Awesome solo work.

8. “All The Young Dudes” with Ian Hunter, from Hunter’s rare Once Bitten Twice Shy album. First ever release on a Def Leppard collection. Joe’s favourite song and really thick sounding. Too thick, perhaps. Ian Hunter takes all the lead vocals with Leppard joining him on the backings. Really cool to end this box set with Ian Hunter, and nice to finally get this song. Scratch it off your wishlists.

Pretty good, if a bit weird, collection of all the live covers not included on previous discs in this series, and some unreleased stuff too. It’s a bit odd to get stuff like “Elected” and “Travelling Band” that are better suited to earlier discs, but here they are and that’s what’s important. That brings Vol 3 of the CD Collection to an end, and it’s nice to have closure for some of the single B-sides.

3.5/5 stars

The Early Years Disc One – On Through the Night
The Early Years Disc Two – High N’ Dry
The Early Years Disc Three – When The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Live at the New Theater Oxford – 1980
The Early Years Disc Four – Too Many Jitterbugs – EP, singles & unreleased
The Early Years Disc 5 – Raw – Early BBC Recordings
The Early Years 79-81 (Summary)
Pyromania
Pyromania Live – L.A. Forum, 11 September 1983
Hysteria
Soundtrack From the Video Historia – Record Store Tales
In The Round In Your Face DVD
“Let’s Get Rocked” – The Wait for Adrenalize – Record Store Tales
Adrenalize
Live at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
Retro-Active
Visualize
Vault: Def Leppard’s Greatest Hits / Limited Edition Live CD
Video Archive
“Slang” CD single
Slang
I Got A Bad Feeling About This: Euphoria – Record Store Tales
Euphoria
Rarities 2
Rarities 3
Rarities 4
Cybernauts – Live
Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (bonus disc)
X
Best Of (UK)
Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection
Yeah!
Yeah! Bonus CD With Backstage Interviews
Yeah…Nah! (Recored Store Tales)
Songs From the Sparkle Lounge
“C’Mon C’Mon” (picture disc)
Taylor Swift & Def Leppard – CMT Crossroads (DVD)
B.Sides
Yeah! II

40. Mirror Ball – Live & More (Japanese import)
41. iTunes re-recordings
42. Viva Hysteria

REVIEW: Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection (US 2005)

Part Thirty of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005 Universal)

The Def Leppard’s Best Of released in the UK in 2004, North America followed suit in 2005 with Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection. We’re not going to comment on that “definitive” claim, but this new compilation covered a bit of ground that the UK version did not. With ten years and three albums since 1995’s Vault, it was a logical time to put out an updated collection. With the musical Rock of Ages hitting the stage in Los Angeles, everything seemed to be lined up for Leppard.

Disc One is much the same as Best Of and Vault. Same tracks in the same order with some slight variation. The big difference here is that Disc One closes on something very special: The High N’ Dry instrumental scorcher “Switch 625”. It was a side closer on High N’ Dry and so fits the role of ending Disc One very well. It’s the heaviest song on the disc by a mile, and the only one that was not a single somewhere. A brilliant surprise especially to those who didn’t know Leppard’s heavy side. This version fades in from “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” just like it did on album. Really, it’s a one-two combo.

Disc Two is a larger departure from that on Best Of. They both begin with “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)” and then diverge. Here, we carry on with a killer streak of early tracks from High N’ Dry and Pyromania. “Let It Go”, “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)”, “Too Late For Love”, all rifftastic tracks of Clarkian proportions. “Let It Go” isn’t on Best Of.

The key “bait” on these new greatest hits compilations was the inclusion of one new cover song. On Best Of, it was “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks. Here it is “No Matter What” by Badfinger, a truly poptastic inclusion that benefits from Leppard’s vocal prowess. According to Phil in the liner notes, the band started playing it live on the X tour and therefore decided to record it. With two great covers in the bag and on the shelves, we’d certainly expect the band’s forthcoming covers album to knock the socks off….

More great songs follow the Badfinger cover, beginning with the hit “Promises” from Euphoria which does deserve the spot. “Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)” (which wasn’t on Best Of) and “Another Hit and Run” sandwich the hit “Women” from Hysteria. It’s just a constant stream of awesome. “Slang” follows, which although a great song indeed, sounds out of place next to these riff rockers.

The excellent ballad “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” is a disc highlight. So is the early track “Rock Brigade”, a blazer from On Through the Night. “Now”, from X, could have been left off. It is however the only representation of the X album here. The superior “Long, Long Way to Go” was included on Best Of, but not here. Instead, we get a great epic track that was not on Best Of called “Paper Sun”. A universal favourite from Euphoria, it really deserved to be on a compilation of some kind. Then “Work It Out” from Slang is a modern sounding track that might not be heavy, but sure is worth uncountable listens over the years.

The closing trio of rockers are a delight. “Die Hard the Hunter”, “Wasted” and “Billy’s Got a Gun” are beloved Leppard non-singles that have been cherished by fandom for a long time. Particularly “Wasted”, likely the heaviest Leppard track of all time. It’s all riff! As for “Billy’s Got a Gun”, it gets the closing position that it should have had on Best Of. They got the running order right this time.

Similar to the UK Best Of, this compilation has ample photos and liner notes inside. The band track commentary remains, as does the opening essay. For overall listening, this is probably the better of the two.

3.5/5 stars

31. Yeah!

REVIEW: Def Leppard – Best Of (UK 2004)

Part Twenty-Nine of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – Best Of (2004 Mercury UK)

Nine years after Vault, why not another “best of” collection? And why not make it a double? And a “limited edition” too?

The approach was all but perfect for Def Leppard’s double Best Of. Except when you look at it in hindsight. You always need some bait, and this time the bait was an unreleased new track. Suggested by Phil for a forthcoming covers album, Leppard recorded “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks, and quite well in fact. The problem was it was going to be re-released in two years on 2006’s Yeah!. So we spent all that money on one new track that we were going to end up re-buying in two years. Hard to justify.

Fortunately, “Waterloo Sunset” is an excellent version. It defies expectation in fact. Phil and Vivian sound absolutely stellar on guitar, with warm tones. It’s soft, laid back, and Joe Elliott nails the lead vocal in his own style. It does sound like Def Leppard, but it does not sound like them bastardizing the Kinks in any way. It sounds just fine, like a Waterloo sunset!

The compilation kind of plays as if disc one was the “greatest hit” and disc two is the “bonus disc”. The first disc is almost an exact repeat of the UK version of Vault., with only slight differences. It opens with the “video version” of “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and then rolls through a what’s-what of Leppard hits. Every song, in order, from the UK Vault, until you get to track 10. Originally “Foolin'”, track 10 was swapped for “Action”. Then for track 11, they inserted the recent ballad “Long, Long Way To Go”, a good selection. “Make Love Like A Man” is also wedged in here, which let’s face it, most of us can do without. The Vault tracklisting then resumes, with “Armageddon It” through to the end, but minus “Miss You In A Heartbeat”. “Foolin'” eventually appears on CD Two, but “Miss You In A Heartbeat” does not. In the end, CD One is two songs longer, and overall a better listen than the original UK Vault.

CD Two is the one that hardcore fans will enjoy more. “Rock! Rock!”, what an opening number. “Promises” is the only inclusion from Euphoria, and justifiably so. Then you get “Slang” for a double dose of fun, and then the melancholy “Foolin'”. An unfortunate inclusion is the morose “Now” from the X album, but it’s worth sitting through to get to “Rock Brigade” from the debut. That’s an odd transition, by the way. From Lep’s latest with programming and loops and bleeps and bloops, to their early hard riffing stuff. Very weird. Sounds like two different bands presented that way.

Every single track after the dull “Now” is a killer. “Women” wasn’t on Vault. Strange, right? Rectified here. Then onto “Let It Go”, the killer “Too Late For Love”, and “High ‘N’ Dry”. A trifecta of perfect right there. The disc takes a turn to the modern side again on “Work It Out”, but at least this track isn’t a waste of space. It might not fit with the early Lep songs so well, but it has integrity and wickedly choppy guitars. When it fades, we go into “Billy’s Got A Gun” which ups the Pyromania factor a notch. “Hit and Run” and the ever-loved “Wasted” bring more of that old-school vibe, but sandwiched between them is the ballad “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)”. A great ballad and highlight of the disc, but in an odd setting to be sure.

Following “Wasted”, the disc closer is “Die Hard the Hunter”, another strange choice. Would “Billy’s Got A Gun” not made for a better closer? Or even “Wasted”? Probably. Good song, but in the wrong position for sure. It’s just not the kind that closes an album. It’s more the kind that closes a side (which it did on Pyromania).

Sonically, the second disc is the most uneven since it combines tracks from both the first album and the most recent. It’s also a much more fun listen just because it includes a couple deeper cuts and some lesser heard gems. I mean…”Wasted”, right? Just wish it was the closer.

On the plus side, Best Of Def Leppard has a nice booklet with track commentary from the band members. There’s an essay and a few photos. It also comes in a nice cardboard slipcase with an embossed Def Leppard logo in shiny black. The cover art, with that slate background, is simple, cool and effective. There’s even a picture of Steve Clark inside (but no Pete Willis).

So what about that covers album? In the liner notes, Joe says it’s recorded, but it took them until 2006 to release it. In the meantime, the US would put out their own 2 CD compilation album, with a slightly different running order, a few different deep cuts, a Badfinger cover instead of the Kinks, and a better closing track. How does the US compilation stack up against the UK? Check in next time.

3/5 stars

30. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (US)
31. Yeah!

REVIEW: Def Leppard – Rarities 3 (CD Collection Volume 3)

Part Twenty-Four of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – Rarities 3 (CD Collection Volume 2 Disc 6) (2019)

The rarities continue with the CD Collection Volume 2 and the Slang era. The Slang album cycle produced a number of rarities, including a bonus CD included in its first run. When this first run of CDs sold out, so did the bonus disc, a six-song set called Acoustic In Singapore. The whole tracklist is included in Rarities 3, in the right running order. These songs were recorded at the Hard Rock Cafe in Singapore on the autumn 1995 promo tour for Vault.

“Give it up for Def Leppard!” says the man. Opening with a bouncy “Armageddon It”, the band were really getting the hang of this acoustic thing. Comparing one acoustic version to another is a somewhat pointless affair so we’ll just say “it’s great”! With only acoustic instruments, Leppard are able to reproduce the upbeat party atmosphere of the immaculate original. Of course they do the same with the vocals, weaving an impressive live facsimile of the layered album.

“Two Steps Behind” is up again, a song we keep hearing over and over since its original 1992 B-side release. Good on Leppard for turning a throwaway into a perennial. The Hard Rock Cafe audience positively explodes to sing along the chorus. An interesting stripped version of “From the Inside” without the whistle and piano then stirs the cafe into silence. It’s not the kind of song you whoop and holler through. Phil’s solo is a blur of notes, but Vivian’s is more nuanced and chord-based.

A light “Animal” brings the mood back party. Take note of Rick Allen’s subtle creative cymbal use on this classic. Phil’s solo is another blaze of fast flying fingerwork – impressive but also perhaps a little abrasive. The new ballad “When Love and Hate Collide” is then rolled out, similar to the version recorded at the Wapantake club for the Video Archive release. The build up to the chorus pretty nice.

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” closes the acoustic set, a song that adapts well to the format. The party resumes and concludes on a suitably bombastic note. Amusingly, it seems to take the audience a second to realize what song they’re hearing. With that, the Acoustic In Singapore CD is out of the way and we’re off to other rarities.

The “Piano & Strings” version of “When Love and Hate Collide” is the song’s second appearance on this disc. It’s a pretty cool version, with little of the rock instrumentation left. Like the title says, it’s piano and strings (and minimal guitar), with the vocals of Def Leppard. This very rare mix comes from the “Slang” single with the “souvenir pack” – an envelope with a set of postcards.

A pretty awesome acoustic song called “Can’t Keep Away From the Flame” was on the same souvenir pack single. It’s not sad or ballady, just an upbeat and basic acoustic song. Guitars and vocals, no percussion. The only critique would be that the song is just too short!

The “Original Version” of the Slang song “Truth?” is next, as we go into tracks from the “Work It Out” CD singles. The songs for the Slang album went through a lot of experimentation before they took their final form. Some like “Truth?” are vastly different and it’s a matter of preference which you prefer. The original’s structure has elements that carried onto the album, but it’s a consistently heavy slam, and far less exotic. The final version is probably the greater artistic achievement, but the original is the headbanger.

“Move With Me Slowly” also came from the “Work It Out” singles, and the Japanese release of Slang itself. It’s long been a fan favourite, the kind of song that people say “should have been on the album”! It’s a buttery, bluesy and soulful song with not a hint of Leppard going in over their heads. The backing vocals are awesome, and the tune really swings when they start the engine. Had it been on Slang internationally, it might have satisfied the fans who wanted less experimental songs on the album.

Of note (and this is where things get hairy), as good as this CD Collection is for getting rarities together, if there’s one weakness it’s that there’s a lot more Slang material out there, including a “1st Draft” of “Move With Me Slowly”. This version is only available on the digital iTunes release of the 2014 Slang Deluxe Edition. There are undoubtedly reasons for this, but be aware. The “1st Draft” is very similar to the final version, but with Phil Collen (the songwriter) taking some of the lead vocals. Pretty cool — and worth the download — but sadly outside the purview of this review.

A lot of the Slang album can be characterised as songs brought in by individuals, and then radically changed by the band process. The last song on Rarities 3 is one of those: “Work It Out” as originally demoed by Vivian Campbell. Again this is taken from the “Work It Out” single B-sides. Viv had compared the bouncy pop demo to a Crowded House song, and you can hear that kind of quirkiness. That’s the word — quirky. The song is more or less the same — same lyrics, same melody — but radically different. And since it’s Viv’s demo, that’s him on lead vocals as well. A mini-treasure.

Rarities 3, clocking in at a comfortable 45 minutes, is a solid listen with only one drawback of too much love and hate colliding, fer cripes sake. I suppose such things are inevitable; a no-win scenario.

4.5/5 stars

One more disc of rarities to go, before we detour with Joe Elliott on a cybernautic adventure. The next disc is the most special to me, as it’s the one that includes some of my own personal contributions to a box set that has my name in the thank-yous. It includes more of the Slang demos, but be aware of the list below, all exclusive to the Slang deluxe:

“Turn to Dust” (Phil verse vocal) 4:03
“Raise Your Love” (version of “Slang” 3:01
“All I Want Is Everything” (1st draft) 5:19
“Work It Out” (1st draft) 5:19
“Breathe a Sigh” (Feb ’96 rough mix) 4:08
“Deliver Me” (Feb ’96 rough mix) 3:17
“Black Train” (version of “Gift of Flesh”) 4:06
“Blood Runs Cold” (Feb ’96 rough mix) 4:12
“Where Does Love Go When It Dies” (1st draft) 4:36
“Pearl of Euphoria” (Feb ’96 rough mix) 5:49
“All on Your Touch” (2012 revisit) 3:58
“Anger” (“Deliver Me” 1st draft) 3:15
“Move On Up” (Vivian demo) 3:31
“Gift of Flesh” (Phil vocal) 4:03
“All I Want Is Everything” (1st draft) 5:03 – iTunes only
“Move with Me Slowly” (1st draft) 6:22 – iTunes only

The above tracks aside, Rarities 4 (and eventually the third box set) will get us caught up to complete all the rarities up to Euphoria.

25. Rarities 4

…and the Cybernauts!

REVIEW: Def Leppard – Rarities 2 (CD Collection Volume 2)

Part Twenty-Three of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – Rarities 2 (CD Collection Volume 2 Disc 5) (2019)

Quick explanations first:

“Hey, what’s with this Rarities 2? You didn’t review Rarities 1!” This is true! Def Leppard Rarities 1 is in the first volume CD Collection box set. For this review series, I opted to go with The Early Years box set to cover a lot of those albums and rarities. Between that set and the Hysteria super deluxe box set that I reviewed in great detail back in 2017, I have written about all the rarities up to this point. Though packaged together in one sleeve in this box set, we will tackle the Rarities series one disc at a time.

We open with the earliest tracks: two demos with Steve Clark on guitar. “Tonight” is brilliant, with the thick opening layered harmonies intact right from the demo stage (would not surprise me if they used the demo intro for the final track). The quieter acoustic arrangement of the opening is very different from the more standard album cut. It kicks in hard during the chorus, which is a cool aspect of this arrangement. The chorus really slams on this version.

Steve’s final Def Leppard appearance was also the final guitar solo he ever recorded (and likely played). It’s the demo for “When Love and Hate Collide”, the overly soft ballad from 1995’s Vault. What a solo, too! He was on to something, with its big Hysteria-esque hooks. The demo overall is much rougher (programmed drums) but also harder edged. Joe’s more screamy, the last vestiges of the old style still hanging on.

The Acoustic Hippies From Hell — yes, that is how Def Leppard & Hothouse Flowers billed themselves on the B-side of the “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” single — are next with the original track “From the Inside”. This is the original version from the single, slightly different from the one on Retro-Active. Please welcome Vivian Campbell on the second guitar solo slot! With tin whistle, mandolin and grand piano it’s a very different kind of song for the guys in Leppard. Lyrically it’s even darker than their previous work like “White Lightning” or “When the Walls Came Tumbling Down”. This time the subject matter is addition, but with a twist of the perspective. The lyrics are the drug speaking to the user.

You may recall the Acoustic Hippies From Hell cut three songs together, including covers of “Little Wing” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. We used to wonder why they weren’t included here on this CD. Those further two B-sides were held back for a covers disc in the next box set. We’ll get to them when we get to that set!

Def Leppard’s first acoustic song was “Two Steps Behind” from the “Make Love Like A Man” single. Here is the original track from that B-side, unadorned with strings or electric guitars like the ones on Retro-Active. If you recall, Michael Kamen dubbed some strings over this one for the Last Action Hero soundtrack, and “Two Steps Behind” became an A-side hit in its own right.

Joe Elliot’s screamin’ hot 1987 demo of “She’s Too Tough” is up next. Why a 1987 song? Because its first release was on the B-side of “Heaven Is” in 1993. (That single also had live versions of “Women” and “Let’s Get Rocked”. “Elected” is on a live covers disc later on in this series, and “Let’s Get Rocked” will be discussed shortly.) “She’s Too Tough” was covered by Helix on their Wild in the Streets album in 1987. While Brian Vollmer does an admirable job of the lead vocal, Leppard’s recording is hands down the better of the two, even though it is just a demo.

Another demo: Phil Collen’s impeccably arranged “Miss You in a Heartbeat” is all but complete except for the vocals. Phil did the lead on his own demo versions, and not a bad job of it. Paul Rodgers used “Miss You in a Heartbeat” for his 1991 album with Kenney Jones called The Law. It’s cool hearing Phil do his own lesser-known version. “Miss You in a Heartbeat”, once a B-side like “Two Steps Behind”, was eventually released as its own single too. That’s where Phil’s demo was original taken from, though it is mislabelled as “Acoustic, Acoustic Version”. Nope – just Phil’s demo, same as this one here.

Two awesome acoustic versions from the “Tonight” CD single are next in a row. The acoustic version of “Tonight” itself could surpass the album version. It just had vibe. Loads of vibe. Fabulous guitar solo. Then Collen’s “S.M.C.” (named for Steven Maynard Clark) features just he and Vivian on acoustic guitar. It’s a very brief, often forgotten instrumental in a neo-classical style. This is its first re-issue since the original single. Play it for your friends and ask them to guess who it is. (They won’t be able to.)

This CD closes on the four tracks from the rare EP In the Clubs…In Your Face, recording in Bonn Germany. Four solid hits: “Hysteria”, “Photograph”, “Sugar”, and the aforementioned live version of “Let’s Get Rocked”. The club crowd is obviously pumped! “Hysteria” sounds awesome; “Photograph” is as strong as ever. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Let’s Get Rocked” are sort of two of a kind live, a little clunkier but the crowd sure loves ’em. The new song is a happily received as the old.

This disc makes for a solid listen. Hits in alternate, lesser heard versions are sure to be pleasers. The tunes that aren’t hits are all solid themselves. Although it’s a little disappointing when you scan the track listing and realize such-and-such a B-side is missing, the folks in Leppard know what they are doing. They’ve re-organized this material to sit next to like material later in the series, and it’ll all be coming up in due time…and perhaps in a more enjoyable track listing too. We’ll just have to hear how it goes disc by disc! Rarities 2 is a lot of fun and a great (almost) hour on its own.

5/5 stars

24. Rarities 3

RE-REVIEW: Def Leppard – Adrenalize (1992)

Part Thirteen of the Def Leppard Review Series

Original review: Adrenalize deluxe (2009)
Singles reviews:
“Let’s Get Rocked” (1992)
“Make Love Like a Man” (1992)
“Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” (1992)
“Heaven Is” (1993)
“Tonight” (1993)

DEF LEPPARD – Adrenalize (CD Collection Volume 2 Disc 1) (Originally 1992, 2019 remaster)

Here they were again! A #1 album. Adrenalize eventually sold three million, no small feat during the peak of the grunge era. A step down from Hysteria, but a success. And after yet another devastating loss. Choosing to record without replacing the fallen Steven Maynard Clark, it was up to Phil Collen to handle all the guitar work. He rose to the occasion and the quartet emerged from their years of toil with an album they were satisfied with. And they figured out how to do it on their own, without Mutt Lange tending to every detail.

It all begins with Joe asking the musical question: “Do you wanna get rocked?”

“Let’s Get Rocked” didn’t break any new ground nor did it need to. It served it purpose of putting Leppard back on the charts. But it also highlighted something missing. Where were the riffs? “Let’s Get Rocked” is decidedly unriffy. It relies on a bass groove and guitar pyrotechnics, but the razor sharp riffs of the past are seemingly missing. That didn’t stop it from hitting #1 in the US during a year when bands like Def Leppard were getting dumped by their labels.

One of the most poppy of the new tunes, “Heaven Is”, hits the second slot running. A little of that Steve Clark is present, but this one’s main feature is the melodically constructed vocal melodies. The thick chorus harmony proved that Leppard had learned Mutt’s tricks. Lange did help co-write most of the tracks, but his meticulous studio touch was no longer needed in a producer’s capacity. This time, Leppard produced with Mike Shipley. Mutt was “executive producer”, which pretty much means “quality control”.

The first stumble of album the was second single “Make Love Like a Man”. This cowbell-inflected mid-tempo rocker would have been B-side material five years earlier. Listen carefully for Phil Collen’s “Cockney rhyming rap”.

Fortunately side one is redeemed by one of Def Leppard’s greatest ballads. Demoed during the Hysteria sessions, “Tonight” was the darkest Leppard ballad to date. The standout Rick “Sav” Savage guitar structure is the foundation for a damn special song. There’s Joe utilising his screaming voice a little bit on the chorus. It used to be his trademark, but here reserved only for moments of great expression.

The first side concludes on the Steve Clark tribute “White Lightning”. The brilliant Collen intro is designed to emulate Clark’s trademark guitar drones on “Gods of War”. Tesla tried a similar trick on their own tribute called “Song and Emotion”. In this track, Elliott warns of the dangers of addiction. “You wanna dance with the devil, you gotta play his game.” Clark’s demons are starkly laid out in the words, and the seven dramatic minutes of music are as epic as any of Leppard’s most ambitious moments.

Remarkably, side two opened on another top tier Leppard track. “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” boasted an odd title, and some of Leppard’s catchiest music. Call it a ballad? Sure, why not. It’s somewhere in between ballad and rock tune, but every minute that it’s playing is a minute of the best of Def Leppard. Something about its pulse; its uplifting chime. The undeniable chorus is the icing.

Next is the ode to monogamy called “Personal Property”, not essential Leppard. We do love the part when Joe threatens/screams, “You wanna stay healthy man? Take my advice! You better hit the road Jack, and don’t come back.”

A decent, but syrupy throwaway ballad with the overlong title “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” is the weakest of the three here, but that didn’t stop it from being chosen as a single and going top 10 in Canada and the US. It’s just nothing special given the quantity of superior ballads in the past (and future). Following that is the most pop track of the batch, “I Wanna Touch U”, a bouncy good song if vastly removed from “Wasted” and “Ride in the Sun”.

The 10th and final track is the new version of the familiar “Tear It Down”. This born rocker has been polished up and produced just right for album release. Which do you prefer? The final Adrenalize rendition, or the raw B-side from ’87?

Like Hysteria before, Adrenalize came complete with a number of important B-sides. Perhaps the most crucial of these was a track that could have been a throwaway, but “Two Steps Behind” turned into Leppard’s first acoustic song. This opened doors to entirely new worlds for the band. We will take a closer look at these B-sides when we arrive at the appropriate discs in the CD Collection Volume 2 box set.

With an album completed, released, and on the charts, there was another challenge ahead. Def Leppard were a two guitar band. Phil Collen did admirably well, playing all the guitars on the album. Live, they’d need someone both capable and dedicated. What are the odds of finding the exact right match?

Adrenalize did what it had to do. It kept the band alive and viable. Hysteria was a period of exponential musical growth for Def Leppard. If they couldn’t repeat that kind of experimental innovation this time out, they’d have to give it a shot next time. And they would.

3/5 stars

14. Live at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

#973: “Let’s Get Rocked” – The Wait for Adrenalize

Part Twelve of the Def Leppard Review Series

RECORD STORE TALES #973: “Let’s Get Rocked” – The Wait for Adrenalize

Before the internet, the best way to access your rock news in Canada was to buy magazines and watch the Pepsi Power Hour. We had all the US magazines plus M.E.A.T and some of the best rock coverage with MuchMusic. You’d be negligent in your rock and roll duties if you didn’t buy some magazines.

I remember buying one at the end of the 80s, the turn of the decade. It might have been Metal Edge or something of a lower tier. (You bought what was on the shelf when pickings were slim.) But they had a column by a psychic who was making rock and roll predictions for the coming decade. Stuff like “Will Jon and Richie break up?” What interested me the most was what she predicted for Joe Elliott of Def Leppard. The biggest rock band in the world, she claimed, would get only get bigger. Joe’s next album would outsell Hysteria, and he would get involved with some important causes.

Was she confusing Joe for Bono? Cool if true, but outselling Hysteria? Hard to imagine.

A few things were known about the next album at the start of the new decade. They’d be trying to produce it without “Mutt” Lange for one. “Mutt will be involved,” said Joe, but in a different capacity. The goal was to make a “quick” album — one year instead of several. They had one song earmarked from a B-side called “Tear It Down”. They also had some unfinished ideas left over from Hysteria such as the ballad “Tonight”. As kids, we imagined an album less produced than Hysteria, but hopefully just as good. I had actual dreams of anticipation at night, imagining the new album cover sitting there on the shelves. Continuing with the “-ia” naming convention, the next album was said to be titled Dementia. A title they dropped in favour of something less negative, when once again things went down the toilet.

Rick Allen’s car accident was extremely unfortunate, but what happened this time was tragic. Steve Clark, always the band’s riff-master and shape-throwing classic rocker, was gone.

The guitarist had been suffering from his addictions, and this time a deadly mixture of prescription pills and alcohol was enough to end his life. January 8 1991, “Steamin'” Steve Clark was no more.

The band didn’t know what to do but carry on. Record the the album as a four-piece. Dedicate it to Steve. Don’t even think about replacements until it’s necessary.

And so the fans mourned, and waited. As the band toiled away, now producing with Mike Shipley, we anxiously awaited news. Any news. A few song titled leaked out: “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad”, “Stand Up”, “Tonight”, “Tear It Down”.

And then, over a year after Clark’s death, listening to the radio one snowy afternoon: Q107 out of Toronto, announced: new Def Leppard. Coming right up.

My sister and I huddled around the radio. We may have popped in a tape to record it; I can’t remember. We didn’t need to since it was about to carpet-bomb the nation with radio and video play. “Let’s Get Rocked” was here!

And it was…

OK.

It was OK. It sounded like Def Leppard. It didn’t push the boundaries in any fashion. It was safe, straightforward, and simple.

“Well, that classical section with the violins was different,” I said trying to see the bright side.

“Yeah, but that was just one short part,” answered my more realistic sister.

Through the years of anticipating a new Def Leppard album, we imagined some growth. Maybe not as drastic a transition as they made from Pyromania to Hysteria, but something at least. The one-time biggest band in the world shouldn’t just spin their tires musically.

“You know what, I’m gonna let it go,” I said. “They’ve had to deal with so much, and when Steve died, they just needed to get an album out. They can grow on the next album.” (And boy did they!)

With that attitude, I counted the days until I would trek to the mall and finally get the new Def Leppard in my hands. Now with the title Adrenalize, and with “Let’s Get Rocked” climbing up the charts, it was time for Leppard’s return. A long time coming, if not the way it was planned!

13: Adrenalize

DVD REVIEW: Def Leppard – In the Round In Your Face (1989)

Part Eleven of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – In the Round In Your Face (1989 VHS, 2001 Universal DVD)

When I was a kid, in love with music and watching every video on television, there was only one concert I wanted to see. Grade 10, going on grade 11, the only show I craved was Def Leppard. Their innovative stage in the round, in the center of the arena, seemed like the ultimate package. But I was just too young and had no one to go with, so I never made it. Fortunately, Def Leppard released a home video to satisfy those of us who could not be there. I rented the tape from Steve’s TV and made a copy. It was the best I could do on my allowance. To make up for it, I bought it three times since on different formats (VHS, DVD, CD).

I popped the tape into the VCR with anticipation. A sped-up collage of the stage assembly flashed before my eyes, to the sound of “Rocket”. A massive undertaking, but this was just pre-amble. The show was about to begin!

It was just as I had heard about in the highschool halls. The stage was draped on all four sides by massive Hysteria curtains.

“I know what you’re thinking,” says Clint Eastwood over the sound system. “‘Did he fire six shots, or only five?’ Well to tell you the truth you know in all is excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself.” A laser show begins dancing on the curtains. “You’ve got to ask yourself one question. ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punk (punk punk punk)?”

Guitars replace the echo of Eastwood’s voice.

“I said welcome to my show!” screams Joe Elliot, teasing us before the curtains finally crash down and “Stagefright” kicks off the proceedings! Even in my armchair, there’s still goosebumps.

Def Leppard rip through “Stagefright”, completely in control, on fire as hot as their early days. Each member throws shapes on stage while Rick Allen keeps the whole thing moving, on drums in the middle. Leppard’s stage is not flat, with catwalks and staircases for the band to run and jump all over, which they do. Overhead cameras capture everything, from every angle. Nobody but Allen is confined to one space, as the band leap from place to place in the name of entertainment.

Continuing with the Pyromania, “Rock! Rock!” keeps the pace going at full speed. It brings a tear to the eye, seeing Steve Clark do his trademark whirlwind moves on stage, accented by his red scarf and made only more perfect in the round setting. A reminder that this was it — the last high point of the Clark era. Fortunately captured on camera and tape.

The first new song, and break in tempo, is “Women”. This is the famous version released as a single B-side with the “We got everything we need!” intro. You know it, you love it, it’s legendary: the live version of “Women”. Rick Savage mans the keyboard station for the time being while the lights get dimmer. Lots of echo on this one to duplicate the album ambience. “Too Late For Love” — a damn fine version — brings a ballady vibe, which they then lean into fully on an early appearance of “Hysteria”. The live version of “Hysteria” is lengthier with an extended bass intro. It feels like Def Leppard are a band with four frontmen, with the amount of shape-throwing going on here! And, for a moment, Joe Elliott on rhythm guitar! A funny little 80s axe with no headstock it is, locking down the riff while Steve and Phil embark on a glorious dual-guitar harmony solo.

Steve Clark gets a mini-solo to open “Gods Of War”, a Leppard epic that really shines in the live setting. We always thought it should have been the 8th Hysteria single. Rick Savage on acoustic guitar during the outro. The lights blast at the end, simulation “the bomb” and the band exist the stage as the lights go black. It’s a perfect transition to the gunshot sound effects that open “Die Hard the Hunter”. Lighters up! Off goes Phil’s shirt. This track is a return to the tempo of the opening duo, all three being from Pyromania.

Indeed, it is time to address the setlist. You may have noticed all the tracks are from Pyromania and Hysteria thus far. There is nothing from On Through the Night, and only one from High N’ Dry: “Bringing On the Heartbreak”. “This is one of our earlier songs, that we’re going to play a brand new way for ya,” says Joe. It seems they were trying to focus on the big albums that people had heard on MTV rather than their heavier metallic roots on this tour. Phil Collen gets a nice acoustic intro to show off his skills, along with Steve on doubleneck. This new semi-acoustic version of “Heartbreak” was so the band wouldn’t get sick of the song; it’s interesting anyway.

“Foolin'” ushers in a long stream of big, big hits. Steve’s still rockin’ the doubleneck. Then “Armageddon It” is nice and fresh. Much of this footage will be familiar to fans of the music video. “Animal” is tight, and received with a rapturous applause. Lots of girls in the front row dancing to this one.

There’s a touching moment in the “Pour Some Sugar On Me” intro when Joe says that the return of Rick Allen “the Thundergod” on drums was the biggest “up” that the band ever had. They then make easy work of the hit single. Phil takes a solo rip on the fretboard before “Rock of Ages”, and then of course the obligatory long audience singalong section. (“You can do better than that!”) The encore “Photograph” closes the show, and a great song to do it with. Shirts are no longer required where Joe and Steve are concerned.

This video was expertly directed by Wayne Isham. It is simply one of the best shot and edited live concerts available on DVD. It’s also – sadly – a document of the last stand for this lineup of the band. They had hit the top. Unfortunately you can never stay.

5/5 stars

12. The Wait for Adrenalize (Record Store Tales)

THREE-VIEW: Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)

Part Nine of the Def Leppard Review Series

Deluxe edition review: Hysteria deluxe (2006)
30th Anniversary edition review: Hysteria 5 CD 30th (2017)
Classic Albums DVD review: Hysteria (2002)
Historia VHS review (1988)

Note: This being the third Hysteria album review, we will be taking a different approach. The first two reviews were detailed and comprehensive so please check those out for all the nitty gritty. This one will be more nostalgic in nature.

DEF LEPPARD – Hysteria (1987 Vertigo)

Kiss were always my “favourite band”, but the majority of my highschool years from 1987 to 1989 were all about Def Leppard. Although they wanted to be the biggest band in the world with this album, many of us were cheering for them to win. The band had endured years of adversity since the triumph of Pyromania.

Most obviously was Rick Allen’s car accident. It was hard to imagine how the drummer was going to come back from it, losing his left arm and almost his right as well. But he did. He frickin’ did it. Rick Allen, the Thundergod, returned and Joe Elliott said it was biggest “up” the band ever had. How could you not want them to win under those circumstances?

The biggest change on Hysteria (so named to characterise the last four years of their lives) was obviously the drum kit. Rick Allen had a style, employing classic grip and wicked rolls. Now he had a new electronic kit, with samples triggered by foot pedals and an arsenal of modern sounds. Allen adapted with a fresh style, leading the charge with a chugga-chugga and some bam-pow. His new style is one of the defining traits of Hysteria.

The first single here, and first taste of the new Leppard, was “Women”, an unorthodox pick. A slow grind led by a synth-y sounding bassline from Rick Savage, it is neither a ballad nor a scorcher. It’s not immediately catchy either, but it drew us all back in for a second third and fourth lesson until we were hooked. The sound: clean, precise, with layers of vocals and assorted melodic tones. But shit, did the band ever look cool in the video.

Hysteria arrived on my tape deck Christmas of 1987. It quickly monopolized my listening time, though it took a couple spins to “get it”.

“Rocket” threw me for a loop. I considered it filler; too contemporary and not enough rock. Bogged down with samples, backwards vocals and tricks. It sounded like the kind of song that would be impossible to perform live (though they did). Over the years I’ve warmed up to “Rocket”. The tribal beat inspired by Burundi Black makes it quite unique in hard rock, and the lyrics are delightful once you realize that Joe’s just naming all his favourite bands and albums. The meticulously recorded chorus really illustrates the intricate kind of process at hand. Each voice recorded separately and mixed down to the final product. Then there’s the long droning middle section, a unique construction worthy of a detailed listen. “Rocket” was another odd selection for a single, but it was a hit as the seventh and final one almost two years after the album was released.

It was hard to resist “Animal”, even though it was a blatant sonic declaration that Leppard were going for hits. As the second single from the album, it made some impact with its circus-themed music video. Light rock, with a punchy chorus, “Animal” was a well-written track with yet more of those immaculately recorded backing vocals. In the lead singer department, Joe was content to sing more and scream less, a trend that would continue. The fact is, the guy didn’t have to scream, though he’s terribly good at it.

Hysteria has a variety of tracks, but only two are ballads. “Love Bites” was selected as fifth single, and a smash hit it was. I wondered why they used a Judas Priest song title, but the song actually has country origins. Producer “Mutt” Lange brought the bones of it to the band as a twangy country song. The end product is nothing like that, with odd computerized voices and a slow dramatic build. Like every song on the album, the chorus kills. The band (with Lange) had really honed in on writing and recording technically perfect songs. There’s a lot going on in the mix on “Love Bites” but none of it is wasted. Everything’s necessary for the right vibe.

“Step inside, walk this way! It’s you n’ me babe, hey hey!” Shakespeare it ain’t. A hit, it was! “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, the fourth single, was the breakthrough smash that launched this album on the charts for two years. Def Leppard had ripped off a couple classic rock tunes here, but they were selling them to kids who never heard the originals. Mixing rap and rock, Leppard sold a bajillion singles and umptillion albums to kids worldwide. It wasn’t even an obvious hit. The genre-bending song took some getting used to initially.

Closing side one, the sixth single: “Armageddon It”. The stuttering guitar riff made it easy to like, if a bit light. This tune is fun to listen to with headphones on, to help break down all the different tracks of guitar. The cool thing that each guitar part is catchy on its own.

The North American videos for “Sugar” and “Armageddon It” were filmed live, and showed off Leppard’s innovative “in the round” stage. From the TV in the basement, it sure looked like the ultimate concert experience. We’d get a full taste of it on the In the Round: In Your Face home video (1989). Today you can get this concert on both CD and DVD. The CD version is included in the comprehensive Hysteria 30th Anniversary box set.

Opening side two is the track we all thought should have been a single: “Gods of War”, an epic in its own right, from the same lineage as “Overture” from the 1980 debut album. With Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher sampled in the tune, it just sounded cool. Steve Clark’s E-bow opening drone sets the stage for a dramatic tune full of riffs, hooks and guitar action. It’s not political, just anti-war like many Ozzy tunes of the time. Its length probably prohibited it from being a single…but they did edit down “Rocket”.

The first non-single on the album is the hard rocker “Don’t Shoot Shotgun”. Some odd vocal effects keep it from being a standard guitar rocker; almost every song on Hysteria has some strange twist in the mix. Though more laid back in groove, this is the first tune that hearkens back to old Leppard. Slicker, sugar coated and easier to swallow though. It is paired with “Run Riot”, a similar track with a faster tempo. Tasty guitars from Collen and Clarke, chugging drums from the Thundergod. Screamin’ Joe sounding like the Joe from Pyromania, and Savage sounding less synth-y than the other tracks.

The last single on the album was actually the third single released: the brilliant title track “Hysteria”. The diamond-like flawless ballad was laid down literally one note at a time, giving it a precise but delicate nature. It was arguably the most pop Leppard had ever been, and that’s just fine. When you have a song this good, it doesn’t matter what you call it. Best tune on the album? Arguably. The precise picking is delectable and Joe has one of his best vocal performances right here. Unlike other songs on the album, it’s low on sonic gimmicks.

If there was one song to eject from the album, it’s the penultimate track “Excitable”. Back to gimmicks, it relies too much on samples and weird digitally manipulated vocals. It sounds like it was intended to be a crossover hit. It could have been replaced by a superior B-side (which we’ll get to).

The album closer is a majestic mid-tempo not-quite-ballad-thing called “Love and Affection”, possibly the second best tune on the whole album after “Hysteria” itself. It’s all about taste, but this deep cut is one of the strongest. It’s all about the song, no extra trimmings, just melody and arrangement. It easily could have been a single. There’s this one chunky Steve Clark lick that just slays me. Rick Allen’s pound has never been more suited to a track as it slams through the chorus. A really triumphant track that I would have released as ninth single after “Gods of War”!

Although it took a year (until the release of “Sugar”) to recoup its costs, Hysteria was an undisputed win for the band that worked so hard for it. Their loyalty to their drummer was not to lost to fans and media alike, and actually worked in their favour creating a new and exciting 80s rock sound.

But there was more to Hysteria than just the 12 tracks. Remixes and live material aside, there were five notable B-sides. All excellent in their own right.

Backing “Women” was the straight-ahead rocker “Tear It Down”. These B-sides were not produced by Mutt and therefore have a more raw edge, akin to older Leppard. “Tear It Down” rocked relentess, hard but mid-tempo cool. After a one-off live TV performance, the song was earmarked for re-recording on the next album….

On the flipside of “Animal” we find “I Wanna to Be Your Hero”, with a ballady opening and hard rocking middle. How did this song not make the album? Clearly one of the best tunes, it has both a chugging riff and a pop-smart melody.

The heaviest tune backed the softest. “Ride Into the Sun” was the B-side to “Hysteria”, and what a smoker it is. A re-recording of a song from the Def Leppard EP, it is also re-arranged with new lyrics and new chorus. It’s far superior and kicks every ass in the room. The B-side to “Sugar” was “Ring of Fire”, just as heavy as “Ride Into the Sun” but not as immediately catchy.

Finally, the last of the B-sides was a cover. A very confusing cover indeed. “Release Me” featured their roadie Malvin Mortimer doing something that might be considered singing. To add to the mess, the band all switched instruments with Joe on piano, so nobody really knew what they were doing. The band credited the song to “Stumpus Maximus and the Good Ol’ Boys” and in the liner notes, Joe claimed “Rarely in my travels have I come across such a monumental talent as Stumpus Maximus.” Only when Stumpus unfurls his unholy screams at exactly 2:36 did I get the joke.

The Hysteria sessions yielded some unfinished material as well, that Leppard would finally release in the 1990s. One of these tunes, a screaming “She’s Too Tough”, first saw the light of day on Helix’s 1987 album Wild in the Streets, released two months ahead of Hysteria. Brian Vollmer is one of the few singers who can do justice to Joe’s challenging vocal.

Hysteria is available in a comprehensive 5 CD/2 DVD box set with all the B-sides, remixes, and live tracks. It includes the Classic Albums “making of” documentary, all the music videos, and the entire In the Round: In Your Face concert on CD. It is, without a doubt, the best way to own the most important Def Leppard album.

But before you buy, some perspective.

There’s a legendary 0/10 review by Martin Popoff that I’d like to share some quotes from. If I’m over-enthusiastic about Hysteria, then consider this.

“High tech, tasteless, and devoid of life whatsoever.”
“Even Elliott’s vocals, probably the last vestige that hasn’t completely been swallowed by robots, sound like some kind of dry-wheezing mechanical lung wired to the man’s death bed.”
“Hysteria is a major assault to anyone’s intelligence.”
“An offensive kick in the head sent straight from the rock ‘n’ roll bored room.”

Take my rating with a grain of salt.

5/5 stars

Gallery of single covers

10. Soundtrack From the Video Historia (Record Store Tales)

	mikeladano on New! Improved! Grab A Stack of…
	Bonnie L on SHOCKER! MarriedAndHeels becom…
	Zack on New! Improved! Grab A Stack of…
	mikeladano on #1051: Covid Chronicles 4…
	Lana Teramae on #1051: Covid Chronicles 4…

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