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[ Def Leppard UK - Hysteria Album Media Reviews ]
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Review :: Metal Hammer 2nd Sep 1987 Can’t believe it can you?. It’s true though and you all should have bought it. The nightmare is over and Hysteria is in the stores. It’s a slightly more commercially aware Def Leppard that has emerged from hibernation. Where 'Pyromania' was a pinnacle in British hard rock achievement Hysteria is definitely a mid-Atlantic record as Leppard have taken a pinch of Americana and added their own European roots. The result is a marvellous commercially acceptable - even safe - LP that will reap dividends not only in America where they’ve had it sown up for years but in their homeland too. And believe me success in the UK means more to them than any number of sold-out arena shows stateside. The singles 'Animal' (UK) and 'Women' (US) both show Leppard at their most commercial to date, but the more discerning rock fan should check out the guitar raunch of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and especially 'Run Riot'. They’ll have you climbing the walls with delight.
The sounds leap out from all corners at you. 'Hysteria' is an interesting and essential album. It’s new, exciting and a success. (6/7).
Review :: Metal Hammer 2nd Sep 1987 Album of the Month - Hysteria :: Would it be too cruel to suggest that this album cost an arm and a leg to make??!! Yes, oh dear! Well, it was something like three years in the making and Def Leppard suffered all sorts of severe trauma during that time, but came out the other side with an album that any major band would be proud to count as one of their catalogue. Not only have Leppard superseeded the achievements made with Pyromania, but they have come up with a collection that will finally see them broken on a massive scale in Europe, which will be especially sweet for them as they were without acclaim in their own country, the UK. This is a work meticulously put together by Mutt Lange, surely the world’s greatest rock producer. He is a man who throws himself into projects, and this collaboration with Leppard is the business. Leppard have made one major achievement here. They have come up with an album that has both immediacy and durability. Anyone wishing to start the backlash by claiming that the band had sold out for the sake of radio can go hang themselves. Tracks like Animal and Pour Some Sugar On me are monsters in anyone’s backyard.
A few months ago, we said that Whitesnake had staked a claim to Album of The Year with their 1987 collection. Well, there’s a bit of competition now with Leppard’s album.
And both British. Who said the UK is in a dire state? An album we thoroughly recommend as an essential purchase
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