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Track Listings
| 1. Women |
| 2. Rocket |
| 3. Animal |
| 4. Love Bites |
| 5. Pour Some Sugar On Me |
| 6. Armegeddon It |
| 7. Gods Of War |
| 8. Don't Shoot Shotgun |
| 9. Run Riot |
| 10. Hysteria |
| 11. Excitable |
| 12. Love And Affection |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Probably Def Leppard's best album, and certainly their most successful, Hysteria pretty much sums up 80s hard rock: catchy, tuneful, and fun. It's also one of the few albums from the period that doesn't sound dated now, and singles like "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Armageddon It", and "Rocket" remain staples of rock radio. The rest of the album is equally entertaining; "Animal" and "Hysteria", while mid-tempo, have the same slick intensity, and "Love Bites" is one of the few pop-metal ballads that doesn't sound saccharine over a decade after its release. Def Leppard may be remembered more for their hair than their music these days, but that's more due to changing tastes than anything else. It's still good. --Genevieve Williams
Product Description
CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 58 people found the following review helpful
By WilM.
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Def Leppard has never been able to climb past the commercial or creative success they achieved with Hysteria. Some might argue that Pyromania was their finest effort. Truth is, Hysteria was the record that made them a success not only in thier home country of England, but also broke them to a worldwide audience like no other hard-rock/ heavy metal act before them.
This Hysteria Deluxe Edition puts that whole era in perspective, with the inclusion of live B-sides, studio outtakes, and extended remixes of their succesful singles. Disc One brings together the original album and the studio b-sides while Disc Two is an additional disc of all the B-sides off the 7 (yes, count them, SEVEN) singles released to promote the record. Four of those B-sides come on the first disc, and the idea works well, because those songs are actually studio outtakes that did not make the final cut. Therefore, their presence here only adds to what they were working on at the time. Of particular interest is Ride Into The Sun, off their independent debut EP which they re-recorded in 1987.
The second disc starts with several LIVE versions of 5 songs (Elected, Love and Affection, Billy's Got a Gun, Rock of Ages, Women) and goes on to include remixes for ANIMAL (extended version), POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME (extended version), ARMAGEDDON IT (The Nuclear Mix), EXCITABLE (Orgasmic Mix), ROCKET (The Lunar Mix). It is important to mention that while Rock of Ages has the same name as their famous song off Pyromania, the version here is actually a medley including parts of the classic rock anthems "Not Fade Away," "My Generation," "Radar Love," "Come Together" and "Whole Lotta Love".
Finally to close the second disc they have included another studio b-side, a humorous version of "Release Me," credited to Stumpus Maximus & The Good Ol' Boys. Which proves that Def Leppard and particularly Hysteria might not be the most serious music ever made, but they were indeed serious about having fun.
This Hysteria Deluxe Edition puts that whole era in perspective, with the inclusion of live B-sides, studio outtakes, and extended remixes of their succesful singles. Disc One brings together the original album and the studio b-sides while Disc Two is an additional disc of all the B-sides off the 7 (yes, count them, SEVEN) singles released to promote the record. Four of those B-sides come on the first disc, and the idea works well, because those songs are actually studio outtakes that did not make the final cut. Therefore, their presence here only adds to what they were working on at the time. Of particular interest is Ride Into The Sun, off their independent debut EP which they re-recorded in 1987.
The second disc starts with several LIVE versions of 5 songs (Elected, Love and Affection, Billy's Got a Gun, Rock of Ages, Women) and goes on to include remixes for ANIMAL (extended version), POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME (extended version), ARMAGEDDON IT (The Nuclear Mix), EXCITABLE (Orgasmic Mix), ROCKET (The Lunar Mix). It is important to mention that while Rock of Ages has the same name as their famous song off Pyromania, the version here is actually a medley including parts of the classic rock anthems "Not Fade Away," "My Generation," "Radar Love," "Come Together" and "Whole Lotta Love".
Finally to close the second disc they have included another studio b-side, a humorous version of "Release Me," credited to Stumpus Maximus & The Good Ol' Boys. Which proves that Def Leppard and particularly Hysteria might not be the most serious music ever made, but they were indeed serious about having fun.
51 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By John Alapick
Format:Audio CD
Def Leppard's Hysteria was their first album after the tragic car accident which left their drummer Rick Allen with one arm. Before this unfortunate incident, the band was riding high on the success of their first #1 album Pyromania which vaulted them to superstar status and made them the unquestioned kings of hard rock. But Def Leppard would not be denied. Using a custom made electronic kit, Rick Allen would continue to not only drum for the band but also become their inspiration. With producer Mutt Lange manning the boards, the band would alter their sound more towards a pop direction while still maintaining some of their metallic crunch. Lead singer Joe Elliott also toned down his vocals and began singing in a more intelligible and softer tone than his previous raspy voice ala Brian Johnson from AC/DC. As a result, the band did the near impossible. They released an album that would be even more successful than Pyromania spawning 6 huge hit singles. Also, worth noting is that this album helped revolutionize the music industry with both its glossy production and its album length at 63 minutes at a time when most albums were still around 45 minutes long. These aspects would lead to longer and more polished albums in general for most popular music.
The songs presented here are nearly all top notch with the best featuring catchy hooks that were instantly recognizable and stayed in your head for years upon hearing them. The tracks "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and the ballads "Love Bites" and "Hysteria" were huge hits and still sound great. "Armageddon It", "Animal", and "Rockit" were also top 20 hits and feature memorable riffs and catchy choruses. What really makes the album work though is that the some of the remaining songs were on the same level as the hit singles. "Don't Shoot Shotgun", the heavy rock of "Run Riot", and the catchy "Excitable" are all very strong tracks. Truth be told, the mid-tempo ballad "Love And Affection" was a better song than "Love Bites" or the title track and could have been another huge single if they chose to release it. "Gods Of War" is also a strong track featuring several memorable riffs and never gets repetitive or boring despite its 6 1/2 minute length. The opening track "Women" is also very good although it's carried more by its stellar production than its content. While I believe that Def Leppard peaked early on with the High N' Dry and Pyromania albums, this is still a prototype for pop-metal and the band would never come close to reaching these heights again. Highly recommended.
The songs presented here are nearly all top notch with the best featuring catchy hooks that were instantly recognizable and stayed in your head for years upon hearing them. The tracks "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and the ballads "Love Bites" and "Hysteria" were huge hits and still sound great. "Armageddon It", "Animal", and "Rockit" were also top 20 hits and feature memorable riffs and catchy choruses. What really makes the album work though is that the some of the remaining songs were on the same level as the hit singles. "Don't Shoot Shotgun", the heavy rock of "Run Riot", and the catchy "Excitable" are all very strong tracks. Truth be told, the mid-tempo ballad "Love And Affection" was a better song than "Love Bites" or the title track and could have been another huge single if they chose to release it. "Gods Of War" is also a strong track featuring several memorable riffs and never gets repetitive or boring despite its 6 1/2 minute length. The opening track "Women" is also very good although it's carried more by its stellar production than its content. While I believe that Def Leppard peaked early on with the High N' Dry and Pyromania albums, this is still a prototype for pop-metal and the band would never come close to reaching these heights again. Highly recommended.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic remastered package of a landmark 80's pop-metal masterpiece.
November 24, 2006
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Hysteria" was huge. Three long years after exploding into the pop culture arena with their album "Pyromania" and the phenomenal single, "Photograph", Def Leppard came roaring back, determined to take their music all the way to the top of the charts (where a little album called "Thriller" had previously kept them at number two).
Yes, their drummer lost an arm. Yes, they went through three producers...the trials and tribulations of the making of this album are well-described in a lovely liner note essay.
They came up with a monster album filled with classic songs, killer riffs, exquisite sonics...this album is the best example of the marriage of pop music to metal that exists. Period.
First, the remastering of the record sounds spectacular. Given the density of the tracks here, you can spend hours listening to songs over and over again, finding new little details, or appreciating more subtle touches.
"Subtle"? Did I say "subtle"? On an album whose first four songs are, in order, "Women", "Rocket", "Animal" and "Love Bites"?
Well, yes. Robert John "Mutt" Lange's productions are famous for layer upon layer of vocals, instruments, percussion, noise, samples...and you can dissect each and every one for days. Elegant little synth lines hidden in bludgeoning anthems, or operatic harmonies that seem to fit together like puzzle pieces...
Def Leppard also have a healthy sense of humor and wit. This is a fun record. Again, look at the names of the first four songs...
The record starts off weak, as I have always felt "Women" to be one of the least interesting things on the platter. "Rocket" gets things moving; it's an homage to the poppy, glam-rock heroes of their youth.
"Animal" is where the "Hysteria" sound clarifies and crystallizes. It's a catchy pop-metal anthem, in an era where metal was dark or hidden behind epic explosions of hair and spandex, and pop was often mall-bound and limp. The soaring vocals of Joe Elliott at the end of the song NEVER gets old.
"Love Bites" is a rare hard-rock ballad that works, so much so it reached Number One. In fact, rock bands were never considered "singles" band (for really no good reason), but Def Leppard gleefully slung tunes, one after another, into American Top 40 radio (and MTV) until they themselves were competing with people like Michael Jackson.
The album went to Number One, stayed for a month and half, and sold, like, sixteen million copies.
Back to the record, we now come to the most totally awesome single. Ever. Dude. Seriously.
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" is a perfect amalgam of power-pop hooks, crunching guitar chords, elephants-on-steroids drums, peerless sonic production...and a chorus a three-year-old can sing. A song both critics and fans love to love. One listen, and it's back to 1987.
"Armageddon It" is yet another crisp, thundering rocker, which sounded sweet coming from car radios back then...and still does now. The lyric wordplay confirms the idea that these guys have a lot of fun with themselves.
"Gods of War" and "Don't Shoot Shotgun" are lesser effors; ambitious yes...just not as successful as the preceding tracks.
The blinding "Run Riot" gives those thundering "elephantine" drums a dose of crack, and the result is a happy thrill ride of a pop song.
The title song "Hysteria" is a justly celebrated, slow rock anthem, composed of seemingly a thousand parts, making another singular epic tune. Crisp guitars, layers upon layers of vocals, great melodies, interesting production effects...
I think the album ends a little weak with the dance-rock of "Excitable" (which is still at least fun to listen to) and the ponderous "Love and Affection" (which is not).
All in all, clearly one of the best of that era. One of the best of that genre. One of the best pretty much ever if you care at all about modern popular music.
Now for the extras: The B-sides are terrific, and almost worth the price of admission in and of themselves. In particular, "Tear It Down" should have been on the album. It's better than four or five of those that made it. The live versions are interesting...Alice Cooper's "Elected" sounds terrific, but the only "Hysteria" songs are "Women" and "Love and Affection". I hope they are saving the other ones for a subsequent live release.
The remixes are "extended" versions, but I think the proper word is "prolonged." By inserting long, lyric-less gaps into a song does not make it any more interesting. These are all examples where "more" is definitely "less".
The capper is an absolutely bonkers version of 'Release Me'...yes, the Englebert Humperdinck song...with truly unhinged vocals from the bands' Welsh crew master, Malvin Mortimer. Strange beyond belief, but riotously funny.
So there you have it. I honestly wish ALL classic albums would come out this way. This was really a treat.
Yes, their drummer lost an arm. Yes, they went through three producers...the trials and tribulations of the making of this album are well-described in a lovely liner note essay.
They came up with a monster album filled with classic songs, killer riffs, exquisite sonics...this album is the best example of the marriage of pop music to metal that exists. Period.
First, the remastering of the record sounds spectacular. Given the density of the tracks here, you can spend hours listening to songs over and over again, finding new little details, or appreciating more subtle touches.
"Subtle"? Did I say "subtle"? On an album whose first four songs are, in order, "Women", "Rocket", "Animal" and "Love Bites"?
Well, yes. Robert John "Mutt" Lange's productions are famous for layer upon layer of vocals, instruments, percussion, noise, samples...and you can dissect each and every one for days. Elegant little synth lines hidden in bludgeoning anthems, or operatic harmonies that seem to fit together like puzzle pieces...
Def Leppard also have a healthy sense of humor and wit. This is a fun record. Again, look at the names of the first four songs...
The record starts off weak, as I have always felt "Women" to be one of the least interesting things on the platter. "Rocket" gets things moving; it's an homage to the poppy, glam-rock heroes of their youth.
"Animal" is where the "Hysteria" sound clarifies and crystallizes. It's a catchy pop-metal anthem, in an era where metal was dark or hidden behind epic explosions of hair and spandex, and pop was often mall-bound and limp. The soaring vocals of Joe Elliott at the end of the song NEVER gets old.
"Love Bites" is a rare hard-rock ballad that works, so much so it reached Number One. In fact, rock bands were never considered "singles" band (for really no good reason), but Def Leppard gleefully slung tunes, one after another, into American Top 40 radio (and MTV) until they themselves were competing with people like Michael Jackson.
The album went to Number One, stayed for a month and half, and sold, like, sixteen million copies.
Back to the record, we now come to the most totally awesome single. Ever. Dude. Seriously.
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" is a perfect amalgam of power-pop hooks, crunching guitar chords, elephants-on-steroids drums, peerless sonic production...and a chorus a three-year-old can sing. A song both critics and fans love to love. One listen, and it's back to 1987.
"Armageddon It" is yet another crisp, thundering rocker, which sounded sweet coming from car radios back then...and still does now. The lyric wordplay confirms the idea that these guys have a lot of fun with themselves.
"Gods of War" and "Don't Shoot Shotgun" are lesser effors; ambitious yes...just not as successful as the preceding tracks.
The blinding "Run Riot" gives those thundering "elephantine" drums a dose of crack, and the result is a happy thrill ride of a pop song.
The title song "Hysteria" is a justly celebrated, slow rock anthem, composed of seemingly a thousand parts, making another singular epic tune. Crisp guitars, layers upon layers of vocals, great melodies, interesting production effects...
I think the album ends a little weak with the dance-rock of "Excitable" (which is still at least fun to listen to) and the ponderous "Love and Affection" (which is not).
All in all, clearly one of the best of that era. One of the best of that genre. One of the best pretty much ever if you care at all about modern popular music.
Now for the extras: The B-sides are terrific, and almost worth the price of admission in and of themselves. In particular, "Tear It Down" should have been on the album. It's better than four or five of those that made it. The live versions are interesting...Alice Cooper's "Elected" sounds terrific, but the only "Hysteria" songs are "Women" and "Love and Affection". I hope they are saving the other ones for a subsequent live release.
The remixes are "extended" versions, but I think the proper word is "prolonged." By inserting long, lyric-less gaps into a song does not make it any more interesting. These are all examples where "more" is definitely "less".
The capper is an absolutely bonkers version of 'Release Me'...yes, the Englebert Humperdinck song...with truly unhinged vocals from the bands' Welsh crew master, Malvin Mortimer. Strange beyond belief, but riotously funny.
So there you have it. I honestly wish ALL classic albums would come out this way. This was really a treat.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
DEF LEPPARD ROCKS
It's Del Leppard.... if you like them this is a great album... if not.. oh well maybe there is something else out there for you B HALL
Published 15 days ago by Elizabeth A. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Def Leppard
I loved this group!! I loved them when I was younger and wanted the original vs the mixed version CD. Great album!!
Published 17 days ago by Michelle Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice
I had this cd in high school but I put off getting it again cause it reminds me of a girl I really cared for back then, well I finally broke down and got it again, the first song... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best
This has recently become my new 'stuck on a desert island' CD. I have never said this about any album before, but this really does not have one weak song on it. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Fredobobrick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hysterical over Hysteria!
What a classic CD! Many great songs! I have been a Def Leppard fan for decades. I am amazed at a one-armed drummer like Rick Allen. I especially like the [Deluxe Edition] versions. Read more
Published 1 month ago by W. E. Elston
5.0 out of 5 stars
good quality
web site was easy to use cd was easy to find. The cd came in good quality with no scratches. this is my favorite band
Published 1 month ago by Tammy Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I Could Take One Album to a Desert Island...
Hysteria and Appetite for Destruction are the two greatest albums of the 1980s. From start to finish, with the possible exception of Run Riot, this album is loaded with killer... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Myrick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Hard Rock masterpiece
Like Pyromania, This contains music that was meant to fill sports stadiums. Numerous masterpieces are included. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jim Stout
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the album
Since I couldn't get the original album as a digital download on iTunes. I decided to get the CD. I believe the band is rerecording the songs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Montoya
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awsome Album
Brings back great memories. This was one of their best albums, if not the great album they made. Glade to see they are still popular.
Published 2 months ago by J. Christensen
Listmania!
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