''The Early Years 79–81'' is a five-disc

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

by the English rock group

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...

, released by UMC on 20 March 2020. The set includes remastered versions of the band's first two studio albums: ''

On Through the Night ''On Through the Night'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 14 March 1980. The album was produced by Tom Allom. It charted at No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 51 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album feat ...

'' (originally released in 1980) and ''

High 'n' Dry ''High 'n' Dry'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on 6 July 1981. ''High 'n' Dry'' was Pete Willis' last full-time album with Def Leppard. It charted at No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 26 on th ...

'' (originally released in 1981), plus songs from the band's 1979 EP, a complete live concert recording from 1980, and a variety of

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

, studio outtakes, and

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

appearances from the band's formative period between 1979 and 1981.

Background

In late 2019, Def Leppard announced the impending release of a collection of material from their formative years, to include the first ever official live recordings featuring guitarist

Pete Willis Peter Andrew Willis (born 16 February 1960) is a retired English guitarist, best known as a founder member of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He was with Def Leppard from 1977 to 1982, when he was fired from the band and replaced by Phil Coll ...

, who left the band in 1982. The release coincided with the 40th anniversary of their debut album ''

''. The box set collects material from the period in which Def Leppard was considered a leading band in the

New Wave of British Heavy Metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

. The collection was curated by singer

Joe Elliott Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute band the ...

, with remastering overseen by the band's longtime sound engineer Ronan McHugh. The physical release includes a history written by ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' writer Paul Elliott plus personal messages from the band, rare photos, and memorabilia. The 1980 live set was recorded at the New Theatre in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and had never before been released. Included among the early songs recorded live in 1980 are "When the Rain Falls", which was later re-written as "

Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film '' Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The song was performed in its original show ...

" for the ''High 'n' Dry'' album, and "Medicine Man" which became "

Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) ''Pyromania'' is the third studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983 through Vertigo Records in UK and Europe and through Mercury Records in the US. The first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen who replaced f ...

" on the band's 1983 album ''

Pyromania Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term ''pyromania'' comes from the Greek word (''pyr'', 'f ...

''. The live recordings were not edited in any fashion. Also included are remixes of "

Bringin' On the Heartbreak "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" is a song by English rock band Def Leppard. A power ballad, it was the second single from their 1981 album '' High 'n' Dry''. The song was written by three of the band's members, Steve Clark, Pete Willis and Joe ...

" and "Me and My Wine" that were added to a 1984 reissue of ''High 'n' Dry,'' and an early version of "Rock Brigade" produced by Nick Tauber that was intended as a British single but never released.

Reception

According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, "''The Early Years 79–81'' set captures Def Leppard as they burst onto the scene and quickly refined their sound into something millions of people couldn't get enough of," and that the box set is "interesting enough historically, and it's definitely worth it to true Def Lep devotees." ''Spectrum Culture'' called the box set "an effective introduction to the uninitiated, charting the giddy origins from which the Sheffield stalwarts rocketed to stadium-conquering heights," and "a compulsory addition to the collection of any seasoned Def Leppard follower."

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals *

Steve Clark Stephen Maynard Clark (23 April 1960 – 8 January 1991) was an English musician. He was a guitarist and songwriter for the hard rock band Def Leppard until his death in 1991. In 2007, Clark was ranked No. 11 on ''Classic Rock Magazine's'' "1 ...

– lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals *

Rick Savage Richard Savage (born 2 December 1960) is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and a founder member of the rock band Def Leppard. Savage and lead singer Joe Elliott are the only two remaining original members of the band. With ...

– bass, backing vocals * Rick Allen – drums * Frank Noon – drums on 1979 EP tracks

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Early Years 79-81, The Def Leppard compilation albums Def Leppard live albums 2020 compilation albums 2020 live albums BBC Radio recordings Virgin EMI Records albums