(New York, NY – January 29, 2020) – Legendary British rock ‘n’ roll icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductees Def Leppard release The Early Years 79-81 box set, representing the band’s first two albums, On Through The Night (1980) and High ‘N’ Dry (1981), on March 20 via UMe/Virgin. The box set was executive produced by lead singer Joe Elliott and mastered by the band’s long-serving sound engineer Ronan McHugh.
Joe Elliott says of the box set, “Well the fans asked, and we listened! Really excited to have our early years reworked with a load of rare material including the newly unearthed Live at the Oxford New Theatre, recorded on the 1980 UK tour …. It’s been a trip putting this box set together and I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we did working on it!”
Pre-order The Early Years 79-81 box set HERE.
The 5-CD deluxe set consists of the original albums remastered, B-sides, rarities and re-mix versions, Radio One sessions, Live from Reading and the first-ever appearance of an unreleased and newly mixed show from Oxford in 1980. These remasters have been highly anticipated, and much requested, by Def Leppard fans globally.
The album also features an instant grat track, the sought-after Nick Tauber produced version of “Rock Brigade”.The song was originally intended as a single but was never released. Today, 40 years later, the track is finally released to the fans. Listen to the track HERE.
The band’s debut album, On Through The Night was released in 1980 and immediately put the rock world on notice. The album charted at #15 in the UK and #51 in the U.S. It featured many of the band’s live favorites, including some updated versions of early singles, and was certified platinum in 1989. High ‘N’ Dry, which was released in 1981, charted at #26 in the UK and #38 in the U.S., further cementing the band’s status.
The Early Years 79-81 box set includes a history of the band’s first two albums, written by Mojo and Classic Rockwriter Paul Elliott (no relation), featuring personal insights from the band on the making and releasing of these early records, as well as rare pictures of the band and photos of memorabilia from the era.
Both albums have been remastered and available as a 1-CD version, 1 LP black vinyl, and limited-edition colored vinyl.
2020 will see Def Leppard tour the U.S. with Mötley Crüe (with support from Poison and Joan Jett) – one of the most anticipated tours of the year. For U.S. tour dates please go to www.defleppard.com.
