Now here’s a couple of releases that have been on my radar for a little while that I am VERY excited about!

Def Leppard isn’t doing much that excites me these days, but Pyromania, Hysteria, and Adrenalize are the holy trinity amongst the stacks and stacks of albums that I loved in the 80s and 90s.

The deluxe edition (ho-hum in my opinion) for Hysteria was released a couple of years ago, and there will now be deluxe editions of both Pyromania and Adrenalize to fill in a couple of gaps in your Def Leppard collection.

Of particular note – the deluxe of Pyromania will include the legendary Los Angeles Forum show from ’83 on the second disc – one of my first Def Leppard boots!

After reading through several pages of Def Leppard fans speculating about the potential contents/bonus material, you can add me to the list of folks that would love to see an archival DVD release of the Pyromania-era Rockpalast performance and also the Don Valley show from the Adrenalize tour.

And how about deluxe editions of On Through The Night, and High n’ Dry? I KNOW there is some cool live stuff from the era that could be used for bonus material!

Stoked for these! Here’s the full press release:

Def Leppard, Britain’s greatest arena rock band, are set to release deluxe editions of the classic albums “PYROMANIA” and “ADRENALIZE” on June 8 (UK) / June 9 (world) / June 16 (North America). The band also headline Dublin’s O2 Arena on Friday the 12th June and headline the UK’s Download festival on Sunday 14th June 2009.

Having sold over 65-million albums worldwide since their debut release in 1980 and proved themselves one of rock music’s hardest working and consistently powerful live bands (playing to over 50 million fans in the last 15 years alone), these timely Deluxe Editions are a must for any discerning music fan. Def Leppard remain one of only five rock groups who can claim two separate original 10-million-plus selling albums in the U.S. (“PYROMANIA” being one of them). The others are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen.

Both Deluxe Editions will feature deluxe digipak gatefold packaging with expanded booklets containing rare and previously unseen photographs, comprehensive sleeve-notes telling the story behind each album and include images of rare single covers and memorabilia from the period. Liner notes come from Rolling Stone’s David Fricke.

“”PYROMANIA”, Def Leppard’s third album originally released in 1983, was the album that took the band to the global stage. Produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange, the album sold over 10-million copies in the USA alone and spawned the huge singles “PHOTOGRAPH,” “ROCK OF AGES” and “FOOLIN’.” The Deluxe Edition features a remastered version of the original album and a bonus disc of a previously unreleased 15-track show from The Forum in Los Angeles in 1983. Full tracklisting follows:

DISC ONE – PYROMANIA:
1. Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)
2. Photograph
3. Stagefright
4. Too Late For Love
5. Die Hard The Hunter
6. Foolin’
7. Rock Of Ages
8. Comin’ Under Fire
9. Action! Not Words
10. Billy’s Got A Gun

DISC TWO – LIVE LA FORUM 1983:
1. Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)
2. Rock Brigade
3. High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)
4. Another Hit And Run
5. Billy’s Got A Gun
6. Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
7. Foolin’
8. Photograph
9. Rock Of Ages
10. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
11. Switch 625
12. Let It Go
13. Wasted
14. Stagefright
15. Travellin’ Band

“ADRENALIZE, Def Leppard’s fifth studio album from 1992, followed the enormous “HYSTERIA” (released in 1987) and cemented the band as the dominant Arena Rock band. The album was recorded following the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark – with Phil Collen recording all guitar parts – and dedicated to his memory. The album featured huge singles such as “LET’S GET ROCKED” and “MAKE LOVE LIKE A MAN” and debuted at No. 1 in both the UK and USA (and went on to sell over 7-million copies worldwide). The album was produced by Def Leppard and Mike Shipley with Robert “Mutt” Lange as executive producer. The Deluxe Edition features a remastered version of the original album with a bonus disc of rare, live, acoustic and demo versions.

DISC ONE:
1. Let’s Get Rocked
2. Heaven Is
3. Make Love Like A Man
4. Tonight
5. White Lightning
6. Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)
7. Personal Property
8. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
9. I Wanna Touch U
10. Tear It Down

DISC TWO:
1. Hysteria – In The Clubs In Your Face (Bonn 29/05/92)
2. Photograph – In The Clubs In Your Face
3. Pour Some Sugar On Me – In The Clubs In Your Face
4. Let’s Get Rocked – In The Clubs In Your Face
5. You Can’t Always Get What You Want – B-Side
6. Little Wing With Hothouse Flowers – B-Side
7. Tonight (Version 2-Demo Version) – B-Side
8. Now I’m Here (Live) – B-Side
9. Two Steps Behind (Acoustic) B-Side
10. Tonight (Acoustic) – B-Side
11. Too Late For Love (Live) – B-Side
12. Women (Live) – B-Side

Def Leppard set the world alight with “PYROMANIA”. And then gave rock a massive shot in the arm with “ADRENALIZE”. Together, these are a masterclass in melodic hard rock. Now get both with bonus tracks in expanded formats. Two amazing albums. From one great band.