Def Leppard – When The Walls Came Tumbling Down (New Theatre, Oxford - 26 April 1980)

For fans of early Def Leppard like me (up through Pyromania) this is a must own. 4,000 copies ain’t much. Get this before it’s gone.

I almost ed on this, it would have been a HUGE mistake as this is now a prized gem in my collection of the real NWOBHM Def Leppard. 5 stars out of 5 stars.

This is always how I will them. Raw NWOBHM until they went American AOR and power ballad mad!. Glad they decided to space out the tracks to a double rather than compress them all Great release!

I hope to God I’m not jinxing myself, because I’m only 3/4 through the 2LP set, but this pressing of the Oxford show in 1980 is so special, not because of nostalgia, but because this mix and master of the live set seems to catapult the bands’ sound into the modern era, but without adding extra processing or sneaky compression. The sound mix is very well balanced and full of all frequencies. It is so much so, that I may just listen to this LP rather than my 1980 Mercury pressing of On Through The Night. Yes, it’s my favorite Leppard album, but that has no baring on the sound quality, flatness and quality of the vinyl, the even and full mix, the classic look of the black vinyl, and the generic but very 80s true packaging. However, the card stock is fairly bulky and has a nice smooth finish to it. The jackets are really nice, but way too tight when trying to remove the vinyls, even if they are glossy-lined on the inside, I quickly replaced them with poly sleeves. I paid about $8-10 above market value, but it was a great investment. Just like someone already mentioned, I’m glad I made the buy, the sound is killer indeed (oh, the performance is pretty damn stellar too, the band sounds in top form).

I've played each of the four sides pretty religiously for the last 9 days since the RSD release. Really surprised at how much I'm digging this as I almost didn't pick it up. A keeper.

This is an excellent recording and pressing! Nice packaging, too!