This was Def Leppard's follow up to the almost unbelieveably huge Hysteria, and was always going to be a hard act to follow.
The album opens with the first single, Let's Get Rocked, which had some type of new technology used in creating the video, which instantly helped sales, and kept the song near the top of the charts for some time.
The album itself is a mixture. During the writing and early recording, Guitarist Steve Clark died from complications of his alcohol problem, which must have (again) messed up the band. However, they finally got it together, and recorded the album.
At the time it was released, I was very 50/50 on it. There were a couple of songs I really liked, but the rest was ordinary. On listening to it a few times over the past few days, I have realised that it, generally, is just a further sugar-coated Hysteria. Some people will like that, others will not.
If anything, I think I enjoy it more now than I did at the time, perhaps only because I am older, perhaps only because I have heard what they've released SINCE Adrenalize! They could really have made these songs heavier, and, for me, it would have worked. Of course, that is not what Def Leppard has evolved into.
Memories : I saw Def Leppard at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, in the round, on this tour. By this time, they had picked up my guitar god, Vivian Campbell, to replace Steve Clark. Concentrating mostly on songs from Adrenalize and Hysteria, it was mostly a disappointment. But seeing Vivian live was worth the price of admission alone.
Rating : As a hard rock candy album, this is better than most. 3/5.
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