When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (New Theatre, Oxford - 26 April 1980)

This is Def Leppard in their prime, fresh from the release of their debut, and this album does not disappoint.

First and most importantly, the guitars are loud; loud comparable to their other live highlights (the Reading festival and also touring Pyromania in LA in 1983), and definitely capturing the metal from On Through the Night in a way Tom Allom (longtime producer of Judas Priest, including their latest as of 2018) either could or would not. This is probably as close to pure metal as they would get; the tempos are slightly faster than their aforementioned debut album and the crunch from dueling Priesty guitar is palpable.

There are a few idiosyncrasies however. The execrably cheesy intro to the title track (which they thankfully would drop for their High and Dry tour) is the first thing a listener hears, followed by some pretty jarring feedback presumably courtesy of the house engineer. There are pre-Lange versions of both Let It Go and Rock Rock Til You Drop, respectfully titled When the Rain Falls and Medicine Man, without any of the ACDC type wit, vibe, nor groove of their later, studio perfected editions.

However, it's a real treat to hear them thrash through classics like Good Morning Freedom and It Could Be You, no holds barred; full speed ahead. Satellite has a nice little tempo push near the beginning courtesy of drummer Rick Allen that showcases the earlier, more organic sounding Leppard. Overture sounds amazing as well, though not quite as heavy as the Reading version. There also is a pre-Lange Lady Strange, sounding, of course, a little crunchier, if lacking vocalist Joe Elliot's Bon Scott imitation so prevalent through their next two albums.

I would recommend this as a far better introduction to the group than their first album, but not as good as High and Dry.