Below is an exclusive excerpt from the book I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY! (Collections, Recollections & Personal Reflections About Def Leppard), specifically from the chapter spotlighting the band’s Vault greatest hits release.
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Chapter: Peeks Inside Vault‘s Vault & More!
I still have “advanced” pre-release copies of Def Leppard albums on audio cassette, which would typically be distributed around the band’s record label’s offices. These versions arrived so far in advance of the album’s official release that the cassette sleeve wouldn’t even include the cover artwork, just text that included the album’s tracklisting. (CD copies hadn’t been pressed yet.)
For example, here’s the one for Vault:
After receiving an album’s advanced cassette, CD copies stamped “For Promotional Use Only” would follow in due time, with the allotment likely revealing the album cover’s final artwork.
Not long after that, more promo CDs would show up, except this time around they would only contain a particular track or single for radio stations to focus on for airplay consideration.
Here’s a sampling of these types of promotional CDs…
The thin cardboard CD sleeve was not only supposed to be eye-catching but also convenient to quickly mail out in a small padded envelope to radio stations, accounts (i.e., to buyers who purchase quantities for their stores), press outlets, etc.
Sometimes promotional product was simply a CD in a clear case since accompanying artwork wasn’t available. It could be a song sampler for a soon-to-be-released album or an upcoming single or focus track for radio stations. One example is “Desert Song,” which was sent out to AOR stations. Another example is “Two Steps Behind,” where both versions — the electric and acoustic — were included on a disc. (Clearly, the acoustic version was much preferred over the electric by radio stations who supported the track.)
Subsequent incoming office deliveries would include copies of a music video’s final version. Sometimes an EPK (electronic press kit) would also arrive (on VHS), which featured band members discussing the release, providing backstories on songs for their latest album, etc.
All of these types of relics are still part of my Def Leppard collection, in addition to other “atypical” memorabilia, which I always found extra appealing.
If it isn’t already apparent from reading some of the album and single spotlight chapters in this book, I consider sales and marketing strategies — i.e., how the album or single was promoted — just as significant and worthy of analysis as any other aspect surrounding the release. It genuinely interests me; it did then and still does now.
That being said, some items within my collection which I value just as much as other keepsakes simply involve…information.
For example, the official marketing plan for a Def Leppard album which lays the groundwork for the release: what it’s all about, what the current music landscape is, what plans are being put in place to best promote it.
I still find it interesting to look back on this type of archaic information, revisiting what the music industry climate was for the band at that particular moment in time, and how much it has changed since then. It’s kind of like unearthing a time capsule that was buried a long time ago. E-mail wasn’t even utilized during this time; marketing plans like the ones I’m referring to were sent out for “immediate” distribution…by fax.
Here is the 1995 marketing plan for Def Leppard’s Vault release from my collection:
I thought I’d share a few nostalgic tidbits from it which I think you’ll find interesting, but before doing so, I must take a slight detour to discuss one Vault-related item that irked me back in the day. And it has nothing to do with the album itself.
Here we go…
By 1995, the depth (and success) of Def Leppard’s catalog was indisputable. A “greatest hits” release made perfect sense and was a long time coming — maybe longer than necessary: Vault wasn’t released until about one year after label-mate Bon Jovi received the same greatest hits treatment.
Nothing against Bon Jovi, but optically it seemed like there was potentially a lack of confidence in going with Def Leppard first. Regardless if it was inadvertent, it positioned Def Leppard as jumping onto the Bon Jovi greatest hits bandwagon once Vault‘s time finally came.
Let me expand on this rationale and further explain.
Bon Jovi enjoyed great success with their greatest hits release, which wasn’t at all surprising, but at the time, the strategy for the release came across like this (solely my interpretation):
Let’s put out a greatest hits compilation of Bon Jovi songs just in time for the holiday season! It should also include at least one new track to further upsell it — a power ballad would be great and a sure-fire single!
It wouldn’t be until about a year later that Def Leppard would finally get their own greatest hits release (giving the notion that Bon Jovi’s Cross Road greatest hits album had safely paved the way).
Not only that, Def Leppard’s release strategy would follow the same formula. Again, my interpretation:
Let’s go the greatest hits route again, this time with Def Leppard: have the compilation come out in time for the holiday season — just like Bon Jovi’s “Cross Road” — and have it feature a new track that’s a ballad — just like Bon Jovi’s “Cross Road” — which would also make for a potent single opportunity — just like Bon Jovi’s “Cross Road,” etc.
Unintentional or not, this gave the impression of being a copycat approach: whereas Bon Jovi released their greatest hits album Cross Road in October 1994, Def Leppard released their greatest hits album Vault in October 1995; Bon Jovi’s featured new track and single was the ballad “Always”; Def Leppard’s featured new track and single was the ballad “When Love & Hate Collide.” (I’m starting to get flashbacks from the movie Coming To America, comparing the Big Mac and the Big Mick!)
Now, I completely understand the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, but timing-wise — again, at least optically — it seemed unfair to Def Leppard (or at least to this Def Leppard fan), as it appeared that the band was not only following in someone else’s footsteps to a tee but also needed them to lead the way.
Furthermore, releasing Def Leppard’s greatest hits compilation one year further into the ’90s — a decade that unquestionably was becoming increasingly unwelcoming to the band’s music with each passing year — seemed unnecessary and arguably had a negative impact: Cross Road debuted in the Top 10 on the U.S. album charts; Vault debuted in the Top 15. “Always” became a huge U.S. hit, peaking at #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 singles chart. As for “When Love & Hate Collide”? It didn’t even reach the Top 50, peaking at an unremarkable #58.
Would “When Love & Hate Collide,” a leftover from the Adrenalize recording sessions, have performed better had it been released a year earlier? Better yet, is there a case to be made that the song performed better because it was released further into the ’90s? I digress.
Ultimately, Vault did just fine over the long term — actually, better than fine — selling millions of copies, matching and even surpassing Cross Road‘s U.S. album sales.
Now back to the original Vault marketing plan. Here are some glimpses you might find amusing, especially…
Want to keep reading? Get your copy of “I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY” today!
More chapter excerpts from the book: The Ballad of Joe Elliott | Single Spotlight: “Love Bites” | Single Spotlight: “Rocket”
Available worldwide at these book outlets (select your preferred format):
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Apple: Apple Books
Google: Google Play Books
