Def Leppard's "Hysteria," their 1987 semi-comeback LP, is one hell of an entertaining rock album all around. Overflowing with hit singles like "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Rocket," "Love Bites," and the title track, it truly made its mark in 80s rock-'n'-roll awesomeness. And not really just because of the timing.
It was a long wait since '83's "Pyromania" for Def Leppard to get around to another release, on account of a virtual purgatory of hassles and obstacles, misfortunes and setbacks for the band to slog through. Hardly the least palpable of these was the severing of drummer Rick Allen's left arm in a traffic accident on New Year's Eve of 1984. But as it all proved, "Hysteria" was well worth the wait, and then some.
They even took advantage of making Rick's one-armed drumming a unique trademark. And the moodiness of their ongoing misfortune is reflected in some of the most entertaining tracks on Leppard's "Hysteria." "Love Bites" is one of these. Definitely another is "Gods of War," a desperate call in itself for pacifism around the latter days of the Twentieth Century, which could also apply to the anti-Terror warfare practiced in Iraq and Afghanistan during the previous decade.
"Pour Some Sugar On Me," on the other hand, is one of the wildly sexy tracks, and became a video hit on MTV, documenting (mostly in speeded-up camera shots) the process of Def Leppard's concert engagements to promote the album. The song itself has lyrics any born lover can dig: "Looking like a tramp/like a video vamp/demolition woman/can I be your man?"
Even a few of the non-hit tracks are memorable, like "Women" and "Run Riot." It was 1987 already, but listen, be amazed, and hail the great Def Leppard. After four years, they were truly back. Yeah.
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