Editing Def Leppard (section)

=== ''Adrenalize'', ''Retro Active'', and ''Slang'' (1990–1996) ===
{{main|Adrenalize|Retro Active|Slang (album)}}

Following ''Hysteria'', the band quickly set out to work on their fifth album, hoping to avoid another lengthy gap. [[Steve Clark]]'s alcoholism worsened to the point that he was constantly in and out of [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab]]. Recording sessions suffered from this distraction, and in mid-1990, Clark was granted a six-month leave of absence from the band. Clark died from a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol on 8{{nbsp}}January 1991, in his London home.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=53iA5w5sR8wC&q=steve+clark+def+leppard&pg=PA303 |title=The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians |first=Scott |last=Stanton |page=303 |date= 2 September 2003|publisher=Pocket Books |access-date=30 March 2017|isbn=9781416595755}}</ref> The remaining band members decided to carry on and recorded the album as a four-piece, with Collen mimicking Clark's style on his intended guitar parts.

Def Leppard's fifth album, ''[[Adrenalize]]'', was finally released on 31 March 1992. The album simultaneously entered at number one on both the UK and US album charts, staying number one on the latter for five weeks, while also reaching the summit on the Canadian and Australian charts and hitting No. 8 in Germany.<ref name="BillboardAlbumChart">[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=def leppard|chart=Billboard 200}} Def Leppard: Album Chart History] Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2011</ref><ref>Roberts, David (2006). [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]. London: Guinness World Records Limited</ref> The first single, the anthemic "[[Let's Get Rocked]]", was an instant hit and remains the band's highest-charting song ever in several countries, including the UK (No. 2), Canada (No. 3), Australia (No. 6) and Germany (No. 22), while reaching No. 1 on the US Rock Tracks chart and No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The band performed the song at the [[1992 MTV Video Music Awards]] where it was nominated for [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year|Best Video of the Year]].<ref>[http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1992/mtvvmas.htm 1992 MTV Video Music Awards] Rock on the Net. Retrieved 17 November 2011</ref> Like with ''Hysteria'', several singles were released off ''Adrenalize'', including the rocker "[[Make Love Like a Man]]", the ballad "[[Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad]]" and the mid-tempo "[[Heaven Is]]", each of which made the Top 15 in the UK, with "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" being the most successful track in Canada (No. 7) and on the US Hot 100 (No. 12) . Another single, the mid-tempo "[[Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion)]]", was a hit in Canada, peaking at No. 11, and also reached No. 1 on the US Rock Tracks chart, edging out "Make Love Like a Man" (No. 3) as the second most successful track off the album on US rock radio.

[[File:Def Leppard - Bournemouth BIC 301003 (32) (6864389185).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Guitarist [[Vivian Campbell]] in 2003. He joined Def Leppard in 1992.]]
In a period between late-1991 and early 1992, auditions for another guitarist commenced. Among the guitarists who auditioned included [[Adrian Smith (musician)|Adrian Smith]], [[John Sykes]], and [[Gary Hoey]]. Ultimately, the band chose [[Vivian Campbell]] in 1992, formerly of [[Dio (band)|Dio]] and [[Whitesnake]]. In April 1992, Def Leppard appeared at [[The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London, performing a three-song set of "Animal", "Let's Get Rocked" and [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s "[[Now I'm Here]]" with guitarist [[Brian May]].<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/live/queen4.htm#1992freddietribute 1992 The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 17 November 2011</ref> Joe Elliott later performed "[[Tie Your Mother Down]]" with the remaining members of Queen and [[Guns N' Roses]] guitarist [[Slash (musician)|Slash]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&q=freddie+mercury+tribute+concert+def+leppard&pg=PT288 |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |date=28 October 2003 |access-date=22 July 2011|isbn=9781843531050 |last1=Buckley |first1=Peter|publisher=Rough Guides }}</ref> Another world tour followed but the band's fortunes began to be affected by the rise of [[alternative rock]], including [[grunge]]. Amidst the increasing popularity of alternative rock, the band decided to balance their original image as rebellious rock stars with a slightly friendlier energy, combining heavy metal with melodies and hooks more reminiscent of pop music.<ref>{{cite news |title=Party time, all the time, with Def Leppard |id = {{ProQuest|109008893}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/49145?q=def+leppard+1992&search=quick&pos=5&_start=1 |title=Def Leppard |access-date= 4 February 2017}}</ref> On 6{{nbsp}}June 1993, Def Leppard performed the first ever rock concert at the [[Don Valley Stadium]] in their home city of Sheffield before an audience of over 50,000.<ref name="Leppard concerts">Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History. p. 109. Chronicle Books, 2011</ref>

A collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks recorded between 1984 and 1993, called ''[[Retro Active]]'', was released in October 1993, preceded by the success of the acoustic ballad "[[Two Steps Behind]]" (from the [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] film ''[[Last Action Hero (soundtrack)|Last Action Hero]]'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Def Leppard biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/def-leppard-mn0000193320/biography |website=Allmusic |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref> The song charted in many countries, reaching Top&nbsp;5 in Canada and peaking at No. 12 in the US, where it was their last significant hit song. Another single from ''[[Retro Active]]'', "[[Miss You in a Heartbeat]]", was also successful in Canada (No. 19) while a cover of ''[[Sweet (band)|Sweet's]]'' "[[Action (Sweet song)|Action]]" was popular in the UK, reaching No. 14. ''Retro Active'' made the Top 10 in the UK, US, and Canada and has sold 3&nbsp;million copies worldwide to date. In 1995, Def Leppard issued their first greatest hits collection, ''[[Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995)]]'', which reached number{{nbsp}}3 in the UK, Top 10 in several other countries, and eventually sold over 5&nbsp;million copies in the US.<ref name=CHT/><ref>[http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-june-12-2011-albums-the-tortoise-amp-the-hare.html Week Ending 12 June 2011. Albums: The Tortoise & The Hare] Yahoo. Retrieved 1 February 2012</ref> Alternate track listings of the album were issued for North America, the UK, and Japan. The compilation included a new track, the power ballad "[[When Love & Hate Collide]]", which became their biggest ever hit in the UK, hitting No.&nbsp;2 on the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.com/searchsec.php |title=UK Top 40 Hit Database |publisher=everyHit.com |access-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012195559/http://www.everyhit.com/searchsec.php |archive-date=12 October 2008}}</ref> while also hitting No. 6 in Canada., their last major hit single in both countries, but barely charted in the US.

On 23 October 1995, the band entered the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' by performing three concerts on three continents in one day (Tangiers, Morocco; Sheffield, England; and Vancouver, Canada).<ref>''[[The Guinness Book of Records]], 1997'' p.272</ref> ''[[Slang (album)|Slang]]'', released in May 1996, marked a drastic musical departure for the band by featuring darker lyrics and a stripped-down alternative rock edge. The band rehearsed and played the songs together in the studio instead of recording parts separately, resulting in a much more live-sounding album.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Newman|first1=Melinda|title=Def Leppard Shifts Gears With "Slang"|magazine=Billboard |volume=108|date=6 April 1996|issue=14|pages=12, 18}}</ref> The US audience reception for ''Slang'' and its [[Def Leppard Slang Tour|subsequent tour]] was a major drop-off from a decade earlier, although ''[[Q Magazine]]'' nonetheless listed ''Slang'' as one of their Top Ten Albums of 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html#1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104040314/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html#1996|url-status=usurped|archive-date=4 January 2006|title=Q lists|publisher=Rocklist.net|access-date=23 October 2010}}</ref>  The album only reached No. 14 on the US album chart, and although the track "[[Work It Out (Def Leppard song)|Work It Out]]" reached No. 6 on the US Rock Tracks chart, neither it or any of the other singles released off the album charted on the Hot 100.  For the first time, a Def Leppard studio album peaked higher in the UK than in the US as it hit No. 5 there, with two singles, the album's title track (No. 17), and "Work It Out" (No. 22) performing well on the UK singles chart.  In Canada, "Work It Out" was a Top 10 single and while the album only peaked at No. 12, it eventually still went double platinum in sales.