After the huge success of "Pyromania", Def Leppard ran into problems, Rick Allen, the drummer for the band was involved in a car accident and lost his arm due to the accident. But that didn't stop him from playing the drums and Def Leppard continued on. In 1987, they released their second biggest album "Hysteria", which achieved a lot of success and carried the bands repuation on from the previous albums. But "Hysteria" is a little different from "High 'N' Dry" and "Pyromania". No longer was it just a case of hard rock, they were implementing a lot of electronics into this album. From heavy metal and hard rock to the glam of it all, "Hysteria" may make you sick to your stomach with all the cheesy innuedos or you might love all the sounds that are put to use. All in all, read this review and take your pick!
Band Members:
Joe Elliott (Vocals)
Steve Clark (Guitars)
Phil Collen (Guitars)
Rick Savage (Bass)
Rick Allen (Drums)
1. Women (5:42)
Maybe the only song that sounds more towards the sound of "Pyromania" or "High 'N' Dry" then the glam and cheese of what's to come. Anyways, it's a great song to kick off the album with heavy riffin' guitars and some decent vocals. The lyrics are actually some of the better ones from Def Leppard and the solo towards the end is always a delight. The chorus may be a bit weak, but no matter what, this song rocks and is the perfect way to start the album.
5/5
2. Rocket (6:37)
Probably the most interesting song on the entire album besides "Gods of War" later on. It has some catchy lyrics and good vocals with a riff of its own. But the noises to be heard in this song are what stand out the most. Good drumming is present and it ends on a strong note. Maybe the most underated song on the album.
5/5
3. Animal (4:04)
A straight ahead rocker with a great chorus, the singing is especially well in this song. Some nice guitar playing along with catchy lyrics makes for a good song. This song besides "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is their biggest radio hit on the album.
5/5
4. Love Bites (5:46)
The first ballad on the album, it's a bit creepy at times but actually a great song with good lyrics. What stands out the most on this track is Joe's singing as well as the substantially good guitar solo. Overall, it's a good ballad to listen to but it may actually be quite a turn off this far into the album.
5/5
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me (4:27)
The most popular song on the album and the biggest radio hit on the album and for many reasons, some good, some bad. You're either goin' to hate this song or love it, but really, it's just a fun party song to enjoy. The lyrics are overly cheesy but catchy and the riff is a nice suprise. It has a good chorus and a decent solo.
5/5
6. Armageddon It (5:24)
Besides "Women" and "Rocket" its probably the most underated song on the album. It has an interesting riff as well as some average but catchy lyrics. The main thing about this song is it just plain rocks. I'm always suprised this song never gets radio airplay considering it's actually better than most of the songs on the album.
5/5
7. Gods of War (6:37)
An anti-war song against the Reagan administration, starts off slow but kicks in with awesome drum playing by Rick Allen. The riff comes in and we have ourselves a rocker. But unfortunately, the lyrics are average at best and it's not a very catchy song. I have to say Def Leppard failed to get their message across with this song. But it's a fine song nothingless.
4/5
8. Don't Shoot Shotgun (4:26)
This song makes me think of AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" at times for some reason. But anyways, it's a change of pace from the innuedos and ballads we've heard recently but it fails to really ever gain momentum and prove itself as a hard rockin' tune. It's an average song because of that.
3/5
9. Run Riot (4:39)
Kind of takin' off the sound from the previous song, it's a bit more catchy then "Don't Shoot Shogtun" but once again the lyrics aren't really good at all. The riff is good and it does have a great solo but the chorus is weak and overall this song is nothing more than an average rocker.
3/5
10. Hysteria (5:54)
The true masterpiece of the album, it's a seductive sounding ballad with some great lyrics. The solo is pretty good along with awesome vocals. It's another nice change of pace from the average rockers back to an awesome ballad. All in all this is a great song.
5/5
11. Excitable (4:19)
The most annoying song on the album. It's somewhat catchy but only if your in the right mood otherwise you'll just be annoyed by the stupidness of this song. The guitar playing is fair and the vocals are average at best. This is probably the most skipped song on the album and for good reasons.
2/5
12. Love and Affection (4:36)
Def Leppard decided to make the last song a sweeping ballad and I would say that was a good call. It's a good song without a doubt and has some great singing by Joe Elliott. The guitars are really good sounding in this song the only flaw of this track may be the weak lyrics. But oh well, the song is good and a great way to finish the album.
5/5
So now that Def Leppard has turned themselves around after some accidents within the band, they've now changed there style around. No longer just straight forward hard rock like in the previous years, they were glammy, cheesy and most of all fun to listen to. But considering all of that, they've lost old fans and made new ones. Though, "Hysteria" was a successful album it marked the turning point in history for Def Leppard. This would be the last time Steve Clark would play for them as well. In conclusion, it's up to what you like, hard rock or ballads? You make that decision and if you're leaning towards the ballads and all, you should pick this classic album up and enjoy it.
Pros (+)
+ Some really enjoyable songs even if a lot of them are extra cheesy (Like "Pour Some Sugar on Me")
+ Probably the last album Def Leppard put out that's worth buying
+ Rick Allen man, give him credit! (Drummer with one arm!)
+ A lot of hit singles (About 7 to be exact)
Cons (-)
- Can get old and bland and what not
- "Excitable"
- Ultra cheesy lyrics can be outright stupid sometimes
