The history behind Def Leppard’s Hysteria is a wonderful story about persistence in the face of adversity. After releasing their breakthrough hit Pyromania in 1983, Def Leppard went on a world tour that put them on the path to becoming one of the largest glam metal bands of their era. They initially entered the studio in the summer of 1984 with the intention of recording their follow-up record, but a significant number of unfortunate circumstances plagued the band– they went through multiple engineers and producers during the recording process (including at one time attempting to produce the record themselves), lead singer Joe Elliott coming down with a bout of the mumps, and multiple car crashes that led to injuries for both the band and their production crew.
The most famous of that of course was drummer Rick Allen, who joined Def Leppard at the age of 15 years old (!!!) in 1978 after his mother responded to an advert on his behalf, kickstarting a career that would eventually lead to worldwide fame as the band exploded in popularity and eventually filled arenas. But tragedy struck during the recording of Hysteria when Allen lost control of his Corvette, severing his arm from his body as he was flung from the drivers seat. Despite the best efforts of his doctor’s Allen was unable to reattach his arm, leading him to play drums on Hysteria and in the ensuing years with a specially designed kit that has four electronic pedals he controls with his left foot to trigger sounds that mimic a hi-hat, bass drum, snare drum, and a tom drum. It’s a remarkable story of perseverance that would have shattered the dreams of many 21-year olds, and yet Allen continues on behind the kit for Def Leppard, blasting out beats that has earned him the moniker “The Thunder God” by fans of the band. It’s only fitting that he was the one who named the album Hysteria following the accident.
Standout Songs: “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Love Bites”, “Armageddon It”, “Rocket”
