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All rights reserved.Adrenalize - Def Leppard (CD 1992)
Adrenalize Got Caught Up in the HysteriaReview created: 05/09/01
by: mystical81 -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Another KICK @$$ Lep album!! Flawless production, even topping <i>Hysteria</i> in sound quality. Great songs!
Another KICK @$$ Lep album!! Flawless production, even topping <i>Hysteria</i> in sound quality. Great songs!
Cons:
Musically, <i>Adrenalize</i> is perhaps better experienced LIVE than through your stereo.
Musically, <i>Adrenalize</i> is perhaps better experienced LIVE than through your stereo.
In 1992, one of music's most talented and truly original rock bands of modern times re-emerged from their four-year studio hiatus with their most highly-anticipated album to date, Adrenalize. Def Leppard had earned phenomenal world-wide success with their previous album, Hysteria, the multi-platinum album that topped everything else in the '80s. Now it was the '90s, and to follow-up Hysteria, Def Leppard once again joined musical forces with legendary producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (this time as executive producer) to do only what the team does best---make an album of great music.
However, the success of this album and how the public would embrace it was doomed from the start. For one, during the recording of the Adrenalize album, the band lost one of their founding guitarist's, Steve Clark, to excessive alcoholism and drug-taking. This naturally effected the band's state of mind and musical direction, and focus on making the album took a backseat ride for awhile. Secondly, it had been a few years since Def Leppard were on the scene, and this allowed other artists to come out and gain a greater popularity than the band already had. This fact, however, should not have mattered, and in reality it really DIDN'T as far as the buying public was concerned. What ultimately stopped Adrenalize from reaching the long-lasting success it truly deserved was the fact that it was never able to come out from under the large shadow cast by its big brother, Hysteria.
This is a shame, because we all know how lightning never strikes the same place twice, and I don't think the lightning Hysteria generated can ever be replicated. Regardless of this fact, though, Adrenalize still debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 and remained there for three weeks. Pretty good for a band that most people just wanted to discard as a "hair band" from the 80's. I mean, there is a LOT of great music to be found on this album! If you make the mistake of comparing it with Hysteria, you're just limiting yourself. True, it may not have had as much of an impact musically as that album did, but who would want a "Hysteria Part II" anyway?
Def Leppard always come out and give their fans something new, which is greatly welcomed on my part (with the disaster of Slang being the only exception, of course). By itself, Adrenalize is an exceptional album, with some awesome songs and its overall PERFECT production. It beats out Hysteria on that level: every song comes out at you with crisp, clear, total surround sound. The awesome cover art (that rupturing blue eyeball is wicked!) and the title of the album come at you from the moment you pick it up and say, "Okay, we're here to kick your @$$!", and for the most part, the album does just that. It starts off with the best song on the whole album, the teenage rock anthem Let's Get Rocked. This song is straight up awesome. With hip, bubbly lyrics on everyday young life, a great beat, and an awesome guitar solo, it's one of my favorite all time Def Leppard songs. Other highlights are the incredibly catchy and sweetly harmonized Heaven Is; the rockin' Make Love Like A Man; and the two ballads, Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad. The only places where the album falls short are on Tonight and Personal Property. Although very well-written and flawlessly produced, they do not showcase the Brits best songwriting capabilities.
Overall, this is an album that I highly recommend to anybody. It's well worth the money buying it. Out of 10 total tracks, only 2 suck. 6 of em rock their way to being true masterpieces, with great vocals and guitar riffs, and the other 2 (ballads) put you in the mellow and sentimental mood that we all love for a good ballad to do. Big ups go to Phil Collen for playing all the guitar parts on the entire album, he truly is a guitar virtuoso and it's a pleasure watching him perform.
Hysteria and Adrenalize are Def Leppard's best albums, in my opinion. Whether you're a fan or someone who is just getting into the band, you can't go wrong with these two musical achievements.
Track Listing:
1. Let's Get Rocked
2. Heaven Is
3. Make Love Like a Man
4. Tonight
5. White Lightning
6. Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)
7. Personal Property
8. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
9. I Wanna Touch U
10. Tear It Down
DEF LEPPARD REVIEWS:
Hysteria (1987)
Retro Active (1993)
However, the success of this album and how the public would embrace it was doomed from the start. For one, during the recording of the Adrenalize album, the band lost one of their founding guitarist's, Steve Clark, to excessive alcoholism and drug-taking. This naturally effected the band's state of mind and musical direction, and focus on making the album took a backseat ride for awhile. Secondly, it had been a few years since Def Leppard were on the scene, and this allowed other artists to come out and gain a greater popularity than the band already had. This fact, however, should not have mattered, and in reality it really DIDN'T as far as the buying public was concerned. What ultimately stopped Adrenalize from reaching the long-lasting success it truly deserved was the fact that it was never able to come out from under the large shadow cast by its big brother, Hysteria.
This is a shame, because we all know how lightning never strikes the same place twice, and I don't think the lightning Hysteria generated can ever be replicated. Regardless of this fact, though, Adrenalize still debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 and remained there for three weeks. Pretty good for a band that most people just wanted to discard as a "hair band" from the 80's. I mean, there is a LOT of great music to be found on this album! If you make the mistake of comparing it with Hysteria, you're just limiting yourself. True, it may not have had as much of an impact musically as that album did, but who would want a "Hysteria Part II" anyway?
Def Leppard always come out and give their fans something new, which is greatly welcomed on my part (with the disaster of Slang being the only exception, of course). By itself, Adrenalize is an exceptional album, with some awesome songs and its overall PERFECT production. It beats out Hysteria on that level: every song comes out at you with crisp, clear, total surround sound. The awesome cover art (that rupturing blue eyeball is wicked!) and the title of the album come at you from the moment you pick it up and say, "Okay, we're here to kick your @$$!", and for the most part, the album does just that. It starts off with the best song on the whole album, the teenage rock anthem Let's Get Rocked. This song is straight up awesome. With hip, bubbly lyrics on everyday young life, a great beat, and an awesome guitar solo, it's one of my favorite all time Def Leppard songs. Other highlights are the incredibly catchy and sweetly harmonized Heaven Is; the rockin' Make Love Like A Man; and the two ballads, Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad. The only places where the album falls short are on Tonight and Personal Property. Although very well-written and flawlessly produced, they do not showcase the Brits best songwriting capabilities.
Overall, this is an album that I highly recommend to anybody. It's well worth the money buying it. Out of 10 total tracks, only 2 suck. 6 of em rock their way to being true masterpieces, with great vocals and guitar riffs, and the other 2 (ballads) put you in the mellow and sentimental mood that we all love for a good ballad to do. Big ups go to Phil Collen for playing all the guitar parts on the entire album, he truly is a guitar virtuoso and it's a pleasure watching him perform.
Hysteria and Adrenalize are Def Leppard's best albums, in my opinion. Whether you're a fan or someone who is just getting into the band, you can't go wrong with these two musical achievements.
Track Listing:
1. Let's Get Rocked
2. Heaven Is
3. Make Love Like a Man
4. Tonight
5. White Lightning
6. Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)
7. Personal Property
8. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
9. I Wanna Touch U
10. Tear It Down
DEF LEPPARD REVIEWS:
Hysteria (1987)
Retro Active (1993)
Review ID: 10000000000217145
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