Hysteria [30th Anniversary Edition]

by Def Leppard

Overview

Where Pyromania had set the standard for polished, catchy pop-metal, Hysteria only upped the ante. Pyromania's slick, layered Mutt Lange production turned into a painstaking obsession with dense sonic detail on Hysteria, with the result that some critics dismissed the record as a stiff, mechanized pop sellout (perhaps due in part to Rick Allen's new, partially electronic drum kit). But Def Leppard's music had always employed big, anthemic hooks, and few of the pop-metal bands who had hit the charts in the wake of Pyromania could compete with Leppard's sense of craft; certainly none had the pop songwriting savvy to produce seven chart singles from the same album, as the stunningly consistent Hysteria did. Joe Elliott's lyrics owe an obvious debt to his obsession with T. Rex, particularly on the playfully silly anthem "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and the British glam rock tribute "Rocket," while power ballads like "Love Bites" and the title track lack the histrionics or gooey sentimentality of many similar offerings. The strong pop hooks and "perfect"-sounding production of Hysteria may not appeal to die-hard heavy metal fans, but it isn't heavy metal -- it's pop-metal, and arguably the best pop-metal ever recorded. Its blockbuster success helped pave the way for a whole new second wave of hair metal bands, while proving that the late-'80s musical climate could also be very friendly to veteran hard rock acts, a lead many would follow in the next few years. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	08/04/2017
Label:	Mercury / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602557560923
Rank:	3513

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Women
2. Rocket
3. Animal
4. Love Bites
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me
6. Armageddon It

Disc 2

7. Gods of War
8. Don't Shoot Shot Gun
9. Run Riot
10. Hysteria
11. Excitable
12. Love and Affection

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Def Leppard   Primary Artist
Stumpus Maximus and the Good Ol Boys   Primary Artist
Rick Savage   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Bass (Electric),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Steve Clark   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Vocals (Background)
Phil Collen   Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Phil Nicholas   Fairlight
Rick Allen   Drums,Drums
Joe Elliott   Vocals,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Alice Cooper   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Steve Clark   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Jimmy Page   Composer
Laurie Lewis   Photography
Barry Hay   Composer
Dunaway   Composer
Eddie Miller   Composer,Composer
Erwin Musper   Engineer
Def Leppard   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
W.S. Stevenson   Composer
John Bonham   Composer
John Paul Jones   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Composer,Producer,Remix Engineer
Phil Collen   Composer
Pete Willis   Composer
Neal Smith   Composer
Rick Allen   Composer,Composer
Norman Petty   Composer
Mike Shipley   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Joe Elliott   Composer
Buddy Holly   Composer
Stumpus Maximus and the Good Ol Boys   Producer
Glen Buxton   Composer
Dennis Dunaway   Composer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Robert Plant   Composer
Pete Townshend   Composer
Pete Woodroffe   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Rick Savage   Composer
Nigel Green   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer,Assistant Producer
Michael Bruce   Composer
Buxton   Composer
George Kooymans   Composer
Hardin   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Ronald Prent   Engineer,Producer
Richard Allen   Composer
Giles Cowley   Mixing Assistant
Mark Flannery   Engineer,Tape Operator
Richard Savage   Composer,Composer
Niall O'Sullivan   Mixing Assistant
Ross Halfin   Photography
Robert Yount   Composer
Dub Williams   Composer
Phil Nicholas   Synthesizer Programming