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DEF LEPPARD:HYSTERIA ALBUM REVIEW
1. Women…This was the first single, probably a mistake in retrospect. However, it’s a good rock song. “Skin on skin/Let the love begin”. That’s a great lyric. Not an overly fantastic song, but very solid…8/10
2. Rocket…Also eventually released as a single, which kinda baffles me. It doesn’t sound radio friendly at all to me. Not that it’s bad, just different. I love the references to past rock stars (for example, Major Tom, Bennie and the Jets, Killer Queen). Sounds like a lot of state of the art technology was used on this song…8/10
3. Animal…This was also a single, actually the first from the album in the UK. To me, this really starts the exceptional part of this album. I love the nice, easy groove. And as usual for DL, incredible backing vocals. Not a perfect song, but very, very good…9/10
4. Love Bites…I believe this may be the perfect power ballad. It has a spoken intro (can’t understand the words spoken). Joe sounds fantastic. I can only imagine how many boys or even men imagined themselves singing this to that special girl, myself included. What might be lost in the shuffle on this song is how great the lead guitar sounds behind the vocals during the chorus…10/10
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me…This song changed everything for DL. It was the 4th single released in the US and brought DL many fans from the pop music world. I’ve seen these guys in concert twice, and this is the song that makes everybody loose their minds. As good as it is, I’m kinda tired of it and usually skip it. However, because of what it did for DL, I have to hold it in the highest regards…10/10
6. Armageddon It…Nice little intro-riff on this one. I think this is a play on words (substitute “are you gettin’ it” for “Armageddon it”). This song really rocks and I like it. I love when Joe says “C’mon Steve”. It’s also one of those feel good songs and the backing vocals are so cool…10/10
7. Gods Of War…Great lead guitar riff. I think the riff was written by Steve Clark (RIP). This is the first song on the album that was not released as a single. The lyrics seem to be anti-war. I really like the Reagan/Thatcher news reel inserts at the end. This is a very good, unknown DL song…9/10
8. Don’t Shoot Shotgun…This song has all of the DL trademarks, great lead and backing vocals, nice guitar work and solid drumming. However, it doesn’t do much for me. Very average sounding song…7/10
9. Run Riot…This sounds to me like it could have easily been on High ‘N’ Dry or Pyromania, just with a lot less polish. It’s not bad, but nothing particularly good either…7/10
10. Hysteria…Quite simply a perfect song. Such a smooth, easy groove. Even better than Animal. I can’t say enough about the lead and backing vocals on this tune. Beautiful lead guitar work. Another big hit for the band…10/10
11. Excitable…Another spoken intro that starts out normal and is sped up quickly. Rick Savage’s bass work sounds good here. The verses are okay, but the pre-chorus and the chorus sound much better. The drums sound really good in the middle of the song as well. Decent song…8/10
12. Love And Affection…Slightly weird sounding guitar intro, but I love it. Another smooth groove song. And I love the lyrics “you’re just another girl, I’m just another man/It’s just another night, oh yeah!”. This is a very underrated song in the DL catalogue…10/10
It took 4 years for this album to be released after Pyromania. DL had so much happen during those 4 years including drummer Rick Allen’s accident that claimed his arm. I do believe that producer Mutt Lange had some problems as well. However, when it was finally released in 1987, it basically kicked everybody’s butt. Not at first, but once Sugar was released. According to Wikipedia (not the best source, I know), this album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. That’s an ass-load of copies. Because of this album, practically everyone has heard of Def Leppard. They released 7 singles out of the 12 songs from this album, and all of them did okay. In my opinion, that’s too many singles. It also cuts my prospects for pulling out hidden gems, but I’ve got a couple. I personally like this album less than High ‘N’ Dry and Pyromania, but that’s not a put down of this one by any stretch of the imagination. This is a great album. The album artwork is just okay, nothing special. I did see them in Atlanta during the tour for this album, and they put on a tremendous live show. Four years in between albums, especially back then, was a long time to wait, but it was well worth it.
Hidden Gems (Songs that you must hear if you haven’t already):
Gods Of War
Love And Affection
Songs for my compilation:
Rocket
Animal
Love Bites
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Armageddon It
Gods Of War
Hysteria
Love And Affection
2. Rocket…Also eventually released as a single, which kinda baffles me. It doesn’t sound radio friendly at all to me. Not that it’s bad, just different. I love the references to past rock stars (for example, Major Tom, Bennie and the Jets, Killer Queen). Sounds like a lot of state of the art technology was used on this song…8/10
3. Animal…This was also a single, actually the first from the album in the UK. To me, this really starts the exceptional part of this album. I love the nice, easy groove. And as usual for DL, incredible backing vocals. Not a perfect song, but very, very good…9/10
4. Love Bites…I believe this may be the perfect power ballad. It has a spoken intro (can’t understand the words spoken). Joe sounds fantastic. I can only imagine how many boys or even men imagined themselves singing this to that special girl, myself included. What might be lost in the shuffle on this song is how great the lead guitar sounds behind the vocals during the chorus…10/10
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me…This song changed everything for DL. It was the 4th single released in the US and brought DL many fans from the pop music world. I’ve seen these guys in concert twice, and this is the song that makes everybody loose their minds. As good as it is, I’m kinda tired of it and usually skip it. However, because of what it did for DL, I have to hold it in the highest regards…10/10
6. Armageddon It…Nice little intro-riff on this one. I think this is a play on words (substitute “are you gettin’ it” for “Armageddon it”). This song really rocks and I like it. I love when Joe says “C’mon Steve”. It’s also one of those feel good songs and the backing vocals are so cool…10/10
7. Gods Of War…Great lead guitar riff. I think the riff was written by Steve Clark (RIP). This is the first song on the album that was not released as a single. The lyrics seem to be anti-war. I really like the Reagan/Thatcher news reel inserts at the end. This is a very good, unknown DL song…9/10
8. Don’t Shoot Shotgun…This song has all of the DL trademarks, great lead and backing vocals, nice guitar work and solid drumming. However, it doesn’t do much for me. Very average sounding song…7/10
9. Run Riot…This sounds to me like it could have easily been on High ‘N’ Dry or Pyromania, just with a lot less polish. It’s not bad, but nothing particularly good either…7/10
10. Hysteria…Quite simply a perfect song. Such a smooth, easy groove. Even better than Animal. I can’t say enough about the lead and backing vocals on this tune. Beautiful lead guitar work. Another big hit for the band…10/10
11. Excitable…Another spoken intro that starts out normal and is sped up quickly. Rick Savage’s bass work sounds good here. The verses are okay, but the pre-chorus and the chorus sound much better. The drums sound really good in the middle of the song as well. Decent song…8/10
12. Love And Affection…Slightly weird sounding guitar intro, but I love it. Another smooth groove song. And I love the lyrics “you’re just another girl, I’m just another man/It’s just another night, oh yeah!”. This is a very underrated song in the DL catalogue…10/10
It took 4 years for this album to be released after Pyromania. DL had so much happen during those 4 years including drummer Rick Allen’s accident that claimed his arm. I do believe that producer Mutt Lange had some problems as well. However, when it was finally released in 1987, it basically kicked everybody’s butt. Not at first, but once Sugar was released. According to Wikipedia (not the best source, I know), this album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. That’s an ass-load of copies. Because of this album, practically everyone has heard of Def Leppard. They released 7 singles out of the 12 songs from this album, and all of them did okay. In my opinion, that’s too many singles. It also cuts my prospects for pulling out hidden gems, but I’ve got a couple. I personally like this album less than High ‘N’ Dry and Pyromania, but that’s not a put down of this one by any stretch of the imagination. This is a great album. The album artwork is just okay, nothing special. I did see them in Atlanta during the tour for this album, and they put on a tremendous live show. Four years in between albums, especially back then, was a long time to wait, but it was well worth it.
Hidden Gems (Songs that you must hear if you haven’t already):
Gods Of War
Love And Affection
Songs for my compilation:
Rocket
Animal
Love Bites
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Armageddon It
Gods Of War
Hysteria
Love And Affection
Tags: album review, def leppard, hysteria, joe elliot, rick allen, rick savage, steve clark
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