This section looks at the 'Retro-Active' album's UK chart entry. The first ever compilation album released by the band entered the UK chart on this day in 1993 at its peak position of Number 6.
"We approached 'Retro-Active' in a whole new way."
Def Leppard's compilation album Retro-Active entered the UK album chart at Number 6 on this day in 1993.
The first compilation released by the band became their third consecutive Top Ten album in the UK.
The album had been released on 4th October 1993 at entered the Top 10 at Number 6 on 16th October 1993.
It fell to 18 in week two and by week four was at 57.
Three weeks were spent inside the Top 40.
It later re-entered the chart for two weeks in February 1994 following the release of the 'Action' single. In all spending six weeks on the album charts.
Meatloaf was the Number One album in the same week.
'Retro-Active' was the fourth highest new entry with fellow UK artists M People, The Wonder Stuff and Go West entering above them.
Other notable rock artists in the Top 40 that week were Nirvana (11), Bon Jovi (31) and U2 (35).
UK Top Six Albums - 16th October 1993
- 01 - Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell
- 02 - M People - Elegant Slumming (New Entry)
- 03 - Pet Shop Boys - Very
- 04 - The Wonder Stuff - Construction For The Modern Riot (New Entry)
- 05 - Go West - Aces And Kings the Best Of Go West (New Entry)
- 06 - Def Leppard - Retro-Active - (New Entry/Peak Position)
The Making Of Retro-Active In Def Leppard's Own Words - October 1993
Joe Elliott
"We thought about it last December, starting working on it in our heads in January, physically started working on it in May and we finished it in August."
"The majority of the recording was done in Dublin in nine days. I had a nine o'clock flight to Japan one morning, and I was still in the studio at 8:20 having been in all night working on the intro to 'Fractured Love'. I just made the flight!."
"I've got my fingers crossed that we can keep that mentality when we go in to do the next record. I'm hoping we won't freeze up again!. The attitude of the band has changed so much since the start of '92. It's a different animal."
Rick Savage
"The general feeling in the band is that we want to get back to a more earthy feel. It's still gonna sound like Def Leppard, whatever we do, but we want to get back to our roots. The 'Retro-Active' album is the direction we're going in."
"I don't know whether that would work with Mutt Lange producing, although we may still write songs with him. It depends how the next album goes."
"Mutt's working with people like Michael Bolton now: not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not exactly my cup of tea."
"Then again, the guy produced AC/DC's Back in Black - one of the classic Hard Rock albums, I'd hate to get to the stage where we'd never work with Mutt again, cos we do work well together, there's no question about that."
Joe Elliott
"We approached 'Retro-Active' in a whole new way. We were living on the road, hearing stories,. We weren't locked away in our own little world, cut off from outside influences."
"We were very aware of what was going on around us, so that's why this album sounds much more 'now'. In the past, we've tried to make albums that sound like the future."
"We get accused of selling out, but AC/DC didn't grow up listening to Sweet and Slade and T. Rex. We did, and that's why we have a Pop element to our music. With 'Retro-Active', maybe we're re-awakening the Rock beast!."
"Who'd have thought we'd get an album done in six months?. Well, who'd have bet on Sunderland beating Leeds in the '73 Cup Final?!."
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