Customer Reviews

Vault: Greatest Hits

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

And Vault, despite what rock purists may say about greatest-hits collections (ie. the songs should be considered in the context of their albums, etc.), is a great example of a greatest-hits album putting the music in better light than ever before.

Def Leppard albums tended to have their share of filler material, so a collection of their best songs works remarkably well. Critics from Rolling Stone have on numerous occasions mentioned, quite accurately, that Def Leppard's strength lies in songcraft, arrangement and studio detail. And it was on individual pop-metal gems like "Love Bites" (aided greatly by a stinging lead guitar that lends strength to the ballad, as with "Bringin' on the Heartbreak"), "Rocket" (thankfully, the wasteful "Whole Lotta Love"-ish middle section, the product of producer R.J. "Mutt" Lange's noodling, is excised; here the song appears in its single version); "Hysteria", "Foolin'", "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" and "Photograph". It is unfortunate that a) Joe Elliott's vocals did sound progressively like Bryan Adams over Def Leppard's career, and not in a good way; b) though drummer Rick Allen admirably carried on after the loss of his arm, his drumbeats post-Pyromania sound stiff and can never go beyond a techno-drone mid-tempo; and c) "White Lightning", the band's 1992 tribute to late guitarist Steve Clark and one of the band's strongest '90s songs, was not included on Vault.

In the '90s, Def Leppard does sound dated and almost a little overproduced. Still, at its peak, the band's songcraft was catchy and its energy infectious.

Released in 1995, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980-1995 was U.K. band Def Leppard's first official compilation. The band was without a doubt one of the biggest rock bands of the 1980's, it's hard to forget some of their biggest hits like "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Rock of Ages" and other great songs. Vault attempts to reunite on a single disc collection the best of Def Leppard, and while that may have been fine in 1995 the reality is that in 2011 with better "Best of" collections released since then, Vault pales in comparison. The songs are great there is no denying that but it focuses way too much on Hysteria, the band's most successful album and offers little else. For those who only want a few of Def Leppard's hits (and mostly material from Hysteria) this is fine but those looking for a better and comprehensive compilations which follows a bigger portion of their career, Rock of Ages is the way to go. In fact the two disc collection Rock of Ages puts Vault to shame, it has the band's hits but also goes into the band's early years which this one barely does with only one song from the band's first two albums, ("Bringin' On The Heartbreak") and also goes into their more experimental years, up until 2002's "X". Vault may have been a standard compilation in 1995 but hits collections now are much more complete and overall, better. ). Vault had a new song "When Love and Hate Collide" and interestingly two acoustic songs.

For some, those 15 songs will be all the Leppard they need and for the most part, that's just fine because the songs on Vault are excellent but as a compilation it lacks. You would be better off with Rock of Ages which will give you all the Leppard you need and more for barely $ 4 more. I really wish Vault would've had earlier Def Leppard, those years are often forgotten to their more successful years (greatest hits often ignore band's early material in order to have more place to the more commercial stuff unfortunately). The big problem with Vault is that it over-glorifies Hysteria over other albums and includes very little else. For what it is I can't give it more than three stars, there are better ways to get into Def Leppard.

Although this is a very good starter CD for one of the bands that put metal in the mainstream in the 1980's, it's missing a little bit. It could have included at least one song from their debut, and at least two more from High n Dry. But the songs they did put on here are really good, and are their best. Let's Get Rocked is sort of reminiscent of an account I had involving a friend who listened to classical music. In short, this is a good collection for a great band, but it could have been better.

Probably one of the greatest bands from the 80's. Their music is pure genius. You can really appreciate it if you listen with headsets. Great selection of greatest hits! I was not a big fan of metal when I was a teenager in the 80's, but this CD made me fall in love with this type of music as a 30-something-even my kids can't keep up with me! This is one of the best CD's I own. Every song is a masterpiece! A must for your collection!

Through tragedy and obsessive life styles, this band made a lot of very good rock music. All 15 songs here are good and most, if not all got main stream radio play time. I think Animal and Rocket are 2 of the best rock songs ever. They were mega-worldwide stars while still very young, and their creativity, lyrics and guitar playing still amaze me after all these years.

Def Leppard is the kind of band my older brother makes a face about. Probably not the band you want to mention when you're trying to impress people with your musical savvy. Call them a guilty pleasure, though, cause they sure are fun to listen to! MTV hits "Pour Some Sugar" and "Rocket", certainly rock, along with classics "Armageddon It" and "Rock Of Ages". But listening to this disc really underscores the band's strengths as pioneers of the power ballad. From "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" to "Two Steps Behind", and even "Foolin'", these guys master the form. Vault provides a great overview of the pre 1995 works.

Def Leppard might not have been the prettiest of the 80s hairspray rockers, but they certainly made up for in sheer likeability. Probably the biggest claim to fame Sheffield can make, Def Leppard wrote catchy, punchy, stadium filling anthems that you just had to wield your tennis racket to.
Vault is biased to showcasing their two biggest selling albums, but it still makes for an impressive collection. If all you ever heard from this bunch was Love Bites or Let's Get Rocked, this is the perfect opportunity to get a crash course.
Pour Some Sugar On Me is sexy and sassy and in every strippers dance compilation.
Rocket is just so wonderfully perfect for a night on the tiles, showering people with beer while you manfully belt the lyrics.
Hysteria may possibly never leave your head. You'll be humming it while you're stuck on public transport, you'll wake up with it still on repeat in your brain.
Oh I could go on, but I shan't. Def purists seem to have a bit of bone of contention with the contents of Vault, but suffice to say, this album will get you very very interested in exploring the band's back catalogue, which is just as advisable as buying this.

If you like good eighties rock then this is the CD for you! I got the CD after hering Def Leppard songs on the radio, so I got the CD, and was very impressed! It has all their songs that are worth having and is a true Greatest Hits album!

In 1814 we took a little trip, Along with Colonel Jackson down the Mighty Mississip, We took a little bacon and we took a little beans... Oops! Wrong CD, Later Dude!

Any greatest hits album is intended for the casual listener or someone who is thinking of "getting into" the band. It is not aimed at die-hard fans. This greatest hits album consists of songs mostly from "Hysteria" and "Pyromania". These were their most popular albums. I saw Def Leppard during the "Euphoria" tour and most of the songs they played were from "Hysteria" and "Pyromania".