Search - Def Leppard :: Hysteria

What to do with a great record? Expand on it!

WilM. | Republics of TX & Guatemala | 10/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Def Leppard has never been able to climb past the commercial or creative success they achieved with Hysteria. Some might argue that Pyromania was their finest effort. Truth is, Hysteria was the record that made them a success not only in thier home country of England, but also broke them to a worldwide audience like no other hard-rock/ heavy metal act before them.



This Hysteria Deluxe Edition puts that whole era in perspective, with the inclusion of live B-sides, studio outtakes, and extended remixes of their succesful singles. Disc One brings together the original album and the studio b-sides while Disc Two is an additional disc of all the B-sides off the 7 (yes, count them, SEVEN) singles released to promote the record. Four of those B-sides come on the first disc, and the idea works well, because those songs are actually studio outtakes that did not make the final cut. Therefore, their presence here only adds to what they were working on at the time. Of particular interest is Ride Into The Sun, off their independent debut EP which they re-recorded in 1987.



The second disc starts with several LIVE versions of 5 songs (Elected, Love and Affection, Billy's Got a Gun, Rock of Ages, Women) and goes on to include remixes for ANIMAL (extended version), POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME (extended version), ARMAGEDDON IT (The Nuclear Mix), EXCITABLE (Orgasmic Mix), ROCKET (The Lunar Mix). It is important to mention that while Rock of Ages has the same name as their famous song off Pyromania, the version here is actually a medley including parts of the classic rock anthems "Not Fade Away," "My Generation," "Radar Love," "Come Together" and "Whole Lotta Love".



Finally to close the second disc they have included another studio b-side, a humorous version of "Release Me," credited to Stumpus Maximus & The Good Ol' Boys. Which proves that Def Leppard and particularly Hysteria might not be the most serious music ever made, but they were indeed serious about having fun."

Pop-metal at its best

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 12/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Def Leppard's Hysteria was their first album after the tragic car accident which left their drummer Rick Allen with one arm. Before this unfortunate incident, the band was riding high on the success of their first #1 album Pyromania which vaulted them to superstar status and made them the unquestioned kings of hard rock. But Def Leppard would not be denied. Using a custom made electronic kit, Rick Allen would continue to not only drum for the band but also become their inspiration. With producer Mutt Lange manning the boards, the band would alter their sound more towards a pop direction while still maintaining their metallic crunch. Lead singer Joe Elliott also toned down his vocals and began singing in a more intelligible and softer tone than his previous raspy voice ala Brian Johnson from AC/DC. As a result, the band did the near impossible. They released an album that would be even more successful than Pyromania spawning 6 huge hit singles. Also, worth noting is that this album helped revolutionize the music industry with both its glossy production and its album length at 63 minutes at a time when most albums were still around 45 minutes long. These aspects would lead to longer and more polished albums in general for most popular music.



The songs presented here are nearly all top notch and featured catchy hooks that were instantly recognizable and stayed in your head for years upon hearing them. The tracks "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and the ballads "Love Bites" and "Hysteria" are as good as it gets in pop-metal and still sound fresh. These tracks along with "Armageddon It", "Animal", and "Rockit" were all top 20 hits and all feature memorable riffs and catchy choruses. What really makes the album work though is that the remaining tracks are just as strong as the hit singles. Songs like "Don't Shoot Shotgun", the heavy rock of "Run Riot", and the catchy "Excitable" are all very strong tracks. In fact, the mid-tempo rock ballad "Love And Affection" could have given them yet another huge single if they chose to release it. "Gods Of War" is also a great track featuring several memorable riffs and never gets repetitive or boring despite its 6 1/2 minute length. The opening track "Women" is also very good although it's carried more by its stellar production than its content. All told, this is one of the best pop-metal albums ever released and along with Pyromania is their best work. Highly recommended."

A fantastic remastered package of a landmark 80's pop-metal

M J Heilbron Jr. | Long Beach, CA United States | 11/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Hysteria" was huge. Three long years after exploding into the pop culture arena with their album "Pyromania" and the phenomenal single, "Photograph", Def Leppard came roaring back, determined to take their music all the way to the top of the charts (where a little album called "Thriller" had previously kept them at number two).

Yes, their drummer lost an arm. Yes, they went through three producers...the trials and tribulations of the making of this album are well-described in a lovely liner note essay.

They came up with a monster album filled with classic songs, killer riffs, exquisite sonics...this album is the best example of the marriage of pop music to metal that exists. Period.



First, the remastering of the record sounds spectacular. Given the density of the tracks here, you can spend hours listening to songs over and over again, finding new little details, or appreciating more subtle touches.

"Subtle"? Did I say "subtle"? On an album whose first four songs are, in order, "Women", "Rocket", "Animal" and "Love Bites"?

Well, yes. Robert John "Mutt" Lange's productions are famous for layer upon layer of vocals, instruments, percussion, noise, samples...and you can dissect each and every one for days. Elegant little synth lines hidden in bludgeoning anthems, or operatic harmonies that seem to fit together like puzzle pieces...



Def Leppard also have a healthy sense of humor and wit. This is a fun record. Again, look at the names of the first four songs...



The record starts off weak, as I have always felt "Women" to be one of the least interesting things on the platter. "Rocket" gets things moving; it's an homage to the poppy, glam-rock heroes of their youth.

"Animal" is where the "Hysteria" sound clarifies and crystallizes. It's a catchy pop-metal anthem, in an era where metal was dark or hidden behind epic explosions of hair and spandex, and pop was often mall-bound and limp. The soaring vocals of Joe Elliott at the end of the song NEVER gets old.



"Love Bites" is a rare hard-rock ballad that works, so much so it reached Number One. In fact, rock bands were never considered "singles" band (for really no good reason), but Def Leppard gleefully slung tunes, one after another, into American Top 40 radio (and MTV) until they themselves were competing with people like Michael Jackson.



The album went to Number One, stayed for a month and half, and sold, like, sixteen million copies.



Back to the record, we now come to the most totally awesome single. Ever. Dude. Seriously.

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" is a perfect amalgam of power-pop hooks, crunching guitar chords, elephants-on-steroids drums, peerless sonic production...and a chorus a three-year-old can sing. A song both critics and fans love to love. One listen, and it's back to 1987.



"Armageddon It" is yet another crisp, thundering rocker, which sounded sweet coming from car radios back then...and still does now. The lyric wordplay confirms the idea that these guys have a lot of fun with themselves.



"Gods of War" and "Don't Shoot Shotgun" are lesser effors; ambitious yes...just not as successful as the preceding tracks.



The blinding "Run Riot" gives those thundering "elephantine" drums a dose of crack, and the result is a happy thrill ride of a pop song.



The title song "Hysteria" is a justly celebrated, slow rock anthem, composed of seemingly a thousand parts, making another singular epic tune. Crisp guitars, layers upon layers of vocals, great melodies, interesting production effects...



I think the album ends a little weak with the dance-rock of "Excitable" (which is still at least fun to listen to) and the ponderous "Love and Affection" (which is not).



All in all, clearly one of the best of that era. One of the best of that genre. One of the best pretty much ever if you care at all about modern popular music.



Now for the extras: The B-sides are terrific, and almost worth the price of admission in and of themselves. In particular, "Tear It Down" should have been on the album. It's better than four or five of those that made it. The live versions are interesting...Alice Cooper's "Elected" sounds terrific, but the only "Hysteria" songs are "Women" and "Love and Affection". I hope they are saving the other ones for a subsequent live release.



The remixes are "extended" versions, but I think the proper word is "prolonged." By inserting long, lyric-less gaps into a song does not make it any more interesting. These are all examples where "more" is definitely "less".



The capper is an absolutely bonkers version of 'Release Me'...yes, the Englebert Humperdinck song...with truly unhinged vocals from the bands' Welsh crew master, Malvin Mortimer. Strange beyond belief, but riotously funny.



So there you have it. I honestly wish ALL classic albums would come out this way. This was really a treat."