By the start of the ’90s, Def Leppard had long-since established themselves both as one of the world’s best hard-rock bands – and also one of its most unfortunate.
The fact that they survived the twin blows of Rick Allen’s horrific 1984 car accident (which resulted in the amputation of his left arm) and the heartbreaking, alcohol-related death of guitarist Steve Clarke in 1991 is remarkable enough. That Def Leppard still managed to perform before millions of people and sell upwards of 20 million albums along the way? Nothing short of miraculous.
Just as incredible is the patience displayed by their followers, who stuck by Def Leppard throughout these travails even when they had to wait as long as four or five years between studio albums. The group had retooled with former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, then hit the concert trail in support of Adrenalize. But fans were probably digging in for a lengthy hiatus in late 1993 as those shows ended.
Except plans had already been set in motion at Mercury Records, the band’s longtime label, to empty the vaults into a fascinating collection of lost tracks, B-sides and studio outtakes. The aptly named Retro-Active, released on Oct. 4, 1993, proved to be quite the stocking-stuffer, as it took fans on a trip down memory lane with sounds and styles representing virtually all eras of the band’s constant musical evolution.
For old-school, New Wave of British Heavy Metal survivors, there was the blessedly metallic riff-mongering of “Desert Song,” “Fractured Love,” and “Ride Into the Sun.” For Hysteria-period hysterics and Adrenalize acolytes, there were finely coiffed pop metal gems like “She’s Too Tough,” “Ring of Fire” and “I Wanna Be Your Hero.”
Listen to Def Leppard Perform ‘Desert Song’
