Def Leppard News - 23 Years Ago Def Leppard's Action At Number 14 In The UK

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23 Years Ago Def Leppard's Action At Number 14 In The UK

Action 1994.

Def Leppard's classic single Action hit Number 14 in the UK singles chart 23 years ago on this day in 1994.

The song was the first cover version to be released as a single by the band.

It spent five weeks on the chart in all (3 weeks inside the Top 40) peaking at Number 14.

This was one better than the original by Sweet from 1974 which got to Number 15.

It was revamped from the 1992 B-Side version and released as a single on 4th January 1994 from the October 1993 'Retro-Active' collection.

D:Ream were at Number One on this day with their single 'Things Can Only Get Better (1994)' featuring one Professor Brian Cox on keyboards.

The Top 40 also featured Thomas Dolby at Number 32 who had played keyboards on 'Pyromania'.

UK Singles Chart - 22nd January 1994

01 - D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better (1994)
02 - Chaka Demus And Pliers - Twist And Shout
03 - K7 - Come Baby Come
04 - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting - All For Love
05 - Culture Beat - Anything
14 - Def Leppard - Action - (Peak Position)

Action 1994.

Joe Elliott - Vault Inner Sleeve Quote

"If you're going to cover a song there's two choices: either copy it exactly or do it completely different. We opted for the former and got Andy Scott's enthusiastic approval."

Def Leppard - Retro-Active Inner Sleeve Quote

"We wanted to do a couple of cover tunes for the 'Adrenalize' album B-Sides. We did this tune because we were all Big Sweet fans. Nuff said."

Phil Collen - 2004 Best Of Sleeve Quote

"I was also a huge Sweet fan when I was a kid."

Vivian Campbell - 2004 Best Of Sleeve Quote

"I don't think I actually played guitar on it. Those parts were already done before I joined. But I definitely remember trying to sing those ridiculously high vocal parts. It was a song that had a big influence on me as a spotty-faced youth. Sweet were definitely one of the rockier glam bands."

Joe Elliott - 2004 Best Of Sleeve Quote

"The backing track was recorded in a day. And I sang it the next night. I was hammered so there was much sobering up to be done. But when I heard it back. I thought. 'Wow, I should get drunk more often'. We knew we could cut loose on b-sides. Which 'Action' was at first. But we had to learn to extend that to everything. It certainly pulled the stick from out of my ass."

Def Leppard - Action Single Section
Def Leppard - Retro-Active Album Section
Related News - 21st January 2017
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