Def Leppard - Vault

When it comes to Def Leppard I will say I'm a "best of" fan, but not a "greatest hits" fan. I've wrote these words before, along with almost every other word in this review. The Vault greatest hits album is just like the first disc of the Rock Of Ages album, but with a couple omissions and a few alterations.

Sadly, this disc is a greatest hits, which means I'm not going to be very happy in my writing of this one. And just to once again explain the difference, "Best of" doesn't mean the singles or commercial stuff, but "greatest hits does". Most of Def Leppard's hits come from sissy ballads that they resorted to releasing in order to try and keep up with the changing music scene. However, this album contains only the greatest hits.

The album opens with Pour Some Sugar on Me (Historia Video Edit). Off the top of my head I don't know what the difference in this edit is. Upon further investigation I come to learn that this version is longer, by about half a minute. I really need to go listen to the original album version again and check out what else is different. Aside from that, this is a good solid song, that was meant for rocking the arenas. I mean this may actually be the best example of 80's Arena Rock that has ever existed. I believe it was Mutt Lange's production that made this song what it was.

I'm not a fan of Photograph. This was probably the song that truly ended their association with NWOBHM (New Wave Of British heavy Metal). At this point they were clearly a Rock band, but that's okay. They never really belonged with that other crowd, and were better off being removed from that title. It allowed them to sell more albums, which normally doesn't mean much to me, but a multi platinum album speaks volumes.

Love Bites is the first time I will not complain about a Def Leppard sissy ballad. "When you make love, do you look in the mirror? / Who do you think of? / Does he look like me? / Do you tell lies? / And say that it's forever? / Do you think twice, or just touch and see? / Ooh babe / Oh yeah / When you're alone, do you let go? / Are you wild and willin', or is it just for show? / Ooh C'mon / I don't wanna touch you too much baby / 'Cos making love to you might drive me crazy / I know you think that love is the way you make it / So I don't wanna be there when you decide to break it / No!". I love how it's pretty much him calling her out, but still admitting the hold she has on him. My only complaint is that this is what we use to call an "Oooo, baby song".

I have a love/hate relationship with Let's Get Rocked. I love the song and hate having to listen to people bash it. This song defined everything I was about when it dropped in 1992. It was a song about a guy that just wants to get rocked one way or the other, or both at the same time if he can. That's what being a teenage boy is all about. However, hearing comments like "What a waste, to put a solo like that in this piece of shit" was a pretty normal statement from my friend Matt.

Two Steps Behind (Acoustic Version) is meant to be skipped. This song has sucked since day one, and did more to kill my respect for Def Leppard than any other song they have ever released. It's just complete commercial shit meant strictly for women, and nothing more. If you like this song, you either have a vagina, or wish to be one. I have to struggle to sit through this song every time I hear it and can't hit a skip button.

Animal is a lot like Photograph to me, however the chorus on this song is a major saving grace. I absolutely love the way the pre chorus and chorus sound, as well as the slightly cheesy lyrics, especially at the end of the song, during that big climax. "I gotta feel it in my blood / Whoa-oh / I need your touch don't need your love / Whoa-oh / And I want, and I need, and I lust / Animal / And I want, and I need, and I lust / Animal / And I want (And I want) / And I need (And I need) / And I lust (And I lust) / Animal (Animal) / And I want (Take me) / And I need (Tame me) / And I lust (Make me) / Animal (Your Animal) / And I want (Show me) / And I need (Stroke me) / And I lust (Let me be your...) / Animal (Animal) / And I want (I want) / And I need (Ooh-ooh-ooh) / And I lust (Yeah Animal)". I just love the arena rock sound on it.

Every song to this point appears in the exact same order as it does on Rock Of Ages. Although, the other CD has an extra song here, which I thought was for skipping anyway. Then the exact same order continues, until further notice.

Take everything I said about Animal, which is basically the verses are blah, but the pre chorus and choruses of Foolin' are sweet. It's not as good as Animal, and that's because of the production which makes the sound kind of hollow. Imagine a bubble. Now picture the music as being that bubble with the outside being all cool and pretty, but you know there is nothing in the middle but air. That's how how I think of the audio on this one.

Rocket (Visualize Video Edit) is the version that comes from the music video. This is the version that we all know, because it's the one that was on the radio, and the music video. What anyone that has never owned the Hysteria album may not know that this is actually a much shorter version of this song. The original is over two and half minutes longer. It's been so long since I've heard that version that I couldn't tell you how much of a difference it makes. However, since this song is so cool I can only imagine that it was two and half minutes of excellence. It really sucks how the radio really got stupid about song length, or the fact that so many people lack the patience to listen to a song for that long. It forces good songs like this to get dumbed down.

I'm not going to complain or bitch about When Love & Hate Collide. It got me many slow dances, with many teenage breasts pushed up tightly against my chest. It was worth suffering through, and still better than other really shitty ballads on this double album set.

Armageddon It is okay, if you are into this kind of typical Def Leppard song. I find it a bit boring, but because it's so typical of them.

Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad is one fo those ballads I really want to go on a tirade about. I want to go on about how all the members of the band decided to get sex changes, and become a cliche girl band. However, instead I'm going to say that it was after this song that they went that route instead. This was from the album before the record Two Steps Behind came from. At that point, they had clearly given up being men, because now that I think of it Retro Active was the only other album I had access to besides Hysteria. My step mom owned a copy, and I remember borrowing it, and then never listening to it again. I really hate these silly power ballads of their's.

I don't know if I really like Rock of Ages. I find it boring, and a bit stale. However, I find it ironic that the first line in after the count in is "It's better to burn out, than fade away." I have been saying for years that they need to stop touring. Joe Elliot can't sing the songs like he use to, and I don't like the way they've had to alter them to suit.

To be honest, by the time I hit Hysteria on this disc I'm pretty burned out on these songs that are Slow Rock. It's great if you are trying to get in a girls pants, especially with this song, but I really want to hear something with more of a pulse. Don't get me wrong it's a good song, but it's just so damn slow. If the tempo had gone up from 107 to a more lively 130, and had a bit more back bone it would be better.

Miss You in a Heartbeat is one of the ballads that I'm a little okay with, but after all the other slower songs I'm not overly happy to be listening to it. I normally don't listen to this one on my own either.

Okay so you would think that after all the bitching and complaining I've done about slow songs and ballads I'd be ready to shoot myself by the time Bringin' on the Heartbreak starts. However, you would be wrong. This is one of my favourite , if not my favourite, Def leppard songs. Why do you ask? What makes this song so special and different? It's because I will crank the fuck out of this song to hear Joe Elliots multi layered vocals in the chorus any day of the week. Also this song is heavy as fuck. I know it sounds like I just smokeds a huge bowl of crack, but I'm serious. The production is a bit hallow, but for a song that came out in 1981 it was Led Zeppelin-esque with how heavy it sounds on the outside of that bubble. I mean this song is heavier than Diamond Head's Sweet And Innocent or Iron Maiden's Remember Tomorrow, and that says something. (Which is not, that I'm on crack.)

The Rock Of Ages CD has one more track at the very end of the first disc. Other than that, the track list is the exact same. However, this one does not use alternate cuts, so it does make the discs a little different. Not enough to need to own both, but I bought this one first, and then the second one came out years later.

9/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias