MELISSA RUGGIERI
MUSIC CRITIC May 19, 2005

Most people don't stay in a job for 25 years. Or stay married to the same person. Or, in many cases, maintain friendships that long.

Musicians, especially, are a notoriously fickle group -- look at the backbiting that continues to this day in the Van Halen camp or the coy comments made by any lead singer who pursues a solo project but still "will never leave the band." Yeah, Justin. How's that next'N Sync album coming?

Few bands stick together in their original incarnation without the inevitable "we hate each other" break (U2 being an exception). Even this year's successful'80s reunions -- Duran Duran and Motley Cr?e topping the list are the result of spending years deflating bank accounts dwindle.

That makes Def Leppard a bit of an anomaly. Yes, the band had an early lineup change when guitarist Pete Willis was fired because of his alcoholism and Phil Collen took his place. And, in a sad twist, guitarist Steve Clark died in 1991 at the age of 30 from alcohol abuse and was replaced by Vivian Campbell.

But those changes were unavoidable, not the result of the usual pettiness. Now, 25 years after the heavy rock of "On Through the Night" signaled the arrival of the quintet from Sheffield, England, and a host of other odd tragedies struck, including drummer Rick Allen losing an arm in a car crash, Def Leppard is celebrating its survival with "Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection."

Released Tuesday, the two-CD set contains all of the expected smashes "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Love Bites," "Foolin'," "Hysteria" and the overplayed "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (more on that in a moment). But the treat for dedicated fans is the inclusion of recent cuts that didn't commandeer the airwaves but are no less potent "Slang" and "Promises" among them and a teaser for the band's long-discussed covers album, a sublime rendition of Badfinger's "No Matter What."

That covers album, said guitarist Collen in a recent interview, should hit store shelves by September.
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