The compilations are coming fast and furious. First we had the UK greatest hits compilation called ‘Best of Def Leppard’ which came in a 1 CD and a 2 CD version. The U.S. did not get that release. Instead, about 6 months later, the States got a slightly different collection called ‘Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection’. This was released May 17, 2005 about 7 months later and went to #10 on the Billboard 200 chart selling over 1 million copies in the States alone. Canada bought about 200,000. So, it did well.
How does this one differ from “Best of”? Not by a whole lot. The biggest, noticeable difference is the artwork is really spruced up and more vibrant with the Union Jack used as background. Some of the pictures are the same and the liner notes I think are identical. This time, Disc 1 is identical to ‘Vault’ with the only change adding 2 songs. Disc 2 is pretty close to the same as well. There is a different New song. Instead of the cover of The Kink’s “Waterloo Sunset”, we get a Badfinger cover of “No Matter What”. We do get 18 tracks on Disc 2 instead of 17 with “Paper Sun” and “Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes” being different. The dropped “Make Love Like A Man”, thankfully. And lastly, the track order is shaken up on Disc 2 as well. Let’s be realistic, they aren’t that different.
DISC 1:
The album opens with the biggest song of their career, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”. It was the third single off ‘Hysteria’ in the UK, but the fourth in the States. And it was do or die time for the band. They need to sell way more and this song did it for them. Yes, the song is about sex, but it is it the energy of the song that make this one so good. This is the ‘Historia’ Video Edit version which opens with “Love is a like a Bomb” and is actually longer then the album version.
Then with no mercy, we get “Photograph”. First…the song is NOT about Marilyn Monroe. The song is about an obsession with a woman and all you have of her is that photograph. The Marilyn Monroe part was added for the video to help tell the story. And it captures it perfectly. As the video shows that obsession going a little too far. The song was perfect in my book and the video was mesmerizing. The two together captured my attention like nothing ever had before and every time MTV showed, I turned up the volume!
“Love Bites” is the only Def Leppard song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. What I like about the song is that the guy is so in love with this person that he is actually going a little nuts. Hell, just touching her drives him crazy. But he isn’t sure she feels the same way. He keeps questioning her. Maybe it is really his own insecurities that are causing him to doubt the relationship. Or maybe she doesn’t love him and he really senses something missing.It is such a heartfelt, emotive song. The lyrics paint a great picture that you can visualize exactly what is going through the guys mind and you might have even experienced those feelings yourself. At the end of the song is the phrase…”Yes it does / It will be hell”…which is done in a little softer, darker and in a raspy tone. The rumor was always that the band was saying “Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell”. Of course, the band has denied said rumor and I have to say that I never heard that when listening to it.
The opening track from ‘Adrenalize, “Let’s Get Rocked”, was also the first single off the and did pretty good going to #15 on the Billboard charts and #2 in the UK. The song is a mindless fun track about a teenager disobeying their parents and yet it was filled with sexual innuendo after sexual innuendo. The most important thing about this song is the question is asks you at the very beginning…”Do You Want To Get Rocked?”. And the answer is always…YES!
“Two Steps Behind” (acoustic version) is up next and this is not the version that was the B-Side to “Make Love Like a Man”. That song had a bunch of great B-Sides didn’t it. No, this is the version that was on the movie soundtrack for ‘Last Action Hero’ with the added strings by Michael Kamen. The song went to #12 on the billboard charts and is one of the band’s best ballads they have ever done.
Next is the song that was the band’s debut single off ‘Hysteria’ for the in the rest of the world and the second single here in the States. “Animal” did much better than “Women” which had performed poorly on the charts. “Animal” went to #19 and cracked the Top 40. It was also the band’s first hit in their home country of the UK going to #6! Finally, they had UK success. This song was even more pop than you’d expect. It sounded like it could’ve come from INXS and was more in the realm of pop bands of that niche.
Up next is “Heaven Is” which was the 5th single from the album reaching #13 in the UK, but didn’t chart in the States. The song is about a woman…a very fine woman and you can figure the rest. It is a pop song, no doubt. Massive choruses, probably bigger than they have ever done. It is a little cheesy at times, but it is kinda catchy. This is one of the different songs that wasn’t on ‘Vault’.
“Foolin’” is a song about love and heartbreak inspired by a girl Joe had met while on tour in the U.S. He fell for her, but apparently she cheated on him…Bitch!! One of those songs you never tire of hearing as it don’t get much better than this. This was the third single off the album and it went to #28 on the Top 40 and #9 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The final Top 40 single from the album as the fourth single didn’t chart in the Top 100.
Next was “Rocket” which was the final single released out of 7 on ‘the album ‘Hysteria’…wow. “Rocket” went to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 so it was yet another successful single. This version is the single edit, which runs around two and a half minutes shorter then the album version. The song was inspired by “Burundi Black” by Burundi Steiphenson Black which had inspired the likes of Bow Wow Wow and Adan and the Ants. What started out as basically an instrumental turned in to a celebration of all the band’s influences from David Bowie, to Elton John, to T Rex, to The Stones and even Lou Reed. Lines from the song constantly referenced lines from or titles of songs from the 70’s. I loved trying to pick them out.
“When Love & Hate Collide”. was released as a single on October 2, 1995 and is tied as the highest charting song in the UK for the band going to #2. In the US it didn’t crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, but did make the Adult Top 40 going to #39…just barely making it. A song that was demoed back during ‘Adrenalize’, but lost out to “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad”. The song was in consideration for the ‘Slang’ album, but was finally decided it would be used for this compilation since it was “syrupy-sounding” according to Viv and exactly what the label wanted.
“Armageddon It” was released in March of 1988 in the UK and in November 1988 in the U.S. where it went all the way to #3 in the U.S. The song was a play on words as the song ask “Are You getting It” and the reply is “I’m a getting it” but said as “Armageddon It”. The song has a T. Rex vibe to it with a cool, catchy riff that you can almost sing it. The song is a modern version of the whole glam scene from the 70’s. I always thought the song was a little cheesy and it is, but something works.
The song that beat out “When Love & Hate Collide” on ‘Adrenalize’ is next. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” is yet another ballad and the third single off the album and the highest charting as well going to #12 on the Hot 100 and #7 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. A tale of unrequited love, I mean, the title sums it up nicely. I love how the guitar solo mirrors the emotions and you can feel the sadness he is feeling not having his love returned.
“Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen” kicks off “Rock of Ages”, but no one knows what it means as it is just gibberish. Joe speaks the following lines “All right/I’ve got something to say/It’s better to burn out/Than to fade away”; which are a reference to Neil Young’s song “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” and heck even Kurgen from Highlander quotes the lines. The song is a rock anthem with some wicked guitar work, some kick ass cowbell and you can never have enough cowbell. The song went to #16 in the Top 40 and #1 on the Mainstream Rock track as well. A song that owes a lot to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” as Joe credits that for the inspiration.
“Hysteria”, is up next and it was released in the U.S. in January 1988 and the UK in November 1987 where the song went to #10 on the Billboard Charts and no surprise as it was crafted to be a hit. Mutt Lange basically built this song one note at time. A ballad that is unlike any other ballad at the time. The most mature sounding song that to me sees the band’s songwriting hit another level. This, my friends, is the BEST song on the album.
“Miss You In A Heartbeat” is up next and it is the acoustic version that has both Joe Elliott and Pete Woodroffe on piano with the rest of the band on other acoustic instruments. I personally like this better than “Two Steps Behind”, also from “RetroActive”, as one of the band’s best ballads and I really like “Two Steps Behind”. This one is soft and tender with heartfelt vocals by Joe and great angelic backing vocals by the boys. The song was written by Phil Collen and was actually recorded by Paul Rodgers’ band The Law for their self-titled debut album from 1991.
This leads us in to the albums final track. “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” would become the ballad all ballads are compared to for me. The song is dramatic, heartfelt and Joe’s vocals are perfectly suited with all the emotion needed to convey the lyrics. There is a sadness in the tone, the vocals and when the solo kicks in from Pete, it is transformative. The solo is quick, but pulls out the song’s feels and truly delivers. This bleeds in to “Switch 625” where ‘Best Of’ omitted that song. This is actually the first (and maybe only) compilation with both songs done like ‘High & Dry’.
DISC 2:
“Rock!, Rock! (Till You Drop)” was originally called “Medicine Man”. The band re-worked it with a different rhythm section, new lyrics and Phil added the solo. Mutt turned it in to an incredible opening track and a blistering heavy rock song with that eerie opening, the heart pounding drums and those guitar riffs were as metal as this album would get.
‘High & Dry’ opens with “Let It Go”, which has a massively killer riff that just explodes with the first note. The high energy rocker makes it abundantly clear that this isn’t the band of ‘On Through the Night’ as it is better constructed, better musicianship, better vocals and pure excitement and powerful. The guitar duo of Clark and Willis take what they did on the debut and make it 10 X’s edgier and 10 X’s insane. The song should sound familiar as we heard it on the live album ‘When the Walls Come Tumbling Down’ where it was known as “When the Rain Falls”.
Back to back, ‘High & Dry’ songs…love it! “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)” has a takes no-prisoners attitude as the boys are ready party and pillage with their crunchy guitars, destructive drums and bombastic bass. Joe sounds angry and ready to party as his vocals have that perfect rock grit that delivers another perfect rocker. The song would make a huge list in the 80’s. It wound up on the “Filthy Fifteen” which was the Parent Music Resouce Center (PMRC) due to its lyrical content of alcohol use and intoxication. For the metal community this was a badge of honor!!
“Too Late For Love” is dark and eerie and when the power comes in it turns it in to more of rock song. A song about love and regret had all the emotions needed in the vocals as Joe could hit some really cool screams and notes. A song that wasn’t going to be a single, but due to the success fo the first three singles, they though let’s release another one and it went to #9 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, but didn’t hit the Top 40 as no offical video was done for it.
The new song on here is the Badfinger cover of “No Matter What”. It is a faithful version, I’ll give it that. It is a little upbeat, but honestly, it is a little paint-by-numbers. No real life to it. It is like, hey guys we need another song…and they went through the motions cutting the track. I prefer “Waterloo Sunset” on “Best of”.
Next up is “Promises” and is the most Leppard sounding song on the whole ‘Euphoria’ album. The album’s first single and written by Phil and Mutt. The song went to #1 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and immediately caught my ear when I heard on the radio. I was so excited to go out and get the album after I heard this. This has a huge chorus, a catchy beat and a mid-tempo rocker that is everything you want from this band. This one will take you back and one of the best tracks on the album.
“Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)” opens with a haunting riff and then Rick lays down some fills and sets the groove with Rick Savage thumping hard on the bass. A great groove indeed as it is Sav’s standout track. Joe’s vocals are also as haunting as the guitars. There is a dark, foreboding eeriness to the song that I truly love. It is a band hitting on all cylinders with this one…pure perfection.
“Women” was the first single for ‘Hysteria’ in the U.S., but “Animal” was the first everywhere else. The reason for that is that Leppard wanted to make sure their core audience, the males, would understand what they were going for with the sound of this new album. They knew women might not like this one, however, the song isn’t degrading women at all. It is actually inspired by the important women in Joe Elliott’s life and is an anthem that actually pays tribute and celebrates women both their beauty and their strength all with a biblical background to it.
“Another Hit & Run” might be the heaviest on that album as those guitars are crazy. The solo on this seems to be with both Pete & Steve and it is is freaking insane. The speed and dexterity is unmatched on this album. There is a cool part where things go quiet, Joe whispers a few words and with a 1, 2 the song explodes back to full force. A force to be reckoned with for sure.
The first single and title track, “Slang” is one of two songs that might be considered more of their older sound, but still nothing like anything else they’ve done up to this point. You could possibly dance to this one too. Heck, even Joe raps a little on this one. WTF??? Yeah, that was my first impression as well. But, I love it. They are keeping us on our toes with this one. A song about phone sex too…huh!!!
“Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” was the fourth single off ‘Adrenalize’ and it did really well going to #34 on the Hot 100 and #1 on Mainstream Rock Chart. And there is a reason for it as it is another great ballad by the band. This one was actually written for Hysteria, but it sounded too similar to the song “Hysteria” so it was scrapped and held on to for later use.
“Rock Brigade” is a scorcher. A full on 70’s vibe reminiscent to me of Aerosmith. The guitars are loud and crunchy with Pete Willis laying down a brutal solo and the band has a ton of handclaps that march along to the beat. The drumming by young Allen is top notch and the lad is already heads and shoulders above his competition.
The first track and single off the ‘X’ album is the song called “Now”. The song was written by the band with the help of Marti Frederiksen. If Phil wanted a song like “Jaded” with the classy, perfect production, well, he got it. “Now” is as slick of production as it comes. There is a rock element to the song, but let’s be honest, it is pop in all its glory. It is modern, but still has the Leppard tone to it that shows the band is still in there somewhere.
“Paper Sun” is one of those epic songs that Lep has on their albums in the vein of “White Lightning” and “Gods of War”. This one is a little psychedelic, a little rock and a lot of pure class by the band. The guitar work on the album is some of the best by the band, Joe sounds amazing and the rhythm section of Rick and Rick just takes this song up a notch. It doesn’t get much better than this. This was the second single and went to #11 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart…not bad.
One of the more fun songs on ‘Slang’ is the rocker “Work It Out”. Vivian Campbell’s first major contribution to the band and it is a homerun. It has a more industrial sound, it is heavier and that bass at time from Sav is so freaking funky. And some of the best bass work, bar none, on the album. I gravitated to this one immediately and might be one of my favorite tracks on the album…if not THE favorite track.
“Die Hard the Hunter” opens with the sound of a helicopter and machine gun fire and is representative of war, the Vietnam War to be exact. The song is about a war veteran who comes back from war, but can’t seem to let it go. The battles the soldier faces being home as he can’t seem to stop fighting the battles and now they are in his mind. The evils of war are following him everywhere and he is struggling to let go of the bad and find the good. A common problem with soldiers then and even today.
“Wasted” is a solid rocking track which is even a little sleazy. A great song live as well. This one is pretty simple, killer riffs, powerful drums and Joe’s vocals rocking out about the vices of drugs and alcohol. Nothing more to it as nothing more is needed. A pure metal track!
Can danger have a sound? Well, if so then “Billy’s Got a Gun” is that sound. Listen to that bass line by Savage as it is just that…savage. Joe’s voals are so powerful and he feels everything with those screams and the way he sings that chorus. The guitar work is also great mixed with Rick’s drumming. The song is about Billy whose mental state is degrading fast and he is starting down a road that will lead to violence. This version is slightly edited from the studio track removing that instrumental piece at the end. It ended ‘Pyromania’, why not the compilation as well.
And that is it for “Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection’. Do I like it more than ‘Best of Def Leppard’ from a year earlier? Yes, but only slightly. I like the artwork better. You get one extra song. They dropped ‘Make Love Like A Man”, thrilled about that as I don’t like that song very much. They added “Paper Sun” and another from ‘High & Dry’ with “Mirror Mirror”…that is plus. And added “Switch 625” to the end of “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”. The only thing I didn’t like is I preferred “Waterloo Sunset” to “No Matter What”. So, the short answer is Yes. Therefore, My Overall Score is a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars.
NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – ‘YEAH’ (2006)
THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES
- Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
- First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
- Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
- On Through the Night (1980)
- When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
- High & Dry (1981)
- Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
- Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
- Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
- Pyromania (1983)
- “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
- “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
- Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
- Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
- Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
- Hysteria (1987)
- “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
- Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
- Rarities – Volume One (2018)
- Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
- Historia – DVD (1988)
- Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
- Adrenalize (1992)
- “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
- “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
- Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
- Retro Active (1993)
- Visualize DVD (1993)
- Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
- Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
- “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
- Video Archive (1995)
- Slang (1996)
- Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
- Euphoria (1999)
- Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
- Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
- Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
- Cybernauts – Live (2000)
- Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
- X (2002)
- Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
- Best of Def Leppard (2004)
- Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
- Yeah! (2006)
- Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
- Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
- Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
- B-Sides (2021)
- Yeah! II (2021)
- Yeah! Live (2021)
- CMT Crossraods – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
- Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
- Def Leppard (2015)
- The Lost Session (2018)
- Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
- Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
- Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
- Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
- Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
- Diamond Star Halos (2022)
- High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
- Drastic Symphonies (2023)
- Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
- Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
- Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
- “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)
PREVIOUSLY POSTED:
- The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
- Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
- “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
- Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” – 5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
- Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
- “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
- “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
- Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
- X: World Tour (2003)
- Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
- Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
- Viva! Hysteria (2013)
- And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
- Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
- The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
- The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
- Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
- Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
- Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
- The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
- The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
- London to Vegas (2020)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
- The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
- The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
- Def Leppard Funko Pop!
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