I bring Def Leppard up because Goldfish brought them up in another thread and I've been seriously considering rebuilding my collection. I know I had everything up to Adrenalize on tape but time is a harsh misteress and I can't find them all.

Anyway, I bought "On Through the Night" today (I would have bought Pyromania but I'm not paying a store $19.99 for it even though it is good) and I've been rocking out to the 1980's.

I just got done talking to my sister and she pissed me off, I told her I wanted to get a few of their albums on CD and she goes "why don't you just download them?" I'm like "if you don't think their albums are actually worth owning I feel sorry for you." It not like these are albums I'm going to burn out on, I think history has proved this is good music - not some flash-in-the-pan losers you won't ever hear of a year later.

Sry for the rant but that ticked me off... I don't tell her what to buy. Her whole plan to buy a puppy when they are too busy to take care of it is stupid.

I ended up getting The Definitive Collection because it was built up mostly of remastered Pyromania and Hysteria songs and it was a steal for $20. I think it only has one from "On Through the Night", (Wasted, which is great), so I need to look into that and I need to hit most of the stuff they did later on a bit closer (Adrenalize and on, though I've heard mixed reviews on a lot of it). Incredibly consistant group...I have trouble picking favorites, but there's very little I don't like (hell, my favorite song isn't even on the Greatest Hits Collection! Poor "Stagefright"). That's a problem I like having. But I have to say "Armageddon It", "Heaven Is", "Animal", "Rock of Ages", "Another Hit N'Run" and of course, "Photograph" are probably the first ones I always go for.

One thing I never understood about them...I almost never see them listed as Hair Metal, always "Classic Metal" or a NWOBHM band (of which I immediately think Judas Priest or Iron Maiden). I remember on a VH1 interview one of the members (I'm 90% sure it was Phil Collen) wasn't shy about saying they were one of the first metal bands to crossover into pop (they then showed a still with the members of DL buried in money!) and use videos on MTV to increase their exposure. On the other hand...Poison (THE stereotypical hairband) I don't think has ever called themselves a metal band (normally just "Rock N'Roll") and are one of the most maligned "popular" groups I've ever seen for personifying "hair metal" in the 80's. I like both, but both groups are really similar to me, but their reputations couldn't be more different, which is kind of strange.

I was looking at the tracklisting for this and I was pretty impressed compared to 95's Vault, what I didn't like seeing was "video edits" of tracks like "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Of course, I guess that's why you buy Hysteria as well. Problem with these greatest hits albums is I'm already too familiar with their older music and know there is a load of good material not covered. I really want to pick up High 'n' Dry but picking up an album every so often will do.

"I said welcome to my show!"

I remember when Adrenalize came out in 92, I wasn't bowled over by it but I was drawn to it enough to enjoy and respect it. It's a good record; I don't see what would stop me from picking it up again. I liked 93' Retro Active a lot even though it's really is a collection of b-sides (really GOOD b-sides) but after that I didn't hear anything until '99's Euphoria.

Don't I know it, like you said they are consistent ; )

Def Leppard's persona never came off as "hair metal" to me either; they seemed a little more mature in a certain sense. However, it's funny you bring up the term "metal band" - I have a hard time placing Def Leppard as a "metal" band for some reason, when I think of them I think of rock/rock 'n' roll. Of course, when I think metal I think of music that is a little more edgey and raw... Def Leppard's music has a bit more subtlety to it.

When I think metal, I think either Iron Maiden, Judas Priest (although they've had their share of "pop" rock moments...see their "Turbo" album) or the big 4 of thrash metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer) or Speed Metal (Helloween, Dragonforce, Running Wild) or the crazy Black/Death stuff out there now. I have trouble seeing Def Leppard (and some others, like Van Halen, Guns N'Roses, Skid Row and most of the traditional "hair metal" bands like Motley Crue, Warrant, Cinderella or Poison) as heavy metal. "Pop Metal", hard rock, classic rock/metal, Sleaze rock or straight-up Rock N'Roll work for most of them...But that's the issue with trying to assign labels. Just easier to enjoy the shit.

In my opinion Adrenalize beats hysteria because isnt all overplayed. My fav tracks on it are Stand Up, Heaven is, and I wanna touch You.

Slang sucked sans a few gems (Where does Love go when it Dies is a total kick-ass ballad),, Euphoria was a breath of fresh air despite its 90's sound, but X by comparison was like sucking on a tailpipe of a muffler... then i completely gave up on def leppard...

although i still have my tattered euphoria concert shirt from when they played the '99 illinois state fair...

I enjoyed Euphoria quite a bit, "Paper Sun" still gives me chills with how dark it is but I've hardly heard anything positive about Slang and X so that's nothing new.

I found my old box of tapes amidst this remodeling project ay my house so I got to go through the albums when traveling in my car:

On Through the Night - 1980's magic
High N' Dry - definitely want this on CD as well
Pyromania - same
Hysteria - for some reason I really don't want to re-purchase this one...
Adrenalize - same as Hysteria but not as sure in my opinion

Also, does anybody remember a band by the name of Midnight Oil? They had one big hit in the 80's with "Beds Are Burning" which was about how the land in Australia was taken from the Aborigines. Poignant and cheesy, yet classic.

Wow, they're totally off the radar. I'll have to keep an ear out for them. Sounds like the concept was inspired by Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills". Were they a NWOBHM band, like IM/Def Leppard/Judas Priest?

I'm listening to Krokus now...They sound like Def Leppard breeded with AC/DC's riffing style (a high compliment...When a track of theirs comes up on random, I assume it's either a DL or ACDC track), though their albums are really hard to find. They got harder as they moved past the 80's, but they didn't alter their style at all (unlike nearly all the bands I follow)...Which makes their 90's and 00's albums golden.

(Just a side rant...WHY WHY WHY did they chose "Ballroom Blitz" for GH "Rock the 80's"? Awesome song, but why didn't they pick something that wasn't a cover tune from Krokus? Around a dozen albums, 85% of which I love...Surely they could have found SOMETHING. Same deal with White Lion and "Radar Love", but WL is more like...40% of their stuff is good. ;p)

I figured I revive this thread as I've gotten a few of more albums (High 'n' Dry, Pyromania, and Hysteria and Euphoria) and talk - more like rant - on the new one.

Earlier this week I was at the record store at my local mall where I managed to pick up a used copy of Eurphoria (in near mint condition) for $5 - and I must say this album has aged very, very well since I last heard it. Still find it unbelieveable that "Paper Sun" never managed to chart considering it's the last real "rocker" these guys put out but I guess in 1999 this was the last thing people were looking for. Their loss, great song.

I don't have much to say about the new one, but I guess everybody sells out at one point or another Word has it they're going to do another song with another country star... a sign of the end times?

Whatever you, stay the hell away from Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. It's Def Leppard, sterilized beyond recognition. I really can't believe that's actually Vivian Campbell in there now (the same Dio guitarist that tore ass in the 80's).

its funny how old def leppard seemed in '99... and now thats almost 10 yrs ago.
its not funny how old my euphoria tour shirt looks after wearing it to the gym since '99.. It's going to bypass being a bunnyblanket and go straight to the garbage...