''Best of Def Leppard'' (or ''The Best Of'') is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

featuring some of

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...

's most popular songs. The album charted at No. 6 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

Overview

''Best of'' supplements 1995's '' Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995)'' as the definitive collection of Def Leppard's work. In fact, Disc one of ''Best of'' is essentially the entire ''Vault'' (UK Version) compilation album with the addition of "Long Long Way to Go" from ''X''. A 2-CD limited edition was released in a slipcase with more obscure fan-favourite album cuts on the second disc, including tracks from more recent albums. In the UK, a cover of

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

' "

Waterloo Sunset "Waterloo Sunset" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album '' Something Else by the Kinks''. Composed and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the ...

" was included as a bonus. This foreshadowed the band's forthcoming '70s cover album '' Yeah!''. ''Best Of'' was released in a number of territories around the world, but not North America. A 2-CD best of called '' Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection'' was issued there instead. The single-CD edition of the album features material from 1981's ''High 'n' Dry'' through to 2002's ''X''. Track distribution focuses largely on the band's late '80s/early '90s hits, with a single song from ''High 'n' Dry'', two from ''Pyromania'' (1983), six from ''Hysteria'' (1987), four from ''Adrenalize'' (1992), two from ''Retro Active'' (1993), and a single song from ''X''. "When Love & Hate Collide", the sole new song from 1995's greatest hits set ''Vault'' was also included. The 2-CD version gives a more even cross-section of the band's career, starting with two songs from ''On Through the Night'' (1980), four from ''High 'n' Dry'', seven from ''Pyromania'', seven from ''Hysteria'', five from ''Adrenalize'', two from ''Retro Active'', "When Love & Hate Collide" the new song on ''Vault'', two from ''Slang'' (1996), one from ''Euphoria'' (1999), two from ''X'' (2002) and one new song, the cover of "Waterloo Sunset" which was to be included in the band's forthcoming cover album ''Yeah!'' (2006). The songs are the original album versions, with the following exceptions: *"Pour Some Sugar on Me" is the video edit version. This version actually features an extended, distorted intro, making it longer than the ''Hysteria'' version, which has the shorter "Step inside, walk this way" intro. *"Rocket" is the single edit, which runs around two and a half minutes shorter than its ''Hysteria'' album counterpart. *"Bringin' on the Heartbreak" fades out slightly earlier than the ''High 'n' Dry'' version, as the ''High 'n' Dry'' version segues into "Switch 625".

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of Def Leppard Def Leppard compilation albums 2004 greatest hits albums Mercury Records compilation albums