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….
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