Retro Active

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Retro Active
Def Leppard - Retro Active.jpg
Compilation album of B-side singles by
Def Leppard
Released5 October 1993 (1993-10-05)
RecordedFebruary 1984 – June 1993
Venue Olympiahalle (Munich, Germany)
Studio
Genre Pop metal [1]
Length56:04
Label Mercury
Producer
  • Def Leppard
  • Pete Woodroofe
Def Leppard chronology
Adrenalize
(1992)		Retro Active
(1993)		 Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995)
(1995)
Singles from Retro Active
  1. "Two Steps Behind"
    Released: August 1993 (US)
  2. "Miss You in a Heartbeat"
    Released: December 1993 (US)
  3. "Action"
    Released: January 1994 (UK)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Retro Active is a compilation album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions from 1984 to 1993. The album charted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 [4] and No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. [5]

Contents

Overview

After releasing only five albums over the course of a twelve-year period, Def Leppard used Retro Active to break that habit, provide a treat for diehard fans, and close the door on the "Steve Clark" era of the band. Many of the tracks had previously been released as single B-sides.

According to singer Joe Elliott, the concept behind the album was envisioned after the success of the "Two Steps Behind" single. The song had originally been demoed solely by Elliott as an electric version in 1989, and was subsequently recorded by the band as an acoustic ballad at the suggestion of guitarist Phil Collen. When the producers of the film Last Action Hero contacted the band in 1993 to provide a new song for the soundtrack, the band were unable to record new material due to touring schedules and instead sent over the multitrack tape of the acoustic version of "Two Steps Behind", which was given strings by conductor Michael Kamen in April 1993 and included onto the film soundtrack. It would become the band's last Top 20 single in the US, reaching No. 12, and inspired the band to put the album together and re-record the electric version of the song.

"She's Too Tough" and the electric version of "Miss You in a Heartbeat" were both B-sides included as bonus tracks on Japanese pressings of Adrenalize . Written in 1985, "She's Too Tough" first appeared on the Helix album Wild in the Streets in 1987. "Miss You in a Heartbeat", meanwhile, was first written and demoed by guitarist Collen in 1991 and was originally recorded by the Law, a band featuring Paul Rodgers and the Who drummer Kenney Jones, for their self-titled album in 1991. Def Leppard later recorded their own version in April the following year, which they released as a B-side on the "Make Love Like a Man" single. After the band had recorded the new vocal, bass and drum parts for the electric version of the song, Collen overheard Elliott experimenting with the song on a piano. This led Elliott to record a piano and vocal version of the song, after which Collen, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Rick Allen added acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar and drum parts in June 1993, creating the acoustic version that would be released as a single.

Two unfinished songs from the Hysteria recording sessions, "Desert Song" and "Fractured Love", were completed exclusively for the album. The album also features several covers, namely Sweet's "Action" (which charted higher than the original in the UK) and Mick Ronson's "Only After Dark".

The version of "Ride into the Sun" on the compilation is not the same as that which appeared on The Def Leppard E.P. , but rather the 1987 re-recording. It differs slightly from the original B-side from the Hysteria era; the B-side featured a Rick Allen drum solo intro, whereas the version on Retro Active has a piano intro provided by Ian Hunter.

Retro Active features a hidden (final) track: a piano/vocal version of "Miss You in a Heartbeat", which also features an alternate acoustic guitar solo by Collen.

This is the first Def Leppard album to feature songs recorded with newly added guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Album cover

The album cover, by Nels Israelson and Hugh Syme, is a photograph of a lady sitting at a dressing table, looking in a mirror. However, if the cover is viewed at arm's length or from a distance, it takes the form of a skull (a type of vanitas art), the woman's head forming the left eye socket, and her reflected head in the mirror forming the right eye socket. The mirror itself forms the shape of the skull and the accessories on the dressing table form the nose, nostrils and teeth. It was inspired by Charles Allan Gilbert's most famous work, All Is Vanity (1892). An alternate version of the album cover exists, only released for promotional use. The only difference is the Def Leppard logo is represented in the most traditional style seen on Pyromania , Hysteria and Adrenalize. The band felt that, given Retro Active's sonically darker tone, that it would be best to shelve the bright colours of the logo.[ citation needed ]

Reception

In a 3.5 out of 5 review, Sputnikmusic wrote that while the compilation "cannot be rated super highly, it is extremely rare for a compilation album such as this to do so. With that in mind, this is indeed a pleasant surprise which will at least please some of Def Leppard’s longtime fans due to the relatively organic production levels used here. Importantly, a wise balance of song types is included within the 46 minute (60 if the three alternate versions are counted) duration, meaning that the accessible tracks resulted in this album still selling well and deservedly going top 10 in both the U.S & U.K." [6]

Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic gave particular praise to "Desert Song" and "Fractured Love", citing them as Retro Active's "most distinctive tracks, harkening back to the band's early (pre-success) days with their rough power chords." He concludes by saying that overall, "this is an interesting release which marks the end of a long chapter in the band's history, following the death of guitarist and guiding force Steve Clark. While casual fans might find it confusing, Leppard fanatics will revel in its diversity and informative liner notes." [7]

Rating the compilation 4 out of 5, Paul Evans of Rolling Stone notes that the band's "chief strength has always been the songs they write, and Retro Active underscores that appeal. From the Zeplike "Desert Song" to "She's Too Tough" and its feisty rock & roll, from the power ballad "Two Steps Behind" to "Ride Into the Sun," a raver from their 1979 debut, this is premium pop-metal - sharp hooks and engaging thunder." [8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Desert Song"
5:19
2."Fractured Love"
  • Clark
  • Elliott
  • Savage
5:08
3."Action" (The Sweet cover)
3:41
4."Two Steps Behind" (acoustic version)Elliott4:16
5."She's Too Tough"Elliott3:41
6."Miss You in a Heartbeat" (acoustic version) Phil Collen 4:04
7."Only After Dark" (Mick Ronson cover)
  • Ronson
  • Scott Richardson
3:52
8."Ride into the Sun" (1987 re-recording)
  • Elliott
  • Savage
3:12
9."From the Inside" (with the Hothouse Flowers)Elliott4:13
10."Ring of Fire"
4:42
11."I Wanna Be Your Hero"
  • Clark
  • Collen
  • Elliott
  • Lange
  • Savage
4:29
12."Miss You in a Heartbeat" (electric version)Collen4:58
13."Two Steps Behind" (electric version)Elliott4:29
14."Miss You in a Heartbeat" (piano version) (hidden track)Collen4:09

Track notes

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Retro Active
Chart (1993–1994)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [9] 33
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [10] 7
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [11] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 36
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [13] 16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [15] 7
UK Albums (OCC) [16] 6
US Billboard 200 [17] 9

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [18] Platinum100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [19] Gold25,000^
United States (RIAA) [20] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Leppard</span> British rock band

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1976. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and mid–1990s.

<i>Hysteria</i> (Def Leppard album) 1987 studio album by Def Leppard

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<i>Adrenalize</i> 1992 studio album by Def Leppard

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<i>X</i> (Def Leppard album) 2002 studio album by Def Leppard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Clark</span> English guitarist (1960–1991)

Stephen Maynard Clark was an English musician. He was a guitarist and songwriter for the hard rock band Def Leppard until his death in 1991. In 2007, Clark was ranked No. 11 on Classic Rock Magazine's "100 Wildest Guitar Heroes". In 2019, Clark was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Def Leppard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Collen</span> British guitarist (born 1957)

Philip Kenneth Collen is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard. Collen joined the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Before joining Def Leppard, Collen had performed with a number of bands in the burgeoning British glam metal scene. Outside of Def Leppard, he has been involved in a number of side projects; those projects include the trio Man Raze, with which he is the lead singer and sole guitarist.

<i>Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995)</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Def Leppard

Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995) is the first greatest hits album and the second compilation album by English hard rock band Def Leppard. The album was originally released in the band's home country on 23 October 1995 by Mercury Records. It was released in North America a week later on 31 October by the same label. Vault went on to be certified gold in four countries, platinum in three and multi-platinum in two. In the US, the album is currently certified 5× platinum by the RIAA, and in June 2011 it topped the five million mark in sales there. It won Metal Edge magazine's 1995 Readers' Choice Award for "Best Hits or Compilation Album."

<i>Wild in the Streets</i> (Helix album) 1987 studio album by Helix

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal (Def Leppard song)</span> 1987 single by Def Leppard

"Animal" is a song recorded by English rock band Def Leppard in 1987 from the album Hysteria. It was the first single release off the album, and became the band's first Top 10 hit in their native UK, reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>The Def Leppard E.P.</i> 1979 EP by Def Leppard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make Love Like a Man</span> 1992 single by Def Leppard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Steps Behind</span> 1993 single by Def Leppard

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"Miss You in a Heartbeat" is a song by English hard rock band Def Leppard, released in December 1993 by Mercury Records from their 1993 compilation album Retro Active. The single peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was Def Leppard's last American top 40 single to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women (Def Leppard song)</span> 1987 single by Def Leppard

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The Adrenalize World Tour – also known as the Adrenalize "Seven Day Weekend" Tour – was a concert tour by English hard rock band Def Leppard to support the Adrenalize album, released in March 1992. It was their first tour without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in January 1991 while the album was recorded. Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell joined six weeks before the tour began.

References

  1. 1 2 Evans, Paul (25 November 1993). "Retro Active". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. ↑ AllMusic review
  3. ↑ "Def Leppard - Retro Active (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Allmusic (Def Leppard charts and awards) Billboard albums".
  5. ↑ "Def Leppard The Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  6. ↑ "Def Leppard - Retro Active (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic".
  7. ↑ "Def Leppard Retro Active Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  8. ↑ "Retro Active". Rolling Stone . 25 November 1993.
  9. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Def Leppard – Retro Active". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2290". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Def Leppard – Retro Active" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Def Leppard – Retro Active". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Def Leppard – Retro Active". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Def Leppard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Def Leppard – Retro Active". Music Canada . Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Retro Active')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "American album certifications – Def Leppard – Retro Active". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 24 April 2019.
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