Best of Def Leppard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Best of Def Leppard
Greatest hits album by
Released25 October 2004
Recorded1979–2004
GenreGlam metal
LabelBludgeon Riffola/Mercury
Def Leppard chronology
X
(2002)
Best of Def Leppard
(2004)
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
(2005)

Best of Def Leppard (or The Best Of) is a compilation album featuring some of Def Leppard's most popular songs. The album charted at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart.[1]

Overview[edit]

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' "Waterloo Sunset" 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[edit]

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Pour Some Sugar on Me" (Historia video version)Hysteria, 19874:52
2."Photograph"
Pyromania, 19834:08
3."Love Bites"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria5:47
4."Let's Get Rocked"
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Adrenalize, 19924:56
5."Two Steps Behind"ElliottRetro Active and Last Action Hero, 19934:20
6."Animal"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria4:04
7."Heaven Is"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Adrenalize3:34
8."Rocket" (Visualize video edit)
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria4:07
9."When Love & Hate Collide"
  • Elliott
  • Savage
Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995), 19954:18
10."Action"Retro Active3:42
11."Long, Long Way to Go"X, 20024:39
12."Make Love Like a Man"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
Adrenalize4:15
13."Armageddon It"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria5:22
14."Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad"
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
Adrenalize5:19
15."Rock of Ages"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
Pyromania4:08
16."Hysteria"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria5:55
17."Bringin' On the Heartbreak"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Willis
High 'n' Dry, 19814:34
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Pyromania3:55
2."Waterloo Sunset"Ray DaviesNew song; later released on Yeah!, 20063:44
3."Promises"
  • Collen
  • Lange
Euphoria, 19993:59
4."Slang"
  • Collen
  • Elliott
Slang, 19962:37
5."Foolin'"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
Pyromania4:34
6."Now"X3:59
7."Rock Brigade"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Savage
On Through the Night, 19803:08
8."Women"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Hysteria5:42
9."Let It Go"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Willis
High 'n' Dry4:42
10."Too Late for Love"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
  • Willis
Pyromania4:27
11."High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Savage
High 'n' Dry3:26
12."Work It Out"CampbellSlang4:45
13."Billy's Got a Gun" (Edited version)
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
  • Willis
Pyromania5:00
14."Another Hit and Run"
  • Elliott
  • Savage
High 'n' Dry4:58
15."Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
Adrenalize4:26
16."Wasted"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
On Through the Night3:48
17."Die Hard the Hunter"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
Pyromania6:17

Charts[edit]

Chart (2004) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[2] 43
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[3] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[4] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 76
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 6
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[7] 2

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[8] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Def Leppard The Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  2. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  3. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Def Leppard – Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Def Leppard – Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Def Leppard – Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Def Leppard | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Def Leppard – Best Of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 April 2019.