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

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)

Step Inside: Hysteria at 30 (Pt. 1)

Introducing the brand new documentary Step Inside: Hysteria At 30

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Remembering Steve Clark

26 years ago today (8 January), original DEF LEPPARD guitarist Steve Maynard Clark passed away at his home in Chelsea, much too soon at the age of 30. Here’s a little note from Joe

It’s 26 years since Steve passed away ….. seems a lifetime ago now …. loved him then, love him still … & when I take the stage at the Brixton Academy on Sunday night at the Remembering David Bowie concert I shall also be remembering Steve Clark, like all our heroes , gone, but not forgotten …. – Joe

Check out this fan site SteveClarkGuitars.com in honour of his memory and crank up some classic Leppard LOUD today!

Photo: Ross Halfin

steve-clark-by-ross-halfin

Remembering Steve Clark

25 years ago today, original DEF LEPPARD guitarist Steve Maynard Clark passed away at his home in Chelsea, much too soon at the age of 30.  Here’s a little note from Joe and Phil remembering Steve..

Joe Elliott:
“25 years ago today was one of the darkest days in the history of Def Leppard, when we lost our friend & colleague Steve Clark. I miss him everyday & have so many great memories of him, from the day I first met him outside Virgin Records in 1978 to the last gig we ever played together at the Tacoma Dome in 1988. There was one more performance at the MTV awards in 1989 and a handful of recording sessions over the next year or so, but my lasting memories of this shy, funny, tortured but brilliantly talented guitarist will always be him on stage, absolutely his natural environment, tearing it up with a style that was so riveting, so exciting, it was a joy to share a stage with him. So, think about Steve today, play some early Leppard & smile, I won’t be playing anything on my radio show tomorrow, it’s too close to home, maybe next week, so for me, it’ll be a quiet moment of reflection for a lost friend who wrote some great riffs, helped create some great songs but like so many others, shined so brightly but left us way too soon”.

See you on the other side my friend ……Joe Elliott (8 January 2016)

Phil Collen:
“Me and Steve (Photo of Steve by Ross Halfin) Denver 1988 and a gift to me from Brian Wheat of Tesla, who also opened for us on that tour.” – Phil Collen (8 January 2016)

Phil Collen and Steve - Photo of Steve by Ross Halfin -  Denver 1988