Customer Reviews

Adrenalize [Deluxe Edition]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Adrenalize caught a lot of flak from fans and critics when it first came out in 1992, and as my title indicates, even the liner notes of the deluxe edition admit that it's the "runt" of the trilogy (Pyromania, Hysteria, and Adrenalize). And I certainly know that many people would've liked to have seen a deluxe edition of High 'N' Dry instead of Adrenalize. But I happened to think Adrenalize was a decent follow-up to Hysteria and that despite some shortcomings, the deluxe edition is still a nice addition to my Def Leppard collection.

The deluxe edition contains all 10 tracks from the original album remastered on the first disc. Although admittedly no Pyromania or Hysteria, Adrenalize contains some great tracks: "Make Love Like a Man", "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)", "Tonight"...just to name a few. It would be an understatement to say the album isn't too deep, but then again Def Leppard was never exactly known for thought-provoking music. I personally enjoy the carefree, light, tongue-in-cheek attitude that defines most of the tracks (it's the funniest Def Lep album to date, but in the best way possible). Just like with the deluxe edition of Pyromania, I've heard people complain that the remastering is not really noticeable, but again I have to disagree. The sound quality is definitely improved and it does help give the songs a boost. And just like Pyromania, it really is nice to hear remastered versions of some of the lesser-known songs that haven't made their way onto a compilation album ("Tonight" and "Personal Property" are great examples).

The second disc contains the Adrenalize B-sides as well as some live recordings. The B-sides are nice to have on one disc, though to be totally honest most of them are nothing special. The exception is the "Tonight" demo, which I think may even be better than the version that actually made it onto the album. The only real problem I have, though, is with the live recordings. Of the four live recordings (all from a Bonn concert in '92), only ONE track is of a song off Adrenalize ("Let's Get Rocked"). While the others: "Hysteria", "Photograph", and "Pour Some Sugar On Me", are great recordings, it just doesn't make sense to me why they didn't include more songs from Adrenalize in the deluxe edition of Adrenalize. How about a little "Make Love Like a Man" or "Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)" instead? I would've loved to have live versions of those songs (which, excepting poor-quality bootlegs and extremely rare DVDs, don't exist).

Unlike the Pyromania re-release, this one isn't necessarily a mandatory purchase. In conclusion, it's pretty decent and there's just enough worthwhile bonus material to keep it from being superfluous. I say if you don't already own Adrenalize and are looking to get it, buy this instead of the original 1992 version. The extra money you'll have to pay is still worth it.

Def Leppard's 1992 Follow-Up To The Over Amazing, Extraordinary "HYSTERIA" was no simple task to complete, Def Leppard has faced another major setback, the death of there fellow guitar player and a major contributor to the music of Def Leppard: "Steve Clark". Steve, Had already written/recorded a lot of the songs featured on "Adrenalize", so with that already said, after his passing, Def Leppard had to either stop or go and they decided to go, Phil Collen had the job of picking up where Steve left off and re-recording everything Steve had almost finished. Adrenalize is a great, rocking album and although not "HYSTERIA", is still a great sequel.

Now, on to this Remaster. It's Great, The Remaster Does It Justice and Yea, It Makes The Total Difference Compared To The Original Disc Released in 1992. The Volumes Have Been Put Up On All The Cylinders, The Guitars Are Much Clearer and Cleaner...Overall This Remaster Rocks!

Disc-2, Contains A Lot Of Live Tracks From The Adrenalize Tour and You'll Find The Rare-Gem Of The Demo Version Of "Tonight" which Is Awesome!

I Highly Recommend This Deluxe Edition, The Sleek Package and The Music That Awaits You On The Inside Will Blow You Away!

I must say that the deluxe editions of the Def Leppard classics are fantastic. Great bonus cuts and packaging. I must give them props for giving the deluxe treamtment to Adrenalize, as one would expect only Pyromania and Hysteria, their two biggest sellers, to be remastered.

To those who are calling this their least favorite album, I must say that it was a huge success when released. I look at albums like X, Euphoria and Songs from the Sparkle Lounge and realize that the Steve Clark connection is what makes this album still listenable nearly twenty years on. To me, every song is great and worth the rediscovery.

remastering this has helped this more than PYROMANIA & HYSTERIA. this always sounded too cold and dead. this is when everything was going completely digital and the sound did not have the crispness to it.

The passage of time has curtailed my harsh criticism and disdain of what I still feel is Def Leppard's weakest, most phoned-in effort ever, 1992's "Adrenalize." But after listening to it all these years later, with the hindsight of numerous trends in the music industry like boy bands, flashy country and rap artists, hardcore nu metal and other fads and phenoms that have surfaced between '92 and now, perhaps "Adrenalize" isn't so awful. I can now better enjoy -- albeit rather guiltily -- the CD's overly saccharin hooks and easily digested melodies. Yes, the lyrics are cornball nearly the entire way through; but songs like the somber "White Lightning" and the rockin' "Personal Property" and "Tear it Down" are solid enough to make up for the album's mistakes like "Let's Get Rocked" and "Make Love Like a Man," silly tunes that almost come off as band parody. To be fair, the guys in Def Leppard were dealing with a tough loss at the time, the sad death of guitarist Steve Clark, and to carry on at all must have been difficult. That said, it's surprising the group didn't come up with something weightier and more meaningful at the time to better memorialize Clark's passing. Though the production is too slick, the lyrics too juvenile and the overall sound too sophomoric, "Adrenalize" does have its good moments, and a remastered version isn't a crime against humanity.

The second disk in this two-CD set is what really makes it a worthwhile purchase if you like Def Leppard. The band sounds great on popular tunes like "Hysteria" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" in a May '92 club concert in Bonn, Germany. Additionally, two beautiful cover songs played with the Hothouse Flowers contain an intimate, whiskey-soaked Irish vibe. Indeed, the musicians were in fact knocking back a few whiskeys in the studio, as noted by Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott in the CD's liner notes. The two alternate versions of "Tonight" and an acoustic rendition of "Two Steps Behind" are good but nothing special. However, a cover of Queen's "Now I'm Here," played live with Brian May at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London back in 1992, as well as live versions of "Women" and an especially mesmerizing performance of "Too Late for Love," are reminders of how great this band is onstage, playing before thousands.

"Adrenalize",released in 1992, is considered the weak link of the Def Leppard trilogy of Pyromania and Hysteria,because it sounds so much like those previous albums but missing the freshness or novelty.That said,"Adrenalize" a fine,underrated collection that acts like a bridge between Def Leppard's 80's pop-metal and modern-pop-rock eras.The much-maligned hits "Let's Get Rocked" and "Make Love Like A Man" may be heavy on the cheese in the lyrics department,but you can't deny that they're catchy,well-crafted funk-metal numbers.Even better is the dark antidrug epic "White Lighting",the melodic power ballads "Tonight","Stand Up(Kick Love Into Motion)" and "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad",and the fast-paced rockin closer "Tear It Down".The second disc contains two numbers with the Irish band Hothouse Flowers(both classic-rock oldies),a great number from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert "Now I'm Here" featuring both Queen's Brian May guesting on guitar and Vivian Campbell live debut with Def Leppard,more live numbers of classics("Hysteria","Pour Some Sugar On Me","Photograph","Too Late For Love"),two versions of "Tonight"(demo and the Sun Studios cut)and "Two Steps Behind"(sans strings).The remastered "Adrenalize"(done by Bob Ludwig)sounds amazing,increasing the midrange and bass making it more special than it was the first time out.If you a Def Leppard fan,you must pick this up.You're gonna love this!

The album is great. Sounds excellent with the remastering. The live songs are great. Packaging is great. Everything is great.

However, why are songs like "Heaven Is" NOT in the live extras? Instead, we get live songs from other albums. I appreciate that, and I enjoy those live songs, but I've seen Def 3 times and never heard that song live. Either that, or include other live songs from the album, vs. live songs from other albums (Hysteria).

I still gave it 5 stars, but the live song selection could be better. Even still, if you're a Def fan, pick this up. I still recommend it to any fan. No question.

BOTH CD'S ARE TOTALLY EXCELLENT AND WORTH BUYING. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. IF YOU HAVE NEVER NEVER SEEN THESE GUYS, YOU SHOULD BUY BOTH PYROMANIA AND ADRENALIZE DELUXE EDITIONS. ALSO HYSERIA DELUXE EDITIION IS WELL WOTH THE MONEY.

I have always loved this album. BUT the bonus disc is missing "Action", "From The Inside", "Miss You In a Heartbeat", "Only After Dark", and "She's Too Tough". I know they were previously released on Retroactive, however it would have been nice to include them here to be complete. Still hoping for a REAL b-sides comp.

But not the worst either, I would have to say Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is pretty bad. Def Leppard trying to sell by going country but thats a different story. This CD is missing the late great Steve Clark and it shows bigtime. I cant blame Vivian Cambell cause he's not on this one. Songs like Lets get Rocked and Make Love LIke A Man are a embarasement for such a talented band that wrote so many classics! The other thing I dont get is there are so many other B-sides and demos from this era that never made it here. Miss You In A Heartbeat, Shes So Tough, etc. Oh well enjoy it for what it is.....simple. Favorite songs are White Lightning, Have You Ever, Tonight, and Tear It Down even though its a remix.