Def Leppard/London,UK 1979 & Demos Soundboard Edition

This superb soundboard album, an official replacement for pre-debut DEF LEPPARD, is here! Released on the highest quality master CD, this album features two iconic stereo soundboard recordings: the legendary demo, recorded at the Paris Theater on August 22, 1979, and the demo recorded in 1978/1979. While the specific date and time of the latter demo remains unknown, the live recording is known. Let’s begin by exploring their position in the album by looking at their activities at the time. 1978 (January 29th: Steve Clark joins), July 18th: Sheffield (first live performance), August 26th + September 11th: UK #1 (2 shows), October 31st: Tony Kenning replaced by Frank Noone, November “THE DEF LEPPARD EP.” recorded, November 1st: Frank Noone replaced by Rick Allen, November 27th – December 23rd: UK #2 (3 shows) 1979 (January “THE DEF LEPPARD EP.” released), January 24th – March 19th: UK #3 (10 shows), April 19th – May 2nd: UK #4 (3 shows), Summer “FIRST STRIKE” recorded, June 5th – November 9th: UK #5 (47 shows) “ON THROUGH THE NIGHT” Recording, First Half: Pre-FM Reel (6 Tracks) from BBC’s “Rock Hour.” This is the journey from the time Steve Clark joined the band to the production of “ON THROUGH THE NIGHT.” The soundboard live performance in the first half of this album was from their appearance on the prestigious BBC program “Rock Hour,” and was part of “UK #5.” Speaking of pre-debut BBC appearances, there were also the “Andy Peebles Session” and “Friday Rock Show” on the official excavation album “THE EARLY YEARS 79-81,” but this album is different from either of those. Let’s focus more on the dates and confirm their relative positions. Details for “UK #5”: June 5th: Sheffield Performance * June 7th: Andy Peebles Session (4 official songs) * June 12th – August 17th (12 performances) * August 22nd: Paris Theatre (←★6 songs from this album★) * August 30th – October 3rd (14 performances) * October 3rd: Friday Rock Show (4 official songs) * October 4th – November 9th (17 performances) … and so on. In fact, even at the time of the official release of “THE EARLY YEARS 79-81,” it was such a famous broadcast that people said, “What a shame there’s no ‘Rock Hour’!” This is the highest version of it. After all, it has been digitized directly from BBC pre-FM reels. It’s on a different level from numerous air checks, and the sound, which has never been broadcast, let alone dubbed, is truly master quality. This release is of official Kanze quality, rivaling the “Andy Peebles Session” and “Friday Rock Show” from “THE EARLY YEARS 79-81.” And the content is excellent. Only three tracks overlap with the two official programs, including the original versions of “The Overture” and “Getcha Rocks Off,” as well as the pre-recorded “Hello America.” Second Half: Seven High-Quality Demos. Following the live performance is a studio recording that epitomizes early DEF LEPPARD. Also known as the “WARCHILD DEMO” and “1978 DEMO,” these legendary demos are unearthed in the collection of a core collector who regretted the BBC pre-FM reels mentioned above. While not quite up to the level of the official studio releases, they are exceptionally lustrous for a demo, completely free of the harshness and hiss often associated with them. Listening to these demos alongside the official live performances is a truly exceptional experience. And this one is even rarer. The album features a plethora of treasures not even available on “The Early Years 79-81,” including “Tomorrow Seems Like Yesterday,” the original track for the later “Sorrow Is A Woman,” “Got To See The Lights,” also included on “First Strike,” and the unheard-of “Warchild” and “Beyond The Temple.” This is truly a sequel and complement to “The Early Years 79-81.” Originally, this album should have been included in the official six-disc box set… but this is a soundboard album of that caliber. It’s an absolute must-have, permanently preserving the best masters in place of the official release. This stereo soundboard recording includes both “August 22, 1979 Paris Theatre” and “Legendary Demos from 1978/1979.” The first half of the Paris Theatre live performance was recorded on the prestigious BBC show “Rock Hour,” digitized from pre-FM reels, and is the ultimate in quality. The legendary demos in the second half are also the best version, and there are plenty of extremely rare songs that you won’t hear even on the official “The Early Years 79-81.” This is an absolute must-have sequel to the official box office. Paris Theater, London, UK 22nd August 1979 STEREO SBD UPGRADE!!! (63:02) BBC Radio “Rock Hour” Pre-FM Reel Paris Theater, London, UK 22nd August 1979 1. Glad I’m Alive 2. Hello America 3. Rock Brigade 4. The Overture 5. Getcha Rocks Off 6. Wasted Early Studio Recordings 1978-1979 7. Getcha Rocks Off 8. Tomorrow Seems Like Yesterday 9. Warchild 10. Got To See The Lights 11. The Overture 12. Beyond The Temple 13. Wasted Joe Elliott – lead vocals, backing vocals Steve Clark – guitar, backing vocals Pete Willis – guitar, backing vocals Rick Savage – bass, backing vocals Rick Allen – drums, backing vocals STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING