Def Leppard: Hysteria

Matthew Longfellow

Overview

"This disc takes a look at the creation of one of the biggest selling albums of the 80s, Hysteria by Def Leppard. The DVD offers a widescreen anamorphic transfer that creates a picture with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are neither subtitles nor closed-captions on this release. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, making this disc difficult to recommend to anyone who is not a big fan of the band or of eighties metal."

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2002
UPC:	0801213001996
Original Release:	2002
Source:	Eagle Rock Ent
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	48,449

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Def Leppard	Actor,Primary Artist
Fleetwood Mac	Primary Artist
Elvis Presley	Primary Artist
Grateful Dead	Primary Artist
Queen	Primary Artist
Steely Dan	Primary Artist
Elton John	Primary Artist
Simply Red	Primary Artist
Cream	Primary Artist
Motoerhead	Primary Artist
Sex Pistols	Primary Artist
Paul Simon	Primary Artist
U2	Primary Artist
Lou Reed	Primary Artist
Bob Marley	Primary Artist
Judas Priest	Primary Artist
Iron Maiden	Primary Artist
Metallica	Primary Artist
Phil Collins	Primary Artist
Meat Loaf	Primary Artist
Pink Floyd	Primary Artist
Jimi Hendrix	Primary Artist
Nirvana	Primary Artist
Deep Purple	Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Matthew Longfellow	Director
Terry Shand	Executive Producer
Geoff Kempin	Executive Producer
Rick Allen	Composer
Nikkie Amouyal	Package Design
Geoff Kempin	Executive Producer
Nick de Grunwald	Series Producer
Rick Savage	Composer
Joe Elliott	Composer
Phil Collen	Composer
Robert John "Mutt" Lange	Composer
Lemmy Kilmister	Composer
"Fast" Eddie Clarke	Composer
Steve Clark	Composer
Terry Shand	Executive Producer
Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor	Composer

Editorial Reviews

Hysteria looks at the making of Def Leppard's 1987 album of the same name. One of the biggest-selling albums of all time, it would not be outlandish to assert that Hysteria is the ultimate pop-metal record. This entertaining, 100-minute documentary lends great insight into how that level of excellence was achieved. Combining interviews with bandmembers, music-biz folk, and the album's famed producer Mutt Lange with snippets of concert footage and music videos, this DVD moves well and never bogs down. Bearing some resemblance in format to VH1's Behind the Music profiles (which have also featured the band), this is indeed an intimate portrait. The bandmembers speak candidly about the considerable challenges they faced making this follow-up to Hysteria's wildly successful predecessor, Pyromania, including the car accident in which drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm and relearned his trade on a customized, semielectronic kit. Tribute is also paid to gifted guitarist Steve Clark who died in 1991. Indeed, the making of Hysteria became an epic saga (approximately two-and-a-half years in duration), to the point where it cost so much to make that it had to sell five million units to just break even -- a feat it accomplished easily. The explanations of songwriting techniques and studio methodologies are fascinating without ever getting tedious. In the end, a story of an album, a band, and a particular point in time for rock music is told in an artful and engaging fashion. If you've ever wondered how the music gets from inspiration to record store, this DVD will answer a lot of your questions. ~ Adrian Zupp