To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of one Def Leppard’s biggest albums, ‘Pyromania’, they give the album the justice it needs and released an awesome box set in 2024. And what a great set it is. It has 4 CD’s, 1 Blu Ray and even includes a hard back book. It is all housed in a cardboard box that is of great quality and the images are fantastic. The housing of the CDs & Blu Ray is not a gate-fold, but instead an incredible tri-fold. The original album is remastered, there is a disc of unreleased demos and mixes, a live set from Germany and the famous live show from 1983 at the L.A. Forum. It is splendid and I have to say that as this is one of my all-time favorite albums.

But before we get to the set, what was going on in the Def Leppard world at the time of the album? Well,…here it is…The tide was changing, Def Leppard’s success was palpable at this point, but not quite there…YET! Robert John “Mutt” Lange was back as producer and the band hit the studios in January 1982 and went through November of that year at Park Gates studio in London. All didn’t go smoothly, there was one big issue and that issue was Pete Willis.

Pete’s drinking problem was…well, becoming a problem. It was causing issues that were impacting his work and the band. It got so bad that on July 11, 1982, mid-way through work on the album, the band fired Pete. This was not a rash decision as it was discussed fully amongst the band because on July 12, 1982, the very next day, the band announced his replacement in the likes of Girl’s guitarists, Phil Collen. By this point in recording, Pete had already recorded all his rhythm parts and those are still on the album. Phil came in and added a few guitar parts and as well as some solos, he had it easy.

The album was finished, it was called “Pyromania” and it would basically change the landscape of music for quite some time. It saw the band’s sound go from heavy metal to a more polished hard rock sound that was more radio friendly. They worked on their craft diligently with Mutt and their playing and their songwriting was getting better and better. The band was now Phil, Steve Clark, Rick Allen, Rick Savage and Joe Elliott, this is considered the classic line-up to some. The album saw the light of day on January 20, 1983 and would shoot up the charts going to #2 on the Billboard Charts. It was held out of the #1 slot thanks to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album.

Thanks to MTV and the Leppard videos, the band would sell over 6,000,000 copies within the first year or so and go on to sell over 10 million copies making it Diamond Status. There would be 4 singles from the album and it would change me forever as this was the album that made me a lifelong fan and collector of the band’s music. It changed my listening habits and the 80’s hard rock sound was it for me and that would be all I listened to during the 80’s…heck even today I still love it as much as back then!

DISC ONE: ‘PYROMANIA’ (REMASTERED)

The first disc is the Remastered album and it does sound great. No complaints at all. As far as albums go of Leppard’s, if you thought High ‘N’ Dry was good, then this is equally as good to me.  It depends on the day which I like the most.  The great thing about it is that is sounds nothing like their prior album, it is an entirely new sound. Still heavy, but a lot more pop sensibilities as the band was heading to a more radio friendly sound. Some would say this was the start of the degradation, but for me, that was still two albums to come. This was prime Def Leppard with songs like “Photograph”, “Foolin’” and “Rock of Ages” along with the metal hitters like “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)”, “Stagefright” and “Die Hard the Hunter”. The band had found a new sound thanks to Mutt and this would be the start of superstardom, I say start because they haven’t reached the pinnacle yet.  My Overall Score is easily a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars!  The band is just getting started!!

DISC TWO: ‘OUT-TAKES – DEMOS – ROUGH MIXES’

The 2nd disc is a collection of out-takes never before released and a bunch of demos and rough mixes of the album. The first half of the disc are basically all instrumentals and most of them are untitled as they are basically riffs and melodies created during the recording of the album. There is a song call “No You Can’t Do That” that the band feels could’ve made the album…but the title was used in a songs lyrics. The best part of the disc for me are the rough mixes as they go through each song and I actually think they are raw sounding songs and not as polished which can be a good thing. A bunch of Joe’s vocal-fills are missing that ended up on the final mixes, but the songs still sound cool. For me, this was the gem of the whole set.

DISC THREE: ‘LIVE AT THE WESTFALENHALLE, DORTMUND, GERMANY (DECEMBER 1983)’

Disc 3 is Def Leppard performing on the German TV show “Rockpop In Concert“ broadcast by ZDF network on 4th February, 1984. No, it is the video, it is a Live CD that has been restored & remastered. The original performance was on December 18, 1983 in Dortmund, Germany at the Rock Pop Festival. It was the 2nd day of the Festival. It was also one of the last dates of the band’s “Pyromania World Tour“. The sound is fantastic, the guys sound so young, so hungry and so good! And man, are they playing super fast!! A fantastic little set of 6 songs covering the first 3 albums.

DISC FOUR: LIVE AT THE LA FORUM, USA (SEPTEMBER 1983)

Disc Four is the show from night two at the L.A. Forum on September 11, 1983 and thanks to MTV and Def Leppard’s high profile videos, the crowd was massive and the energy was high and electric. The band was in fine form and ready to rock. This is one of the best shows they have released and I hate we had to wait so long for it. Early Leppard is my favorite Leppard so any shows from that era are gold to me. From opening song to final bow, this show is rocking out and it shows why they were so popular. They were on fire, tight and had the songs. That is the key…they had the songs. My Overall Score is 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars. This is a must.  This was also released on The Collection, Volume One Box Set so not the first time it has been released. It has been bootlegged a ton as well.

DISC FIVE: BLU RAY

The Blu Ray disc is the final disc in the set and it gives you many different versions of the album. Dolby Atmos Mix; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as a 2023 PCM Stero and 2024 Instrumental Stereo mix of the song. If that wasn’t enough, you get the five videos from the album release but if you have Historia, you already have those as well. I haven’t actually had the opportunity to turn on the Surround Sound and hear this, but I can only imagine how good it sounds. I’m going to have to do it soon.

HARD BACK BOOK:

The set also comes with a hard back book with 52 pages of Def Leppard glory. Including liner notes, memorabilia, lyrics and unseen photos. It has a long, great essay by Paul Elliott that basically tells the story of ‘Pyromania’. You also get comments on the unreleased tracks as well. And there are quotes throughout the book from people like Bryan Adams and Allison Krauss. There is some cool stuff in there.

And there you have it. The 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Box Set. You get a lot for your money as the band knows how do it right. You get a remastered CD, a CD of unreleased demos and mixes and not one live show…but two!! And throw in a Blu Ray and a book…what else do you need? Nothing really. My Overall Score is a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars! The album is that good and the box set keeps the bar set high!!

NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – “JUST LIKE ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)

THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES

1. Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
2. First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
3. Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
4. On Through the Night (1980)
5. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
6. High & Dry (1981)
7. Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
8. Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
9. Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
10. Pyromania (1983)
11. “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
12. “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
13. Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
14. Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
15. Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
16. Hysteria (1987)
17. “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
18. “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
19. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
20. “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
21. “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
22. “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
23. “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
24. Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
25. Rarities – Volume One (2018)
26. Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
27. Historia – DVD (1988)
28. Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
29. Adrenalize (1992)
30. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
31. “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
32. Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
33. Retro Active (1993)
34. Visualize DVD (1993)
35. Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
36. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
37. “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
38. Video Archive (1995)
39. Slang (1996)
40. Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
41. Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
42. Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
43. Euphoria (1999)
44. Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
45. Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
46. Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
47. Cybernauts – Live (2000)
48. Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
49. X (2002)
50. Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
51. Best of Def Leppard (2004)
52. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
53. Yeah! (2006)
54. Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
55. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
56. Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
57. B-Sides (2021)
58. Yeah! II (2021)
59. Yeah! Live (2021)
60. CMT Crossroads – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
61. Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
62. Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
63. Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
64. Def Leppard (2015)
65. Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
66. Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
67. Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
68. Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
69. Def Leppard Acoustic In Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
70. Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
71. Diamond Star Halos (2022)
72. High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
73. Drastic Symphonies (2023)
74. Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
75. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
76. The Albums Ranked Worst to First
77. Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
78. Pyromania – 40th Anniversary Edition Box Set (2024)
79. “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:

1. The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
2. Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
3. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
4. Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
5. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” –  5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
6. Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
7. “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
8. “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
9. Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
10. X: World Tour (2003)
11. Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
12. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
13. Viva! Hysteria (2013)
14. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
15. Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
16. The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
17. The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
18. Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
19. Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
20. Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
21. The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
22. The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
23. London to Vegas (2020)
24. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
25. The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
26. The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
27. Def Leppard Funko Pop!