“Pyromania” established a very high standard for what should be called a very well-produced and fine as hell hard rock album. Even when we finished Hysteria we had no idea how it was going to do, but it felt like a triumph for us.” OVERVIEW We just wanted to make a record with good songs that we really liked and that were maybe a little more polished and more modern sounding. We weren’t necessarily trying to top that because you can’t go into something saying, ‘Okay, yeah, this one’s going to sell more than 8million copies.’ That’s a lot of records. “When we started working on Hysteria we had just sold eight million records with Pyromania so we knew we had a fanbase. “We’ve always wanted to be a band for the people,” Phil Collen says. “Release Me” (credited as Stumpus Maximus & The Good Ol’ Boys) “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (Extended version) “Rock of Ages” Medley: Not Fade Away/My Generation/Radar Love/Come Together/Whole Lotta Love” (Live in Tilburg, Holland) “Billy’s Got a Gun” (Live in Tilburg, Holland) “Love and Affection” (Live in Tilburg, Hollad) Personnel: Joe Elliott – lead vocals Phil Collen – guitars Steve Clark – guitars Rick Savage – bass guitar Rick Allen – drums Singles: “Animal”, “Women”, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, “Hysteria”, “Armageddon It”, “Love Bites”, “Rocket” Label: Mercury (US), Phonogram (Original Release), Mercury (2000 re-release) Studio Des Dames, Paris Mixing: February – May 1987 Recorded: February 1984 – January 1987 Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum Let’s talk more about it and listen to some tunes! Oh by the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, YES – “HYSTERIA” it’s my favorite album of all time… From the breathtaking power ballad “Love Bites” to the sexy and timeless guitar riffs of “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, “Hysteria” can just instantly settle down in your heart and never leave it.
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His goal was to create an album that’s going to be the “rock version” of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” – an album in which every track is a potential hit single! Well, he did it – “Hysteria” spawned 7 phenomenal hit singles I don’t even know how to describe. “Hysteria” is produced by none-other than Mr Mutt Lange – the producer I adore and respect with all my heart and soul.
Losing their guitarist once again shook the band’s grounds but they rose from the ashes and kept on making great rock music! Some of his songs do appear on the following album – “Adrenalize” (1992), however Hysteria’s promotional tours and concerts were the last times we saw him on the stage with his bandmates, unfortunately. “Hysteria” is the last album to feature the outstanding guitarist Steve Clark, before his death. Now, we call him the thunder God and he indeed is! Imagine the strength of his will and the degree of his passion. Rick started using a custom-made electronic drum kit and not only became one of the greatest inspirations for so many people, but he became an even better drummer. Before this tragic event, Def Leppard were still riding on the train of success thanks to their phenomenal album “Pyromania”, released in 1983 – a record that proved that the band is here to stay and change the world! For a moment, though, their future didn’t seem as bright as they thought…What happened? Well, Def Leppard were the unquestionable kings of hard rock and such events couldn’t stop them from continuing their quest. Rick Allen – their drummer, lost his arm in a car accident. The creation of “Hysteria” took over three years due to a number of hardships the band had to go through.
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“Hysteria” is the perfect ‘80s rock album – catchy, fun, sexy and full of passion and timeless hard rock hits. Furthermore, till today it remains their best-selling and most successful album of all time! I don’t think something so extraordinary and out-of-this-world can actually be made nowadays. There are a number of essential classic rock albums from the ‘80s and then there’s Def Leppard’s “Hysteria” – the monstrous record that goes way beyond that! In addition to the brilliant technical and song-writing skills demonstrated on this album, “Hysteria” is significant due to the human stories that surround its production and release.