With this album you can hear everything that was good about the year 1987, instantly memorable melodies, the perfect production, quality musicianship and something that i personally never get tired of listening to.
7 hit singles from this album, classic tracks such as Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armageddon It, Gods of War, Animal, Hysteria, Love Bites.
It might have been said before by some in the Rock press, but i find largely this album should have even more recognition, why?
Armageddon It for a start, that is my all time favorite rock song, it's sleazy T-Rex underlying Rhtym, razor sharp lyrics, the effortless blending of the bass, drums, vocals, and speaking of vocals check out the backing vocals on this track especially, this is what you call power and emotion.
Hysteria the title track appearing at 10 on the album just takes you and puts you into a dream like state, with the soaring melodies of guitarist's Steve Clark and Phil Collen,
my inspirations, they really nail what it means to pour out your heart into an instrument, Joe's vocals are just as emotion packed, this is by far the best slow song i have ever heard, by any band.
For all out rockers the album contains a few Sugar, Armageddon It as i've just mentioned a few paragraphs back, and, Gods of War, this is the epic of the album, about the threat of what else but Nuclear War, a big threat to life everywhere at that particular time, Steve Clark churning out the unmistakeable riff that makes this song a classic, Sav's pounding bass, and Rick Allen's swirling drums sending you into a different world.
Love Bites, does it? It more takes you and doesn't let go until the end of the song i think, enchanting doesn't do it justice, it's another of those songs that you really can lose yourself in, from the beginning with the vocoder vocal intro, the chord changes, the distorted guitars breaking into chorus and then back again to more mellow tones for the verse.
Animal, i have grown to love this track more and more and more upon each listen, not only because each time you hear something different in the mix but because it's hook after hook with the way the vocal lines go with the guitars, bass, drums, backing vocals, constanly telling you that you're on a journey, it's not just a listen and see what happens next in the song, it's a mini epic in it's own glory.
If you like rock music that's big on production, multi layered sounds, that's different from your run of the mill cliche type of 80's bands then you should really enjoy this album.
There's a song for everyone on this album, not just music, but something to enjoy over and over, incredible sense of melody, technique, production, and most of all fun.
Women is the heavier of all the tracks and appears as the first on the disc, i've left this one till last as over the years i've grown from just liking this a little to more and more, it's a futuristic sounding 1987 that's more 2087, hard rock style with a crunching guitar riff, very echoy vocals, great backing vocals and a strong rhytm section throughout.
Excitable and Love and Affection close the album, songs that finish it off perfectly, whilst i prefer the remix of Excitable it's a fantastic party song that makes you feel like acting crazy, with it's lyrics, shouting backing vocals, joe's unique style of singing, and Steve and Phil's awesome Guitar work, brilliant "muted scratching" from the Guitars in the verse.
Love and Affection, what i love most about this track would be so hard to choose, again it's the whole thing, the essence of it, the gelling of the huge amount of tracks that make up the song, from the subtle backing vocals that contribute to making the song so warm and full, with a solo that screams emotion, perfect as the song fades out, don't give me love and affection...
How could i have forgot Rocket?
I read a comment about every line of this being a hook of it's own once in a magazine and still to this day that is so true, they get so many references to 70's rock in there, coupled with the driving force of the great riff, the background guitars working their wonders, the backing vocals again done to perfection by Def Leppard, over 6 minutes of pure fun.
Rock to tracks like Sugar, Rocket, Armageddon It, Gods of War, mellow out to slower ballads such as Love Bites, Hysteria, and Love and Affection.
Weaker tracks on the album have been said to be Run Riot and Don't Shoot Shotgun, the riff to the song just isn't very memorable, but it does pick up as it goes along, give it a chance and it may redeem itself.
Run Riot i always have liked nearly as much as the other songs on the album, it goes from strength to stength with every listen, going to town on the multi tracking of instruments in the break down part of the song, thundering away as it goes with a savage drum pattern.
Classic album?
Damn right!!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Probably Def Leppard's best album and certainly their most successful,Hysteriapretty much ... more
sums up 1980s hard rock: catchy, tuneful and fun. It's also one of the few albums from the period that doesn't sound dated now, and singles such as "Pour Some Sug...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Def Leppard's album Hysteria sold over 17 million copies, produced seven hit singles and ... more
brought worldwide superstardom to the band in 1987.After the success in America of the album Pyromania, Def Leppard went into 'exile' in Dublinto begin the writing...
Probably Def Leppard's best album and certainly their most successful, Hysteria pretty ... more
much sums up 1980s hard rock: catchy, tuneful and fun. It's also one of the few albums from the period that doesn't sound dated now, and singles such as "Pour Some S...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Probably Def Leppard's best album and certainly their most successful, Hysteria pretty ... more
much sums up 1980s hard rock: catchy, tuneful and fun. It's also one of the few albums from the period that doesn't sound dated now, and singles such as "Pour Some S...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Apr 8th, 2004
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