Joe Elliott Featured on Rolling Stone

Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott Reflects on ‘Hysteria’: ‘It Had to Be Sexy’

As band releases 30th anniversary box set, singer explains how they fused rock with pop and made a modern masterpiece

The story of Def Leppard’s Hysteria – the monolithic pop-metal record that defined the latter part of the Eighties – reads like Homeric odyssey. The four-year gap between their 1983 mainstream breakthrough Pyromania and the release of the album was marked by tumultuous behind-the-scenes drama – including the exit and return of production genius Mutt Lange – completely rewritten songs and coping with the aftermath of a car accident that severed drummer Rick Allen’s left arm. Ultimately, the band made one of the most expensive albums ever. Through it all, they persevered to create a record that transcended the rock of the time.

“It took a long time to make, and it shows you how quickly music moved in the Eighties,” singer Joe Elliott tells Rolling Stone….

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

New Billboard.com Interview w/ Band & Hysteria Recording Team

Read now the brand new Billboard interview with the band and recording team on what it took to make Hysteria.

Def Leppard’s ‘Hysteria’ Turns 30: An Oral History of the Album’s Painful Path to Victory
By: Melinda Newman

Hysteria, a meticulously crafted rock masterpiece infused with elements of pop, new wave, glam, and even rap, turned into one of the defining albums of the ’80s, certified 12x platinum by the RIAA and named the No. 25 biggest album ever on the Billboard 200 chart in 2015. The album spawned an extraordinary seven hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — including an impressive six top 20-charting smashes. Among those: the top 10s “Hysteria” (No. 10), “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (No. 2), “Love Bites” (their sole No. 1) and “Armageddon It” (No. 3). In the end, Hysteria spent 78 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart — the most weeks spent in the top 10 for an album by a rock band in the chart’s 61-year history.

However, its success was far from certain when it came out Aug. 3, 1987.

In all new interviews, the remaining band members — guitarist Steve Clark died in 1991 — and others involved in the album’s creation and marketing talk about the long road fraught with doubt, pain, joy, drama, misadventures and, ultimately, tremendous triumph. For the first time since Hysteria’s release, recording engineer Nigel Green discusses the groundbreaking, innovative wizardry devised in the studio long before the existence of Pro Tools……

READ THE FULL BILLBOARD ARTICLE HERE

Brian Johnson of AC/DC Remembers Hysteria

We want to know what the Hysteria album means to you! Join Brian Johnson of AC/DC and share your photos & memories using the hashtag  on social media! Don’t forget to tag @DefLeppard so we can share our favorites.

Step Inside: Hysteria at 30 Pt. 2

Watch part two of the new documentary Step Inside: Hysteria At 30 HERE

PRE-ORDER HYSTERIA 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS HERE

Did you miss part one? Check it out here

Legendary British rock ‘n’ roll icons Def Leppard celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Hysteria, one of the best-selling and most influential releases in music history, with mini documentary, Step Inside: Hysteria at 30. The documentary gives Def Leppard fans a behind the scenes look into the making of the iconic record, thirty years later.

In conjunction with the documentary series, Def Leppard is releasing Hysteria (Remastered 2017) this Friday, August 4th. The remastered anniversary edition will be released in various formats via Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMeSuper Deluxe Edition, Deluxe Version, 1-CD Standard Version, 2-LP Black Vinyl Version, & limited edition 2-LP Colored Vinyl Version. The reissue boasts B-sides and live tracks, and additionally the audio for “In The Round In Your Face (Live)” on CD for the first time. Details for each respective version can be found below. Order your copy HERE, and view the unboxing video HERE.

 “It’s hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since the release of Hysteria…” said frontman Joe Elliott, “In some respects it really does seem like only yesterday. So, to mark this milestone, we wanted to do something very special for our fans and give them the definitive version of the album, one that incorporates all of the memories and milestones that we caught on tape and some of the madness that we got up to on the road. We hope it means as much to you as it does to us.” Added Phil Collen, “I look back at the whole Hysteria experience with excitement along with fond and tragic memories. It was our commercial zenith thanks to Mutt Lange’s insistence that we create an artistic hybrid between hard rock and pop top 40 music using every genre available as an inspiration. It was a rock album that would garner seven hit singles. Mission accomplished.”

Essential listening for fans across the board, Hysteria indisputably ranks as one of the most decorated and revered rock albums of all time. As the group’s second consecutive RIAA Diamond-certified record (10 million sales in the U.S.), it would go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide and 12 million albums sold in the U.S. alone. Moreover, the record staked a spot in the U.S. Top 40 for 96 weeks matched only by Born in the U.S.A. Rolling Stone touted it on the prestigious 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and a poll in Q placed it among the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. Dominating multiple charts, it captured No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and U.K. album charts, bolstered by immortal Top-5 anthems such as “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” “Animal,” “Love Bites,” “Hysteria,” “Rocket” and “Armageddon It.

 Hysteria left an indelible mark on rock ‘n’ roll. Powered by stadium-filling drums, rapturous guitars, and unshakable choruses, the record saw Def Leppard rightfully claim their place among rock’s divinities forever. As a result, its influence now reverberates through three generations of artists to follow. It also historically marked their third straight collaboration with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Among the new versions, the Super Deluxe Edition boasts 5-CD/2-DVDs including four books—Story Of; a Ross Halfin photo book; Discography; Hysteria Tour Program and Tour Poster. The Deluxe Version features 3 CDs, the Standard Version is 1-CD, and the Vinyl Version is 2 Black LPs.  In addition, there will be a limited-edition, 2-LP Colored Vinyl available via D2C channels for the first time.

Formats Available

5-CD / 2-DVD Super Deluxe Edition inc 4 books (Story Of / Ross Halfin Photo Book / Discography / Hysteria Tour Programme) Tour Poster
3-CD Deluxe Version
1-CD Standard Version
2-LP Black Vinyl version
2-LP Direct to Consumer Version – Colored Vinyl (SOLD OUT)

JOE ELLIOTT ON PLANET ROCK RADIO (JULY 29)

Planet-Rock-Joe-Photo

This weeks program features songs from Judas Priest, The Who, Thunder, UFO, amongst others, as well as some stories from Joe!

Radio show time is Saturdays at 6pm (GMT) / 1pm (EST) and repeated on Tuesday nights @ 9pm (GMT) / 4pm (EST).

For those in the U.K. tune into Joe’s weekly radio show on PlanetRock.com.

For those listening outside the U.K. or in the U.S. listen live from this site HERE. Please note this Surf.com internet site may not work in some countries. As a quick fix, please download a VPN application and set it to the UK territory. Then download the Planet Rock app and boom, it works!

Live Q&A with Joe Elliott – August 3

Tune in to our Facebook page next Thursday, August 3rd at 7:15p BST / 2:15p EST for a live fan Q&A with Joe Elliott! Joe will be chatting with Planet Rock‘s Paul Anthony and fans about everything Hysteria on the day the album turns 30.

Click here to send Joe your questions!

Local UK fans can enter to win two tickets here

Phil Jams with Joe Satriani & Paul Gilbert at G4

Phil is currently at Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience – a camp for up and coming guitarists – in California this week! Check out last night’s jam sesh with Joe & Paul below.