35 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD Unleash Their Fourth Studio Album HYSTERIA

Wednesday, 3rd August 2022

Hysteria 1987

Def Leppard released their classic fourth studio album Hysteria on 3rd August 1987 which would go on to be their most successful.

The band's biggest selling album started out life in February 1984 after the year long Pyromania world tour had ended in Bangkok, Thailand.

The band members relocated to a house in Dublin, Ireland by the coast and set about writing the songs for their fourth studio album. An album they had initially planned to start recording in June 1984 with producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange.

Things didn't quite go according to plan. A series of mishaps, false starts, recording issues occurred over the next three years. The biggest misfortune happened on 31st December 1984 when drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a huge car accident just outside of Sheffield.

It cost almost one million pounds to make, spawned 7 hit singles around the world and has since sold over 20 million copies.

This feature covers the writing and recording process that took place between February 1984 and the albums eventual release in August 1987.

Read the tragic and ultimately triumphant story of the album below with many rare band quotes arranged in chronological order.

This update contains a full transcript of the October 2013 90 minute Scuzz TV interview with Joe and Sav reflecting on the writing and recording of the album.

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