Def Leppard 'Hysteria': C/D?

Marvelous fun, Ned. Unfortunately we still get comments like this:

This was rock/metal for people who didn’t like the aforementioned. Massively over-produced, polished, and made for FM radio mass appeal. Perhaps the nadir of stadium poodle-permed rock. However, the reaction against this record was seismic – the Seattle bands, Faith No More, Jane’s Addiction, Pixies… Hysteria should be celebrated as the catalyst for bringing about something far more interesting that was about to happen in rock music…

My second to last paragraph in particular was JUST for them. As well as the earlier one about the continued complaining of 'true metal' types.

Nice read! ANd if your second to last paragraph was aimed at them, you and Def Leppard both have a slightly warmer place in my heart now.

:-)

After reading your piece, I think maybe Def Leppard is about two degrees away from something I would totally dig – not metal but more something like two degrees away from The Buggles? All the glam influence/expensive production/cyberpunk underpinnings, looks like something I would dig! IDK maybe I should listen to it again. I just hate Pour Some Sugar On Me so much.

I don't totally hate it for how it SOUNDS, well I do, but it's also anti-nostalgia of having to hear it every night when I worked graveyard shift making donuts with a bunch of gnarly bros.

Eurgh. Yeah I wouldn't blame you for that. Try maybe a one/two of the songs "Hysteria" and "Love and Affection" when it's late afternoon/early evening, you're feeling relaxed and the sun's hitting magic hour glow.

"Hysteria" is a wonderful, wonderful song

It takes genius to mix a song so that it sparkles as brightly as "Hysteria."

Is that the track where they recorded each string individually to make chords?

Thanks Ned, that was great!

Mr Veg & I listened to Hysteria on a recent car trip too, and we were both grinning & singing the whole way. There's a heck of a lot of fun at the heart of that album, for sure.

Hysteria's the best. Def my favorite track.

"Hysteria," the song, is I think the one that cribs from "Every Breath You Take."

There's a great bit in the Classic Albums documentary where Phil Collen talked how he, Steve Clark and Lange worked on breaking down all the guitar parts so it was much more textured than simply a straightforward riff ever would be, and I think "Hysteria" was the song used as an example. Certainly would make sense!

I need to do "Animal" at karaoke soon. Thanks for the reminder.

xxpost -- "Message in a Bottle," actually! Collen specifically mentions that in the documentary as well!

Yeah, now's a great time to point out that, if you're in any way partial to this record, you should watch the Classic Albums episode. It's fascinating.

Hell, watch it even if you hate this record.

Yeah, I will say that "Hysteria" is the rare example of overproduction working in the album's favor.

is the classic albums special on youtube

Naturally. Here's the first part:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAWm4Ihp43Q

There's also the bonus footage too.

You can stream the whole episode on Netflix as well.

The "over" in overproduction indicates that the process reached a point where no more production was necessary, but the band/producer carried on anyway. I disagree with this whole premise re: Hysteria. It's the most perfectly produced album ever made. Never under, never over. It's just right.

I suppose it's a bit of a paradox, isn't it? If excess is the aesthetic goal than you really can't go over the top.

The dogs on this are "Excitable" and "Dont Shoot Shotgun". The rest is gold.

I wonder how they would be viewed now if they had split when SC died.

That's a good question. However, the thought of 5 or 6 Joe Elliott solo albums is scary.

the part in the documentary where Phil Collen is showing their dueling guitar riffs, it's amazing how mathy it seems when taken apart.

I take guitar lessons, and my teacher is always impressed when I bring him something he considers through-composed, whether it's Def Leppard or Bedhead or Television, where the guitarists have put a lot of thought into how their parts fit together.

also, it's funny when they're talking about the making of "Rocket" and all the lyrical references they were making to the early 70s glam stuff ("Satellite of Love", "Jean Genie", "Killer Queen, etc)... These were references to things just 12-13 years earlier. If I were writing "Rocket" right now in 2012, and wanted to reference 20 things from 1999 or 2000, what would I mention?

N'Sync, Condi Rice, you know.

Y2K

Hell, watch it even if you hate this record.

This would be me - been reading about the making of it in Greg Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever and am kind of intrigued. Actually that's not true, I've never heard the album in full, I just really dislike Def Leppard in general (though I'll grudgingly admit that 'Animal' is quite good apart from the chorus).

the chorus is the ideal release for the pent-up energy!

the chorus is the ideal release for the pent-up energy!

It's that one-note gang-shout bit, it just doesn't work for me at all in this context. I did actually watch the Classic Albums last night though and very much enjoyed it. Phil Collen demonstrating all the separate guitar parts was particularly interesting and they all seemed like genuinely nice, down-to-earth guys. Wished there was more soundboard stuff but I think that about every one of those documentaries. I still can't get behind the actual songs I'm afraid - I realised this is mainly down to Joe Elliot's voice, I just don't like his strained way of singing higher notes (and having it tracked a thousand times doesn't exactly help).

Got real Prince of Darkness "This is not a dream..." speech vibes off this pic of Ann Romney, in relationship to the Hysteria album cover.

http://cdn04.cdnwp.thefrisky.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/06/Ann-Romney-Mitt-Romney-beach-walk-400x470.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCcLNwU9ps4/T3-oxPk5QTI/AAAAAAAAENc/Q70lyPibd5o/s320/Def+Leppard+Hysteria.jpg

You are receiving this album in order to alter the events you are seeing.

what's with that horrible cover, anyway? imagine what it could have sold if the cover wasn't so atrocious!

GASP

in 1988, my older brother's best friend had three favorite bands: Def Leppard, the Replacements, and U2.

I was into all those bands in 1988. Doesn't seem weird imo.

I was going to say, that seems pitchpoint perfect.

yeah that seems pretty otm

it's the replacements that confuse me.

Doesn't confuse me at all, they were getting greater attention then anyway.

Then Play Long says if it takes four years, hell, it's worth it: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/def-leppard-hysteria.html

I don't think there'll ever be a day when I'm not bowled over by how intricate the fucking production on this album is.

My fave recent thing about this - Elliott's high pitched backing vocals complimenting the main last chorus of "Gods Of War"

The outro of 'Gods Of War' sounds absolutely amazing on headphones.

Collen's work on "Animal" is so great. Such great tone and melodic as fuck

http://i.imgur.com/LtzLrQc.jpg