Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
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Free Music Notes for Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
Free Music Review: The most complete Def Leppard compilation...period!
Hit: 5 Stars
The Good
Def Leppard's last compilation CD was 1995 Vault. It was packet with 15 of the group's biggest hits, but a lot of fans felt short-changed. The band had, for the most part, ignored their early years. There were no songs from On Through the Night, and only one song from High N'Dry. Not to mention there were a lot of fan favorites that weren't big hits that were excluded as well. Finally with this release, the band or someone at their label has gotten it right.
Rock of Ages puts together 35 Def Leppard favorites on two CDs. The first disc is a complete rehashing of Vault with two songs added. That's not a bad thing because you have to include such hits as "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", "Let's Get Rocked", "Miss You in a Heartbeat", and "Two Steps Behind" among others. The two added songs are the catchy and harmonious "Heaven Is" from Adrenalize and the multi-layered instrumental "Switch 625" from High N' Dry".
The second disc mixes classic fan favorites (leaning a lot on the High N' Dry & Pyromania years) with singles that were released after Vault. The anthemic "Rock Rock (Till You Drop), the bluesy "Let It Go", and the metal-sounding "Another Hit and Run" reminds you how versatile Def Leppard is. On the flip side of that, you are reminded how they sold their souls to the commercial music industry on the alternative based cuts "Slang" and "Work It Out", and the pop-rock ballad "Now".
That's just my opinion though. The songs are good, but just not the Def Leppard I grew up with; to each their own I guess. It's nice to hear "Rock Brigade" and "Wasted" from their first album. You can hear how young and raw they were back then. The group even includes two tracks from their `return to form' album Euphoria; "Promises" (love that riff) and "Paper Sun". To give you a taste of their next release, the Def Leppard includes their power-pop cover of Badfinger's "No Matter What".
The Bad
The sequencing is my only complaint. They should have run in chronologically, but instead it's all over the place. What better way to get you to listen to they stuff from Slang and X (there I go again).
The Verdict
The most complete Def Leppard compilation...period! You get the hits, the favorites, the rare, and a preview of what's to come.
Free Music Review: "Do You Wanna Rokced...?" Listen To Def Leppard!
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the finest hard rock bands was, without a doubt, Def Leppard. From "Photograph" to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" to "Armageddon It" to "Let's Get Rocked", they crafted some of the best rock and roll music since Led Zeppellin, and also created two of the finest rock albums ever made ("Pyromania" and "Hysteria").
When I got the 1995 hits collection "Vault", I was immediately a Def Leppard fan. I immediately loved every song (though I didn't really like "Pour Some Sugar On Me" at first, but that is now my favorite) and immediately craved more. Since I'm not the guy who likes to spend hismoney on every single album one band released, I was hoping a two disc best of would be released. Well, all my hopes were realized with "Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection", a two disc, 35 song collection of Def's best.
Disc One is where the hits are, containing all 15 songs from "Vault" (which means, unfortunately, "Rocket" is once again edited and, if I did my math correctly, there was just enough room to accomodate the whole song). I'm glad they included "When love And Hate Collide", the at the time new recoridng from "Vault". Usually, when a band puts a new song on their first best of album, this song is virtually ignored on all others. But they didn't do that here. "When Love And Hate Collide" is a great song amd I'm glad it's here. In addition to the "Vault" tracks, two other songs have been included. "Heaven Is" from 1991's "Adrenaline" is a solid midtempo rocker that I like. And "Switch 625" is the instrumental that "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" fades into. It's great to have those two tracks back together again.
Disc Two is where virtually all of the band's key album cuts come in, including "Rock Rock (Till You Drop", the intense "Another Hit And Run", "Die Hrad The Hunter", "Billy's Got A Gun", "Women" (the forgotten "Hysteria" single), "High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)" and many, many others. Also included is a new track, a version of Badfinger's "No Matter What" from their upcoming covers album. It's really a good song. The only song I wish was here is their cover of Sweet's "Action".
The liner notes are excellent, with the band members vididly recounting each song. This album is without a must have for all fans of hard rock.
Free Music Review: Quit The Griping, This Album Is AWESOME!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw Def Leppard June 9 in concert, I was front row center and they rocked just as hard as they did when I saw them 13 years ago in Dallas...the fact that a band of this caliber has been together since 1977 and continues to rock and mature shows you that they have real talent...where are the bands that were around at their time? Most have dried up, blown away, or are playing theme parks or are so full of themselves they can't get back together to play music anymore. Stop complaining that they don't sound like 1983 or 1986 anymore...ITS NOT THE 80s!!! You have to grow with the times and adjust your music...
The only disappointment is that a few good songs were missing from the compilation, but if you get the British Greatest Hits collection (Which Joe Elliot signed for me at the concert), you will get almost all the great Lep songs out there. If all the good songs were released, it would have had to been a four-album CD, and most people have enough know-how to make their own four-album collection anyway....
A few of the songs left off I would have included on the double CD
Lady Strange
No, No, No
Action
Rocket (Hysteria Album Version)
All I Want Is Everything
Day After Day
Demolition Man
Desert Song
Disintegrate
Don't Shoot Shotgun
Excitable
Gods Of War
Waterloo Sunset (Awesome song!!)
Hello America (The song that started it all)
I Am Your Child
I Wanna Be Your Hero
I Wanna Touch U
It Don't Matter
It's Only Love
Kings Of Oblivion
Love And Affection
Make Love Like A Man
Me & My Wine (Love the video)
On Through The Night
Personal Property
Stagefright (They opened their Hysteria tour shows with this)
Rocks Off
Run Riot
She's Too Tough
Tear It Down
Tonight
Unbelievable
White Lighting
Action! Not Words
Back In Black (AC/DC Cover)
Can't Keep Away From The Flame (Acoustic)
You Got Me Runnin'
Coming Under Fire
So there you go, the songs that were missing from the US Release...just make two more CDs and you have the complete best of Def Leppard.
Free Music Review: Total Ear Candy. NOTHING should stop you from buying it!
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow....am I impressed. I used to have the cd DEF LEPPARD: VAULT. I had to throw that CD out. Why because I wore the Hell out of it. I played it so much the cd was scratched beyond saving. Never got around to replacing VAULT and now I don't need to. DEF LEPPARD: ROCK OF AGES calls itself "THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION" and it is. I'm sure a few reviewers here might nitpick over a few missing songs, but all in all I think ROCK OF AGES does a great job of representin'. I myself have the cds for HIGH & DRY, PYROMANIA and HYSTERIA. The other cds never really impressed me as much as those three...although they did have a few good songs here and there. Well, now I HAVE those songs cuz they're on here!
So for every mega-hit like POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME you get a minor hit like "PROMISES".
DISC 1:
1. POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
2. PHOTOGRAPH
3. LOVE BITES
4. LET'S GET ROCKED
5. TWO STEPS BEHIND (ACOUSTIC)
6. ANIMAL
7. HEAVEN IS
8. FOOLIN'
9. ROCKET
10.WHEN LOVE & HATE COLLIDE
11. ARMAGEDDON IT
12.HAVBE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD?
13. ROCK OF AGES
14.HYSTERIA
15.MISS YOU IN A HEARTBEAT
16. BRINGIN ON THE HEARTBREAK
17. SWITCH 625
DISC 2:
1. ROCK ROCK (TIL YOU DROP)
2. LET IT GO
3. HIGH N DRY (SATURDAY NIGHT)
4. TOO LATE FOR LOVE
5. NO MATTER WHAT
6. PROMISES
7. MIRROR, MIRROR (LOOK INTO MY EYES)
8. WOMEN
9. ANOTHER HIT AND RUN
10. SLANG
11.STAND UP (KICK LOVE INTO MOTION)
12. ROCK BRIGADE
13.NOW
14.PAPER SUN
15.WORK IT OUT
16. DIE HARD THE HUNTER
17. WASTED
18. BILLY'S GOT A GUN
ALSO: If you ever get a chance to see DEF LEPPARD in concert DO IT. They put on an incredible show!
Free Music Review: Almost perfect Def Leppard collection...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is definitely one of the best "Greatest Hits/Best Of" collections around, It covers Leppard's entire career and only has a few glaring omissions. If you are new to Def Leppard, this is a good place to start since it has their biggest hits and most of the best songs from all of their releases. If you have been a fan for a long time, it's nice to have this much great music on two discs.
Early Leppard is represented fairly well here with Wasted, Rock Brigade, High 'N' Dry, Mirror Mirror and others, but how could they NOT include Hello America, Sorrow Is A Women and Lady Strange? Personally, On Through The Night and High 'N' Dry are my favorite Leppard albums. Their sound is more raw and unpolished, but the energy is great and the beginnings of the multi-platinum monster are in place.
Most of this collection, of course, comes from the Pyromania, Hysteria and Adrenalize albums. This is the time in their career when Leppard could have recorded a soundcheck and it would have sold 2 million copies. Pretty much everything is covered from this period, the only real "miss" is Tear It Down is not included. Also, RetroActive could have been represented by Only After Dark(GREAT Mick Ronson cover that's better than most of Yeah!) in addition to Miss You In A Heartbeat.
The rest of the album covers the Slang, Euphoria and X albums. These really aren't my favorite Leppard recordings, I just don't feel the albums are as strong start to finish as their others - but they do have their moments. In fact, Promises(from Euphoria) may be my favorite Leppard song.
Another great thing about this collection is the booklet/artwork. It has great pictures, a good intro story and comments on each song by the band members.
Top to bottom this is a great album and a must have for any fan of great rock and roll.