How do you remember Hysteria?

[Chip Z'Hoy]

I remember really liking the Pyromania videos (they were scary!) but my bros didn't have that tape, so what little I heard from it away from MTV was from a neighbor's vinyl copy. (Looking back, I was kinda raised by Heavy Metal Parking Lot dudes.)

Anyway, my folks would occasionally cave and buy me a copy of Hit Parader or Circus --remember when those were GOOD magazines and not just Duff poster suppliers?--and I kinda kept up that Def Leppard has a new album, Hysteria, coming out.

I remember the cover. I may have heard "Women" or "Hysteria," not sure.

So not a big impact in Camp Z'Hoy. UNTIL... summer of '88 and a friend of mine turned on MTV and lost it over the video for "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

Now, this friend really liked a big chorus. He was especially fond of "I Love it Loud." So "Pour Some" had obvious BCE (Big Chorus Energy) for him and I liked it a lot too.

But also that summer, while waiting for Def Leppard to pop up on MTV, we came across "Sweet Child O' Mine" and we mostly forgot about Def Leppard because Guns N' Roses were cooler. That's just the way it fucking WAS!

A year later, I found the Hysteria cassette literally in the street. No case. Not even rewound.

And that would be my only copy of Hysteria until, I think, my 20's. (I may have had the CD at some point.)

[Chip Z'Hoy]

Should also be noted, for the purposes of transparency, that when "Love Bites" was a big hit, I thought the line was "Are you wild and woolly?"

They were really into the clash between technology and primitivism on this record, and the woman was biting him, perhaps metaphorically, but I didn't think in such terms in Grade 4.

[Rocker4Real]

I didn't appreciate it until I was older. I was 10 when I first heard it and not ready. That album set a standard for pop hard rock that many bands tried to emulate.

[Psychobolia.com]

Pyromania is awesome, Hysteria is shite...

Human League also has a Hysteria album, it's 10x better than that soccer-mom bullshit from Sheffield!

[Bono Nettencourt]

Pyromania is awesome, Hysteria is shite...

This all day. Hysteria may have the lowest legacy impact-to-sales ratio of any megaplatinum record. Like Chip said, it sold a fuckton and then it was like it was erased from existence.

[HueyRamone]

Pyromania... I bought it as soon as I heard Rock of Ages - The place Chip heard it and was a fan of it, when he was only 18months old.
But I couldnt warm up to it. It was too lightweight. I was into the heaviest of metal. Iron maiden and Ozzy. I mean, it was never gonna get heavier than that. Was it?!

And then, guess, what? It got heavier than that! Freewheel burning! Whoah. Nothing would ever top this.

Then I got exposed to Motorhead and Ride the Lightning. Fuck, this was some heavy shit. And then Slayer and Venom, which, truth be told, were just to raw and heavy for even me.

Then along comes Def Leppard with a new album. I heard Animal. And I dont know if soccer moms existed then, but that was strictly for what might be a soccer moms, should they have existed at the time, would like.
Then came Hysteria. If you liked this, it was mandatory to turn in your penis.

Pour some Sugar? Ok, this was catchy. But metal it was not.

More singles came. But this was a pussy band. Marked and branded. No self-respecting metalhead dude liked this. None bought it. Not the burnouts in the back parking lot I hung out with, anyway. Maybe all the proto-Beavis and Butthead "Stewarts" did, I heard it sold shitloads. But this was pussy shit, pure and simple. None of the dudes I knew bought Slippery When Wet either. This was not dude metal. No sir. It wasnt.

Never owned it. never would.

[jens]

Pyromania... ETC

This is one of the GOAT "Dear diary"-style posts on the boards, excellent work Henry!

[ALMOSTsaved]

I remember being profoundly disappointed. My first thoughts were, "The songs are too long and where are the guitars?"

[Love_Industry]

I remember being disappointed when it came out. The vinyl sounded weak and the songs didn't really connect until the obvious hits PSSOM and Armageddon It. Also liked Gods of War and Don't Shoot Shotgun, but overall it ranked below HND and Pyro for me.

Then I heard the b-sides and really wondered WTF they were thinking leaving off 3 great songs.

But the album has grown a lot on me. Saw them live and the songs worked great, got the longbox cd and finally the deluxe remaster with the B-sides on the same disc and all finally fell into place.

[LAglamrocker]

I was aware of Pyromania
Hysteria is my Def Leppard - from songs- image- fun
I remember discovering Def Leppard first 2 CDs when I went back and bought them after Hysteria. Huge step down

I couldn’t believe it but cd after Hysteria was just as magical. Better in some ways

Probably seen Leppard 20xs or more. Don’t want use brain power and try to remember all of them but all shows have always included Hysteria 6

How do I remember Hysteria? Live that way everyday
I’m on my way to see Vixen and Slaughter play RV park 80 miles away

[EyeDocOfRock]

Gods of War is the best song on this album !!!

[HoldenSSV]

I was a pretty big Leppard fan back in the day (I had On Through The Night and High n Dry on vinyl).

Pyromania was big, but I had friends who hated "Rock of Ages" with a passion.

When "Women" was released, I was not impressed and hesitated because I thought, "If this is the first single . . ."

I had a friend make me a copy and I listened to it several times through on a long drive. It grew on me, so I ended up buying it. It's a well-produced and very solid hard rock record, nothing more.

I eventually ended up buying the 2-disc deluxe edition because it had the B-sides and extended versions included.

[Love_Industry]

Pyromania is awesome, Hysteria is shite...

This all day. Hysteria may have the lowest legacy impact-to-sales ratio of any megaplatinum record. Like Chip said, it sold a fuckton and then it was like it was erased from existence.

I see what you mean. But Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park had albums selling almost as much and they have even less legacy impact. And don't even mention Hootie and the Blowfish... Black Album / AFD level sales in the mid 90s, forgotten a few years later.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Pyromania is awesome, Hysteria is shite...

This all day. Hysteria may have the lowest legacy impact-to-sales ratio of any megaplatinum record. Like Chip said, it sold a fuckton and then it was like it was erased from existence.

I see what you mean. But Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park had albums selling almost as much and they have even less legacy impact. And don't even mention Hootie and the Blowfish... Black Album / AFD level sales in the mid 90s, forgotten a few years later.

Right, but those were all one-and-done-ers. Hysteria sold and the tour was huge, but it was almost as if that the record company had invested so much in it that they weren't going to let it die. They just kept throwing up singles 'til Pour Some finally hit, and that's the only song that's really stuck around.

[eddie lee roth]

Then along comes Def Leppard with a new album. I heard Animal. And I dont know if soccer moms existed then, but that was strictly for what might be a soccer moms, should they have existed at the time, would like.
Then came Hysteria. If you liked this, it was mandatory to turn in your penis.

Pour some Sugar? Ok, this was catchy. But metal it was not.

More singles came. But this was a pussy band. Marked and branded. No self-respecting metalhead dude liked this. None bought it. Not the burnouts in the back parking lot I hung out with, anyway. Maybe all the proto-Beavis and Butthead "Stewarts" did, I heard it sold shitloads. But this was pussy shit, pure and simple. None of the dudes I knew bought Slippery When Wet either. This was not dude metal. No sir. It wasnt.

Never owned it. never would.

As a fellow back parking lot burnout I approve this message.

[pieceofme]

Should also be noted, for the purposes of transparency, that when "Love Bites" was a big hit, I thought the line was "Are you wild and woolly?"

They were really into the clash between technology and primitivism on this record, and the woman was biting him, perhaps metaphorically, but I didn't think in such terms in Grade 4.

It isn't!

[Charles Bukaki]

I posted this a couple months ago on a different Leppard thread. I think Hysteria and Appetite were by far the two biggest albums of the late 80's. I'm tying to be as objective as possible but Motley, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, none of them came close to the success that these two albums had at the time.

I saw them on the Hysteria tour twice. Once in December 87 and again in October 88 at the same arena and as popular as they were the first time around, it was nothing compared to how huge they became. I went to the first show by myself because nobody I knew wanted to go. Ten months later they sold out the same place within hours and added a second show that also sold out. Most of my friend group wanted to go this time around and the days after the shows I saw a couple dozen other people wearing Leppard shirts. People who don't normally go to shows were going to this one, or trying to get tickets. Cranking out single after single like they did made them massive in 1988.

[ParaDime77]

I just remember the album being around for years. Man, the band had as much traction as an artist could possibly get from the album/singles push. Initially, “Women” being the lead single was a let down. “Pour Some…..” was the greatest sounding song l had ever heard in my life at that juncture, 100x sonically better than any other release l had listened to. The videos were big,the ballads were huge and the ln the Round tour was definitely next level in 87-88.

[Mister Freeze]

When did we agree to pack our bags and move into this fantasy world in which Hysteria did nothing for Def Leppard's "legacy," was "erased from existence" and forgotten about except for "Sugar"?

[Bono Nettencourt]

We found the one guy who kept his tape.

[Chip Z'Hoy]

We found the one guy who kept his tape.

[diablomozart]

Pyromania... I bought it as soon as I heard Rock of Ages - The place Chip heard it and was a fan of it, when he was only 18months old.
But I couldnt warm up to it. It was too lightweight. I was into the heaviest of metal. Iron maiden and Ozzy. I mean, it was never gonna get heavier than that. Was it?!

And then, guess, what? It got heavier than that! Freewheel burning! Whoah. Nothing would ever top this.

Then I got exposed to Motorhead and Ride the Lightning. Fuck, this was some heavy shit. And then Slayer and Venom, which, truth be told, were just to raw and heavy for even me.

Then along comes Def Leppard with a new album. I heard Animal. And I dont know if soccer moms existed then, but that was strictly for what might be a soccer moms, should they have existed at the time, would like.
Then came Hysteria. If you liked this, it was mandatory to turn in your penis.

Pour some Sugar? Ok, this was catchy. But metal it was not.

More singles came. But this was a pussy band. Marked and branded. No self-respecting metalhead dude liked this. None bought it. Not the burnouts in the back parking lot I hung out with, anyway. Maybe all the proto-Beavis and Butthead "Stewarts" did, I heard it sold shitloads. But this was pussy shit, pure and simple. None of the dudes I knew bought Slippery When Wet either. This was not dude metal. No sir. It wasnt.

Never owned it. never would.

soccer moms existed in the 80's...that's right around the time they started...d.m.

[Kid-Wicked]

When did we agree to pack our bags and move into this fantasy world in which Hysteria did nothing for Def Leppard's "legacy," was "erased from existence" and forgotten about except for "Sugar"?

nailed it. unreal. huge fan of the first three then just a few songs here and there

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I remember thinking the production was awesome.
Still prefer the Hi n Dry era, but great songs that were a bit watered down.

[pieceofme]

When did we agree to pack our bags and move into this fantasy world in which Hysteria did nothing for Def Leppard's "legacy," was "erased from existence" and forgotten about except for "Sugar"?

Someone in this thread also thinks Linkin Park Hybrid Theory has no legacy either

[JamesHetfieldsAcneScars]

I remember being 10 years old when it came out and was disapointed it didnt rock like pyromania.

[Fat_Elvis]

When did we agree to pack our bags and move into this fantasy world in which Hysteria did nothing for Def Leppard's "legacy," was "erased from existence" and forgotten about except for "Sugar"?

No shit. They've been touring on Hysteria for almost 40 fucking years.

[pieceofme]

When did we agree to pack our bags and move into this fantasy world in which Hysteria did nothing for Def Leppard's "legacy," was "erased from existence" and forgotten about except for "Sugar"?

No shit. They've been touring on Hysteria for almost 40 fucking years.

And they are regarded as one of the big 80s bands. The reputation was enhanced and cemented with Hysteria.

[exitflagger]

It was one of the first rock records I heard on CD. My ex-GFs younger brother got it and showed me some of it on his new player. I honestly couldn't believe how bad it was. I had told him before that I had been a big Def Leppard fan so he was expecting me to flip out over it. I was like "Oh man, look at the time... gotta go."

Never looked back. I've successfully ignored Def Leppard ever since.

[ArnieCunningham]

It came out about a month before I turned 13. Before then, pretty much everything in Circus, Hit Parader, Metal Edge and on Headbangers Ball was awesome in my eyes.

Then my balls dropped and Hysteria, Slippery When Wet, and Whitesnake (except “Still Of The Night”) sounded like unbearably glossy girl music. I was all about Appetite and Faster Pussycat around that time while just beginning to learn about thrash and punk, too. Keyboard-drenched anthems about sugar and heartbreak and Tommy whisperin’ Baby It’s Okay didn’t stand a chance.

Nowadays I can appreciate Hysteria on some level, but I still don’t listen to those songs by choice. I immediately think of girls crying at Jr. High dances when I hear “Love Bites.”