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I've read complaints about the price of this set. It is notably steeper than, say, any of the three Rush "Sector" box sets. But even as well packaged as those are, the presentation of both Def Leppard CD Volumes exceed the Rush sets, in depth of content, presentation, and best of all, fan service. I wanted to focus on Volume 2, as it seemed more of a stretch to include worthwhile rarities, as well as noticeable differences of original masters that were created in the "CD age."
I began by skipping to specific songs off each album that are personal favorites and which I've heard hundreds of times on both the original CD pressings and, in the case of Adrenalize, the 2009 Deluxe Edition. "Lets Get Rocked" has many effects peppered through the song's verses. This new remaster pulls those forward and provides finer detail. The most obvious change to the mix, as is the case with EACH album in the set to varying degrees, is the soundstage has expanded in both breadth and depth, and the bottom end has been enhanced. The new versions are definitely louder, which can be good or bad depending on the quality of your sound system, but it does give the mixes a more aggressive, almost "in concert" sense.
One of my absolute favorite DL songs, the electric version of "Miss You In A Heartbeat," included on the Retro Active disc, might be the most astounding improvement I heard in my sampling. The guitar strumming is so detailed and almost, in strange way, tactile that (as a guitarist) I felt like I was actually playing the song. You can hear each string individually as it's strummed and the depth of detail is so intense you can pick out multiple guitars overdubbed in the mix, including an acoustic that I never heard before. I heard none of this on the original pressing, which now by comparison seems muddy.
Rounding out the other two alums... Rick Savage's bass on "Blood Runs Cold," (from the Slang album) is the foundation of the song. Here, it is slightly tighter and the decay of each note lasts longer. This is not surprising given the remasters' enhanced low end. Despite that, the up-front bass is mixed well and does not overwhelm the song. The difference between the original pressing and this set's version of the Slang album is the least noticeable of all the set's albums. But Slang was well recorded to begin with. "Promises" from Euphoria (which IMO is one of the band's most underrated songs in its catalog, next to "Run Riot" on Hysteria) now sounds noticeably wider and the grind of the guitar riffs are... grindier (yeah, well, it's a word now). The expansion of the soundstage is most apparent when the rousing chorus kicks in.
And then there's the bonus content (Rarities, Vols 2-4). Stand-outs... the live session at the Hard Rock Cafe in Singapore '95 took me off guard when I heard "Armageddon It" on an acoustic guitar. The session was a small "unplugged" set, and while they played some acoustic-driven songs like "Two Steps Behind," the material meant for over-driven guitars jamming through jet-engine-level sound systems, actually work really well and brought a smile to my face, simply for the novelty. There is a piano and strings version of "When Love and Hate Collide," which pares the song down to its underlying delicate beauty. And then there's the all too brief In the Clubs...In Your Face live session (Bonn, 92), which was released years ago as an EP and was bonus content on the Adrenalize Deluxe Edition. I am thrilled to have it in this collection. It might be one of the best, most energetic live runs I've ever heard. It's only 4 songs, but what a ride! You can feel the band channeling the energy of the crowd.
Negative? While there are 4 different variations of "When Love and Hate Collide" sprinkled among the Rarities, not one of them is original recording, which was a new track on their 1995 Vault greatest hits package. It seems like it should have been an obvious inclusion for a completionist-esque package. That said, I feel the "Piano and Strings" version is a superior interpretation.
The overall packaging and presentation are top notch. Hard case, hard-cover book stuffed with meaningful details about the songs and that era of the band's career. Even the labels on the CDs are very substantial (as odd as it is to mention, really, an otherwise meaningless detail). The impressive remasters (even for "newer" albums), the extent of Rarities content, and the thoughtful packaging make this set a must for any Def Leppard fan and worth the price.
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