Def Leppard The Early Years

`The Early Years 79-81' box set represents the band's first two albums, `On Through The Night' (1980) and `High `N' Dry' (1981), and has been prepared in conjunction with singer Joe Elliott who has acted as executive producer on the set. This set comes with 5-CDs consisting of the original albums remastered, B-sides, rarities and re-mix versions, Radio One sessions, Live from Reading and the first ever appearance of an unreleased and newly mixed show from Oxford in 1980.

39 tracks from Def Leppard's X, YEAH! and Songs From The Sparkle Lounge album eras will be released as part of a digital box set in June.

Def Leppard dove into the classic-albums-in-their-entirety trend via an 11-date residency at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, performing 1987's Hysteria from start to finish, adding other classic hits to round out the set. More interestingly, taking a tip from Joe Elliott's Mott the Hoople tribute side project the Down 'n' Outz, Def Leppard opened for themselves, performing as Ded Flatbird and running through rarities and early hits that they have rarely played live in the years since becoming superstars. These Vegas gigs were filmed for a limited-edition theatrical release called Viva Hysteria, which quickly appeared on Blu-ray and DVD, along with a double-CD soundtrack capturing the highlights…

The 2005 double-disc set Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection is the second Def Leppard compilation to be released in the U.S. The first, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits, appeared ten years earlier, and while the band was active in the decade separating the two albums, charting fairly consistently, it didn't have any major hits during that time, so the chief appeal of Rock of Ages versus Vault is that it covers more ground. Vault had 15 songs. Rock of Ages has 35, including all of the songs on Vault…

For the first time ever, Def Leppard played their album Hysteria in its entirety during an eleven-show residency which started on March 22, 2013 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino in Las Vegas. The band also opened for themselves under the fictitious name of Ded FlatTbird for two different sets on each of the nights. During those Ded FlatTbird sets, the band showcased some fan favorites and rare songs from the early years of the band in addition to playing a selection of their greatest hits, highlighting classic material from throughout their career. The Viva! Hysteriashow featured an elaborate set design created specifically for Def Leppard 's Las Vegas residency.