Def Leppard News - 26 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD Released The RETRO-ACTIVE Compilation Album

Friday, 4th October 2019

26 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD Released The RETRO-ACTIVE Compilation Album

Retro-Active 1993

Def Leppard released their compilation album Retro-Active 26 years ago on this day in 1993.

The album was released on this day in the UK and around the world. And one day later in the USA and Canada. It became their third consecutive Top Ten album in the UK reaching Number 6.

The first ever compilation album or collection released by the band. It featured B Sides and unreleased tracks dating from 1984 to 1992.

The band first had the idea for an album featuring B Sides and new songs when touring the Hysteria album in 1987/1988. They had aimed to get the album released in the Summer of 1989 but plans were later shelved.

The idea resurfaced in December 1992 (when Joe also came up with the album title) and the project was put together in just six months. Recordings took place backstage on the May 1993 European tour. They also recorded at Joe's Garage home studios in Dublin before and after the Don Valley Stadium show. The project was then finished off by August of 1993 and ready for release by October.

Def Leppard 1993.

This album was seen as a tying up of the Steve Clark era of the band before making their first album with new member Vivian Campbell. Vivian made his first recorded contributions to the band on this album.

Among the 13 main album tracks were two unreleased gems first written and recorded from 1984 to 1987. 'Desert Song' and 'Fractured Love'. The latter was part of the original tracklisting for the Hysteria album in Spring 1985 before Mutt Lange returned and the song was shelved. The intro was recorded by Joe on 11th June 1993 by tapping his fingers on the studio vocal booth "baffles". The sound was then enhanced and looped to form the atmospheric intro.

Most of the tracks were B Sides originally released in 1992 on the various Adrenalize CD/Vinyl singles. All three B Sides on the UK 'Make Love Like A Man' CD single were re worked and ended up as the three singles from this album.

'Two Steps Behind' had a string section added to it and was the first taste of this album having been released in July 1993 as part of the soundtrack to the 'Last Action Hero' movie. It's first ever in concert performance was captured on film at the Don Valley Stadium show on 6th June in the middle of the final recording sessions.

Three songs were released in 1987/1988 as Hysteria single B Sides. The songs had a new snare drum sound added and were remixed to give them new life.

Read a great article below from October 1993 where the band tell the story of making the album in their own words just as the Adrenalize tour was about to end in Mexico City.

Read more about this song.