Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits

From their formation in the mid-late seventies to the modern day, Def Leppard has been one of the most consistent rock bands out there. From their days as part of the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) to their days as a classic hard rock band in the eighties to their modern days as a pop-rock band, they rarely fail to please. It took them long enough, but at long last we have a Def Leppard greatest hits compilation. How does it measure up? Read on for my review of Vault.

PROS:
-If you're a very casual fan, and the big hits are all you're looking for, this might be enough for you. You get hits like Pour Some Sugar On Me, Bringin' On The Heartbreak, Rock Of Ages, Photograph, and many more.
-There are many underrated tracks here as well.
-There is a new recording.
-Two rare edited versions of tracks can be found here.
-Import versions of the compilation features a bonus disc of live hits.
-Since this came out in 1995, there are no tracks for the horrible Slang and X albums.

CONS:
-The cover of the compilation lies. There are NO TRACKS FROM 1980 on here! That means no tracks from the band's first (and in my opinion best) album, On Through The Night.
-WAY TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON HYSTERIA. HALF OF THE ALBUM IS ON HERE!
-A few hits are missing - Hello America, Too Late For Love, and Women.
-Too many of the band's underrated masterpieces are missing - Sorrow Is A Woman, It Could Be You, Ride Into The Sun (Version One), Rocks Off, Overture, Lady Strange, High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night), Gods Of War, Comin' Under Fire, Billy's Got A Gun, and many others.
-This needed to be a two-disc compilation. Perhaps one disc of hits and one disc of underrated tracks would have been a good idea.
-No tracks from the 1999 Euphoria album since this came out in 1995.
-No lyrics included.
-Two Steps Behind and Miss You In A Heartbeat are the inferior acoustic versions, not the superior electric versions.
-Too many ballads.
-The two-disc Super Vault isn't a whole lot better, but it IS better.

OVERALL:
If you're seeking an introduction to Def Leppard, BUY THE PYROMANIA AND HYSTERIA ALBUMS - DO NOT BUY THIS. Hits compilations are often a scattershot mix of mediocre tracks that do nothing more than give you a small sample of the band's talent - and Def Leppard is no exception. Get their albums instead - I can't stress that enough.


You gotta be DEF to not like LEPPARD!   March 14, 2004
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Not being the world's biggest Leppard fan, I picked this up at a car boot sale for 1, just to see what all the fuss was about. That was about a year ago. However, now that I've got into them, this album just doesn't do it for me. As someone else has said, you'd be better off with "Hysteria" and "Pyromania", both of which I now have on vinyl. I tend to skip most of the tracks on this CD now that I've burned my 2 vinyls onto CD. But having said that, it did get me into Leppard, and it's an OK starting point for anyone who wants to do the same. Cool tracks include "Pour Some Sugar...", "Love Bites", "Rock of Ages" and "Bringin' On...". The liner notes are a good read, and there's a little bit about each track from members of the band.

Leppard kick ass, and from the picture in the middle of the booklet, you'll see that a good few people would agree! This is an OK compilation, but "Hysteria" and "Pyromania" will keep you up all night with the air guitar on full!


Def Leppard-15 years of the best ,1980 to 1995   December 7, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

After the Retro Active release in 1993 with its basic attempt to showcase new member Vivian Campbell and to clear the decks of old material still lying around with some potential such as the slow, melodic ballad "two steps behind", the construction of the album "Slang" was weighing down the group's shoulders.So they thought that if they really wanted to start afresh,they should finally compile all the greatest tracks of the past six albums,then release "Slang" to begin a new era of the lep."Vault" was finally released in October of 1995 and the experimental album "Slang" was released in the spring of 1996.
"Vault" starts of with a prodigious burst of energy (supplied by the saccharin of course!!)with the anthemic and dynamic "Pour some sugar on me" from the masterclass album "Hysteria" which supplies most of the material in "Vault" to be frank! Then it continues on to the catchy and rythmic rock hit "Photograph" which is defined in a raw and powerful way, mostly thanks to one of the greatest producers ever Robert John "Mutt" Lange who stands out as the unofficial sixth member of Def Leppard. Such hits as "Animal","Rocket","Hysteria" will leave you musically aching and "When love and hate collide" is ,in my opinion, one of the best rock ballads ever. The understated guitar solo and the lyrics are sublime and will surely stand the test of time!
Even though this album is the pure article, the album is maybe just short of a classic song like "Foolin'" to keep complete interest but I'm sure people really don't mind and would rather listen to "Heaven is" instead!! The album is all about chart suceess and maybe a "Best Of" would have fitted the bill to compile the definitive material of Def Leppard.
This album still is a classic though and I am sure people will be hooked on this for the rest of their lives when ever they are in need of some SHEFFIELD STEEL!


moments in time   June 1, 2003
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

The Vault album is always a joy to listen to if you're not a hardcore Def Leppard fan. I always felt though that they had so much more to offer with their hits album. Their live performances are just so vibrant and with so much energy that it should have been in the hits album. I'm guessing another hits album is being considered and that this time round a double CD will be generated. Still the Vault album is one of the best albums to have in your CD collection.


A jam-packed hits collection plus a bonus disc!   November 10, 2002
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

A good intro to a very under-rated band who never quite got the chart success they deserved in the UK despite being massive in the US.

This represents the output from their three main albums ("Pyromania", "Hysteria" and "Adrenalize") and contains a variety of rock classics, heavy rock, soft rock and rock ballads.

For the collector and enthusiast, this "Limited Edition" version also contains a 2nd CD of 9 live tracks recorded at the Don Valley, Sheffield in 1993. All 9 tracks (with the exception of "Foolin") appear in their original format on the 1st CD so you also get a chance to hear how they sounded live!