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Back with a loud bang
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One of the loudest and heaviest rock bands of all times is out with its greatest hits album.
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Out of touch, out of reach; You could try to get closer to me; I'm in luck, I'm in deep; Hypnotised, I'm shakin' to my knees.
Can't stop this feeling; Can't stop this fire; Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria, oh can you feel it?
IF YOU'RE a rock fan, these lines will definitely bring a gleam to your eye. Taken from Def Leppard's 1987 album Hysteria, the song still remains an anthem that represents energy, a sense of power and freedom. Though the song has been misinterpreted by critics as purporting to encourage violence and destruction, it speaks of responsible handling of power. Most of Def Leppard's songs echo this sentiment.
The history of the band dates back to 1977 when lead singer Joe Eliot, bass guitarist Rick Savage and guitarist Pete Willis jammed together and composed their first ever original track, "Misty Dreamer" (before that, the band was called Deaf Leopard and the trio did cover versions of rock classics).
Over the next couple of years, the band took shape as drummer Rick Allan and guitarist Steve Clark joined in. In 1980, Def Leppard's debut album On Through The Night was released in the U.K. Though the first single "Hello America" failed to impress music lovers, the following album High 'N' Dry stormed the music charts and established Def Leppard as a band at par with the likes of AC/DC and Judas Priest.
Biggest album
But its all-time biggest album was Hysteria, which saw eight out of the 12 tracks becoming super hits. "Hysteria", "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Armageddon It", "Love Bites" and "Rocket" that became massive youth anthems. Though Def Leppard's music incorporated themes ranging from love, social issues and racial issues, a common thread of positive energy and optimism increased its fan base among the youth who were only too happy to have a heavy metal band speaking their language and rebellion.
Culture police
This, of course, was looked at as "destructive to society sentiments" and like any rock band, Def Leppard fell prey to the culture police.
Nevertheless Hysteria did wonders for the band's popularity. The band went into hibernation for a few years and the 1992 release of Adrenalize saw the addition of Vivian Campbell to the band. This was followed by a massive world tour and making of the movie, The Def Leppard Story and an album called X.
Def Leppard is now back with a greatest hits album titled Best Of Def Leppard featuring 17 tracks ranging from Hysteria, Armageddon It, When Love And Hate Collide, Animal, Bringing On The Heartbreak and all the classic hits the band has turned in. It is one of the very few compilations in recent times that maintains a high energy level throughout the album. The play listing is done skilfully making it an ideal collector's edition. One word of advice though: if you are the kind who listens to music on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, stay away. But if you are the kind that gets a kick out of disturbing your neighbour's siesta, grab this album.
VISHNU A.
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