News: Def Leppard To Release “The Early Years 79-81” Box-Set 20th March 2020

On 20th March 2020, legendary British rock ‘n roll icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard will release “The Early Years 79-81” Boxset – the definitive collection of the band’s early music – on UMC/Virgin.

“The Early Years 79-81” boxset 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. The mastering has been done by the bandís long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.

This deluxe set comes with 5-CDs consisting of the original album 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. These remasters have been highly anticipated, and much requested, by Def Leppard fans globally.

The album also features an instant grat track, the much sought-after Nick Tauber produced version of “Rock Brigade”, which was originally pencilled as a single for the UK but was never released at the time. Today, 40 years on, the track receives its first release.

Joe Elliott says, “Well the fans asked, and we listened! Really excited to have our early years reworked with a load of rare material including the newly unearthed Live at the Oxford New Theatre, recorded on the 1980 UK tour. It’s been a trip putting this boxset together and I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we did working on it!”

“On Through The Night”, the band’s debut album, was released in 1980 and immediately put the rock world on notice. The band were destined for big things with the album charting at #15 in the UK and #51 in the US. Produced by Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath), it featured many of the band’s live favourites and some updated versions of early singles. The album achieved platinum status in 1989.

“High ‘N Dry”, the first of Def Leppardís albums to be produced by Robert ëMuttí Lange, was released in 1981. It reached #26 in the UK charts and #38 in the US, further cementing the bands status.

“The Early Years 79-81” boxset includes a history of the bandís first two albums written by Mojo and Classic Rock writer Paul Elliott (no relation) featuring personal insights from the band on the making and releasing of those early records as well as rare photos and memorabilia.

Both albums have been remastered and will be available on 1CD version, black vinyl, and limited-edition coloured vinyl.

2020 will see Def Leppard tour the USA with Mˆtley Cr¸e (with support from Poison and Joan Jett) – one of the most eagerly anticipated tours of the year. For USA tour dates please see www.defleppard.com

“The Early Years 79-81” Boxset formats and track listing
CD ONE: ON THROUGH THE NIGHT – RE-MASTERED
1. Rock Brigade
2. Hello America
3. Sorrow Is A Woman
4. It Could Be You
5. Satellite
6. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down
7. Wasted
8. Rocks Off
9. It Don’t Matter
10. Answer to The Master
11. Overture

CD TWO: HIGH ‘N DRY – RE-MASTERED
1. Let It Go
2. Another Hit and Run
3. High N Dry (Saturday Night)
4. Bringin’ On the Heartache
5. Switch 625
6. You Got Me Runnin’
7. Lady Strange
8. On Through the Night
9. Mirror Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
10. No No No

CD THREE: WHEN THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN ñ LIVE IN OXFORD 26/04/1980
1. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down
2. It Could Be You
3. Rock Brigade
4. Satellite
5. Medicine Man
6. Answer to the Master
7. When the Rain Falls
8. Sorrow Is a Woman
9. Good Morning Freedom
10. Don’t Matter to Me
11. Overture
12. Lady Strange
13. GetchaRocks Off
14. Hello America
15. Wasted
16. Ride into The Sun

CD FOUR: TOO MANY JITTERBUGS – B-SIDES AND RARITIES
1. Ride into The Sun – The Def Leppard EP
2. Getcha Rocks Off – The Def Leppard EP
3. The Overture – The Def Leppard EP
4. Wasted -Single
5. Hello America – Single
6. Rock Brigade – Unreleased Nick Tauber produced version
7. Glad I’m Alive – Unreleased Nick Tauber produced version
8. Good Morning Freedom – Single
9. Let It Go – Single Edit
10. Switch 625 – Single Edit
11. Bringin’ On the Heartbreak – Single Edit
12. Me and My Wine – Original Version
13. Bringin’ On the Heartbreak – Remix
14. Me and My Wine – Remix

CD FIVE: RAW – EARLY BBC RECORDINGS
1. Glad I’m Alive (Andy Peebles Session – 07/06/1979)
2. Sorrow Is A Woman (Andy Peebles Session – 07/06/1979)
3. Wasted (Andy Peebles Session – 07/06/1979)
4. Answer to The Master (Andy Peebles Session – 07/06/1979)
5. Satellite (Friday Rock Show Session – 03/10/1979)
6. Rock Brigade (Friday Rock Show Session – 03/10/1979)
7. Wasted (Friday Rock Show Session – 03/10/1979)
8. Good Morning Freedom (Friday Rock Show Session – 03/10/1979)
9. Satellite / When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (Live at the Reading Festival – 24/08/1980)
10. Medicine Man (Live at the Reading Festival – 24/08/1980)
11. The Overture (Live at the Reading Festival – 24/08/1980)
12. Lady Strange (Live at the Reading Festival – 24/08/1980)
13. Getcha Rocks Off (Live at the Reading Festival – 24/08/1980)

ON THROUGH THE NIGHT – RE-MASTERED (1CD)
1. Rock Brigade
2. Hello America
3. Sorrow Is A Woman
4. It Could Be You
5. Satellite
6. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down
7. Wasted
8. Rocks Off
9. It Don’t Matter
10. Answer to The Master
11. Overture

HIGH ëNí DRY ñ RE-MASTERED (1CD)
1. Let It Go
2. Another Hit and Run
3. High N Dry (Saturday Night)
4. Bringin’ On the Heartache
5. Switch 625
6. You Got Me Runnin’
7. Lady Strange
8. On Through the Night
9. Mirror Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
10. No No No

ON THROUGH THE NIGHT (1LP)
Side One
1. Rock Brigade
2. Hello America
3. Sorrow Is A Woman
4. It Could Be You
5. Satellite
6. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down
Side Two
1. Wasted
2. Rocks Off
3. It Don’t Matter
4. Answer to The Master
5. Overture

HIGH ‘N DRY – RE-MASTERED (1LP)
Side One
1. Let It Go
2. Another Hit and Run
3. High N Dry (Saturday Night)
4. Bringin’ On the Heartache
5. Switch 625
Side Two
1. You Got Me Runnin’
2. Lady Strange
3. On Through the Night
4. Mirror Mirror (Look into My Eyes)
5. No No No

DEF LEPPARD
With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of FameÆ inductees, Def Leppard – Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick “Sav” Savage(bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as an institution in both the music and touring industry.

Def Leppard’s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albumsóincluding two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria, capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as “Rock Of Ages”, ìPour Some Sugar on Meî and “Foolin” The band’s 2015 self-titled studio album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Independent Albums charts. The album also took the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s Top Current Albums and No. 10 spot on the Top 200, as well as claiming 15 top 10 debuts around the world. For the first time, in January 2018 Def Leppard debuted their full recording catalogue worldwide via streaming and download platforms. As they did with the original release of their records, Def Leppard dominated the worldwide charts again. Chart stats saw their albums charting in the iTunes Top 10 in more than 30 countries, including Hysteria at No. 3 in the U.S., and #5 in the U.K. Def Leppard had the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 records on the U.S. catalogue albums chart.

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