Page 53 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019
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RICHARD SAVAGE
Hysteria. That’s the album we were point where we’d lost Steve and we
always trying to make; the songs we were ended up making a record almost by
always trying to write. By the time numbers. We were in a daze [after Steve’s
Hysteria was released we’d been together death]. We were numb. It wasn’t coming
pretty much 10 years, and it was 10 years from the same place anymore, and partly
of work to get to where we’d always that was through tiredness, through shock
wanted to be. And Mutt was the guy that of losing Steve, and from confusion over
could actually put it into practice. what kind of album we should be
making. All this shit that you’re dealing
It all came together for you on with and it confuses you. I found we were
Hysteria: not only your best album – all sleepwalking when we made
almost futuristically sonic in its musical Adrenalize. It’s not my favourite album by
scope – but your biggest seller. Twelve a long shot.
times platinum in the US; double We tried to outdo Hysteria, which was
platinum in the UK; mega everywhere a mistake. I remember early on in the
else. Do you look back on Hysteria as songwriting process, we had this song
the pinnacle of your recording career? that was a spin-off from Hysteria that
Yes. I still think it’s an incredible album. ended up on the Adrenalize album, called
It was almost genre-less. You know, the Tonight. And I remember at the time, Mutt
first Guns N’ Roses album also came out saying: “Guys, you’ve got to produce this
around the same time, and what record with [regular Lange engineer]
a fantastic album that was. But it was of Mike Shipley,” god rest his soul, who
an ilk. It was a brilliant album of a certain was more than capable. He was
style of music. But there are parts of a major part of Hysteria anyway, and Mutt
Hysteria which had just never been done would be the first to admit that.
before, just came out of left-field without So it was obvious Mutt wasn’t going to
being ridiculously weird. It was a stand- be a hands-on producer like he had been
alone album. There’s no question that in on the previous three albums. He actually
many ways it is our pinnacle. It was the turned round to us and said, “You know
album we envisaged making when the what you should do. You should
four of us – before even Steve Clark was completely forget about doing
in the band – first sat down and formed a Hysteria-type album and make a Guns
Def Leppard. That was the goal. N’ Roses-type album.” And we just didn’t
know how to take that. Because that
So was there no feeling that the correct wouldn’t have been natural to us, in
move then would be to make Hysteria II, a sense. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut
again with Mutt, just to see how much that has brought you success. Even if the
further we can go this time? Rather songs are different, there’s a formula to
than what actually happened, which the writing and recording process. And
was to not work with Mutt? it’s so hard to get out of that because you
After the release of Hysteria we toured know it’s a tried-and-trusted formula.
for a very long time. They were All this shit was going on. Then we
wonderful days, just great times. But it made the album as a four-piece because
did have a draining effect on the band. Steve was no longer with us. It just
Then we went in to start writing songs for became… I don’t know. It came from the
Adrenalize, and Mutt was… I don’t think wrong source. The motivation, the
he had lost the passion, I think he was feelings were all mixed up because of the
getting tired of working with bands per circumstances surrounding it. So while
se, and having to cater for every the album was a commercial success it’s
individual member of the band and treat not an album that I look back fondly on.
them equally. Cos that was one of Mutt’s It doesn’t really cut it for me.
great strengths. Nothing was more
important than when it was being Also, you released Adrenalize in
recorded and it was getting his full the middle of the grunge
attention. And I think Mutt was getting a maelstrom, spearheaded by
little tired of the work that he was putting Nirvana. That had an
in to do the records. He was getting a little enormous blowback effect
jaded, if that’s a fair word. We got to the on you, didn’t it?
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