Hysteria - Def Leppard (CD 1987)

Only 8 years old when Def Leppard came onto the scene, having a brother 6 years older, I still can remember him blasting this album over and over again in his bedroom. In my Epinion, there will never be a better age for music than the 70's early 80's. With Def Leppard, Scorpion, AC DC, Metallica, Led Zepplin, REO Speed Wagon, Chicago, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, and so many others just coming out or still relatively new, I must say I was lucky enough to be able to grow up with all this great music. It is this Album that will always stick out in my head the most.

It is really hard to find an album that you can put into your stereo and just hit play, walk away, and enjoy every single song. Most albums now you have your selected few that you love to listen to, than hit that seek button on the rest to get to those few. Not with Hysteria. Anyone that feels the music more than listens to it (like me) will be incredibly impressed with this album. Def Leppard has that knack of being able to put you in many different frames of mind with their music and this album is one of the best at doing this. Really getting you in the party mode with Pour Some Sugar On Me and Women then turning you right around making you think of the girlfriend or boyfriend that you let get away with Love Bites and Hysteria. Def Leppard has always been known for having good and lots of background singing in their songs and this album is no exception. Hysteria is an album every music fan needs to have in their collection.

Whenever Def Leppard comes up in a conversation you always seem to hear about the one arm drummer Rick Allen. My views on that are simple and this will be the only comment I make on any Def Leppard Epinion I write. I do commend him on his come back and playing the drums with his feet (it is cool to watch) and he is one of the best drummers ever before and after. But, he lost his arm due to drinking and driving and that I do not commend. So, to me he did what I would expect anyone to do in that situation and that is go back to work and be the best you can.

The album starts right of with a bang with Women. This song has the best beat of any song in the album. The kind of beat that no matter what you do you can't stop your foot from tapping and your head bobbing. Great lyrics in this song speaking about why God made Women. Just the saying in the song "we can't live without them" says it all. This is one of those songs as soon as it ends you can hit replay.

The next song is Rocket. This is your classic Def Leppard song. Not to fast and not to slow, right in the middle. The song is a bit long for me at 6:34 only because the ending is to much the same. Don't get me wrong though. This is one of the best songs on the album it just has to long of an ending. Not much of anything in the song to distinguish it from others except the background singing is pretty sweet and more often in this song than others.

Animal is the third song. Another one of those good beats that keep your foot tapping throughout the song. The lyrics may not be the best to sing along with but, the song itself with the beat and the chorus well make up for it.

Love Bites is next and one of the more popular of the Def Leppard songs. A true romantic beat and singing but, not one you sing to your girlfriend. Anyone can relate to the lyrics of this song and will find themselves singing every word as the song plays. The kind of song you bring the lighters out at the their concerts. The chorus is just flat out awesome, but the words are pretty brutal though.

They bring you right out of the Love Bites mode and into that Pour Some Sugar On Me mode. Another of the more popular songs from them with just an excellent beat. The singing is a little different as Joe brings out more of a scratchy voice. One of the best songs to ever play at a party (when everyone is in fun mode) to get the dirty dancing out. The lyrics are great (sexual) and the beat never stops. This is one of my personal favorite songs from Def Leppard.

They back that one up with Armageddon It. Good solid beat with this one but nothing really spectacular in the song. Good lyrics, background singing, beat, and total feel of the song. Not one of the best songs you will ever hear but, not one of the worst by any means.

Gods Of War is the next and the 7th song on the album. I personal like the lyrics in this song but, it's a song that can go either way. A pretty long song at 6:32 but you shouldn't really notice it. The beat is great and whether you like the lyrics or not you will still like this song. A song that I really like the guitar in.

Don't Shoot Shotgun is next and if you were going to seek through a song on this album this would be it. There is nothing truly wrong with this song it just has nothing to really catch you as the others do. You will find yourself just listening to this one not feeling it.

They do come back with Run Riot. The beat is what stands out in this. Good solid drums giving Rick some play time. Joe sings this one a bit faster then normal and with a little scratchiness. Not to much stands on this song besides the beat. A pretty good one for the car if you have good speakers.

Time to slow things down a bit again with Hysteria. This is probably my personal favorite song in the album and song by Def Leppard. Great lyrics, good beat, great slow guitar, and great background singing in this one. There is no way you can stop yourself singing the chorus of this song all the way through. This one is one you can sing to your girlfriend guys. Makes the women melt.

Excitable is next in line. Maybe not the best pick to backup Hysteria but, a fun song all together. More of a fun song than anything else. Good beat, good lyrics, and pretty good guitar. Another good party song to get everyone in the mood of just having fun.

Love And Affection closes the album out. Personally I would have ended the album with Gods Of War or maybe Rocket but there is nothing wrong with song. It has a mix of a fast song and a slow song. The chorus is pretty slow with the rest of the song bringing you up to beat. It is a good all around song.

This is my first and hopefully the beginning of my music Epinions. I hope to write many more in the near future as music is something that has been a big part of my life because of my life style. If you have any comments please feel free to write them down so I can improve on my next music Epinion.

Artist: Def Leppard
Album: Hysteria
Lead vocals: Joe Elliot
Guitar: Phil Collen
Guitar: Steve Clark
Bass: Rick Savage
Drums: Rick Allen

Songs:
Women (5:41)
Rocket (6:34)
Animal (4:02)
Love Bites (5:46)
Pour Some Sugar On Me (4:25)
Armageddon It (5:21)
Gods Of War (6:32)
Don't Shoot Shotgun (4:10)
Run Riot (4:38)
Hysteria (5:49)
Excitable (4:19)
Love And Affection (4:35)

Recorded at: Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland

This is an album I highly recommend.

Thank you for your time.