Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
While many of their peers were abandoning '70s metal and arena rock to hop the punk/new wave bandwagon, Def Leppard smartly stripped the earlier era's music of its excesses, bolstered it with energetic, pop-savvy hooks and quickly found itself the vanguard of the UK's new metal revival and one of the '80s most spectacularly successful rock acts. The first disc of this 35-track, two-and-a-half hour double-disc retrospective focuses on the familiar hits of their early MTV, platinum-sellingprime, though the inclusion of the video edit/remixes of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rocket" attempts to cast them in a more club-friendly contemporary groove. But the grittier second disc showcases some of the early, overlooked roots ofOn Through the NightandHigh 'N' Dry, as well as underappreciated later gems like '99's"Promises"and a power-pop-perfect take on Badfinger's "No Matter What" from an upcoming covers project.--Jerry McCulley