Def Leppard: Joe Elliot (vocals); Pete Willis, Phil Collen, Steve Clark , Vivian Campbell (guitar); Rick Savage (bass guitar); Rick Allen (drums).

Recording information: 1980 - 2005.

In the mid-1980s, there were few hard-rock bands as popular as Sheffield, England's Def Leppard. Influenced by the glam rock of Queen, Slade, and the Sweet, the quartet reveled in the style's high-energy elements, while trading the outlandish imagery for a no-frills, denim-clad look that made them even more accessible to the masses. With 1983's PYROMANIA and its delayed follow-up punch, 1987's HYSTERIA, Def Leppard became an international phenomenon, unleashing hit after hit, including the riff-heavy, shout-along singles "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and "Armageddon It."

This collection presents every song on the previously released VAULT: GREATEST HITS 1980-1995, along with an entire second disc of additional album tracks, including the AC/DC-like "High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)" and HYSTERIA's anthemic ode to "Women." Throughout the decades, the group endured its share of upheavals and tragedies--drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a 1985 accident and guitarist Steve Clark died in 1991--but they continued recording into the 21st century (see the 2002 track "Now"), revealing a determination that most of their peers lacked. For fans of '80s hard rock, this 35-track compilation is essential.

Rolling Stone (No. 975, p.78) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "[Def] Lep [cranked] up enough hits to fill this sucker out... "